Former Great Lakes Loons PA Announcer and WLUN-FM (Pinconning) General Manager Jerry O’Donnell passed away April 26 after a battle with cancer. O’Donnell was the team’s first public address announcer, starting with the Loons’ inaugural 2007 season through the 2022 season.
His work last year ranged from covering Detroit’s civil rights legacy 60 years after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the “Walk to Freedom” to a story on Vietnam veterans’ efforts to rename Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, helping reduce stigma and encouraging more individuals to seek treatment.
WGRT-FM (Port Huron) Sales Manager Vickie Lemonis received recognition at ceremonies for the 2024 Official Community’s Choice Awards, Best of the Blue Water Area. Lemonis secured the title of local best in Advertising/Marketing.
Audacy’s WXYT-AM (Detroit) will debut the previously announced Sports Rap Radio on May 16. An all-Black lineup will be led by Rob Parker, a former host at WDFN, three-time NBA champion B.J. Armstrong, and former college athletes Dave Kenney and Maurice Ways.
While May is one of those months that does not have any routine, scheduled FCC filing deadlines, there are still a number of regulatory dates and deadlines for broadcasters that are worthy of note.
After a nearly 11 month wait, the FCC this week approved the sale of Adell Broadcasting’s WADL-TV (Detroit) to Mission Broadcasting, Inc. The $75 million deal has been held up with petitions to deny from various groups as well as the FCC’s own concern about Mission’s relationship with Nexstar Media Group Inc. The approval comes with several conditions, including that Texas-based Mission financially separate itself from Nexstar.
On April 15, TSE Broadcasting’s WUPN-FM (Paradise) and Whiskey Sours Broadcasting and Productions’ WSBX-FM (Mackinaw City) began simulcasting a classic hits format as “94.5/95.1 The Bridge.”
WKAR Public Media (East Lansing) General Manager Shawn Turner has been appointed to the Michigan Veterans’ Facility Authority Board of Directors, the ten-member board that governs Michigan Veteran Homes. He was selected by the majority leader of the senate and appointed by Gov. Whitmer, with the advice and consent of the senate.
Artificial Intelligence was the talk of the NAB Convention last week. Seemingly, not a session took place without some discussion of the impact of AI.
Detroit Public Television has announced that it has changed its name to Detroit PBS “to reflect our commitment and connection to the ‘Most Important City in America.’” The announcement was made in a release dated April 18. In addition to the name change, the organization announced that it will “return to its roots by moving its headquarters back to Detroit.