Shannyn Caldwell has taken the helm of "The Morning Light" Monday through Saturday from 6am until 10am on 103.5 FM WMUZ - Detroit. Shannyn is taking on the job solo after co-host Jon Culbert decided to pursue other opportunities.

General Manager Frank Franciosi says, "More than ever our city needs a spiritual wake up call. That's why WMUZ and the Morning Light exist - to make a real difference in the lives of Detroiters starting from the inside - out. " Franciosi continued to say, "Listeners can count on Shannyn to help them make a difference with a good jolt of Jesus everyday on the Morning Light."

"The music industry is filled with incredibly talented artists who are using their skills to draw people closer to Christ and in a way, I actually feel like that's what I'm doing too." Caldwell commented. "It's a blessing to flood Detroit with love, light, peace and joy every morning!"

Ann Arbor's 107one announces release of CD to benefit Michigan Theatre

Since its incarnation in 2004, Ann Arbor's 107one, WQKL-FM, has aired hundreds of outstanding local performances by a number of acclaimed artists. Studio A2 and Studio A2 On The Road have become known as the source for quality live music on the dial in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Now, the station has announced the release of the first ever Live From Studio A2 benefit CD. The new disc contains 16 live tracks from KT Tunstall, Newton Faulkner, BoDeans, Sara Bareilles, John Butler Trio, Ingrid Michaelson, Steve Earle, Matt Costa, Patty Griffin, Brian Vander Ark, Bruce Cockburn, Amos Lee, Brandi Carlile, Proclaimers, Martin Sexton and Matt Nathanson. After filtering through hundreds of recordings, the best of the best have been selected and have re-mastered each track for the project. Every performance on the disc was recorded in Studio A2 at Ann Arbor's 107one and various Studio A2 On The Road events.

Proceeds from this disc will benefit The Michigan Theater Foundation, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to operate, preserve and maintain Ann Arbor's historic Michigan Theater for the benefit of the community and the arts. Established to save the theater from demolition in 1979, the foundation works every day to raise the considerable funds needed to maintain the theater and its programs.

Live From Studio A2, Volume 1 to benefit the Michigan Theater will be available on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 exclusively at Borders in Ann Arbor, Brighton, Canton, Farmington Hills and Novi as well as select major markets.

Michigan Radio to offer upcoming Presidential debate coverage

Michigan Radio, the public radio service from the University of Michigan, continues to air live coverage of the 2008 political debates with the next scheduled for Tuesday, October 7 and Wednesday, October 15. Each debate will begin at 9 p.m., with NPR's Laura Wertheimer as the broadcast host.

The second presidential debate is scheduled for Thursday, October 7, at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. It will include audience questions in a town meeting format, and NBC's Tom Brokaw will moderate. NPR's National Listening Party, with Ken Rudin and Neal Conan, will follow at 11 p.m. from Columbus, OH.

A third presidential debate will be Wednesday, October 15, at Hofstra University, in Hempstead, New York. CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer will moderate, and Neal Conan will, once again, follow at 11 p.m. with NPR's National Listening Party with a live audience at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C.

Detroit Free Press:

Two years in the making? Too Hollywood! Kingberry Productions, along with Detroit Public Television (WTVS-TV, Channel 56), will present the fourth in a series of prime-time, one-hour telecasts on race relations in metro Detroit at 9 p.m. Wednesday. "Bridging the Racial Divide IV" will be cohosted by former news anchor Emery King and WJR-AM's (760) Paul W. Smith. It will be simulcast on WJR and WDET-FM (101.9). The drill? They will be joined by a panel of opinion makers, civic leaders and experts, to talk about the future of race relations hereabouts. It was in September 2006 and the first portion of 2007 that the first three parts aired. The finale was delayed, said producer Tom LoCicero, by insufficient funding... Channel 56 ending series on race (Sun, 10/5)

A new FM radio station is on the air in St. Joseph County. WRCI -- licensed to Three Rivers -- is owned and operated by Impact Radio, LLC. Impact Radio also owns WLKM-FM and WRCI-AM in Three Rivers and WBNO/WQCT in Bryan, Ohio. WRCI operates at 97.1 on the FM dial and features a "Classic Country" music format. The station is also the new home for Three Rivers Wildcat varsity football and basketball broadcasts. High school football and basketball games from other towns in the county will also be broadcast as the schedule permits... New radio station on the air in St. Joe County (Mon, 10/6)

Freedom Broadcasting has announced that ABC affiliate WLAJ-TV is extending its 6pm newscast to a full hour of local news coverage. Starting tonight, Oct. 6, ABC 3 News will air at 6-7 p.m. every weekday followed by World News with Charles Gibson at 7 p.m with Millionaire airing at 7:30 p.m.

"This move reflects the lifestyle changes for our viewers, and will give them better news options throughout their evenings." says Jim Lutton, WLAJ vice president-general manager.

"This is a great opportunity to showcase the WLAJ news team in a time period where Lansing area viewers will have the only opportunity to see local news and weather that affects them." says Cathy Younkin, WLAJ news director.

Flint Journal:

If you're of a certain age and wonder whatever happened to the quaint local TV programming of your youth, part of the answer may be that its time simply ran out. Part of the deal that allowed WJRT-TV (Channel 12) to go on the air 50 years ago -- at 5 p.m. on Oct. 12, 1958 -- was a 10-year commitment by the station to air several hours of locally produced programming each day. That led to homegrown shows such as "Mr. Magic," "Bozo's Big Top," "Colonel Gyro from Outer Space," "Romper Room with Miss Margie" and "Theatre of Thrills" with host "Christopher Coffin." In fact, original staffer Lytle Hoover said that in 1958, it took 55 hours of live programming each week to fill in around ABC's network shows... Local, live programs once filled the airwaves (Sat, 10/4)

One immediate effect of Republican Sen. John McCain's reported decision to shift his presidential campaign efforts out of Michigan and into more competitive states such as Ohio and Florida is the loss of advertising dollars at local television stations. The McCain campaign spent $6.1 million on television advertising in Michigan, including $2.8 million in Detroit, from May 26 to Aug. 31, according to data from the Lansing-based Michigan Campaign Finance Network, which tracks political spending in the state. The Republican National Committee spent an additional $1.9 million statewide, of which $604,000 was in the Detroit market. And with McCain conceding the state, there would appear to be little need for Democrat Barack Obama to continue his Michigan spending at the same pace, either... McCain pullout will slow spending on TV political advertising (Fri, 10/3)

AllAccess.com:

Connolly Named Dir./Sales At Greater Media/Detroit: GREATER MEDIA/DETROIT has named PETER CONNOLLY Dir./Sales for Active Rock WRIF, Classic Rock WCSX and AC WMGC. He will begin his new position on MONDAY, OCTOBER 6th. CONNOLLY most recently served as EVP at METRO NETWORK, where he was responsible for overseeing the company's MIDWEST and WESTERN Market operations. The radio vet began his career at BUCKLEY Talk WOR-A/NEW YORK. He went on to serve as National Sales Manager, Local Sales Manager and General Sales Manager at CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40 WKQI/DETROIT, before joining CLEAR CHANNEL/DETROIT as VP/GM for the cluster. "We are thrilled to have PETER join GREATER MEDIA's DETROIT-based operation," said Market Manager JOHN GALLAGHER. "We look forward to him sharing his vast experience and knowledge of the DETROIT market with our team." (Fri, 10/3)

Active rocker WWBN-FM 101.5 has jettisoned the Indianapolis-based Bob & Tom Show from its morning lineup and replaced it with the Grand Rapids-based Free Beer & Hot Wings Show, which is syndicated from Regent sister station WGRD-FM. WWBN becomes FB&HW's second Michigan station.

The show is hosted by Gregg Daniels (Free Beer) Chris Michels (Hot Wings) with Eric Zane and Joe Gassman, Jr.

The Muskegon Lumberjacks minor league hockey team and Synergy Broadcast Group have reached an agreement with WWKR-FM 94.1 continuing as the radio flagship home for all of the Lumberjacks' live play-by-play broadcasts. Also included in the contract will be the daily "Lumberjacks Hockey Update" daily report to be heard on WWKR-FM 94.1 Monday through Friday at 5:20 p.m., with a two-hour Monday night talk program focused on the team airing at 6:30 p.m. The Monday Night 'Jacks Jam is set for it season debut on October 13th.

All game broadcasts will consist of a one-half hour pregame show as well as the "Lumberjacks Star of the Game Show," which will immediately follow all home games, and the Lumberjacks Post Game Show, the latter program to follow after every game, home and away.

The Lumberjacks initial game broadcast of the new season will be their pre-season premiere on Wednesday October 8th at 7pm when they travel to Kalamazoo to take on the K-Wings.

Terry Ficorelli, the long-time voice of Muskegon hockey, has returned with the launching of the Lumberjacks, following a brief stint in the OHL with the Saginaw Spirit. He will begin his 14th year at the Muskegon mic for all of the Lumberjacks game broadcasts, daily update report, and Monday night "Jacks Jam" show on WWKR-FM 94.1.

Grand Rapids Press:

Have you been watching the expanded WXMI-TV (Fox 17) morning show? I love the entertainment bent, especially Emily Richett's expanded role from online to on air. And it's also fun watching Tim Doty develop as a "man about town," doing some of the same type of features that Gerry Barnaby used to do when he worked at WOOD-TV (Channel 8). I have been wanting to check in with my friends at Fox 17, especially after receiving a press release about the addition of a new sports reporter, just to see what's going on. So I called GR Press radio and TV reporter Colleen Pierson, and she put in a call to Fox 17 news director Tim Dye. Here is her report: Tim Dye of Fox 17 said he is also pleased with how the expanded morning show -- which airs from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Channel 17 -- is coming along... WXMI-TV Fox 17 continues to change (Fri, 10/3)

WWJ's Karen Dinkins is out of a job because of what she wore to work. Her t-shirt said she's a fan on Barack Obama, and when her bosses found out, they showed her the door. FOX 2's Brad Edwards has more on the reporter you'll no longer hear on NewsRadio 950 (video story)... WWJ reporter fired for t-shirt (Wed, 10/1)

A shift at legendary rocker WRIF as Greater Media/Detroit Director of Rock Programming Doug Podell officially hands over the role of program director to Mark Pennington. Podell still has lots of responsibility with his director role as well as being the PD for sister station classic rock WCSX and the midday host for 'RIF. Pennington has been with WRIF since 2000 and held the titles of music director as well as assistant program director in addition to leading the HD side channel Riff2.

"When looking for someone to take over the daily duties of programming WRIF, market manager John Gallagher and I only had to look to the next office," stated Podell in a release. "I'm very confident Mark is qualified and ready to take RIFF into the PPM generation."

"I look forward to continuing Doug's legacy in providing the very best rock and entertainment in the Motor City for our listeners," commented Pennington.

Ratings trend correction for WWJ

The second ratings ratings trend for the summer was corrected this week by Arbitron due to an error that showed all-news WWJ signing off at 7pm each day (the station operates 24/hours day and has for decades). Instead of being first overall, WWJ's actual placement was in a tie for fourth place with WKQI.

When the Whitecaps open their 16th season in 2009, listeners in West Michigan can keep their radio dial tuned to WBBL-AM 1340 for every pitch. The West Michigan Whitecaps and Citadel Broadcasting have agreed on a three-year extension that will keep Whitecaps broadcasts on their flagship station WBBL-AM 1340 through 2011.

Whitecaps games have been heard on WBBL for the last five seasons, dating back to their championship season in 2004. Several number of games will again be available throughout West Michigan on the Whitecaps Radio Network.

"We're excited to continue our partnership with Citadel and look forward to another three years on WBBL," said Whitecaps Vice President of Sales Steve McCarthy. "WBBL is the local sports leader in radio so the last five seasons have been successful for all parties involved."

"We're thrilled to grow together with the Whitecaps after partnering with Lew Chamberlin and the Whitecaps the past five years," said Matt Hanlon, President, Midwest Region for Citadel Broadcasting. "WBBL is the home for sports on the radio in West Michigan, so it makes sense for us to continue our relationship with a spectacular organization like the Whitecaps."

Grand Rapids Press:

Just like an aspiring Class A professional baseball player hoping to move up in the minor league system and eventually to the major leagues, West Michigan Whitecaps play-by-play radio announcer Dave Skoczen inspires to do the same. That's why after eight seasons announcing at the Single-A level, the past four with the Whitecaps, Skoczen, 30, has decided to leave the organization to pursue his dreams. Friday will be Skoczen's last day as a member of the Whitecaps' organization. He plans to pack-up his family (wife and two boys, 3 and 1) and head to California in the coming days... Whitecaps' radio announcer Skoczen steps down (Thu, 9/25)

...Luckoff is in charge of sales for Detroit's leading radio stations aimed at black audiences, WJLB 97.9 FM and WMXD 92.3 FM, both owned by Clear Channel Radio Inc. The stations ranked No. 6 and No. 8 in the Detroit market by revenue in this year's Crain's Book of Lists, and have a combined revenue of about $25 million... Jeff Luckoff, General sales manager WJLB 97.9 FM, WMXD 92.3 FM Clear Channel Radio (Mon, 9/29)

...As head of development for Detroit Public Television, Hamilton today is in charge of raising about 60 percent of the station's revenue, or $9 million annually, through on-air and online pledge drives, direct-mail campaigns and grant proposals to foundations. She's headed efforts that have brought in at least 60 percent of total revenue each of the past eight years -- and cut fundraising expenses to keep down the station's costs to raise money when revenue declined... Kelley Hamilton, Vice president of development, Detroit Public Television (Mon, 9/29)

Farmers student athletes recognized, honored by FSN Detroit

FSN Detroit is teaming with Farmers Insurance Group to honor well-rounded high school student-athletes throughout Michigan with a monthly Farmers Student Athlete Citizen Award during the 2008-09 academic year.

The Farmers Student Athlete Citizen Award recognizes outstanding high school student athletes that are making a difference on the athletic field, in the classroom and in the communities they represent. Administrators and coaches from 768 high schools statewide have been invited to nominate student-athletes who carry a grade point average of 2.5 or greater (on a 4.0 scale) and are involved in extracurricular activities (including community service). Athletic achievements in both individual and team sports will be considered. The monthly winner is determined by a selection committee comprised of personnel from Farmers and FSN Detroit.

The Farmers Student Athlete Citizen Award honorees will receive a plaque presented by a local Farmers Insurance representative and be featured in a 30-second vignette to run throughout the following month during FSN Detroit programming.

Farmers Insurance Group is a presenting sponsor of FSN Detroit's 2008-09 coverage of Michigan High School Athletic Association football and basketball championship events.

WLQV to sponsor Bible Across America Tour stop in Sterling Heights

AM 1500 WLQV and Grace Christian Church have partnered with Zondervan to promote and host the Bible Across America Tour stop in Southeast Michigan. More than 31,000 Americans will have a hand in publishing a new Bible - America's NIV - the first nationwide Bible ever written "one-verse, one-person" at a time. The cross-country RV tour will make its only Southeast Michigan stop at Grace Christian Church at 33801 Van Dyke Ave in Sterling Heights on Wednesday, October 1, 2008 from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. and the public is invited to contribute a verse in their own handwriting.

'Jump A Jonas,' To Win $10K: CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40 WSNX/GRAND RAPIDS morning meister PUDDIN' tells ALL ACCESS, "We offered a $10k reward for the first person to prove they've had sex with a JONAS BROTHER. The boys talk a lot about purity and living a lifestyle free of temptation and while that is an excellent way to live your life, we wanted to know if everyone had their level of self-control. That is why we are offering a $10,000 bounty to the person that can 'jump a JONAS' and prove it. If you are able to legally bed down either of the two JONAS BROTHERS who are of legal age to do so and are able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you did the deed, you can collect the $10,000 bounty. We just made E! CHANNEL's Daily 10, a ton of gossip blogs, and now the Mouse's cross hairs. DISNEY and the boys are not happy. But we're just having a little fun!" Find out more at www.jumpajonas.com. (Fri, 9/26)

StationRatings.com:

Top 5 radio stations among all radio listeners age 12 and over during the second summer ratings trend in Grand Rapids were WBCT, WOOD AM, WSNX, WGRD, and WLAV... Grand Rapids summer phase 2 ratings (Thu, 9/25)

WCEN Aims To Pin Down Cancer: NEXTMEDIA Country WCEN (94.5 THE MOOSE)/SAGINAW is pairing with BAY CITY LANES for the PIN DOWN CANCER event to benefit the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25th. In addition to bowling there will be a raffle as well as contest and prizes. For more information visit www.945themoose.com. (Fri, 9/26)

Radio One owned WHTD FM 102.7 has dropped the Russ Parr morning show from morning drive and will add the "Rickey Smiley and Deez Nutz Morning Show" starting Monday, October 6th. Smiley's program is syndicated through Radio One's Syndication One programming arm.

"I am very excited that Rickey will be heard in our key markets of Atlanta and Detroit," says Radio One senior VP of programming content Jay Stevens. "He is a star, one of those rare individuals that can fill an arena of 5,000 one day and be on the radio in that same market the next day. Rickey is very creative and genuinely cares about his listeners which translates to a strong community presence. He is also joined by a team of incredibly talented personalities that create an entertainment package which just can't be duplicated."

Smiley's program is also heard on WQHH FM 96.5 in Lansing.

Fox Sports Net Detroit to air 100 Red Wings and Pistons games in HD during 08-09 seasons

FSN Detroit will present 100 games in high-definition during the upcoming 2008-09 seasons for the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons. Each team has 50 telecasts available on FSN HD, accounting for 69 percent of FSN's 144- game combined telecast schedule.

The offering of Red Wings HD telecasts includes 31 at home and 19 on the road; the Pistons HD breakdown is 29 home and 21 road contests.

The Red Wings and Pistons high-definition telecasts will be shown on FSN HD, a channel currently available on high-definition cable service provided by Comcast, Bright House Networks, Wide Open West (WOW!), Charter, Buckeye, Broadstripe, Coldwater and D&P Cable. FSN HD is also available via satellite on DIRECTV and Dish Network.

Complete Wings and Pistons telecast schedules available at www.foxsports.com/detroit.

New Shut Up and Vote Michigan videos released

The heritage air personalities 101 WRIF, 94.7 WCSX and Magic 105.1 have hit the campaign trail with a single unified message for Michigan residents: Shut Up and Vote! The corner piece of this integrated initiative is the website shutupandvotemichigan.com.

By far, the most popular sections of the campaign are the Shut Up and Vote Michigan Videos featuring area celebrities, including station air personalities, sharing why they think voting is so important. Recently uploaded videos feature: WRIF's Arthur Penhallow, Doug Podell, Meltdown, Steve Black, Screamin' Scott, and Slayer; WRIF and WCSX's Peter Werbe and Juline Jordan, WCSX's Ken Calvert, JJ & Lynne, Mark Pasman, and Uncle Buck; WMGC's Jim Harper and the Magic Morning Show and Mitzi Miles.

Each video puts a personal spin on why, in Michigan, every vote counts. Each week leading up to November 4th, new videos will be added and spotlighted on the site.

Another area designed to encourage people to get out the vote is the Shut Up and Vote Michigan Guest Blogger section. Michigan voters are encouraged to submit their own reasons why it's important to Shut Up & Vote for the opportunity to be a guest blogger.

Other features of the website ShutUpandVoteMichigan.com include Political polls that help take the pulse of Michigan residents, Michigan ballot proposal details and voter registration information.

Detroit News:

The top stories from Metro Detroit's other 10 p.m. newscast can now be watched on the Web. The "My 20 News at Ten" newscast from WMYD-TV (Channel 20) can't be viewed in its entirety at tv20detroit. com just yet, but news junkies can catch up on the day's breaking news and headline grabbers by going to the Web site and clicking on the video icon. Anchors Sunya Walls and Nathan O'Leary deliver most of the stories, as they do during the TV newscast, and some of the stories come from field reporters Dave Leval and Jorge Avellan... See top 'My 20 News' stories on the Web (Fri, 9/26)

Your seemingly always traveling radio reporter is finally done traveling. I've been to a plethora radio conventions, and this last one (or should I say last two) was a real eye-opener. In Austin, TX the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and Radio & Records (the leading radio trade publication) co-located their conventions in the Capital of Texas. The city's moniker is "Keep Austin Weird!" Some called it "Ann Arbor on steroids."

In past years each of these confabs was so big that they could only be held in major markets like: Los Angeles, Chicago, New Orleans, and San Francisco. The first of these "combo-conventions" was also in a big city; Dallas and at a huge hotel...The Hilton Anatole, but in 2007 it moved to Charlotte, NC and this year to Austin, TX. The reason for locating in smaller cities, is that fewer and fewer people are going to these gatherings and it's a sad commentary. I spent nearly all of my time on the R&R side of the street in the Hilton Hotel with the shorts and T-shirts, while the "suites" from the NAB populated the Austin Convention Center across the street.

The attendance at BOTH conferences was noticeably off from previous years. That was a shame, because the sessions were very good and the rooms had a lot of empty chairs. One of the most popular events was a sort of convention within the convention called the Jacobs Media Summit hosted by Detroit-based Jacobs Media. Most of their sessions were standing room only. Congrats to Fred, Bill and Paul Jacobs for a job well done. As is the case at most of these gatherings, the number of broadcasters from the Detroit area was light.

WRIF was the big local winner again this year with Doug Podell getting program director of the year in the rock category. Mark Pennington got rock music director of the year and WRIF won top active rock station in markets 1 through 15. I asked WRIF PD Doug Podell if he came with an extra empty suitcase just to carry back all of the awards Detroit's Home of Rock & Roll always seems to win...and if he flew Southwest Airlines his bags would fly free. That alone is helping propel Southwest, especially among we in the broadcasting industry always looking for a bargain. In fact, after the Austin conventions I went to Albuquerque, NM for a whirlwind 46 hour visit. While at the ABQ airport checking my bags for my return trip last Monday, who do I see behind the Southwest ticket counter, but Mr. Gary Kelly, the President and CEO of the airline! He was there in just a sport shirt and slacks helping personnel getting baggage onto the belt. I was amazed. He is a very real person and a nice man who was extremely approachable. He is one of the primary reason's Southwest is a friendly and profitable company. If broadcasters would run radio stations for the people, in stead of the stockholders, perhaps the industry would be in better shape.

Back to the last two conventions of the year. The key "buzz word" this year was CONTENT. All people were talking about is the product that goes out over the air. Wow, what a concept. Hold the front page. That news is about as stunning as the news that Clay Aiken is gay. Ever since Ellen DeGeneres nobody cares. I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the NAB's Marconi Awards (radio's Oscar's) which was hosted by TV (and now radio) star Billy Bush, who was surprisingly good. At my table were WLAV-FM Grand Rapids PD Rob Brandt and longtime afternoon drive personality, Tony Gates, the only two nominees from Michigan, and BOTH walked away with Marconi Awards! What a special night and huge kudos to Rob and Tony most deserving recipients.

One of the more interesting sessions centered on the fact that radio is getting FAR more visual. One panelist said "it used to be that radio stations had a web site...now web sites have a radio station." This is to say that if a radio station lacks lots of photos and streaming video on their site, it will not generate the type of traffic Internet advertisers crave. It was suggested that all radio station employees and especially the air talent should have some sort of digital video camera. More and more programs will be web-cast so listeners can see "behind the curtain." Most people feel that Don Imus and Howard Stern were the innovators of this technology, but actually legendary talk radio personality Joey Reynolds at New York's WOR Network was doing an overnight radio show on 50,000 watt KOA (AM 850) in Denver back in 1982 while it was also being simulcast LIVE on KOA-TV Channel 4! That was over 25 years ago.

The Bob & Tom Show, heard everywhere in Michigan, except in the Detroit area, is next to make the jump to TV via Tribune Broadcasting in Chicago. It's primarily, the concept of Sean Compton, former "boy wonder" at Clear Channel corporate in San Antonio, who has segued to WGN America, the super-station from The Windy City. Compton, like myself, is a fan of the syndicated morning show that showcases more comedians than any other in the nation, and it will be videotaped with multiple cameras each morning. It will then be edited into a one hour "Best Of" which will air at midnight EDT on WGN-TV which is available on most cable systems and satellite TV. It will premier on November 3rd, the day before the presidential election.

Often I wonder why some of these really entertaining shows are not available on our local AM and FM dial, but I must admit that I am listening to more Detroit area stations than ever. I have both Sirius and XM at home and XM in the car, but of late, I feel that a number of local stations are sounding better than ever. I do wish WOMC, Oldies 104.3 would team up Jo-Jo Shutty MacGregor with Ted "The Bear" Richards for traffic reports like she did during the Woodward Dream Cruise. I also wish WJR would provide a platform for Paul W. Smith so that he could exercise his personality more. Paul is actually a very funny guy, but needs guests who can bring out his excellent sense of humor.

Oddly enough the over-all picture painted by the NAB Convention is that although radio needs change and up-dating, things are not really all that bad. At the R&R topics were far more realistic. The miserable economy is greatly affecting what you hear on the air these days. HD Radio is suffering because broadcasters do not have enough money too adequately program their primary channel, so how are they expected to properly program these "secondary" signals which are available to a still very limited audience? Life, and everything in it, including your favorite stations, is like comedy....timing is everything!

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The journalistic community is still reeling from the news out of Chicago at Sun-Times Radio & TV columnist Robert Feder (Feeder) is leaving the paper in the coming weeks (after 28 years) to explore other opportunities. Feder was to Chicago what John Smyntek is to the Free Press. Interestingly, Smynty is also taking advantage of what is basically a "buyout" from the paper. If the Freep is looking for someone to take over the radio news, I can think of two people who will work for less than one.

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Lastly, it's nice to hear that former WOMC midday host Dana Lundon-Masucci is back on the air; she's now doing weekends with pop WDVD 96.3.

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As the leaves change in the coming weeks so will the radio dial, and Mike and I will try to keep you up to date with it all.

Art Vuolo has published the Radio Guide for more than 30 years and runs Vuolovideo.com. Contact him at artvuolo@aol.com.

Detroit Red Wings fans everywhere were proud of their team as they captured the Stanley Cup earlier this year, but no fans were more prideful than those in Newfoundland who watched forward Dan Cleary become the first native son to play on a Cup-winning team. When Cleary took the Cup home this summer, he shared it with tens of thousands of Newfoundlanders who provided a hero's welcome captured by a crew from FSN Detroit.

Now, fans of Cleary and the Red Wings in this region can experience the overwhelming reception and admiration in a half-hour special as part of FSN's "Under the Lights" series. Dan Cleary Brings It Home: Newfoundland's First Stanley Cup premieres Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7:00 & 10:00 PM, immediately preceding and following FSN's coverage of the Red Wings preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens.

FSN's crew was on hand at public celebrations held at the airport, a children's hospital, a Canada Day gathering in Cleary's hometown and also eavesdropped on some private time for Cleary with the Cup. Along with Cleary, those interviewed include his father and brother, a childhood friend, local and provincial government officials and the Hockey Hall of Fame's keeper of the Stanley Cup.

The show concludes with a music video tribute to Cleary, written and performed by Newfoundland band Greeley's Reel. The music video also can be seen at www.foxsports.com/detroit or www.myspace.com/fsndet.

AllAccess.com:

WDVD Assists Hurricane Victims: CITADEL Hot AC WDVD/DETROIT and Adult Hits WDRQ have teamed up to collect 37,000 pounds of non-perishable items and bottled water for the victims of HURRICANE IKE. WDVD's MR. GASSY served as navigator of the tractor-trailer as it traveled from MOTOWN to HOUSTON to provide needed supplies to area shelters. (Tue, 9/23)