News Bites for Thursday, July 30…
The RAB will host the second installment of its four-part “AI Advantage for Radio Sales” webinar series on Aug. 5 at noon CT/1pm ET. The session will focus on RAB CopyWrite, an AI-enabled resource powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT that helps radio sellers quickly create customized scripts based on client needs. RAB Senior Vice Presidents Dave Casper and Jeff Schmidt will host the webinar, joined by Gerardo Martinez, Chief Revenue Officer for Lazer Media and a member of RAB’s Multicultural Committee. Martinez will discuss how Lazer Media uses CopyWrite to support sales efforts and client conversations, including its Spanish-language capabilities. Attendees will learn how to use the tool to save time, streamline workflows and create customized radio solutions.Starting Aug. 1, Hubbard news WTOP Washington, DC programming will no longer be available on WTLP Braddock Heights, MD (103.9), after the station leases the frequency to K-Love, who will place its contemporary Christian music network on the signal. WTOP will continue broadcasting on its main signal 103.5 FM, WWWT Manassas, VA (107.7) and WTOP-HD1, while remaining available through its website, mobile apps, YouTube, Alexa, CarPlay and Android Auto. General Manager and Hubbard DC President Joel Oxley said WTOP’s main signal covers most of Frederick County’s population, while streaming allows listeners to access the station nationwide. WTOP began simulcasting on 103.9 FM in 2007.
Radio One Houston’s KKBQ-HD2, “Rodeo Radio,” has temporarily rebranded as “Pasadena Rodeo Radio” ahead of the 77th Pasadena Livestock Show & Rodeo, running Sept. 18-26. The two-month promotion retains the station’s classic country format, featuring music from the 1930s through the 1990s. Pasadena Livestock Show & Rodeo Executive Board Vice President Bear Hebert is serving as the station’s imaging voice and will narrate twice-hourly public service announcements highlighting the event’s concerts, activities, scholarship program and community impact. Radio One Houston Director of Operations and KKBQ/Rodeo Radio Program Director Travis Moon said the station’s focus on seven decades of country music aligns with the rodeo’s 77-year history and provides an opportunity to spotlight its role in the Pasadena community.Local Media San Diego’s “Magic 92.5” XHRM-FM Tijuana/San Diego midday personality Xavier “The X-Man” will host the annual “Cruise for the Cause” car show Aug. 2 at Otay Ranch Town Center in Chula Vista, CA. The free event, which benefits the Emilio Nares Foundation, will feature hundreds of lowriders, classic cars, muscle cars, motorcycles, bikes, trucks and custom vehicles. The event will also include live music, children’s activities and community resources, including a San Diego Blood Bank blood mobile and bone-marrow registry. The Cruise for the Cause began in 2002 with a small group of lowriders and has grown into a major community event. Xavier said the show is about more than cars, emphasizing its role in bringing the community together to support neighbors in need.