I took Halloween week off but stuff kept happening.
Much of it has been reported elsewhere, but here’s the recap.
—Howie Magner will become interim editor of Milwaukee Magazine to replace Kurt Chandler, who announced over the weekend he was stepping down.
A national search for a permanent replacement is likely. Magner is a University of Tulsa alum who joined the magazine in 2007 as associate editor and became a senior editor in 2012. He previously spent 15 years as a newspaper sports writer and wrote about sports for the magazine. He’s on Twitter .
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—Voice problems in a voice-centric industry are painfully public. In confirming that she has left WTMJ-AM Bonnie Petrie revealed that she has been diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a treatable voice disorder. Petrie was hired as morning co-anchor/host with Gene Mueller to replace Jodi Becker, who left the station in May. Petrie, who has more than 20 years broadcast experience, is a native of Upstate new York, and previously worked at news / talk station KROI in Houston.
In an email Petrie wrote that she began experiencing discomfort when anchoring “and my voice quality began to deteriorate.” So she left the air, though she continued to write the news, and “began treatment with a Froedtert otolaryngologist in the Voice Health Program. I was ultimately diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a voice disorder that is treatable, but it can take time for anything like full recovery to occur.”
Since receiving treatment, which includes injecting vocal chords with Botox, her voice “is steadily strengthening, and is significantly improved, but I am not yet up to anchoring a complete shift. I can and have been writing the morning news. I can and have been reporting. But they hired an anchor, and I can not yet reliably do that. A station with the reputation and heritage of WTMJ deserves someone who can.”
She wrote that NPR host Diane Rehm also struggled with the disease and .
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Per Scripps owned WKTI-FM (and WTMJ-AM sister station) what appears on the left is the “better” and preferred picture for the new morning show team of Jay Tanner and Jake Kelly. You be the judge.
The pair and their producer Samantha Walker join the station Nov. 23.
They hail from WIXX-FM in Green Bay, where they hosted the morning show for three years and were named best radio show medium market by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.
Their shtick included phone pranks and they are “extremely active” on social media.
Tom Langmyer, WKTI GM and VP, called them “local, fun, engaging and Wisconsin Proud! Their younger approach, heavier local involvement and humor will be points of difference.” WTKI switched to a country music format in May and is nipping at the heels of Clear Channel’s big dog country station WMIL-FM, which recently was awarded CMA large market morning show and country station of the year honors.
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Both WMIL and WKTI were down slightly in the radio ratings for October.
Market leader and Oldies station WRIT took the biggest drop a 1.7 share; WMYX-FM had the biggest jump, a 1.2 share; WKLH-FM is up half a point, and sports radio WOKY-AM is up .7 of a share point.
These ratings, courtesy of industry website Tom Taylor Now represents a percentage of those listening to radio who are listening to a station in an average-quarter hour and measure listening by total audience, 6 years and older.
WRIT-FM 9.5, -1.7
WMYX-FM 7.1, +1.2
WTMJ-AM 6.6, -.1
WHQG-FM 6.2, +.1
WMIL-FM 6.2, -.5
WISN-AM 6.3 5.9, -.4
WKLH-FM 5.9, +.5
WKKV-FM 5.1, -.3
WLUM-FM 4.6, same
WJMR-FM 3.9, -.1
WXSS-FM 3.6, -.2
WLDB-FM 3.3, same
WRNW-FM 3.3, +.4
WKTI-FM 3.2, -.2
WUWM-FM 2.0, +.3
WNRG-FM P 1.9, +.2
WHAD-FM 1.7, same
WSSP-AM 1.3, +.1
WOKY-AM 1.0, +.7
WYMS-FM 0.9, -.3
WZTI-AM 0.8, +.1
WMSE-FM 0.3, +.1
Tags: Bonnie Petrie, Howie Magner, Jake Kelly, Jay Tanner, Milwaukee Magazine, radio ratings, WKTI, wmil Posted by