Midwest Family Broadcasting’s WSJM-FM (St. Joseph) has announced that longtime sports director Phil McDonald is cutting back his broadcasting committments to join Lake Michigan Catholic as Athletic Director. McDonald has been with WSJM for more than 35 years, having started as a part-timer in the 80s when he was in college. At first, he did…
The MAB has learned that Michael Sirianni, a popular West Michigan radio host, passed away July 20 after a decades-long fight with MS. During the 80s, 90s and early 2000s he worked at various West Michigan stations including WLHT-FM, WJFM-FM, WODJ-FM, WLAV-FM, WOOD-FM and WCSG-FM. Sirianni started his broadcasting career at WTRU in Muskegon. He…
By: Seth Resler Jacobs Media Strategies For decades, radio stations have used promotional appearances by their street teams as ways to engage listeners. Unfortunately, the reality is that this is a largely inefficient way to reach the audience; the numbers just don’t work. However, social media can create new value for street team appearances —…
Veteran northern Michigan reporter/anchor Dave Fortin has passed away. Fortin died July 21 at age 81. Fortin was on the television screen for over five decades. His career started at WPBN/WTOM-TV (Traverse City) in 1963 as a news anchor, reporter and sometimes a meteorologist. During his time at the station, he was known for always…
Nexstar’s WOOD-TV (Grand Rapids) has announced that Ellen Bacca has been named Chief Meteorologist for the station. Bacca is the first female Chief Meteorologist in West Michigan. She succeeds Bill Steffen, who celebrates the start of his 21st year at the station and his 47th year in the Grand Rapids market. Upon this achievement, Steffen…
Former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), a 36-year veteran of the Senate has died at the age of 87. The Levin Center at Wayne State University announced the late senator’s death Thursday evening, calling him “a dearly beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, and life-long public servant.” In 2014, Levin was presented with the MAB’s…
This past weekend (7/22-25), Results Radio Network stations aired The American Legion Baseball Upper Peninsula Zone Five tournament, with 21 games scheduled in Escanaba and Gladstone over four days. Seventeen of those games were broadcast on the stations of the Radio Results Network. The top two teams from this tournament, plus the Marquette Blues, will…
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Last week, it was announced that the FCC would be considering some changes to its political broadcasting rules at its monthly open meeting in August. In some quarters (see, for example, this article), that raised concern that significant changes were coming in time for the 2022 Congressional elections. But,…
Townsquare Media’s WCRZ-FM (Flint) raised over $100,000 for the Whaley Children’s Center with Roof Sit 2021. Morning show personalities Clay Church and Lisa Marie, along with Mindy Williams, President and CEO of Whaley Children’s Center, were living on the roof of the Grand Blanc McDonald’s for three days (7/14-16) to raise funds for the Children’s…
Evelyn Massaro, longtime station manager and development director of WNMU-FM in Marquette has retired after a 42-year career in public media. Massaro retired June 30. “It’s never a dull moment when you work in public media and I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Massaro said in an email to The Current confirming her…