Compass Media Networks has announced a joint syndicated radio venture with home improvement guru Bob Vila to produce a short-form original home improvement vignettes, voiced by Vila beginning May 1. Vila is best known as the host of America’s leading television home-improvement shows over the past three decades, including “This Old House” (1979-1989), “Bob Vila’s Home Again” (1990-2005), and “Bob Vila” (2005-2007) and as head of the home improvement site, BobVila.com. “Radio offers an incredible …

Veteran talker Kevin McCullough and actor Stephen Baldwin‘s syndicated radio company, XtreMedia is launching “The Dani Johnson Show” hosted by Dani Johnson, the self-made millionaire whose story of being a runaway at 17, pregnant at 19, homeless at 21, and a millionaire by 23 led to her career as an entrepreneur and motivational speaker.  The first XtreMedia syndicated radio show not featuring either McCullough or Baldwin, Johnson’s radio show currently airs on Salem Talk WNYM-A …

Talker Magazines’ Mona Lipschitz is reporting that the log jam between two of syndicated radio’s top progressive talkers is about to be let loose. In a rare act of cooperation between syndicated voices Ed Schultz and Thom Hartmann (both distributed by syndicator Dial Global and airing in the same 12P-3P daily time slot,)  Hartmann has agreed to move his daily show to 3P-6P. The move will allow stations to air them both live without having …

Just a day after Cumulus Media syndicated radio star Nick Cannon revealed to his 92.3 NOW (WXRK) New York morning radio show listeners that he was hospitalized for a second time last week, Cannon has stepped down from the show on doctor’s orders. Cannon said in a statement on the 92.3 NOW website that Friday was his last day hosting the 2-year-old show, called “Rollin’.” He said doctors had ordered him to cut back on …

The Nashville based Dave Ramsey Group launches the syndicated radio “El Show de Andres Gutierrez” hosted by former San Antonio talker Andres Gutierrez. Gutierrez has been working with Ramsey since 2009 and previously hosted a popular San Antonio financial radio program and has appeared regularly as a financial expert on the Telemundo television network. “El Show de Andres Gutierrez” broadcasts live daily from 11a.m. to 12p.m. and focuses on  life, money, relationships and more. Dave Ramsey …

Clear Channel along with majority investors Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital, have entered into two new investment agreements with Ryan Seacrest Media “designed to drive business growth across multiple media platforms.” The entities have committed up to $300 million to working with RSM to “identify, acquire and develop innovative media companies, media content and other media properties that can be leveraged to support a range of media enterprises.”
Under a separate agreement, Clear Channel …

One of the Rolling Stones has got the radio bug.  Premiere Networks will provide syndicated radio distribution and exclusive ad sales representation for “The Ronnie Wood Show” in North America. Launched in April 2010 on Absolute Radio in the UK, “The Ronnie Wood Show” will make its North American debut on WAXQ-FM (Q104.3) New York. The one-hour program-available to rock music stations on weekends from 6am to midnight features Ronnie Wood, best known as a …

Multiple industry sources are reporting that broadcast journalist and author Lou Dobbs will leave his United Stations distributed syndicated radio program, The Lou Dobbs Show on February 24 to concentrate on his television program. Dobbs  signed with United Stations Radio Networks to produce and distribute his daily afternoon talk show December, 2007 while continuing to anchor the nightly “Lou Dobbs Tonight” on CNN. He exited CNN November, 2009 and moved the show to the FOX …

Premiere Radio Networks syndicated radio sports talker Jim Rome confirmed Friday that he is leaving ESPN after eight years as host of “Jim Rome Is Burning.”  The Big Lead’s Jason McIntyre cited an ESPN source as saying that Rome “was presented with a multi-year offer to return to the network, but he did not accept it.” Two other sources said that Rome and the “JRIB” show “will move over to the burgeoning CBS Sports Network.” …

Cumulus Media Networks and Benztown Branding have signed an exclusive syndicated radio agreement that will create one of the largest collections of production and imaging libraries in the industry. Cumulus will manage affiliation and advertising sales for all current Benztown production and imaging libraries while Benztown will direct production of the network’s current library offerings.  Cumulus will also handle affiliate and advertising sales for Benztown’s voiceover services and will rep select Benztown Radio Networks programs. …