Westwood One has announced that gossip blogger Perez Hilton is set to launch a weekly countdown radio show as an alternative to Premiere Radio Network’s Ryan Seacrest.  Hilton’s new radio program promises a “cooler alternative” to “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest,” which has been airing since 2004.
According to Billboard.com, Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, will countdown the top 40 with his own hand picked set list.
A regular fixture with A-listers in Hollywood and the music industry, Hilton …

Busted Ryan Seacreast  stalker Chidi Uzomah is due to appear in court on Tuesday to enter a plea. Uzomah was arrested Friday after he was stopped by security guards at cable network E! in Los Angeles, where the Premiere Radio Network  syndicated personality was recording a show. A restraining order filed by Seacrest’s lawyers after the incident claimed Mr Uzomah was carrying a knife. He was already on probation for attacking one of Seacrest’s bodyguards …

The New York Post is reporting in Page Six that Clear Channel and Premiere Radio Network syndicated radio personality Ryan Seacrest is in CNN’s sights to replace Larry King when King’s contract expires in 18 months. The network is preparing for the eventual retirement of King from the nightly show and Seacrest is their preferred choice. The big stumbling block would be how much it would cost to get Seacrest because of his huge deal …

Clear Channel syndicated radio host and Top 40 KIIS-F 102.7 KISS FM Los Angeles morning man Ryan Seacrest, has finalized a three-year $15 million dollar per year deal to continue hosting “American Idol” and develop programming for CKX, parent company of  “Idol” producer 19 Entertainment. The new deal, which reportedly triples his salary, makes Seacrest the highest-paid reality host in TV history and provides that Seacrest will be exclusive to CKX in broadcast TV primetime …

Forbes Magazines latest Celebrity 100 list calls Premiere Network’s syndicated radio maven Rush Limbaugh “the country’s most listened-to (and perhaps most polarizing) radio host.” Limbaugh earns $54 million, and was listed as #23 in the Forbes list. XM/Sirius talker Howard Stern, who ranked #34, earned $70 million. Ryan Seacrest was ranked #44, earning $38 million. Also making the Forbes list was Glenn Beck at #81, earning $23 million. Oprah Winfrey who also claims a XM/Sirius …

News out of the Clear Channel management meetings in Dallas has the company unveiling two new programming initiatives including what it calls “a multi-point plan to raise the bar for radio programming across all dayparts and platforms, including online and mobile.”  The plan includes the expected introduction of national and regional programming in a program called “Premium Choice” that the company says makes proven programming  and popular on-air talent readily available  to local PDs in all markets for …

Not to be on a negative rant but some smart people are making  interesting observations that can’t be ignored. Jerry Del Colliano’s blog post today in Inside Music Media is a scathing look at the business of radio as a result of failed consolidation, investment bank greed and the resulting lack of investment in intellectual property. He’s even coined a phrase for the type of “Repeater programming” (see Ryan Seacrest in the previous post) that’s …

Tom Taylor’s Taylor on Radio-Info column tipped us off to a blog piece by consultant Bill McMahon that points to Premieres roll-out of Ryan Seacrest as a snapshot of what has gone wrong with radio. McMahon’s post speaks less to the fact that the show is syndicated and more to the mindlessness and vapidity of the content. In his words, “it’s nothing special, lowest common denominator stuff” that is typical of music radio. On that …

Tom Taylor over at Radio-Info.com has some interesting insight into Clear Channel’s “experiment” with Ryan Seacrest. The concept of using in-house national and regional programming as a way to cut costs in smaller and medium markets is about to pick up even more steam. Of course this is nothing new-Clear Channel has long been a proponent of voicetracking, using talent from both in and out of market-and while this is not technically syndication, we’re about …

Premiere Radio Network’s Ryan Seacrest will slide into the noon-3pm slot at ClearChannel Top 40 WRVW Nashville beginning Monday 8/25. It’s happening in a way that CC is using more and more lately, making room for Seacrest while the voice he replaces remains an on-air survivor. Madison, who was voice tracking middays anyway, will simply be cut back to 10a-noon.