Entering their 14th year at V-103, Wanda Smith and Frank Ski continue to dominate the morning airwaves on V-103. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com from 2008

With B98.5’s Christmas bump out of the way, R&B/hip-hop station V-103 returned to its normal spot as Atlanta’s most popular station in January with a 9.8 rating.

That’s the station’s best non-holiday showing since the middle of 2009. It is also No. 1 by a wide margin among 25 to 54 year olds and 18 to 34 year olds. The station, outside of Christmas, has been consistently No. 1 since Arbitron began using people meters three years ago.

B98.5 enjoyed its usual Christmas bump in November and December, jumping to No. 1 while it played classics by Bing Crosby and Andy Williams. But the pop station fell back to earth quickly in January when it returned to Adele and  Katy Perry, ranking No. 10 overall.

Here are some other notable trends:

News/talk: AM 750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB, as the market’s No. 2 station, has held steady …

Continue reading V-103, Star, Fish, Kiss are Arbitron radio ratings winners in January »

Conan O’Brien has job security through April 2014 on TBS. CREDIT: AP

TBS’s face of comedy Conan O’Brien has been assured two more years at what O’Brien fondly describes as a basic cable network.

He is guaranteed a spot for his talk show at 11 p.m. until at least April, 2014. O’Brien joined TBS in November 2010 after a tumultuously brief stay on “The Tonight Show” on NBC. Team CoCo rallied around him after NBC ousted him and he happily landed on TBS.

Though ratings weren’t quite as large as TBS executives had hoped, they have touted the youth of his audience (average age: 32) and how he was able to parlay his appeal through social media, mobile, DVR and online in general. (With 5 million, he has more Twitter followers than any other late-night host.) And ratings are up lately, partly thanks to a stronger 10 p.m. lead in three nights a week: “The Big Bang Theory.”

Lately, O’Brien has been regularly drawing more than 1 million viewers a night. Last season, it was more like …

Continue reading TBS gives Conan O’Brien two more years »

 

Creighton Fraker is in the top 24. CREDIT: Fox

The top 24 reveal used to be summarized in one hour in earlier seasons.

But now they are stretching it out to three hours. I actually prefer this because we do get a bit more about each of the top 24.

Over the first two hours tonight, we see 14 winners and 8 losers. (And a cliffhanger.) That leaves 20 more to be given their results in one hour tomorrow.  Of those 20, 10 are on, 10 are in.

We saw a mixture of  “reveals” for the 42 remaining contestants with segments of their final “sing for your life” audition.  Randy, J. Lo and Steven hemmed and hawed  to build faux suspense before giving the singers (mostly) good and (sometimes) bad news. There are tears of sadness and joy.  I don’t think they cut anybody that shocked me at least tonight.

Of the first 14, I feel the men in general are more distinctive and intriguing than the women. We’ll see if things balance out Thursday.

[And in case you follow "The X Factor," Rachel …

Continue reading ‘American Idol’ recap, season 11: the top 24 revealed, part 1 »

Pittsburgh Steeler and Atlanta resident Hines Ward has received a one-year probation after he was arrested last summer in DeKalb County for a DUI.

I’m seeking comment from his manager Andrew Ree.

Ward on July 9 was pulled over after police said they saw his Aston Martin weaving. The plea deal means Ward will receive 12 months probation, pay $2,000 in fines and court costs and will serve 80 hours of community service. TMZ broke the story this morning.  My colleague Marcus Garner wrote a local version here.

Ward, who just finished his 14th year with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a wide receiver, is a University of Georgia graduate and won “Dancing With the Stars” last year.

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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk

Continue reading Atlantan and UGA grad Hines Ward gets probation for DUI »

Michael Baisden at the Mentoring Brothers in Action National Summit Feb. 10. CREDIT: Joi Pearson/Big Brothers Big Sisters

Syndicated host Michael Baisden has been espousing the value of mentoring for years. And he puts his money where his mouth is: he donated $10,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America earlier this month in Atlanta for a Mentoring Brothers in Action National Summit.

“Long-term mentoring is the fastest way to save these kids,” said Baisden in an interview before leaving for Miami. In 2010, he traveled to 72 cities to drum up support for mentoring.

Baisden, who is heard in Atlanta on Majic 107.5/97.5, said he is so busy with his radio show that he can’t do one-on-one mentoring himself. “I invest the money. I use my platform on the radio.  I promote it,” he said. “Everybody has a role.”

Baisden is now on 78 radio affiliates. Majic has been one of his biggest platforms for several years, going back to when he was on Grown Folks Radio at 102.5.

He said in …

Continue reading Catching up with Majic 107.5’s Michael Baisden »

Here’s my weekly video with Brittany Umar of Cinestars, discussing “American Idol,” “The Voice,” Kelly Clarkson’s upcoming concert, Andrew “Dice” Clay at the Punchline Feb. 27 and a second show added to the “Portlandia” tour Feb. 27 at the Variety Playhouse:

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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk

Continue reading Video: talking ‘Idol,’ ‘The Voice,’ Kelly Clarkson, Andrew ‘Dice’ Clay »

Moby, syndicated morning host, was brought back on South 107.1 in Rome Monday, a week after he cursed on air, leading to a suspension.

Randy Quick, general manager, said listeners “overwhelmingly wanted to keep him. The listeners spoke and we listened.”

Moby said he thought the microphone was off last week when he was complaining to his producer about the heat in the studio and uttered a couple of unfortunate phrases, one which included the word “God” and not in a good way. He later apologized on air.

“It goes back to the old saying that our grandparents told us: treat every gun loaded,” Quick said. “Treat every microphone as on.”

Moby, who brings an old-school Southern flavor to his show, is heard on nine stations in six states, including WNGC-FM in Athens and South 107.1, where he’s been on for about five years.

“I’m thrilled to be back on the air,” Moby said. “The passion and allegiance of the audience shined through. Sure, not everyone loves me, but I’ve always known …

Continue reading Moby returns on air on South 107.1 after cursing snafu »

Tamyra Gray returns to Atlanta to play the daughter of the future president in "Our Time Has Come." Here, she is rehearsing her narration role at a Marietta theater Feb. 16, 2012. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

For fans of vintage “American Idol,” the name Tamyra Gray resonates.

In 2002, the former Norcross and Stone Mountain resident was the first “surprise” ouster on the burgeoning hit show, leaving in fourth place, behind Nikki McKibbin, Justin Guarini and winner Kelly Clarkson.

Many experts and fans at the time expected she would be competing with Kelly for the win – including a very sour Simon Cowell, who was a fan from day one.

Ten years later, the only genuine star from that first group of ten was Clarkson, who is going headline a Fox Theatre concert in Atlanta Thursday.

After stints on TV, film and Broadway, Gray’s star faded. In 2006, she married music producer and songwriter Sam Watters (Color Me Badd) and had a daughter Sienna Marie in 2010. While being a mother has …

Continue reading Former Norcross resident Tamyra Gray (’Idol,’ season one) joins local play ‘Our Time Has Come’ »

Richard Blais earlier this month at his restaurant HD1 in Poncey-Highland. CREDIT: Bob Andres

Atlanta’s Richard Blais won “Top Chef All Stars” last year with a mix of dogged determination and consummate skill. He also happens to have a TV-friendly persona and warm disposition to boot.

He seems to be a decent businessman as well, creating three successful Flip Burger Boutiques and a new hot-dog specialty spot in Poncey-Highland called HD1. And he’s getting ready to open his first high-end eatery since his first “Top Chef” stint in 2008: Spence, in April. He is also taping a food special for the Cooking Channel.

Healthy changes: Blais has lost 50 to 60 pounds over the past five years since he met his wife Jazmin, a personal trainer. He became an avid runner and ran his first marathon last fall, raising $28,000 for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.  He peaked at 220 pounds and is now around 170.

Take that, Gordon Ramsay! Though he cooks primarily at home, he said Jazmin …

Continue reading Richard Blais (’Top Chef All Stars’ winner) promotes Campbell’s AdDress Your Heart, ready to open Spence »

Billy Crystal hosts the Academy Awards for a ninth time. CREDIT: AP

The Academy Awards is generally the most popular awards show of the year despite its bloated nature and required on-air awards like short-form documentary and costume design.

That probably won’t happen this year. The Grammys, riding on Whitney Houston’s death and Adele’s super return from throat surgery, drew nearly 40 million viewers just a week ago.

This Sunday, the awards show will bring back Billy Crystal after last year’s failed attempt at adding strained hipness to the affair by having James Franco and Anne Hathaway co host.  The favorite best picture candidate is “The Artist,” which has grossed a mere $25 million.  The only of the best pictures to generate more than $100 million in revenue? “The Help.”

MONDAY
“The Bachelor” 8 p.m. ABC — Ben visits the hometowns of the final four.
“E! True Hollywood Story” 8 p.m. E! — Watch the rise and fall of Lindsay Lohan.
“House” 8 p.m. Fox — …

Continue reading TV best bets with the Academy Awards and season finale of ‘Royal Pains’ »