McVay Media
A FULL SERVICE CONSULTING FIRM
In theMedia
In our final episode of this continuing series, we hear the conversation Erica Farber of the RAB had with Mike McVay, President of McVay Media. Founded in 1984 as a programming consultancy, today the company is focused on radio, network and syndication, coaching talent, working with podcasters and as Mike puts it, “marketing for things that color outside the lines."
Inside the Launch of TJ 98.7
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Radio.Cloud’s radio playout studio and programming suite is the technology driving New York’s newest radio station. A partnership between Radio.Cloud, United Stations Radio Networks (USRN) and the Emmis Corporation, ‘TJ98.7: A Pop-Up Station’ debuted on Saturday August 31st on the former home of ESPN Radio, WEPN-FM in New York City. The Radio.Cloud technology allowed for fast, unprecedented localization of all station content during the flip without any hardware expenses.
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“This was an amazingly collaborative project which came together in seven days or so, and included engineering, programming, imaging, music selection and marketing,” recalled COO of GeminiXIII Charles Steinhauer. “We have an amazing talent in TJ and the cast but also the Radio.Cloud team, Judy DeAngelis, Jai Kershner and Steve Kamer all rallied pretty hard and fast to get this up and running.”
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“I’ve been involved with many station launches in my career, but never one that launched at the absolute highest level with about a week to ramp up,” said consultant Mike McVay, President of McVay Media. “The time from when Emmis gave us the green light to literally days later we had built a radio station. Radio.Cloud enabled us to create the first ever “Pop Up” radio station using their cloud based technology. The ease of use has enabled me to program the station, including scheduling the music personally, from miles away.”
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TJ 98.7 is anchored in morning and afternoon drive by The TJ Show, in a return to NYC for host and Z100 alumni TJ Taormina. The pop-up station features an exciting mix of contemporary programming, a fresh blend of music and fun talk content, along with voices from YES Network and Inside Edition’s Steve Kamer, and dynamic on- air personality, Jai Kershner.
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“When this pop-up station was first discussed, my immediate concern was how to get the technical side together with so little time,” said TJ Taormina, Host of The TJ Show. “The moment I connected with the Radio.Cloud team, I was convinced if anyone could do it…it was them. They were extremely detailed with every layer and the launch went smoothly.”
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“Deploying the Radio.Cloud platform was quick and simple,” detailed Emmis New York’s Chief Engineer Alex Roman. “The server is a small appliance that fits on a rack shelf and integrated easily into our network with minimal configuration required. The support team was ready to assist us with the launch and we were on the air in no time. This was a great solution for this project and is an innovative approach to broadcast playout and content delivery.”
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“When we were approached about this project, it was a no brainer. I knew this wouldn’t be possible to pull off on such a quick timeline without our agile and scalable platform,” Radio.Cloud account director Andrew Scaglione explained. “I grew up in New Jersey listening to 98.7 every morning and afternoon. The chance to have our cutting edge cloud-native technology powering one of the biggest signals in the country is a ‘pinch me’ moment.”
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“I’m just cracking the surface of all that Radio.Cloud can do, but I can’t wait to dig deeper into everything this system offers. So far, it seems to be an easy to use multi-tool built for radio people,” Taormina added.
Radio.Cloud is the #1 cloud platform for customizing network and local content. With more than 400 affiliates around the globe, the suite of tools is enhancing brands and empowering stations to serve their local communities daily.
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The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation Unveils the 2024 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts Award Recipients
The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) will recognize distinguished industry leaders for lifetime achievements during the 2024 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts luncheon and awards ceremony. The annual event will take place from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12th at Gotham Hall in New York City.
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The ceremony is presented by the LABF, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the past, reflecting the present, and informing the future. The awards presentation celebrates the remarkable creators, inovators, leaders, performers, and journalists who have blazed trails in the radio and television broadcasting industry.
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LABF has honored more than 200 leaders in broadcasting since the event's 2003 inception. Net proceeds from the luncheon will support the preservation and expansion of the Library of American Broadcasting collection, which is curated at the University of Maryland. Considered among the largest of its kind, the Library of American Broadcasting plays a vital role in growing, preserving, and providing access to archives that highlight broadcasting's profound influence on culture and history throughout the world. The LABF also supports the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) through the underwriting of research, creative grants and academic publications focused on broadcast media.
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“This event celebrates the ‘innovators and trailblazers in the media industry,” said LABF Co-Chairs Heidi Raphael and Jack Goodman. “We are absolutely thrilled to pay tribute to and honor these outstanding individuals for their many contributions in broadcasting and American Culture.”
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The 2024 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts honorees include:
AL ROKER
Weather and Feature Anchor, TODAY and Co-Host, 3rd Hour of TODAY
CHRISTINE BARANSKI
Two-time Tony and Emmy Award Winning Actress
MIKE MCVAY
President
McVay Media Consulting
PATSY SMULLIN
President and Owner
California Oregon Broadcasting, Inc.
STEPHEN A. SMITH
Star of ESPN
NY Times Best Selling Author
Creator and Host of The Stephen A. Smith Show
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STEVE JONES
President and Chief Executive Officer Skyview Networks
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WENDY MCMAHON
President and Chief Executive Officer
CBS News and Stations & CBS Media Ventures (CMV)
Returning as emcee, 2018 Giant honoree, Bill Whitaker, correspondent, 60 Minutes, CBS News