Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2008 > July > 24
Thursday, July 24, 2008
7/24: Kristen Gates gets Jamie Massey’s gig at 94.9/The Bull, Billy Bush joins Q100, XM/Sirius merger close to approval
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No surprise here: Kristen Gates, formerly the co-host with Cadillac Jack at Kicks 101.5, has nabbed the co-hosting gig with Cledus T. Judd at 94.9/The Bull. She replaces Jamie Massey, who has left the Bull to move to Phoenix to be with her boyfriend.
The timing worked great for Gates. She was ousted from Kicks along with more than a dozen others when Citadel dumped a huge amount of talent to save money at both Kicks and Eagle (now True Oldies) on Feb. 29. She recently joined the Bull on a part-time basis but Massey’s departure was Gates’ gain. She was the most obvious replacement for Massey and the Bull grabbed her.
Gates has already started. I’m at a convention in Chicago right now and am not working every second of the day but I’ll try to reach Gates and update this blog entry with her comments.
-Billy Bush, co-host of “Access Hollywood” on TV, is jumping into radio syndication with a late-night show that will be heard on Q100 from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. This doesn’t affect Q100’s regular lineup since the station has been using part-time help during that time period, but it gives the station access to a man known for connections to Hollywood.
Since this is one of the first major markets for Bush’s syndication, he will provide special local content (or at least an acknowledgment he’s on Q100) for the station. I don’t think that means he’ll be giving shout outs to folks in Gwinnett County but Bush is an amiable fellow. Q100 will still play a lot of music since there are fewer ads at that hour anyway but he’ll do some celebrity dirt-type news and insert some snippets of interviews he does with A list talent.
Rob Roberts, the Q100 operations manager, said the show will start in a couple of weeks.
-The XM/Sirius merger is close to approval by the Federal Communications Commission, according to the New York Times last Wednesday night..
Deborah Taylor Tate, a Republican member of the F.C.C., appeared ready on Wednesday to vote in favor of the deal, which would break a deadlock along party lines among the other four commissioners. She would join Kevin J. Martin, the chairman, in supporting the merger, with certain conditions. Mr. Martin, a Republican, had publicly said that he was in favor of it.
Do you think this is a good idea in the end? Will it help save the two companies?
