Exelberth (front right) in character during filming of Oz: The Great and Powerful

Melissa Exelberth was heard providing traffic reports on numerous radio stations, including WCBS 880 and WINS, during a 16-year run at Shadow Traffic (today’s Total Traffic). The accomplished voice-over artist, who left the former Westwood One company in 2008, is now making a splash being seen in her first feature film.

Exelberth has a part, including a moment of dialogue in Oz: The Great and Powerful. Although mixed reviews accompanied the film’s arrival last weekend, the movie opened with more than 80 million dollars at the box office.

She got the chance to see the yellow brick road first hand because of her voice work in the pre-production with director Sam Raimi.

“That just led to my getting to say a few words on-camera in the movie,” Exerberth tells FishbowlNY. “It was kind of one of those things that evolved from the voice-work that I did earlier.”

Her pre-production work on Oz dates back to early 2011.  But the on-camera acting experience was once-in-a-lifetime.

“Even though I come from a production background, I had never, ever worked on anything of this scale,” Exelberth says. “It was huge.”

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A report by Arbitron found something that is hardly breaking news to thousands of drivers each morning; New York has one of the longest commutes in the country.

New Yorkers have an average drive to work of 34.7 minutes. At number three, the only surprise is that the New York metro area wasn’t number one. That “honor” belongs to Sussex, New Jersey, with an estimated 37.7 minute commute.

The time spent listening (TSL) for New York drivers is 3 hours and 15 minutes each week. Those Sussex motorists will lose five hours in the car each Monday to Friday from 6 to 10 a.m.

While in the car, of course, radio is still the main pastime. The report indicates that within New York it’s All-News that grabs the most attention between WCBS 880 and WINS.

Even though New York is high on the commuter list, it doesn’t compare to the other markets in the Top 5 (except Washington, DC) in one category. In those megalopolis regions, the report finds 31 percent use mass transit for work, while 49 percent get behind the wheel themselves.

No matter the mode of transportation, the majority of New Yorkers leave their houses in the 7 a.m. hour, with the 8 o’clock hour a close second.

Jim Kingsland had business news in his blood. He worked for every major financial media company, including Bloomberg LP, from 1992 to 2006. Kingsland died this week at age 49 after a long illness.

He had severe diabetes, which led to a liver transplant several years ago. His eyesight was poor and his pancreas was compromised.

At Bloomberg for much of the time, he was news director at WBBR.

Wes Richards was host of Bloomberg on the Weekends.

“He had the right stuff, he did the right thing,” Richards tells FishbowlNY. “He was a pleasure to work for and work with and an island of calm and rationality in a sea of chaos.”

Kingsland bookended Bloomberg with FNN/CNBC and Fox Business Network from 2007 to 2010 as assignment editor.

The business journalist also had a passion for numismatics–the study of currency–founding JK Numismatics in November 2006, according to his LinkedIn page.

Kingsland worked at a pair of small suburban stations early in his career. He also was a 1010 WINS traffic reporter via Shadow Traffic in the mid 1980s.

Jim is survived by his wife, Melissa, and three children, Rachel, Benjamin, and Nathan.

Photo credit: www.coinnews.net

Pope Benedict made the unprecedented decision to retire. It’s the first time since 1415 that a pope has resigned. It’s a busy time at the Vatican. Benedict will make his final appearance was pope Thursday, before the conclave of cardinals pick his successor.

With the even the slightest hint that New York’s own Cardinal Dolan, dare we say it, could become the next pope, starions are flocking to wait for the puff of smoke.

Among the stations sending correspondents is WCBS/Channel 2 as reporter Tony Aiello spends the rest of week Rome.

WNBC/Channel 4 will send anchor David Ushery, who previously covered the pope, returns to the Vatican for the Conclave of Cardinals that is expected to start next week.

WABC/Channel 7 weekend anchor Joe Torres will be in Rome. The station could not confirm, though, when he will begin to file reports.

On radio, veteran reporter Rich Lamb will make his way to Rome early next week for the Conclave.

WINS is sending Juliet Papa to cover the events at the Sistine Chapel. News director Ben Mevorach tells FishbowlNY, “She has traveled to Rome to cover the Pope on several other occasions for us, so she is well prepared and will bring listeners a very experienced perspective.”

Update: WPIX is sending to reporters Dan Mannarino and Mary Murphy, according to a tweet by Mannarino.

NY1 reporter Vivian Lee is headed to Rome. She’ll cover the papal resignation Thursday. Lee will resume daily updates Sunday as the cardinals hold their Conclave to select the next pope.

Photo credit: biography.com

2009 swearing in for President Obama (with First Lady Michelle).

While the historic magnitude of 2009 is not present this time, everyone still likes a good inauguration. As is dictated by the Constitution, President Obama will take the Oath of Office on January 20th to officially start his second term. But since it falls on Sunday, the White House will hold the traditional pomp and circumstance Monday. Coverage will be found on many New York stations.

1010 WINS will use the resources of its network personnel, while also having a reporter available from D.C.’s All-News WNEW-FM.

There are dozens of radio traffic reporters in the New York market. Many of them could be deemed “interchangable” with a cookie cutter sound. Only a select few in the last 20 years have been able to make a career, and be known to a large number of listeners. And then there’s Jeff McKay!

McKay is clearly the most engaging traffic reporter in the business. Therefore, his stock is constantly on the rise. After many years as a full-time gridlock guy on 1010 WINS, mainly nights and weekends, McKay landed as the morning traffic anchor with a managerial role at Merlin Media’s ill-conceived, FM News. But McKay has never been ill-conceived. His reports stay true every 10 minutes, never crossing into gimmicky. He straddles a line effortlessly from entertaining to informing like few in the traffic world have ever done.

Once the writing was on the wall at Merlin last year, and Merlin fired the majority of its staff, McKay began his quest for the next radio home.

“I was looking at a number of scenarios, in radio, television and outside of broadcasting, and had received several offers I liked,” McKay admits. “However, the possibilities with Radiate Media and Cumulus was the best position for me and my family.”

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WhyHunger is the organization at the heart of Hungerthon, the yearly charity event broadcast today on many stations, primarily owned by CBS Radio.

Started in 1975, this year’s event takes on a special need–victims of Superstorm Sandy. The devastation altered the airing of Hungerthon, which traditionally runs close to Thanksgiving.

“Hurricane Sandy created a crisis that was front and center in everyone’s minds and life experience,” Noreen Springstead, director of marketing and fundraising for WhyHunger, tells FishbowlNY. “Families who had never before been without food or shelter were forced to endure these hardships for the first time, and many are still struggling to meet their basic needs.”

Despite the agency’s focus on the long-term poverty crisis, WhyHunger partnered with numerous tri-state groups to provide essential food and water to those struggling in the days and weeks since Sandy.

“Through Hungerthon’s many public service shows we are shining a spotlight on those organizations and also raising funds for their work,” Springstead says. “We have long-term relationships with the most effective organizations in New York and New Jersey that are solving the hunger problem and are able to support them during this critical time.”

Springstead says those in need can call the national hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry for assistance.

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Obama and Biden accept the Democratic nomination in 2008

The battle between Mitt Romney and President Obama moves to the convention floor next week for the nominating process, and TV and radio stations are ready for extra coverage of the key moments.

The Republicans lead off in Tampa, with Romney awaiting his party’s endorsement next week.

WABC/Channel 7 is sending anchor Bill Ritter to the GOP convention, along with political reporter Dave Evans.  Reports begin Sunday night at 11.

One week later, the Democrats convene in Charlotte, with morning anchor Lori Stokes joining Evans on scene.

As for WCBS/Channel 2, veteran political reporter Marcia Kramer is the station’s lone representative at the conventions.

A spokesperson tells FishbowlNY that Kramer will cover the national news in addition to the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut state delegations.

WNBC/Channel 4 will also not have an anchor presence. Only reporter Melissa Russo is covering both events live.

A WNYW/WWOR spokesperson did not respond to our request prior to the deadline.

WPIX/Channel 11 is not sending any on-air talent to either convention. The station says without any mystery surrounding the nominees, WPIX will likely just cover it as a news story.

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Without any fanfare, it’s a typical month for WLTW/Lite FM. The Adult Contemporary giant was number one in the just-released overall PPM ratings for June.

Lite FM saw its huge numbers dwindle from May (8.1 to 7.7). But the station maintained its 5,600,000 cume (audience).

A surprise at number two, where WLTW sister station WHTZ/Z100 made a nice .5 leap.

Despite only slipping .1 for June, WCBS-FM fell from its usual second-place perch. The Classic Hits format, now under the direction of longtime WLTW programmer Jim Ryan, finds a home in third.

It’s the second ratings book for WBLS since the Urban station gave a voice to several displaced KISS FM/WRKS personalities following ESPN’s takeover of the 98.7 frequency.

WBLS had a fourth-place showing, with only a minimal drop off to 5.6.

As for ESPN/WEPN, the all-sports station lost .2 to 1.6 in the overall ratings. By contrast, rival WFAN improved slightly to 3.3.

More ratings insight after the jump

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Sandi Klein, an afternoon mainstay at 1010 WINS, stepped away from her anchor role last month. She tells FishbowlNY that it was her decision to give up the high-profile position.

“It’s an anomaly to leave a venerable institution like WINS,” Klein admits. “People really don’t do that.”

In Klein’s case, this was not a retirement. She left the daily grind of All-News.

“I just thought I’d like to try something else within the broadcast field,” Klein says.

Klein has been working non-stop in New York since 1980. She made a career as a freelance newscaster at numerous FM stations, before her WINS debut in 1993.

“I guess it never really registered,” Klein says. “I guess I’m just shocked at how old I am or how fast it went.”

Klein points out that she has not lined up her next job yet.  She says leaving WINS, albeit a difficult decision, wasn’t one that lingered.

“This was something that was starting to brew like February or March,” Klein says.

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