Merlin Media Launches New York's Only 24-Hour FM All-News Station With FM News 101.9

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Merlin Media, a new multiplatform, multimedia company, today launched FM News 101.9 as New York's only 24-hour FM all-news station.

The station has committed to highly engaging content that will serve the real-life information needs of on-the-go adults and working parents whenever they tune in to New York's FM News 101.9. Listeners will be captivated by credible and relatable news, along with easy-to-understand traffic reports and accurate weather. Complementing that core content will be information on subjects such as health, family, career, money, entertainment, and more. FM News 101.9 will be interactive across platforms with personalized online and mobile content that promotes audience participation through social media, digital video, and other outlets.

Advertisers on FM News 101.9 will be part of a brand-friendly environment that includes sponsorships, billboards, endorsements, Internet, mobile, tablets, and live reads from some of the most dynamic, creative, and trusted personalities in New York.

"As music moves to the mobile device, now is the time to put spoken word on the band most people use. Our content will target the people who already use FM radio, but will focus on interesting, real-time information," said Randy Michaels, CEO, Merlin Media. "Our one-to-many broadcasts will be supplemented by personalized, one-to-one interactive content so that instead of commercials that interrupt a tired music playlist, we offer our marketing partners multiplatform solutions that build brands and move product in the best possible environment."

"Spoken word, since the beginning of radio, has consistently been the top billing format in the world. The one-on-one relationship with the radio is an active, impactful, natural and entirely compelling experience," said Walter Sabo, COO, Merlin Media. "FM News 101.9 is offering a format that's truly one-of-a-kind, and by broadcasting on the FM band, we'll reach a large demographic that's hungry for this type of content."

"No one gets their news from a singular source in today's fragmented media world. In developing our strategy for FM News 101.9, we really wanted to create a unique environment that presents inspiring, relatable, pleasant and fun content that comes to you just as it would from a friend," said Liz Aiello, VP of Programming, Merlin Media. "That's how our listeners want to share and consume news and information because that's how it actually happens in our daily lives."

Merlin Media's team of veteran executives have decades' worth of experience working with major companies like Sirius XM, Clear Channel, ABC, NBC, Harpo Productions, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and others. To deliver the content for FM News 101.9, the company has invested in an equally impressive roster of talent that includes:

• Alice Stockton-Rossini will be FM News 101.9's morning drive co-anchor and is known as one of the biggest names in New York radio. She has spent the last 24 years at 1010 WINS where she reported on special features and series on everything from China's emerging economic presence to what working moms need to succeed at home and in the office. Stockton-Rossini's popularity was cemented as a top anchor known for breaking news stories.
• Dave Packer will be FM News 101.9's morning drive co-host. Packer was most recently at WCBS-FM and is a seasoned morning radio personality with major market, multi-format experience creating intensive, entertaining, and interactive radio. New York listeners will be familiar with Packer for his time as the original morning host and news anchor at Fresh 102.7.
• Hilarie Barsky will be FM News 101.9's afternoon drive co-anchor. Barsky brings over 20 years of experience as a producer, talk-show host and on-air anchor on notable stations such as ABC News Radio, WABC-AM New York, Good Morning America New York, CFUN 1410AM and the Fox News Channel. Barsky was also the afternoon drive co-host on the most successful FM talk station, New Jersey 101.5. Much more than just a skilled news anchor, Barsky is a voice-over artist with the unique ability to do straight reads as well as characters and dialects for radio and television commercials, broadcast station promos, and industrial narrations.
• Steve Langford, formerly the lead reporter for Howard Stern's Howard 100 News, is an industry veteran and has been reporting and producing for over three decades on both radio and television across the U.S., as well as in Canada and France. A true legend in the industry with remarkable range, Langford has also reported for A Current Affair, The Insider, Court TV, Celebrity Justice, and MSNBC.
• Daniela Bilotta recently reported as an anchor at ABC News Radio where she had spent the last 6 years. Bilotta is well known for her exceptional style and for breaking in-depth news reports on Hurricane Katrina, President Obama's election, and Michael Jackson's death. A Toronto native, Bilotta was an anchor for Canada's number one news station, 680 News, and its award-winning morning show from 2000 to 2004.
• Victoria Keelan has been the morning star talent on Sirius XM's Cosmo Radio, bringing audiences the latest and hottest trends in the world of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and food on "Cosmo Life with Victoria." Keelan is a principal source for entertainment and beauty-related news, and has interviewed numerous A-list Hollywood celebrities, covered various red carpet events and has kept her audience up-to-date with the foremost reviews in the space.
• Brett Larson is an Emmy® Award winning reporter and one of the most familiar faces in technology and environmental coverage in the nation having anchored on 1010 WINS. Larson has anchored the news on radio, television and the Internet from coast-to-coast and is loved by audiences for his affable style, friendly personality and distinct comfort in front of the camera and behind the microphone. Larson offers an extraordinary versatility that's rarely seen in today's specialized media world.
• Catherine Smith has spent nearly 13 years on 1010 WINS and has also been heard nationally in newscasts on the NBC, ABC and RKO radio networks. Smith is a brilliant and seasoned broadcaster who has worked at many of the most renowned stations in the New York area. She has a true craft for conducting five-minute network newscasts as a result of her long-standing experience in the industry and was recently honored with a NY Edward R. Murrow award for her talents.

On July 31, Merlin Media announced Chicago's only 24-hour all-news station with FM News 101.1.

About Merlin Media LLC

Merlin Media LLC (www.merlinmediallc.com) was formed in June 2011 by leading private equity firm GTCR in partnership with Emmis Communications (NasdaqGS: EMMS), a diversified media company, and Randy Michaels for the purpose of acquiring and operating media assets. The company begins with a base of three properties – two in Chicago and one in New York – and intends to develop a combination of media across the country.

Contact for Merlin Media LLC

Kyle Giunta
MediaLink
O: 646-259-3006
M: 845-453-4877
[email protected]

Edward Adler
MediaLink
O: 646-259-3006
[email protected]

SOURCE Merlin Media LLC