News Bites for Dec. 30...

• After playing an all-Christmas music playlist, iHeartMedia has repositioned classic hits “Cool 102” WCIB Cape Cod, MA with an emphasis on songs and artists from the ’60s and ’70s. The syndicated “Dave & Meredith” has been added to mornings, while Martha Quinn remains in middays, and Giovanni, from co-owned WWBB Providence, now handling afternoons. “We’re thrilled to bring Cape Cod listeners the timeless hits of the ’60s and ’70s with the re-launch of Cool 102,” iHeartMedia Cape Cod Market President Rhonda Lapham said. “This station celebrates the music that defined a generation and continues to inspire today. Cool 102 will deliver not only the songs our community loves, but also the energy and connection that make radio so special.”

• Brian Slagel, Founder & CEO of Metal Blade Records and host of “The 100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal” podcast, is teaming up with Pantheon Media to launch Metal Mondays, an interactive mobile music game designed for metal fans. The game leverages the record company’s 43-year catalog. Players test their knowledge through audio challenges, climb global leaderboards, win exclusive prizes, and discover the buried treasures of metal’s most influential label. “With Metal Mondays we’re creating a weekly ritual for metal fans — a place where you don’t just consume the music, you play it, you live it, you win with it,” says Slagel.

• Ford is reaffirming its commitment to Apple CarPlay, emphasizing that customer choice will remain central to the automaker’s in-car technology strategy. Speaking at the 2025 Barclays Global Auto and Mobility Tech Conference, CFO Sherry House said Ford is “passionate” about continuing to offer CarPlay, calling it a feature that customers genuinely enjoy. House outlined a broader roadmap that blends third-party platforms with Ford-developed systems, including plans to add Google’s Gemini in 2026 while expanding native apps designed to deepen customer engagement. She noted that recent Ford-developed apps within SYNC 4 have delivered engagement gains of roughly 20 points over prior versions. In an era when some automakers, most notably GM, have moved away from CarPlay entirely, Ford’s public recommitment stands out as a clear signal that it views the platform as a complement — not a competitor — to its own in-vehicle technology ecosystem.