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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Nickerson Receives 100,00 Birthday Cards

7-28-14

Last week we wrote about how Cumulus was rallying its stations and syndicated shows around Danny Nickerson, who celebrated his 6th birthday this past Friday. Nickerson is battling an inoperable brain tumor,known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, one of the most chemotherapy-resistant cancers. and all he wanted for his birthday was boxes and boxes of birthday cards. According to a Facebook post from Danny's mother Carley Nickerson Danny received over 100,000 cards.

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Minihane Suspended Without Pay

7-27-14

You know you've crossed the line when the CEO has to step in and issue a public statement for the way you've been behaving. Entercom CEO David Field has had enough of the Kirk Minihane controversy at his Boston sports-talker WEEI-FM and the negative publicity. Minihane, the third wheel on the Dennis & Callahan show, has been suspended for a week without pay for the insults he's been hurling at Fox's Erin Andrews. Fox Sports has pulled all of its advertising with Entercom (see next story) so it remains to be seen if one week is all Minihane gets when this is all said and done. Minihane called Andrews a gutless b***h and said she should drop dead. He offered a half-hearted apology on the WEEI website and went on vacation. Upon is "triumphant return," he was right back at it standing by his original position.  

Here's the statement from Field on the matter: "Kirk Minihane's statements regarding Erin Andrews were offensive and deplorable. It is clear by the response from our listeners, advertisers, and employees that Kirk's efforts to apologize and make this right have been insufficient and ambiguous. We want to make it unequivocally clear that his comments were unacceptable and do not reflect Entercom's values and standards. As a result, we have suspended Kirk for the upcoming week."

(7/27/2014 9:05:38 AM)
ht have been insufficient and ambiguous. We want to make it unequivocally clear that his comments were unacceptable and do not reflect Entercom's values and standards.

Or add..."it didn't hit my radar screen until fox pulled their ad money...they it hit our "values"

What a embarrassment for our industry.


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Marconi is Back at Alpha's KINK-FM

7-28-14

On August 11, Marconi Bologna will join Shelia Hamilton on Alpha's KINK-FM in Portland, Oregon as the new co-host. The show will be called ?Sheila and Marconi in the Morning.? Bologna said, ?I've worked in Portland radio for a long time. I recently lived in Denver for almost 4 years. That whole time I missed being on Portland radio, walkable neighborhoods, food carts and great restaurants, local music, and most of all, the people here. Portland is my heart. KINK is my station.?



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Apple to Purchase Talk App Swell

7-29-14

Apple is continuing to grow its spoken word product on iTunes Radio. Swell carries news from NPR, ABC, ESPN, the BBC, and others. Uses a user?s listening history to create personalized content playlists. According to re/code, Apple will but Swell for $30 million and as part of the deal, the Swell app is to be shut down this week. Earlier Apple announced deals for iTunes Radio with ESPN and over 40 NPR local stations.

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Is Stephen A. Smith Leaving ESPN Radio?

7-28-30

ESPN has no comment on the story in The New York Daily News that Smith is headed to SiriusXM to join former WFAN host Chris "Mad Dog" Russo's channel. You may remember our story back in May when Russo said he was unable to find a black host ?who is worthy of doing a national show.? The very-well-connected Bob Raissman at The Daily News reports Smith is leaving ESPN-98.7 FM and heading to Sirius, where he'll get his own show. Currently Smith is a co-host with Ryan Ruocco on 98.7.

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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

WRXQ In DC Launches New Morning


7-27-14

Starting Wednesday, it's The Sarah, Ty, and Mel Show on Cumulus' WRQX's 107.3 in Washington, D.C. Cumulus Senior Vice President of Programming Mike McVay said, ?We consider ourselves fortunate to be able to assemble a team like Sarah, Ty, and Mel for mornings. There is a high level of competition in D.C. I believe in Gillette. He believes in the team. That makes me a big believer in this show."



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Will Minihane Make it Through This Ordeal?

7-28-14

Forget whether or not calling someone a "gutless b***h" or saying they should drop dead without even giving them a chance to defend is entertaining radio or not, that's a debate for another day. So far the words used by WEEI's Kirk Minihane have only cost him one week. His future with the station may be determined by how this firestorm plays out day-by-day. What if other advertisers decide to follow Fox' lead and stop advertising with Entercom? There are always groups out there willing to put in the time to go after talk hosts when they see blood in the water.

It'll be a tough decision for market Manager Phil Zachary (pictured) and CEO David Field who's now involved in the matter. Zachary certainly jumped into the fire. He only been with Entercom in Boston since October, when he left Curtis Media for the Entercom job in Boston. Last week, Minihane, for his part was putting part of the blame for how this controversy has played out on others, calling it agenda-driven. 

In a blog posted on the WEEI website, Minihane takes aim at The Boston Globe, writing there have been five stories in two days about him. "It's important to note that I was called for a comment on exactly zero of these stories -- I was contacted by Gary Dzen after a story was posted, gave him a comment for the record that was never published -- which frankly astonished me. Probably, though, it shouldn't have, because the Globe has a very clear and obvious agenda against WEEI. Callum Borchers was the clincher. This isn't even a debate, this one cannot be questioned. Think about it -- the Globe employs four writers (Dan Shaughnessy, Chris Gasper, Tony Massarotti and Adam Kaufman) who are paid talent for our direct competitor. WEEI employs none. It's a smart move for that station -- they pay the two lead columnists for the Globe, which ensures a level of protection -- but it presents a serious conflict. And nowhere in any of the stories I've read on Boston.com has it been mentioned that the other sports station in town is littered with Globe writers, all day long."

It will be interesting to see how, or even if, Dennis and Callahan discuss the issue this morning on their show. Or have they been told to leave it alone? No much else to talk about in Boston with the Red Sox doing so poorly this season and football still weeks away from starting. At what point do they decide Minihane is bringing them down?

Do you think Minihane will or should return to WEEI?

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What Changed Entercom's Mind on Minihane

7-28-14

Minihane's original Erin Andrews rant was, at first, embraced by Entercom's Boston cluster. Upon the hosts return from vacation, the WEEI-FM website read, "the triumphant return of Kirk Minihane." Minihane compounded the problem for Entercom by insulting Andrews again on hist first day back instead of just letting the matter go. "I think if she weighed 15 pounds more, she'd be a waitress at Perkins." On Friday Entercom was no longer bragging about Minihane's triumphant return after Fox Sports president Eric Shanks (pictured) stepped in.

Shanks sent a letter directly to Entercom CEO David Field (and Sports Illustrated), letting him know that Fox would no longer be advertising on any Entercom stations and Fox' talent will not appear for any interviews. With radio experiencing flat growth, when every hard fought dollar counts, that just wasn't going to fly, and lead to Minihane's suspension. Here is the entire letter Shanks sent to Field...

By now you are no doubt aware of the incidents that occurred on-air at your Boston station WEEI on July 15 and again on July 22, I am referring to the obnoxious comments made by Kirk Minihane on the ?Dennis and Callahan? show regarding one of our Fox on-air personalities, Erin Andrews.

As we have previously stated to various media outlets, the comments made by Mr. Minihane were boorish and sexist. Further, the ?apology? made by Mr. Minihane was juvenile and insincere. To make matters worse, the ?apology? was posted under a banner (allegedly approved by your Boston VP and Market Manager, Phil Zachary) hailing ?The Triumphant Return of Kirk Minihane.?

had hoped by this time we might hear a sincere apology from WEEI, or perhaps someone from your office might have reached out to Fox (which through our film and television businesses is a significant advertiser on Entercom stations).  However, none of that has been forthcoming, and needless to say we are disappointed.

have discussed this issue with our senior management and our various senior marketing executives. At their recommendation, I am writing to inform you that going forward Fox?s entertainment and sports businesses will not be advertising on your stations for the foreseeable future.

regret that we need to take this action, but as one of our executives reminded me, ?sometimes you need to vote with your feet.?

I trust you will discuss our decision with your staff at WEEI.

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WSCR Hosting All-Star Softball Game.

7-29-14

The charity softball game, hosted by CBS Radio's WSCR-670 The Score in Chicago, will be held September 6th and include Chicago Northside and Southside baseball legends, including Scott Podsednik, Jermaine Dye, Ozzie Guillen, Gary Matthews Jr. and Carlos Zambrano. Prior to the game, young fans will have the chance to take part in an on-field baseball skills clinic hosted by the Bulls/Sox Academy. Kids will have the opportunity to experience the true nature of baseball, consisting of base running, batting, and fielding drills.



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Majic Adds Wright to Middays

7-28-14

Starting tomorrow Michael Wright will be the new midday host at joins Radio One's Majic 102.3 in Silver Springs, Maryland. Wright joins Radio One from WHUR 96.3 in DC, where she hosted weekends and filled in on the afternoon show. Wright has also worked at WPGC 95.5 where she also served as a midday host. Other radio work has included feature reporting and announcing with Premiere Radio Networks, Starz on SiriusXM, BET Networks, DC Cable Television, Colgate, Mercedes Benz, SHOWTIME Television and MHZ TV Networks.



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The MusicMaster Expansion Continues

7-24-14

MusicMaster has added three new employees to its growing team. Joining the company as a music scheduling consultant is former JVC PD Dave Tyler. Jeff Schroeder joins the MusicMaster team as senior technical consultant for onsite installation, technical documentation, and automation interface expertise. And Lorie Robers joins the corporate office as senior accountant. President and founder Joe Knapp, said, "The exponential growth of this company has filled me with overwhelming pride and joy. It still blows my mind that the simple music scheduling program I created over 30 years ago evolved into this huge global company with thousands of MusicMaster users in every variety of entertainment platforms across dozens of countries around the world."

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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Opening Day on Wall Street For Townsquare

7-25-14

It was the first radio company to go public in about a decade and it closed down from its opening price of $11.00. Townsquare wobbled between $9.93 and $10.84 before closing at $10.25 and dropping a little more in after hours trading. Volume was about 5.5 million shares. Originally the company was hoping to price the stock around $15.00.

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Jay Dixon Gets Permanent PD Gig At WQHT

7-24-14

Emmis' Hip Hop N.Y. station HOT 97 FM will continue to be programmed by Jay Dixon. Dixon has served as interim PD since Ebro Darden vacated the position in March to focus on his morning show. GM Deon Levingston said, ?Jay?s extensive knowledge of radio broadcasting and ratings, as well as his familiarity with the Emmis brand, makes him the perfect fit for WQHT. Over the past few months, Dixon has initiated innovative and creative ideas to the HOT 97 platform, further demonstrating his capabilities of leading and continuing to expand the global presence HOT 97 has in Hip Hop and music. We are thrilled to welcome him back to the Emmis family.?

Dixon began his career in broadcasting while still in high school, reporting for WILD in Boston. Over the course of his career, he has worked in multiple formats, including Top 40, Country, Classic Hits, and Urban, and has held positions with Cox Media as program/operations manager for WBHK Birmingham and WALR Atlanta, as well as with Emmis? former 98.7 KISS FM, serving as both production/creative services director and program director during his tenure. Since 2012, Dixon has served as CEO/operator for his own company, Jay Dixon Media, LLC, which manages www.i-SoulRadio.com, an online radio station playing classic R&B and soul music.

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Pandora Q2 Revenue Jumps 38%. Net Loss $11.7 Million

7-24-14

For the second quarter of 2014, Pandora's total revenue was $218.9 million, up 38 percent from Q2 2013. Advertising revenue was $177.3 million, an increase of  39 percent over 2013. Subscription and other revenue was $41.6 million, up 35 percent. Revenue generated from mobile is now $167.5 million up 51 percent from 2013 and now makes up 76 percent of Pandora's total ad revenue. Local advertising grew 144 percent in the quarter to $35.3 million. Pandora's (net) loss for the quarter was $11.7 million. The company also gave guidance for Q3 and expects revenue to come in between $235-$240 million which would be an increase of 39 percent over 2013.

(7/25/2014 11:44:03 AM)

I don't understand the fascination with Pandora. It is a losing business model.

Anyone can duplicate what they are doing. I am a former sicentific computer programmer for the military, and now general manager of a network of radio station. Duplicating and improving upon Pandora's framework would be easy.

This is not a business model that will be successful as it is far too easy to duplicate.


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Huff Upped In KORN Country

7-24-14

Reising Radio Partners in Franklin, Indiana announced that Joanna Huff has been named co-host/producer for the morning show on WYGB ?KORN Country 100.3." Broadcasting from studios in both Franklin and Columbus, KORN reaches 21 counties in South Central Indiana, including all of Indianapolis.



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Jimenez Will Return to Radio

7-25-14

David Hinckley has the story at The New York Daily News. Luis Jiminez was let go by Univision in New York (WXNY-FM) after disagreements over some of Jimenez' more raunchy content could not be resolved. Hinckley says Jimenez' producer tells him the host will be back soon. Maria Alma said Jimenez can?t comment on the situation, but that the show ?will be back soon on another media outlet.? The show was replaced with a music-intense  format

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Monday, July 28, 2014

Greater Media Picks up Temple Football

7-25-14

On Thursday Temple University Athletics, along with its multi-media rights holder, Learfield Sports? Temple Sports Properties, announced a multi-year agreement with Greater Media Philadelphia naming WPEN-FM the official home to Owls Football. Starting with the 2014 football season, "The Fanatic" 97.5 will be the new flagship station for the Owls. PD Matt Nahigian said,  ?This is a wonderful partnership for us. We are proud to be representing the Owls and their exciting college football program. August couldn't come soon enough!"



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(SOCIAL) 5 Ways To Break Out In Social Media

7-23-2014

You always have the choice to be like everyone else. You can always fit in. You can always go along. But why not break out?

Here are five ways you can break out in your social media and find new fans, grow your influence, and enjoy more of your life ?in radio?:

1. Focus your visuals on fun, entertainment, and a unique perspective. Giving a unique perspective on the entertaining side of your business will give listeners a happy-to-waste-time enjoyment of your content. This will pay dividends.
2. Focus your text content on sharing things that make people who share your social media smart; focus on funny content and truly be more interested in others. Twisting things until the focus is on how they make others look good will go a long way in helping break your content out in the open and hitting home runs in social media.
3. Look at your competitors and others in the industry, but don?t shoot to be ?like them.? You break out when you focus on being unique. You can even find unique ways to do what your competitors are doing right?but make it different.
4. Spend time validating others instead of pushing out content. In other words, be seen enjoying the content of others and make it clear that you appreciate their point of view and their social-media presence.
5. Spark listener content responding to you. Make your social media about engaging the opinions of the important people in your market: listeners.

I know that life in 2014 is work, work, work. It is almost always more complicated than others think. Maybe you?re not appreciated as much as you should be. You may not love who you work for today. You may be doing too many jobs, but your job is important and you can share your passions with people, engage in helping people in your community, and entertaining people on-air while you engage them on ?their ground? in social media. Break out. Why not?

Go enjoy it. Make it your goal to break out in local social media by being?you. It can pay off more than you think.

Loyd Ford is the digital revenue, direct marketing, ratings and social media strategist for Rainmaker Pathway and Americalist Direct Marketing. Loyd has programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes, including KRMD AM & FM in Shreveport, and WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Learn more about Loyd here:  http://about.me/loydford. Get his radio-social media content sent directly to your smart phone or email for free here:  www.rainmakerpathway.wordpress.com. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE.  Visit his Facebook radio social media page HERE.

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More Porn Charges Filed Against Baylo

7-24-14

The feds filed new criminal charges against former WCSG radio host John Balyo for taking sexually explicit photos of a 12-year-old boy. According to Channel 13 in Grand Rapids, Baylo has been charged with sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography. The felony information accuses Balyo of enticing or coercing the boy to engage in sexually explicit conduct in Kalamazoo County on April 19.

Images were recorded on an iPhone and a digital camera and downloaded onto a computer. The 35 year old was arrested last month at the Big Ticket Christian music festival in Gaylord.  If convicted, Balyo faces up to 30 years in prison. WCSG is a Christian station affiliated with Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids.



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We're Not Waiting For Nielsen

7-25-14
While the radio industry awaits a Nielsen approach to accurately measure radio's digital listening, Pandora CEO Brian McAndrews says he already has the numbers he needs to compare against terrestrial radio. At this point, it's hard to get an answer from either Nielsen or the radio-industry side as to whether, at some point in time, Nielsen will measure both Pandora's listening and all of radio's listeners -- digital and over-the-air -- so a buyer or advertiser can put those numbers side-by-side, in an easy-to-understand format, compare, and make a decision. Nielsen Audio does not currently measure Pandora; it's measured by Triton's Webcast Metrics.
With the amount of money radio pays Nielsen, the industry appears to be reluctant to have Pandora "in the book." But McAndrews says, "Nielsen's clients should want [Nielsen] to be in this space as it becomes more and more critical." Even so, he says that with Triton, he has everything he needs right now for Pandora to be compared to terrestrial radio. 
"Our feeling now," he says, "is the way that we're set up with Triton and their MRC accreditation in local markets, it's far better and deeper than what Nielsen has at this point. Nielsen would be nice to have for us, but it's certainly not a must-have. And unless Nielsen does make a decision to go apples-to-apples for us, it makes more sense for us to go with players where we're providing the most value to the buyer so they can actually compare us apples-to-apples with terrestrial radio. And that's what Triton does. And now, with Edison and ComScore, people are having more and more ways to measure us, which is only a positive."
And if you've been keeping score at home: Pandora now says it has 8.9% of total U.S radio listening.

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Horne Named COO Of Crain Media

7-24-14

Crain Media Group operates stations in Little Rock (KHTE and KKSP FM), Conway (KCNY FM), Batesville (KBGB FM), and Searcy (KWCK, KEAZ, KSMD, and K293CE FM, KRZS AM, and KAWW AM) Arkansas. Horne was the market manager for Searcy, Conway, and Batesville before being promoted to chief operating officer for all the stations. The company also announced Alan Risener is now the manager for the stations in Searcy, Arkansas, and Lynn Dyer has been appointed as LSM in Little Rock.



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More Feet on The Street. Less Clutter on The Air.

7-24-14

Pandora's local advertising revenue is growing. In Q2 the company took in $35 million from local advertisers, an increase of 144 percent from Q2 in 2013. A big reason for the growth is Pandora's investment in salespeople. The company now has 109 sellers in 37 markets, having added 91 salespeople in the last year. Pandora's goal is 343 sellers. The $35 million in local was 20 percent of Pandora's Q2 revenue total. If you were wondering about spot loads. Pandora averaged about three units per hour in Q2, and being that they are :15's and :30's, the clutter, when compared to radio, is miniscule. Pandora will go as high as six units every hour.

(7/25/2014 5:19:12 PM)
Dale has also generated another thought.
While, as a paid up member of the On-air and Creative Guild, I am loathe to bring this generalization forward:

Those stations with the fewest "live" on-air presenters may, indeed, be better off - given the caliber of the performances of the vast majority of the on-air talent.

Fact: Exceptional, listenable and effective broadcast performers are the rarest of commodities. Most are tune-out factors all by their own damn selves. And I repeat: I hate to be the one who has to say such a disempowering thing.

(7/25/2014 10:49:21 AM)
So with Clear Channel cutting many of their "local" personalities, with little to no local programming, what's the difference between them, Sirius and Pandora? CC's rates are higher for now.
Short-sightedness for cutting people now, and not looking into the future, but of course, they don't have much of one. What a lousy company...and I'm not a jock, but an owner.

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Do You Listen to Your Listeners?

7-17-2014

I found a cool new restaurant a couple of towns over from me called Il Casale in (Lexington, Mass). It's been open for about six weeks. It's the sister restaurant of another spot they own in Belmont, Mass. (?They? meaning chef Dante de Magistris and his brothers.)

I grabbed a bite to eat there this past week after hearing a few friends rave about it and I heard a great story from a guy named Jeff who is one of the regular customers from the neighborhood.

This story leads to some inspirational opportunities for those of us in radio. Unlike many restaurants that open up and just set the menu and forget it, Dante is obsessed with getting it right. He is constantly tweaking and refining the customer experience.

Dante has a unique and simple method of researching what his customers want. Much like the "undercover boss" concept, he quietly and anonymously goes out onto the restaurant floor and busses tables.

What a great ear-to-the-ground form of research.

His feeling is that he can get that necessary unbiased feedback by listening to what his patrons are saying to each other about the food, the restaurant  vibe, and the overall experience. Think of the ramifications of this concept if a radio brand manager took the same approach around their radio station by doing things like answering the request line, hanging around the lobby when prize winners came in to claim their prize, or just being a ? fly on the wall? around station appearances.

Chef Dante is experiencing great word-of-mouth stories and getting real-time feedback to stay on top of the pulse of his restaurants.

Let's keep the same concepts in mind for our radio brands.

Buzz Knight is the Vice President of Program Development for Greater Media and he can be reached at bknight@greatermediaboston.com. Knight was named among ?Best Programmers? by Radio Ink magazine in 2007 and 2010. He has served on the programming subcommittee of the National Association of Broadcasters(NAB) and is currently a member of the Nielsen Radio Advisory Council and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) COLRAM Committee.

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Sunday, July 27, 2014

Allison Mandara Leaves CBS

7-25-14

She's been an important piece of the CBS Radio public relations team and today is Allison Mandara's last day after seven years on the job. She's taken a position with Sony Electronics at its New Jersey headquarters to do PR and Social Media for their B2B products. She's been at CBS her entire career. The move will put her closer to her home (CBS is in New York City) eliminating three hours of commuting every day.



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Beasley Q2 Revenue Drops Nearly 4%

7-24-14

Another disappointing revenue quarter from a publicly traded radio company. Beasley Broadcasting, which owns 44 stations in 11 large-and mid-size markets generated $1.0 million less in the second quarter of 2014 than it did in 2013. The company blamed the decrease on lower advertising revenue in its Philadelphia, Wilmington and Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville markets. Beasley did reduce operating expenses by 2.3% ($400,000). Operating income for the quarter was down 12.1% while net income increase 28.1% to $3 million. 



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The Listeners. The Cost Of Listeners.

7-24-14

CEO Brian McAndrews threw out some impressive listener stats during the conference call Thursday night. Pandora has 76.4 million active users, 250 million registered users, and over 6 billion stations have been created. Pandora has 7 million unique users through its native automotive integration, listening for about six hours per month (outside the car listeners averaged 21 hours in June) and total listener hours grew 29 percent year-over-year, to 5.04 billion. The cost for all of that listening, what Pandora calls content acquisition costs, was $111.5 million for the quarter.  

(7/25/2014 7:55:45 AM)
Interesting: 75m active users and 6 BILLION stations created is about 100 stations for each active user. The low barrier to creation also leads a lot of content that never gets listeners.

30% of registered users are active users.

(7/25/2014 5:29:42 AM)
Pandora is the new normal for music radio. Signals are now streams, and stations are narrow (artist or song-based) genres listeners choose. Most importantly for terrestrial radio, the record industry has succeeded in nailing down a copyright regime in which every song played is a performance for which the source gets paid. It's just a matter of time before terrestrial radio falls into line. If the costs are what Pandora pays, how much music will disappear from what's left of the old dials?

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Jolana Heads To Colorado Springs

7-24-14

Jolana Leigh Smith is now the afternoon driver at Cumulus' KKPK 92.9 Peak FM in Colorado Springs. Smith is the former PD for Cumulus AC WFASFM and News/Talk WFAS-AM/Westchester which recently flipped to Urban AC (Radio 103.9). Cumulus Senior Vice President Mike McVay said, "We are assembling the best programmers in the business. Jolana is such a talent and we were lucky to be able transfer her within Cumulus. She is a part of the next generation of winning PD's."



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Mancow Sues Maverick Radio Partners

7-21-14

The Chicago Tribune reports Erich "Mancow" Muller has filed a lawsuit against Rodney Rainey's Maverick Radio Partners claiming Rainey defrauded him out of $50,000 that Muller invested with him to purchase radio stations. Muller says the stations were never purchased and Rainey used the money for other purposes and did not return his $50,000.
The suit claims Muller was approached by Rainey in 2011 and claimed Maverick Radio Partners had secured $19.3 million in equity and debt to finance the acquisition of WFRE-FM and WFMD-AM in Frederick, Md. Muller alleges Maverick said it had secured a commitment of $200 million from Spartacus Partners to build a radio group with purchases in Hartford, Orlando, Charlotte, Nashville and other markets. Muller entered into an oral agreement with Rainey and wired him the money which was to be held in escrow until documentation was in place to buy the stations. That never happened. Muller reached out to Rainey on several occasions requesting his money be returned and says that also never happened.

Read the full Chicago Trib story HERE

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Could A Non-Compete Be Holding Up The KVJ Return

7-21-14

Kevin Rolston, Virginia Sinicki, and Jason Pennington are rumored to be returning to West Palm Beach, perhaps Digity's WRMF. The three canceled a press conference planned for 3 p.m. today and this was posted to their Facebook page: "The KVJ Show is currently under contract with Cox Radio. We cannot comment on the news of the day or any rumors regarding the show. We want to thank our listeners and fans for all their support."

The KVJ Show began back in 1999 on WLDI in West Palm with Kevin and Virginia, adding Jason in 2004. In July of 2013, Cox lured the show to Miami where they worked at "The Coast." The show started on August 5. Less than one year later it was canceled. The WRMF website has this top picture with the caption: "New Morning Show on July 29th." It's quite similar to the actual (bottom) photo of the KVJ team. Cox and Digity did not return our e-mails about the situtation.



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Saturday, July 26, 2014

AdLarge To Rep Commotion

7-21-14

On Monday, AdLarge Media announced it signed a national advertising sales rep agreement with Commotion, which is a a Web and mobile communication portal that builds a social media community around the radio station and visually matches what is being heard on-air. The Commotion platform encourages real-time conversations not only between hosts and listeners but also among listeners, and is driven by both the over-the-air and streamed signals.

?We chose AdLarge as our national advertising partner because of their successful track record in representing the value of radio?s engaged community to clients,? said Richard Rene, vice president, global business development, Commotion. ?They have a well-deserved reputation for creating customized packages across platforms that also was a good fit for us.?

?The ability to change the experience within the station?s mobile app as quickly as the station changes what is happening on-air is critical to a successful mobile experience,? explained Ryan Burgoyne, chief executive officer, Commotion. ?We call this ?moving at the speed of radio,? since listeners can now visually experience whatever they are hearing on the radio as it happens.?



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The Case for the C4 Classification

7-22-14

There's good news for hundreds of Class A FM stations. From now until August 18th, the FCC will be soliciting comments regarding the creation of a new classification of radio station. The new "Class C4" allocation would give a little over 30% of Zone II Class A FM radio stations a potential opportunity to increase their maximum effective radiated power levels from 6,000 Watts to 12,000 Watts. The proposal would also expand conditions upon which 73.215 of the Commission's Rules could be employed.

Interested parties should file comments in the rulemaking proceeding, officially designated as RM-11727, at the Commission's Electronic Comment Filing System within the next few weeks: (click on "Submit a Filing" and enter Proceeding Number RM-11727 when doing so)

There are critics of the proposal, most of whom are not station owners, who believe that a boost from 6,000 Watts to 12,000 Watts will add little noticeable coverage.  They claim that an extra three miles added to a station's service contour is hardly worth the effort and expense. Station owners of eligible Class A FMs, however, are almost uniformly supportive of the idea, and would gladly take on added "effort and expense" to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded radio dial.

Apart from the obvious coverage improvements (without adding interference to other existing stations) and added potential listeners as a result of this plan, one need only consider the massive economic impact that would arise from hundreds of Class A FM stations upgrading to a Class C4 status.  FCC attorneys, engineering consultants, tower fabricators, transmitter and antenna manufacturers, et cetera, would be busy for years to come.

Recently, 140 broadcasters representing over 630 total stations signed an online petition (http://www.wyab.com/petition/) to the FCC requesting that the Commission open up this proposal for formal comment. Now, we get our wish. In an environment where broadcast issues do not often rise to the top of the Commission's priority list, it is critically important for supporters of this proposal to voice their opinions and submit comments within this proceeding.

We may not get another chance at this.

Matthew Wesolowski is the general manager of WYAB 103.9 FM/Flora, MS.
He can be contacted at: 601-201-2789 / matt@wyab.com

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KFAI Host Andy Driscoll Dies

7-21-14

Driscoll was the host of Minneapolis non-com KFAI's public affairs show TruthToTell. According to TwinCities.com Driscoll lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but in the last 10 months his health declined significantly. In September, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and in March he suffered a series of small strokes. He died Sunday at age 74 at United Hospital in St. Paul. The show, which he created in 2006, covered local public affairs issues from health care reform to the criminal justice system.



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Entercom Portland Teams With Clip For new Apps

7-21-14

On Monday, Clip Interactive announced a new partnership with the seven-station Entercom Portland (Oregon) cluster to launch interactive mobile apps for all of their radio stations. The new apps will enable listeners to interact with all elements of the broadcast and stream. Listeners can access a live content feed and browse all the content that they hear on the station. The apps offer listeners the ability download music, enter contests, access special offers, take polls, and respond to advertisers.

As of today, interactive mobile apps are available for the following Entercom Portland radio stations:

KGON-FM, 92.3 KGON
KRSK-FM, 105.1 The Buzz
KWJJ-FM, 99.5 The Wolf
KYCH-FM, 97.1 Charlie FM
KNRK-FM, 94/7 FM
KFXX-AM, 1080 The FAN
KMTT-AM, Sports 910



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Dibiase Promoted to GM of Clark Howard Brands

7-22-14

Christa Dibiase will be responsible for overseeing Clark Howard's syndicated radio show, TV products, and all digital products, including ClarkHoward.com. In addition, she will continue to oversee the operation of The Consumer Action Center, a national service outreach that advises the public on money, financial and consumer questions via phone and internet. Dibiase was the Executive Producer of the radio show which is based at WSB in Atlanta and syndicated by Westwood One. The show is on in over 200 markets.

?We know Christa was the perfect person to take on this role,? said Ben Reed, Cox Media Group Atlanta?s Vice President and Market Manager. ?She led the radio show to become the most prominent consumer talk show in the country, and has repeatedly demonstrated her leadership abilities. She has been a key collaborative player in our organization over the years, working with radio, digital, television, and newspaper on many successful projects.?

?I?m grateful for this opportunity to work with Clark and showcase what CMG is all about ? collaborating with TV, radio, digital, and newspaper to create and distribute excellent content for our audience,? said Dibiase. ?In addition, the assistance provided by the Consumer Action Center is right in line with Clark and CMG?s commitment to serving others in our communities. I?m amazed every day by the 80-plus volunteers who give their time and energy to help others with their consumer dilemmas.?



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Friday, July 25, 2014

KDKT Drops Fox For CBS Sports Radio

7-22-14

DSN Radio's sports/talk outlet KDKT-AM in Bismarck, ND has rebranded as "KDKT SportsRadio 1410." Most of the Fox Sports Radio has been replaced by CBS Sports Radio, other than Premiere Networks' Dan Patrick Show in Mornings. The change brings Jim Rome back to the market, who previously ran on KDKT before switching over to CBS Sports Radio last year.

Station Manager Derek Stacklie said, "We're pumped to bring The Jim Rome Show back to North Dakota. Jim is the best in the business, and I know our listeners will welcome him back with open arms and ears!"



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Blake Does It All In Fresno

7-21-14

Cumulus has promoted Blake Taylor to PD of KMJ- 580 AM and KMJ 105.9 FM in Fresno. Taylor has been morning man, morning drive news anchor, news director and APD at KMJ AM/FM since 2007. Taylor came to Fresno from Bakersfield, CA, where he was PD for KERN for five years. Prior to that, he was PD at KBTK in Albuquerque. Taylor began his radio career at age 17 as overnight disc jockey at KZOR in Hobbs, NM. Last year, he was honored by the City of Fresno as a member of Fresno?s "40 Under 40."

Taylor said: "I've served as news director at KMJ for almost seven years now, and we've experienced some amazing growth during that time. But there are many more opportunities ahead as we continue to grow our audience while maintaining our position as the go-to breaking news station in California's Central Valley. I look forward to taking on the challenge!"



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Cherry Creek Recapitalizes

7-21-14
Joe Schwartz's Cherry Creek Radio has restructerd its debt with Sankaty Advisors the new investor coming in. Sankaty is the independently managed credit affiliate of Bain Capital and has more than $23 billion worth of assets.  Sankaty has purchased all of the company?s existing senior indebtedness and agreed to recapitalize Cherry Creek with a new term loan and preferred equity investment. Schwartz will maintain the majority ownership stake and two executives from Sankaty will join the Cherry Creek board.

Cherry Creek has 60 stations across 15 small markets, mostly in the western part of the U.S. The new financial setup gives Cherry Creek more flexibility to make some aggressive moves, whether that's purchasing stations or strengthening its current markets, time will tell. Schwartz said, ?We are very excited to partner with Sankaty given their knowledge of the industry and significant financial capabilities. The new capital structure affords us the flexibility to achieve our strategic objectives and represents a significant step forward for Cherry Creek.?



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Sean Adams Joins AM-1300 The Zone

9-21-14

Adams has been a content contributor with ESPN.com, Yahoo Sports, and other print and digital channels. The Adams Theory begins broadcasting weekday afternoons from 2 to 4 p.m. August 4 on the Clear Channel-owned Austin Sports talker (KVET-AM). Adams will also contribute to the station's coverage of University of Texas football.



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Clear Channel to Start Targeting Ads on iHeartRadio

7-22-14

Up until now, Clear Channel stations on iHeartradio have been inserting local and national commercials (not simulcasting ads as we earlier reported). The company announced on Tuesday it will be working with AdsWizz to insert more targeted ads on its 840 plus stations. It certainly has the scale to score some very big advertisers on iHeartradio. The app reaches over 245 million monthly users.

President of Technology and Digital Ventures for Clear Channel Brian Lakamp says, "Having the ability to serve targeted ads simultaneously to specific digital users during a live radio stream across our 840 Clear Channel stations nationwide on iHeartRadio presents a powerful platform for our advertisers and partners. After a thorough selection process, we've been truly impressed by AdsWizz' unique set of technical capabilities and believe that AdsWizz' delivery network offers the best state-of-the-art technology to expand our offerings for advertisers, partners and consumers and align with our long-term vision to deliver unmatched services for our advertising partners."

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Bob Hoffman To Keynote Radio Show

9-21-14

Hoffman founded independent advertising agency Hoffman/Lewis and was chairman and CEO until he retired in 2013. Before starting his own agency, Hoffman was CEO of Mojo USA and president and creative director of Allen & Dorward. He's created advertising for McDonald's, Toyota, Shell, Nestle, Blue Cross, Chevrolet, Pepsico, Bank of America, and AT&T. Hoffman's keynote is called "The Golden Age of BS" and will address the gulf between what we are being told by "experts" and the reality of advertising and media today, with specific focus on radio.

Hoffman is now a partner in Type A Group, LLC, a consulting firm that works with advertisers, marketers, and media. He is the author of Amazon's number-one selling advertising book, 101 Contrarian Ideas About Advertising, and The Ad Contrarian blog, which Business Insider named one of the world's most influential advertising and marketing blogs.

The 2014 Radio Show, produced by the Radio Advertising Bureau and the National Association of Broadcasters, will be held September 10-12 in Indianapolis. Hoffman's keynote will be September 10 at 3:45 p.m.

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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Pandora Hires Music Industry Executive

7-22-14

Pandora has hired Lars Murray as Vice President of Industry Relations. Murray comes to Pandora with more than twenty years of experience in the music industry, most recently as VP of Digital Media at Columbia Records where he led a digital marketing operation focused on helping artists leverage digital platforms to grow their audiences. Murray will lead Pandora's collaboration with the music industry. Pandora says the company is looking at leveraging its scale and technology to create opportunity and value for artists, labels and the entire music ecosystem.

Murray said, "I'm tremendously excited to dive in and help unleash the power of Internet radio in new ways. Pandora is ushering in a new era for music, with unmatched scale and personalization that can empower the industry in a way that has never before been possible. I am thrilled to be part of what continues to be a dramatic transformation of how great music and artists find their audience."

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Cumulus Rallies Troops for Boy With Cancer

7-22-14

The Bert Show, Night Live with Adam Bomb, NASH Nights Live, and America's Morning Show are rallying around 5-year old Danny Nickerson who's battling a rare form of inoperable brain cancer.  Danny has stopped going to kindergarten and undergoes chemotherapy every two weeks. Danny's 6th birthday is Friday and all he wants is a "big box of birthday cards." Cumulus and Westwood One are making sure Danny gets all the birthday cards they can possibly send his way. This week the shows are asking listeners to send cards and the response has already been tremendous.

Read more about Danny's story HERE

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Jennifer Ross Returning To SUNNY 107.9

7-21-14

Ross, now heard on WRMF, the station she started her career with over 30 years ago, is now returning to SUNNY, the station she and former host Kevin Kitchens once dominated the market on (Kitchens died of a heart attack in Ross' arms in 1999). It was huge news when Ross left SUNNY (then owned by CBS) in 2001 to take a job at WRMF, a job change that was in the court for more than a decade over the non-compete. She was eventually fired from WRMF in 2009. However, when Dean Goodman purchased WRMF, he brought Ross back to help revive the ratings. And, of course, now Goodman also owns SUNNY which he purchased from CBS in 2012. Ross and co-hosts Deena Lang and Bill Adams will be heard on both WRMF and SUNNY until Tuesday, July 29, at which time a new WRMF morning show will be announced. 



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Cape Cod Promotes Two In Sales Department

7-21-14

With the departure of Erin Madden, Cape Code Broadcasting has promoted veteran AE Judy Crocker to D.O.S. of the four-station cluster. Melinda Baker, who was the sales operations manager, is promoted to LSM. Crocker will take over sales responsibilities for 99.9 The Q WQRC, Ocean 104.7, Cape Country 104, and Classical 107.5 Cape Cod. It also will include CapeCod.com and the direct marketing program Cape Club Rewards.

CCB GM Bev Tilden said, ?It was very exciting to learn that when Erin decided to go to HubSpot and we began our search for her replacement, that the best candidates to lead our team were already in our company. Judy Crocker?s experience, deep knowledge of clients? marketing needs, and understanding of the Cape Cod market make her the perfect choice to lead our team going forward. Mel Baker has been a cornerstone of our department for years. She?s a knowledgeable coach for our sales team, aiding them in designing effective campaigns using all the platforms of CCB Media.?



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18 Weeks Straight For The Home Depot

7-21-14

As the number-one radio advertiser that is, according to Media Monitors. The big orange store aired over 52,000 commercials last week, 9,000 more than GEICO which came in second place for the second week in a row. Autozone moved up from 11th to 3rd with 29,610, TrueCar was 4th with 28,296, and McDonalds rounded out the top five airing 26,629 ads.



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Univision Radio Revenue Declines 15.7% in Q2

7-22-14

For the second quarter ending June 30, net revenue at Univision's radio stations decreased 15.7% to $75.6 million compared to $89.7 million in 2013. The reasons the company gave for the decline were lower ratings, market revenue declines and $5.6 million in advertising revenue that shifted from Television to Radio for The World Cup.

On the TV side Univision net revenue increased 26.2% to $713.9 million compared to $565.8 million. Univision says in 2014 The World Cup will deliver $174.3 Million in advertising revenue to the company. Expenses to broadcast The World Cup will be about $154 Million. CEO Randy Falco also admitted the firing of a "major talent," (Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo)  last fall had something to do with the drop in revenue. Falco also says radio is pacing down in the high single digits in Q3 and, "maybe we'll get to positive in the 4th quarter. It's not clear yet."

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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Marketron Opens New Revenue Door for Radio

7-21-14

This year Gartner estimates mobile ad revenue will hit $18 Billion, a 37% increase over the $13.1 Billion spent in 2013. By 2017 Gartner estimates that number will reach $42 Billion. As a Manager with the responsibility of increasing revenue every month of every year, how much of that huge mobile advertising revenue figure is coming through your door, helping you achieve those increases? Digital revenue is growing for radio, however it still represents a small percentage of radio's overall revenue with traditional over-the-air spot revenue still dominating, although for several years that number has been experiencing relatively flat growth. Mobile revenue is exploding. Marketron executives say at least one radio group is bringing in over $100,000 every month using its brand new location-based advertising product that becomes available to everyone today.

An important point about the new Marketron product is it does not take up any over-the-air inventory. Using the technology Marketron already has in place, radio sellers can now go into local clients and sell campaigns that target consumers on their mobile devices within a radius the advertiser desires. For example, your sellers can now go into a car dealer with a campaign that delivers a display ad on mobile devices to all consumers within one mile or two miles or five miles of that car dealer. That client can also target X number of miles around a competitor to try to draw in customers who may be in the market for their product but just happen to be shopping somewhere else. As long as those consumers have agreed to receiving mobile ads or agreed to accept geo-targeted information from an app like CNN, ESPN, The Huffington Post, Angry Birds or Candy Crush. Marketron has the scale of about 10,000 apps in their system.

The process for the sale is also simplified by Marketron. Once your rep completes the sale, an online order form is filled out and uploaded with the details on the banner ad, website link, etc. that the client wants. Marketron then creates and launches the campaign for you. Marketron also optimizes that campaign as its in progress. The new solution will provide full transparency to reporting and campaign overview for both stations and their advertisers as well as support all ad units including rich media, video, and native ads. Marketron also has an in-house design team to handle broadcasters? clients? creative as well as in-house advertising operations to handle campaign optimization for all live campaigns. With location-verified inventory from close to 10,000 publishers in North America and direct access to trading desks and ad networks, targeted campaigns can go live in a matter of hours instead of weeks.

For more information on the product, e-mail mobile@marketron.com

(7/22/2014 12:13:38 PM)

We have had wonderful success with mobile Geo Fencing, if you would like a free video on how it works and how to sell it, pop us a note!

Ralph at Getty Ad
1-800-Getty Ad
The leader in NTR for broadcasters!

(7/22/2014 10:01:54 AM)
Very good article. The ability to target specific demos and user profiles is and will always be the future of mobile advertising. The need for specific measurement will no doubt be the most important aspect of the full ad solution over the next 24 months

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Clear Channel Promotes Jeff Davis

7-19-14

Davis has been named Operations Manager for the Greenville and Asheville markets. He will also continue to serve as Program Director for 99.9 Kiss Country (WKSF) in Asheville. Davis has 30 years in the radio business, for the past 15 he's been Operations Manager for Asheville and PD at WKSF.  Prior to joining Clear Channel Asheville was PD for WITL in Lansing. Davis also worked for Federated Media in Fort Wayne.



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Another Radio Host Ponzi Scheme

7-17-14

Seems like hosts of financial radio shows are getting in trouble on a regular basis these days. The feds say 46-year-old South Florida man Philippe Bourciquot used his radio show to defraud investors of millions in a Ponzi scheme. Authorities say Haitian-Americans were the target and Bourciquot was preying upon members of the same ethnic community, building trust with his victims. Bourciquot hosted a show on WSBR-AM. More details here at CBS Miami.



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Don't Hire This Call Screener

7-17-14

A character on the Howard Stern show that goes by the name of Captain Janx made himself famous by pranking Television news programs during serious stories and yelling Stern's name. Yesterday during MSNBC?s coverage of the Malaysian plane crash, host Krystal Ball was confronted by a prankster who got by the screener claiming he was Staff Sgt. Michael Boyd from the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and had seen the plane crash. The caller said the airaft was ?shot down by a blast of wind from Howard Stern?s A**.? It took several minutes and and additional question from Ball to determine the caller was not real. It's not known who was behind this prank. More details at The Daily News, including the video of the prank, and, no doubt, on Stern's show today on SiriusXM.

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KTFM's Tony Cortez Promoted to APD

7-17-14

The station is owned by Alpha in San Antonio and Cortez hosts afternoon drive at the station. PD Mark Landis said, ?Tony?s experience both here at KTFM and in the market, make him the obvious choice for this position to help us get to the next level.?



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Juvenile Fundraiser Could Shut Down Station

7-17-14

KCPR-FM has been run by students for 46 years on the campus of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. On its website, it states, "KCPR is a non-profit student-run radio station providing its listeners with entertaining and informative alternative programming." Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Douglas Epperson is now looking into selling the station's license. Why? Because two student DJs started a fundraising promotion offering to sell photos of their genitals in return for cash donations. For $20 dollars, the students would make the sexually explicit photos available on Snapchat. Epperson was not amused.

Epperson, according to CalCoastNews.com has had offers for the license and said in an e-mail, "What were they thinking and how could it go so far with the faculty completely unaware!!!? According to the website, Epperson asked Journalism Department Chair Mary Glick and Associate Professor Richard Gearhart, the faculty advisor for the station, to put together an organizational plan and structure for the station. That plan would have to prevent additional controversies and improve the educational value of the station. "I am very serious about this ? it is just one problem after another at a much greater frequency and magnitude than the other student media outlets without nearly the educational value of the other media outlets."

Read the full story at CalCoastNews.com

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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

United Stations Snaps Up Quick Snaps

7-17-14

USRN says it has struck a deal with Comedian Costaki Economopoulos for the network to handle affiliations, distribution, and ad sales of his Quick Snaps comedy content. Quick Snaps is the branded name for Costaki?s package of comedy inspired by the weekly games of the NFL. Quick Snaps will be available to stations starting the week of September 1 and will continue through the broadcast week that follows the Super Bowl in February 2015. 



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Chapman Joins Pistons Radio Network

7-17-14

Greater Media's Detroit Sports 105.1 has hired Jake Chapman as executive producer and air talent for the Pistons Radio Network. For five years Chapman was executive producer of the Orlando Magic Radio Network. He is now responsible for creating Pistons content for the radio station and team to be used on the station's various digital platforms. In addition, he will be responsible for day-to-day operations of the Pistons Radio Network and will serve as host for Pistons pregame shows, post-game shows, and other programming.



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Drew Horowitz Appointed President of Hubbard

7-19-14

Hubbard Radio today announced that Drew Horowitz, executive vice president and chief operating officer, would become president and chief operating officer. Ginny Morris will remain chairman and chief executive officer. Morris said, ?For the past few years I have had the privilege to work with Drew and see first-hand what a gifted broadcaster he is. Drew?s passion for the radio business and for the people with whom he works is evident in how he approaches every opportunity and every challenge. I look forward to further partnering with him as we continue to move our business forward.?

Before joining Hubbard Radio in 2011, Horowitz was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Bonneville International, where his tenure began in 1992. Horowitz said, ?I am honored to have this wonderful opportunity to work more closely with Ginny and to be part of this extraordinary family-owned company. I?m looking forward to continuing my work with the rest of the leadership team to further Hubbard Radio?s success across our seven nationwide markets."

Earlier this month Bruce Reese stepped down as CEO at Hubbard



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Rivero Returns to Genesis Communications

7-19-14

Talker Michael Rivero and his show ?What Really Happened? is returning to the Genesis Communications Network. What Really Happened  is broadcast from Oahu, Hawaii and is a non-partisan talk show which, "aims to go after the lying and corrupt of all political parties with equal relish." Rivero says about his show, ?Our goal is to derail the rush to World War III as a ?fix? for the collapsing US economy.? Rivero was with the Republic Broadcasting Network after leaving GCN earlier and his career. He is now leaving the Republic Broadcasting Network and coming back to GCN.



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Marconi Attendees To Be Entertained By Hunter Hayes

7-17-14

He's a country music phenom and NAB Executive Vice President of Radio John David thanked Atlantic Records and Warner Music Nashville "for connecting us, so Hunter can join radio in saluting the Marconi nominees and winners." It's the 25th year for the Marconi Awards which recognize radio stations and individuals for excellence in 21 categories. This year the event will take place on September 11 at the Radio Show in Indianapolis. See the 2014 nominees HERE



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(TALENT) Radio Sales' Toughest Client

7-16-2014 

Some of the luckier radio sales departments will, from time to time, enjoy the benefits of a little out-of-town sales training. A ?Pro from Dover? will be brought in and account execs will be offered some combination of personal improvement training and/or client-influencing techniques. While any training at all is worthwhile, it won?t be enough to gain much rapport with, and close, the hardest and most unwilling client of them all.

The people who provide these trainings come with as many backgrounds, priorities, and approaches as could be imagined ? or feared. Some lean more heavily on different incarnations and elements of the ?self-help? movement ? past and present. Some provide ?sleight-of-mouth? techniques to manipulate a client. Some teach ?self-confidence? methods while others demonstrate a variety of ?closes.?

The effect of applying any of the provided methodologies or techniques can be safely and accurately described as those that are effective sometimes, maybe, and depends. That many of the more manipulative techniques are the same ones that also generate massive doses of ?buyer?s remorse? is hardly ever acknowledged in the presentations.

Still, the art of communicating ideas to those who would (allegedly) benefit from their application is as much a professional skill as it is art form. Any individual who is not already effective on a personally, intuitive level and able to influence through charm and personality is served better when they learn more rather than less. The shame is on those organizations whose management relies on bully tactics to motivate their sales staffs and, in turn, are demonstrating those same tactics as being useful in the marketplace of competing alternatives to advertising approaches, media, and other radio stations.

The sales trainers themselves are fair subjects for serious scrutiny. Some are found to be relying on platitudes and attitudes that, on the surface, seem to be meaningful. Unfortunately, they are exciting and emotionally motivating only for so long as it takes the attendee to get to the parking lot. The truly credulous and gullible are still offered ?affirmations? as a legitimate and powerful strategy for self-improvement.

Further, ?confidence? ? or rather ?self-confidence? ? is asserted as an essential element for any sales executive?s psyche, in order to survive and/or prosper while operating in a retail sales environment. Yet, the acquisition of self-confidence generally comes as a result of being satisfyingly effective ? often and through time ? in a given context. It?s not a state that can be purchased and bolted on in the garage. (In fairness, beginning the process of acquiring a form of self-confidence can be experienced as an ?event,? but it takes more than a platitude or an affirmation to accomplish that task.)

Meanwhile, as to radio sales? toughest client, their lairs are close ? very close. The bones of their victims have been swept away so as to avoid alarming others who will, eventually, be venturing in the vicinity. Many of these ?clients? seem reasonable enough and many are quite charming. Some are also considered to be valuable sources of information and even supportive generators of enthusiasm.

But let us make no mistake, as to do so carries serious consequences. They are also aggressive protectors of their own turf ? fierce, resolute, and packing extremely low tolerances for any who would tread upon unmarked, but still forbidden territory. They are easily located. They can be found shackled to radio?s own, corporate dogma, obeyed in corner offices in every radio station in the country. They will be one of two people ? or both. These are the GMs and the GSMs. Until or unless GSMs and GMs openly accept and take steps to correct a certain pervasive circumstance, there will be no huge improvement in sales!

For literally decades, radio has improved on the writing and presentation of its commercial content not one whit. Zero. From this abject failure, we have become the brunt of cheap and easy jokes about how inept radio is at generating influential, appealing and listener-tolerant commercials. Even internally, we can all come up with dozens of ridiculous and insulting clich?s that are still used by hack writers and insistent clients.

I often comment that the spots I am reading today are the same spots I was reading when I was a young, soggy-eared rookie. The only difference today is the placement of the decimal in the price point.

I accept that the goal is not, repeat not, to make every spot a creative award-winner. Desirable ? of course. Not a priority. The first priority is in preparing our spots with precision and clarity, so that they become influential, and so an audience can accept them without inwardly groaning or outwardly retching.

GMs and GSMs are going to have to be sold on this, as they refuse to even have the conversation. To address any of this within their earshot is to mess with their wholly accepted, coveted status quo and their ?rice bowls.? Some might claim they are completely unaware the commercial content is toxic ? a frightening possibility.

No matter how much motivation a sales rep can muster or how many well rehearsed closing techniques they can yank out, unless they have some powerful, effective messaging to take to their retail clients, they are beat before they leave the building. The challenge, then, is convincing management on the need for massive improvements in the creative department.

Note to the eager: The bones that are regularly swept up around management offices are those of the brave, the imaginative, the innovators, the enlightened, sometimes the na?ve, and those who want to set these important managers? minds free ? that all might prosper. If anyone is successful in this challenge, I will be grateful for hearing what it took.

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Monday, July 21, 2014

Where is Casey Kasem's Body?

7-19-14

As if this story hasn't been bizarre enough already. Kerri Kasem, the most outspoken of the Kasem kids, is saying not only has her father still not been buried, they have no idea where his body is. She tells CNN ""We are not surprised. We expected something like this to happen." Wife Jean also spoke to CNN stating the body is not missing.  According to the News Network, Candace Corkum at the Gaffney Funeral Home in Tacoma confirmed that the facility had been in possession of Casey Kasem's body, but said that it was no longer in their care. Kasem died on June 15.

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Country Radio Seminar $349 Rate Sold Out

7-18-14

Not surprisingly the $349 special rate for the 2015 Country Radio Seminar has sold out. The rate was made available to the first 349 registrants or through August 15, whichever came first. As of today, July 17, the 349-registrant limit was reached. The early bird registration rate is $399 and available at http://www.countryradioseminar.com/. CRS 2015 will be held at the downtown Nashville Convention Center February 25-27, 2015.



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2 Million Users Outside U.S. For Australia

7-17-14

Pandora Australia and New Zealand, which launched in December 2012, has gone over 2 million registered users. Pandora ANZ Managind Director Jane Huxley said, ?It?s clear that radio is evolving and this evolution is being propelled by consumers and technology. Key to Pandora?s success is that we offer listeners an interactive and social experience that is incredibly personal, and artists and channels to be discovered by a new legion of fans."

Pandora ANZ also attracts two new registered listeners every second; every day Pandora ANZ streams 384,891 hours? worth of music -- which is equivalent to 44 years of music. And, to date, Pandora has streamed over 190 million hours of music to ANZ ears. Pandora also revealed that their two million listeners enjoy music across over 29 million personalised stations.

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The Talk Radio Ratings Disaster

7-17-14

Showing a picture of the Titanic going down, former Clear Channel Executive Daryl Parks offers up his candid opinion on why he believes the Talk Radio format is disintegrating before our very eyes. Parks has become a very vocal blogger about the radio industry, and specifically talk radio, since leaving the employment of corporate radio. In his latest he says, "The diary markets coming in are bringing little joy. And many in the talk radio industry just sit back and continue on autopilot with the same hard line conservative narrative hour after hour, ignoring the cultural disconnect that?s happened between the format and society as the once unsinkable Titanic of radio formats begins to slip below water." And, he explains the role the General Manager and PD are playing in the talk radio problem.

Candidly, Parks says, the program director of today has no say in programming decisions. "Corporations don?t want a market PD with thoughts, ideas or any clue on how to correct talk radio?s problems.  They don?t get a vote.  Many of today?s talk radio PD?s are glorified board ops, never being taught and mentored in programming, coaching talent or strategic planning.  Many have no on-air experience. They are facilitators and are rewarded for nodding along with the status quo and punished for speaking out.  They know it?s best to keep their mouths shut in order to live another day and survive the next round of RIF?s."
And, he adds, many GM's are simply facilitators. "The ones that dare defend a talk station?s unique place and heritage in their market are viewed as troublemakers.  They are given unreasonable budget demands from corporate owners which handcuff them. They have no control to increase staffs even when it makes good business sense due to competitive situations and improving economies.  They also have no control in decreasing staffs. They are told to RIF associates even when it may damage the operations they are ultimately held responsible for.  ?We make the decisions, you?re responsible.? Doesn?t seem right, does it?"

Read the entire Daryl Parks blog HERE and leave your thoughts below.

(7/17/2014 7:52:24 AM)
Most of the national hosts are one trick ponies and are very predictable. Those traits have spread to many local hosts as well. Lack of depth along with predictability are what most sharp PD's of the rock radio era tried to eliminate from their stations. Today's sharp PD's still should. In my opinion, talk radio is responsible for destroying the listener credibility radio used to enjoy. So much dis and mis information - no better than social media. I can't say I'd be sorry to see it pass.

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Nielsen Connects Auto Buying With Specific Formats

7-16-14

Nielsen says a new study, done in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago connects the type of music consumers listen to on the radio with the car they purchase at the auto dealer. And, if you are in these formats, and you sell to auto dealers -- and who doesn't -- this data may prove useful next time you hit the streets trying to close the sale. In Chicago and L.A., News-Talk is big. And in New York it's all about sports. Here's what Nielsen has uncovered.

Nielsen's SVP of Local Product Media Leadership Farshad Family says, "Formats really make a difference in reaching certain auto buyers in different markets, and this test proves the importance of being able to use specific, granular radio data to explore those connections for both broadcasters and marketers.? The test relied on Nielsen?s Local Insights service to combine portable people meter (PPM) results in New York, Chicago, and L.A. with insights from Polk automotive data, which tracks ownership history for more than 600 million vehicles nationwide.

The Nielsen study says every market is unique and radio?s local connection to listeners across the country shapes how the medium serves each market. "Just as traffic patterns are vastly different in Chicago from those in Los Angeles, the radio landscape is just as varied. So in that regard, it?s no surprise to see that roadster buyers (e.g., those in the market for an Audi TT, BMW Z4, or Porsche Boxster) don?t all favor the same format. Based on the index of radio-listening roadster buyers in Chicago and L.A., the News, Talk, and Information format leads the way in both markets when it comes to the likeliness of reaching those consumers."

In New York, the Sports format is the winner, according to Neilsen. Nielsen says instead of asking which formats offer the right mix for a certain vehicle type, they flipped the focus to one particular format and examined the types of vehicles those listeners were most likely to buy. "In New York, sports radio scored the best among high-end vehicle buyers, particularly those in the prestige sporty and prestige luxury categories (e.g., the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Lexus LS, or BMW 7 series). Among all vehicle types, Sports radio enthusiasts are most likely to have purchased prestige sporty, prestige luxury, mid-sport, or mid-luxury vehicles in the past year."

You can see more about this latest Nielsen data HERE

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Sunday, July 20, 2014

The Unpaid Intern Dilemma. What's Your Risk?

7-16-14

With the news that interns are now filing lawsuits against companies, we wanted to find out exactly what your risk was, if you do have a policy of interns working at your radio station. For that, we turn to one of our legal experts, broadcast attorney John Garziglia who says you really shouldn?t have interns performing jobs that would normally be done by paid employees. Here?s more.

For perceived glamorous professions such as radio broadcasting, a young person might be willing to work for free or even pay a radio station for the opportunity of being part of the excitement.  But, being a glamorous profession does not mean it is legal to have unpaid interns doing radio station functions that would otherwise be performed by paid employees.

A discussion of unpaid interns raises a variety issues for radio stations. Let's try to briefly go through the issues with the caveat that, for confronting any of these issues, the advice of an experienced attorney or human resources person is the next step.

Must interns be paid?  The nationwide Fair Labor Standards Act has six criteria for identifying when an intern (usually called a "learner/trainee" rather than an intern) may be unpaid.  The criteria for whether an intern may be unpaid are:

? The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
? The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
? The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
? The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern, and, on occasion, its operations may actually be impeded;
? The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
? The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

While not all six factors are equally considered, generally the internship experience must look more like training or learning, rather than a job. 

While unpaid internships may be common in our radio industry, the U.S. Department of Labor takes a narrow view on the issue of unpaid interns. Depending on what the intern does, it is often difficult to make an airtight case that the internship qualifies as one that can be unpaid.

The U.S. Department of Labor states on its website that if an intern is ?performing productive work (for example, filing, performing other clerical work, or assisting customers)? then even though the individual may be receiving some benefit in the form of a new skill or improved work habits, that will not allow the intern to be unpaid.   Thus, in the radio station setting, once an intern learns how to enter the first 10 contest entrants into a database, for instance, entering two thousand more will not enhance that aspect of an intern?s training. 

Further quoting the Department of Labor, ?if the employer is providing job shadowing opportunities that allow an intern to learn certain functions under the close and constant supervision of regular employees, but the intern performs no or minimal work, the activity is more likely to be viewed as a bona fide education experience.?  Therefore, sitting in on production room sessions and accompanying sales people on calls would likely be viewed positively, while dubbing CDs to computer storage or making traffic entries would likely not be. 

Past the issue of whether an intern is paid or unpaid, further issues arise as to whether an unpaid intern is covered under a station's workers' compensation insurance. Questions that can arise include whether it is advisable for unpaid interns to sign a hold-harmless agreement, an indemnity agreement, or a release of liability.  John Pueschel, my law firm's labor and employment guru, advises that when unpaid interns are brought on board, there should be appropriate documentation (an offer letter or an internship agreement, for instance) so that both parties acknowledge the nature and terms of the relationship.

There are also other issues that can arise. Consider, for instance, the workman?s compensation insurance coverage a radio station enjoys, and whether the station wishes to be without that umbrella of protection if an unpaid intern gets horribly injured on the job. Or, consider the gray areas that may arise if a young unpaid intern is harassed or molested on the station's premises since the station's liability insurance may not cover claims made by an unpaid intern.

The use of unpaid interns as workers at a radio station to do duties that otherwise might be performed by regular employees should be carefully considered by radio station managers and owners. Before any such unpaid interns are brought on board, knowledgeable legal and human resources advisors should be consulted to be sure that the radio station is not engaging in either questionable hiring practices or an activity that could subject station ownership to significant unintended liability.  

John F. Garziglia is a Communications Law Attorney with Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice in Washington, DC and can be reached at (202) 857-4455 or jgarziglia@wcsr.com.
For more articles from John Garziglia, GO HERE
Have a question for our "Ask The Attorney" feature? Send to edryantheeditor@gmail.com

(7/16/2014 1:02:25 PM)
The best internship program I ever administered paid the intern a stipend of 10 hours of minimum wage per week for an internship that required 20 hours of time investment. I believe that many of today's interns are substitutes for jobs the employer is unwilling or unable to pay. Having an intern requires a consistent, planned, organized training program. Too often they are simply "hang around's" that get little specific training. Often they simply perform overflow chores.
(7/16/2014 11:25:14 AM)
I went to Brown Institute in Minneapolis to become a broadcaster. While I was there, I got a 3 month production internship at The Cities 97, back when it was still owned by the Parkers. I enjoyed doing it so much that I stayed for 10 months. In that time, I learned all about production, and I was even used as a jock during holidays. I NEVER once thought about getting paid to be there, and to this day, I'm very glad I went through the internship. I got paid in experience and knowledge.
(7/16/2014 10:53:48 AM)
If a young person is not going to learn by practicing meaningful work done at a radio or TV station, the experience is not going to be worth much. Most of the time they will just sit around and watching.

Is the answer simply interns should to be paid minimum wage for the hours they worked? We pay ours and they learn a lot.

(7/16/2014 10:24:59 AM)

Great article!

Many stations have used the intern train to get free labor. I believe radio station owners are going to be much more careful about bringing in interns.


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Did Day-Care Operator Defraud Clear Channel?

7-17-14

That's what the feds are alleging 44-year old Tracey Parson of Philadelphia did. Parson is charged with filing a bogus lawsuit against Clear Channel and former Power 99 Philadelphia radio personality Jonesy Jones. Clear Channel paid out a "substantial" settlement following an on-air incident back in 2011 which led to the firing of Jones.

In 2011, Jones called out Parson saying she beat up teenage kids. Parson who owns the Kiddie Kare day-care chain said she was misidentified and started receiving death threats and losing business immediately after her name was broadcast.  According to the Philly.com Parson is charged with three counts of wire fraud, two counts of conspiracy, one count of mail fraud, and two counts of aiding and abetting. If convicted on all counts, Parson faces a maximum 90 years in prison and a fine of up to $1.5 million.

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(TALENT) All That. First, This.

7-16-2014
In a recent release, media-man Mark Ramsey made a number of astute observations about radio ? observations that deserve greater dissemination and, even more, serious consideration. As regular readers know, this space has been dedicated to providing alternatives for radio?s continued and tragic refusal to make any progress whatsoever in a field (communications) that is, otherwise, overrun by innovations and experimentations.

Some of Mark?s comments (www.markramseymedia.com) are re-produced here:
?Fundamentally,? says Mark, ?radio personalities and the folks who hire you need to recognize that your job is not to spin tunes. You are not an organic iPod, a playlist with a heart. No, no.

Here is why you exist:
1. To be in the moment, ?live? with us
2. To tell us things we didn?t know, but are glad we do now
3. To lift our mood
4. To be a spokesperson for the culture that you share with us
5. To tell stories that fascinate or move us
6. To be a friend when we need one
7. To be that mirror that our best friends are
8. To anchor an experience we all share together
9. To help make our lives better in tangible ways
10. To make us laugh or cry or spend precious extra minutes in our driveway
11. To inform, educate, and entertain us
12. To be the part of our family that never lets us down
13. To share your musical enthusiasm with us, if the brand is built on music enthusiasts
14. To share your memories with us, if the brand is built on music with a history
15. To reveal your soul to us and show us your humanity
16. To know what we care about and care back.?

While absolutely the case, what Mark proposes also requires individuals who are:

a.) aware they are not yet, but who are also willing to be, trained
b.) socially cognizant beyond their own peer group
c.) possessors of an already-well-developed sense of humor
d.) educated and practiced enough to throw together at least two cogent sentences back-to-back
e.) versed in the intricacies of vocal timing, tempo, and tonalities
f.)  being engaged by an organization that will support their progress as communicators ? through what, in other enterprises, is called "the R&D budget"
g.) specifically educated enough to know the linguistic distinctions appropriate for electronic broadcasts compared to those of other, analogue presentations, and,
h.) a willingness to take on a Gulliverian lifestyle while toiling for management who never read the Emancipation Proclamation ? all for minimal wages ? and whatever else can be collected along the off-ramps.

My response to Mark included, ??but, if you're ready to get this project off the skids... so am I. Gawd knows the stations are in no position, nor are they motivated, to address these issues.?

While Mark?s comments are bang-on accurate, they do allude to a premise that all that need be done is for management to turn the green light on. If only. The hole we have dug for ourselves is a lot wider and deeper than a few heaping shovels of ?personality? and a dash of ?creativity? will ever cure.

While Mark doesn?t say so directly, it is no stretch to point out that it is the responsibility of every radio station owner to put in place the systems and strategies that will guarantee the results to which Mark alludes. This is not going to happen ? not soon and not in any general, industry-wide context.

Now, I?m not saying the following is an issue for radio that is pervasive and invariant. What I am saying is that it is everywhere and a constant. Of the points I have suggested (above), the greatest among possible equals is: g.) educated enough to know the linguistic distinctions appropriate for electronic broadcasts compared to those of other, analogue presentations. This is the matter of clarity and precision in communications that was addressed in my last piece.

Until these communication factors are mastered and applied, any other creative efforts run the risk of being rendered as failed and inadequate attempts. Great ?creative? ? on-air or commercial ? can be instantly ruined by failing to communicate effectively in the body of any given, broadcast content.

While radio has had, pretty much, a free run of the place for decades, the encroachment by so-called interlopers, tourists, marauding corporate predators, and squatters will continue to ravage the territory that was once the exclusive domain of terra radio. It don? matter a whit that we mosey across the range with our Colts-45s slung low in the holster an? declarin?, ?We don?t cotton to sheepherders in these here parts!? The shepherds have already overrun the territory; they?re pointin? an? laughin? at us, and they are better armed.

Further, they continue their onslaught ? secure in their conclusions that radio will not be launching a retaliatory campaign anytime soon. They are also safe in concluding that most radio management will continue to be frozen in their inactivity.

Even so, many radio keeners and apologists will smugly reiterate the (accepted) perception that radio still enjoys impressive market penetration. Fine. Like an old and now-useless trophy, it looks great on the mantle and is a gentle reminder of better days. No more.

Ronald T. Robinson has been involved in Canadian Radio since the '60s as a performer, writer and coach and has trained and certified as a personal counsellor. Ron makes the assertion that the most important communicative aspects of broadcasting, as they relate to Talent and Creative, have yet to be addressed. Check out his website www.voicetalentguy.com

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Facebook to Help Nielsen With TV Ratings

7-17-14

As the radio industry awaits a Nielsen strategy to measure radio listeners migrating to mobile devices, The L.A. Times is reporting  Facebook users who watch TV on a cellphone or tablet will be reported back to the ratings firm. More and more TV is being viewed on-demand as consumers watch their favorite shows when they want to on whatever device they choose. The social network will scan its databases and send the age and gender of the viewer to Nielsen. And, the two companies are promising this is not going to be an invasion of privacy as some worry.

According to the L.A. Times, the information sent to Facebook is not the name of the show, but a numerical code. The data sent back to Nielsen are in aggregate so Nielsen doesn't know the identities of any of the Facebook users. Facebook won't even know what show the code stands for. But Nielsen will learn, for instance, the age and gender breakdowns of the digital audience watching "MasterChef" or "The Bachelorette." One Nielsen executive said, "It is all anonymous and privacy-protected."

There is good reason for measuring the habits of consumers on mobile. EMarketer projects digital video ad revenue is expected to expand 40% this year to $6 billion.

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(SALES) The New Directories Of Ineffective Marketers

7-16-2014

They say history repeats itself, and I?m sad to say it appears to be true when it comes to marketing local radio effectively.

In the pre-Internet world, radio seemed to be content letting yellow directories capture more local advertising revenue than radio.

Today, the Internet has replaced those old directories of ineffective marketers and we?re letting tons of local ad dollars flock to each shiny new medium that appears on the newest digital platforms.

That?s right, yellow pages were always directories of ineffective marketers. Consumers only went to the phone books to look for a business in a category which had no effective marketers, or to look up the phone number or address of an effective marketer.

By ?effective marketer? we mean marketers that move consumers from unawareness of them, to awareness, on to consideration, and finally to a pre-need preference before their prospects begin their online search. The power of pre-need preference dictates that consumers tend to search for information online that confirms what they already believe and want.

In the pre-Internet world, consumers didn?t go to the phone book to search for a place for coffee and donuts, because Tim Horton?s was an effective marketer. We didn?t search the book for hamburger joints or mattresses, because McDonald?s and Sleep Country had firmly established their brands in our minds with intrusive radio campaigns.

As long as there were no effective marketers in a market or in a category, like lawyers or roofers, every competitor in the category was content with their fair and equal market share via yellow directories.

And radio can be forgiven for not creating more market leaders in new categories, because our margins were so lucrative back then.

Those days are gone, but we?re still letting the new directories of ineffective marketers, search engines and Google AdWords, take tons of local ad dollars out of our markets. 

Why hasn?t radio bought into what Internet marketing gurus like Seth Godin say? Mr. Godin says,  ?It is better to be sought, than to be found.?

When no marketer in a given category has created a predisposition or pre-need preference with intrusive media like radio, consumers will search that category generically online to find a list of competitors in the category.

To be ?sought? implies consumers already have a predisposition  or preference for the advertiser. The best S.E.O. by far is not hidden in an algorithm or Google AdWords, but rather is to be sought by name online.

To be ?found? merely means the marketer is on equal footing with all of the competitors revealed in a search and the search likely continues until that tie is broken by the cheapest (aka lowest-profit) vendor.

Broadcasters have been largely ineffective in helping local marketers and advertisers understand the powerful role they can play in establishing pre-search preference for a brand or business.

Our research of more than 16,000 consumers across North America reveals the power of pre-search branding. The results vary slightly by market, but between 76 percent and 82 percent of those surveyed consistently say they will click on the first name they have heard of or are familiar with, before they?ll click on an unknown at the top of a search engine page.

Another 13 to 19 percent will click on both the business at the top of the page and the effective marketer, still giving the effective marketer an edge.

Here is the thing: In every market we have surveyed, less than 6 percent of respondents claim they click exclusively on the business at the top of a search if they have never heard of it.

It?s time for radio to quit yielding to the huge appetite for everything online, and to educate local businesses about the power of radio in creating a pre-search awareness and preference for their business.

The most powerful S.E.O. (Search Engine Optimization), is S.O.M. (Share of Mind).

Radio broadcasters should embrace the Internet as a less-expensive replacement for all things print, from directories to brochures, and from coupons to direct mail, leaving more budget for radio as the huge Internet-marketing optimizer.

Wayne Ens is president of ENS Media Inc and conducts local market surveys and educational advertiser seminars to increase local radio revenues.

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