Smulyan: National Increased 10% In Q3

1-8-15

In markets Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan says national revenue was down 2 percent, his company was up 10 percent. CFO Pat Walsh says that was due to "strengthening in a few big national categories such as wireless and financial. It was not policitcal." Overall, October was a big month for Emmis, with revenue (including WBLS and WLIB) up 10.5 percent.

November was up 5.3 percent and September increased 1.8 percent. Automotive was Emmis' biggest category for the quarter bringing in 12 percent of total revenue. Emmis also saw double-digit growth from health care, financial services, beverages, wireless, and home improvement. For Emmis' next quarter (December, January, and February) pacing is up mid-single digits.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

National. What a Drag.

10-10-14

There was one item from the Emmis conference call that may be a major concern to broadcasters and that is national ad revenue. The company reported national was down over 8% for the quarter in markets that reported down 15% to Miller Kaplan (Emmis operates in New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Terre Haute, and Austin). Those numbers make you wonder how the rest of the industry will report national, at least in those markets, especially during a year radio is relying somewhat on political dollars for a lift. Local revenue was down 2% for Emmis in markets that were down 6% overall. Emmis also reported that automotive remains the biggest spending category for the company and the wireless category was down double digits.

View the original article here

National Champion QB Joins SiriusXM

7-10-14

Greg McElroy, who quarterbacked the Alabama Crimson Tide to a BCS National Championship title in 2010, has joined the roster of hosts on SiriusXM College Sports Nation, Channel 91. McElroy and SiriusXM's Taylor Zarzour will host The First Team, a new morning show on SiriusXM College Sports Nation which will debut Monday, July 14, and air live every weekday from 7-10 a.m. ET/6-9 a.m. CT throughout the year.

View the original article here

Emmis: Big Drop in National Revenue

7-8-14

Yesterday we told you about the flat quarter Emmis reported for March, April and May. Company executives gave a little more detail Wednesday in a conference call to investors and said in the markets Emmis operates national business was down 15% which could be an indicator for other, bigger radio companies being that Emmis does own stations in New York and L.A. While Emmis showed a small increase in local revenue (15), overall local was down in all Emmis markets (6%). Emmis saw a healthy increase in NTR revenue (17%) and digital was also up slightly (5%). In Q2 Emmis revenue is pacing down in the low ingle digits.

On a pro forma basis, for the months of March, April, and May, Emmis reported flat revenue. The pro-forma report includes WBLS and WLIB in New York City, as if they were owned by Emmis for those same three months in 2013. Emmis started operating the stations in an LMA on March 1. Emmis also reports local revenue in the markets it operates (New York, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Austin, St. Louis, Terre Haute) was down 5.5 percent during March, April, and May, according to Miller Kaplan, while Emmis stations were up 1.6 percent.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

They Are National. You Are Local.

4-16-14
Even though Pandora openly claims it is taking listeners and advertising dollars away from radio, and claims it is the number one "station" in some of the biggest cities in America, the FCC isn't buying it. Pandora now says it has 9% of all radio listening in the United States. The Commission argues they are a national product and there is no evidence they compete locally (FLASHBACK: Read how a local car dealer is using Pandora over Radio HERE).

The FCC's  detailed explanation why it's not allowing more deregulation is very specific about what radio is expected to deliver. In rejecting the NAB's increased competitive environment, the FCC points out that Satellite Radio and Internet Radio are "national platforms," not likely to respond to competitive conditions in local markets. And, no evidence was provided that either plan to become local. The FCC said, "only local broadcasters provide programming based on the unique characteristics of their respective local markets. As the Commission has stated previously, it is the competition between such rivals that most benefits listeners in a local market and serves the public interest."

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

More National Press for Bobby Bones

3-19-14

The Washington Post has a profile piece on the Bobby Bones show after Clear Channel recently added the program to WMZQ in DC. Post writer Emily Yahr writes how the unconventional Bones and his cast of friends is connecting with Country listeners - and artists - because of how real the program is. "If it sounds like they?re just a group of friends hanging out, that?s exactly what they are, and Clear Channel executives pinpoint that as the reason for the show?s widespread popularity." Bones will host the upcoming iHeartRadio Country Music Festival on March 29 and was recently on the cover of Radio Ink Magazine.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

Alabama Alien Stunt Gets National Attention

9-2-13

Some listeners to Shoals Radio's WMSR in Alabama believed aliens were taking over the station. The stunt even had some thinking schools would be attacked so they kept their kids home. Management was trying to bring attention to the station for an upcoming format switch and aired fake conversations between aliens. And attention it got. A ton of buzz resulted from the stunt, even garnering national coverage in the New York Daily News, The Huffington Post's Weird News section and blogs all over the Web. Was this a perfectly executed radio stunt or an over-the-top attempt to call attention to the station by frightening the community? Broadcast attorney John Garziglia tells Radio Ink, "Any stunt or hoax that causes the invocation of law enforcement is a promotion that the FCC severely frowns upon." We'll have more from Garziglia on this story in the headlines Wednesday morning.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO HERE

PD Brian Rickman told AL.com, "We came up with what we thought was a really fun storyline and that would be that these aliens or star people were hacking into the radio station. The concept being that they heard our frequency several light years away, they didn't like Justin Bieber and the pop music we were playing and they were going to take over the radio station and adjust the format. It's a very innocuous promotion that got blown out of proportion. We thought it was clever."

Law enforcement in the area even added security at schools to down some parents. Rickman told AL.com once the concern began to spread he went into damage control. "My decision was, let's speed up making the aliens friendlier. That was scheduled to happen. The messages we aired were by no means cryptic but I supposed they were almost too well produced. It really did sound like somebody was hacking in. If we made any mistake, I suppose that was it."

The Times Daily in Florence reported that Tuscumbia police chief Tony Logan said chatter on social media is what led to the unfounded concern. Tuscumbia police posted on its Facebook page that the radio promotion was nothing to be concerned about.

Colbert County Schools Superintendent Tony Olivis was critical of the radio station stunt. "At this time in our society, everyone is highly sensitive about school safety. This has caused a knee-jerk reaction from some, and unfortunately that could cause some parents to keep their children at home (today) because of this hoax."

(9/3/2013 2:47:31 PM)
God I wish I could have been a part of this. This is genius.
(9/3/2013 9:37:47 AM)
Thom is, I believe, quite correct - it would have taken some production and performance skills to pull that one off. And yes, if the station can pull off their "real" format with the same aplomb, they should be just fine.
What are the chances, though, that they blew threough their arrows on the stunt and that there's little left in the quiver...?
(9/3/2013 9:23:25 AM)
I heard some of the most creative radio when the stations were "stunting" between formats. From what I'm reading here, this is absolute genius promotion.
I would like to think that the "gullible" spoken of in the prior comments are part of the station's intention: To get a reaction. Those people will never forget THAT station ever again...which means the new format had better be worth the hubbub.
(9/2/2013 11:56:12 PM)
Just more evidence of the numbers of gullible and credulous amongst us. Is it any wonder that corporations, media and other organizations just keep piling it on...?

What is more troubling is when the leadership of said organizations are among those who actually believe this crap.

"There is no accounting or cure for 'stupid'."

(9/2/2013 8:38:12 PM)
This is so sad. Anybody who fell for this must be an absolute moron. Or does it just lend support to the theory that gun-gobbling Americans really are consumed with fear?

Add a Comment | View All Comments Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

Summit Promotes Olsen To National PD

8-26-13

Effective immediately, John Olsen is the new National Program Director for SummitMedia. Olsen will assist Senior Vice President of Programming Bill Tanner. Tanner said, ?This is a confirmation of the job John is already doing as my right arm and trusted assistant. Over 10 years of working together, he?s proven himself as a talented programmer over a variety of formats.?

View the original article here

Finebaum National Show Details Announced

8-8-13

The Paul Finebaum Show will debut on Monday, Aug. 12, at 2 p.m. ET. The four-hour daily program will be produced by ESPN Radio.Cumulus Media Networks will distribute the show. ESPN affiliated stations in every market will have the first opportunity to carry the show. Finebaum's former home station in Birmingham (WJOX 94.5 FM), as well as WAPI 100.5 FM, will carry the show. His previous show attracted nearly a quarter of the adult male listeners in Birmingham, ESPN?s highest-rated college football television market the past several years.

View the original article here

Valle Creates National Radio Talent System

7-2-13

The veteran consultant says, "For decades, the radio industry has talked of the long-standing need for a farm system that would identify and bring new talent into the industry. Now, the National Radio Talent System is designed to be the ?go to? place to find new, young, passionate, well-educated, entry level talent qualified to excel in radio stations across America." The National Radio Talent System will be a ten-day program held on college campuses, with the goal being that one is held in every region or state in America so students can attend in their home state, and so radio stations can recruit from their own region of the country, or nationally.

Valle says, "Due to the advent of voice-tracking, automation, syndication, and labor laws that minimize or prevent the opportunity for young people to just ?hang around? the radio station, the radio industry has lost much of its training ground." The working model for the National Radio Talent System is the Kellar Radio Talent Institute at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, also created by Vallie.

Vallie says, "It?s the broadcasters who have vision, passion and love for the business that recognize this long-standing need and the importance of finding young, entry level talent, and the National Radio Talent System is the solution to that need. Most know that, while it?s imperative that we continue to have advances in technology and insure that radio is ubiquitous, success in our industry and the future will always depend on people. We have to attract the best and the brightest who have the talent and desire to get into radio to insure we not only hire great young talent today, but also to insure we have great leadership well into this 21st century?and that is not only possible, it has already begun. This is a noble effort.?

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

March 21 National Sales Meeting Podcast

3-21-13

Yesterday, we held our weekly national sales podcast on the topic of developing superstar salespeople. Our guest was Wayne Ens, President of ENS Media, a company that focuses on helping salespeople sell more radio. Next Thursday at 11 a.m., our special guest will be Jon Horton, the author of the brand new book "The 22 Unbreakable Laws of Selling." Here's a link to this week's PODCAST.

View the original article here

Shaw To Run National Sales For Cumulus

3-5-13

Steve Shaw, Cumulus Media's new Senior VP of National Sales, will be based out of New York. Before joining Cumulus, Shaw was president of Katz Radio Group, the nation's largest national radio rep firm. At Katz Radio, Shaw doubled billings in five years as he grew the company?s share of national radio representation by 50 percent. In addition to his leadership role at Katz Radio Group, Shaw most recently served as president of Cox Digital Solutions and founded digital rep firm Cox Cross Media.

"Having run Katz Radio for years, Steve is the natural choice for this position," Cumulus EVP/co-COO Jon Pinch said. "He understands the national marketplace, has key relationships with buyers and sellers, and is well known for high integrity and an intense work ethic. Steve will work closely with our team of national sales managers, our partners at Katz, Mike Pallad, myself, and other senior management at Cumulus."
Shaw said, "I am thrilled to be joining Cumulus Media -- they operate some of the best brands in radio, and I look forward to helping design and implement great solutions for our national advertising partners. Our combination of scale and quality programming will allow us to deliver great results that drive our customers' businesses."

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

Cody Alan Wins National ACM Award

2-27-2013
The Academy of Country Music has announced the full list of radio award winners of the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music. Cody Alan takes the top National air-personality award for the second time. Alan also won in 2010 for "CMT Radio Live with Cody Alan." Alan is both the host and executive producer for the program. Here are all of this year's radio winners.

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR WINNERS:
NATIONAL                          Cody Alan ? CMT Radio Live with Cody Alan
MAJOR MARKET               Cornbread, Judi Diamond & Cap'n Mac ? WIL-FM ? St. Louis, MO
LARGE MARKET               Chris Carr, Maverick & Statt ? WUBE-FM ? Cincinnati, OH
MEDIUM MARKET             Rowdy Yates, Sunny Leigh & Carly Rush ? KVOO-FM ? Tulsa, OK
SMALL MARKET                Gator Harrison, Styckman & Cowboy Kyle ? WUSY-FM ? Chattanooga, TN
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR WINNERS:
MAJOR MARKET               WYCD-FM ? Detroit, MI
LARGE MARKET                KAJA-FM ? San Antonio, TX
MEDIUM MARKET              KUZZ AM/FM ? Bakersfield, CA
SMALL MARKET                 KCLR-FM ? Columbia, MO

Winners in radio categories will be invited to receive their awards at a private reception in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 6, the day prior to the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.  

View the original article here

SiriusXM Launches National Geographic Kids Program

1-10-13

Sirius XM Radio announced the launch of a series of vignettes for young listeners, featuring content from National Geographic Kids beginning Monday, January 14, 2013, on Kids Place Live, channel 78. The vignettes are based on National Geographic Kids books, including "Are You Normal?," "Amazing Animals," "The 2013 National Geographic Kids Almanac" and "Ultimate Weird but True."

In this programming exclusively created for SiriusXM Kids Place, young listeners will hear fun facts and be introduced to the strange, wild and wonderful world around them. The facts will air throughout the day, Monday through Friday. SiriusXM Kids Place Live is a 24/7 interactive talk and music channel featuring music and talk shows for kids.  With live in-house "Rumpus Room" concert events from the biggest names in kids' music, live hosts standing by to take your song requests, and fun, on-air games, Kids Place Live allows young listeners to play along and celebrate what it means to be a kid.

View the original article here

Salem Taking Nightline Show National

7-12-2012

Starting Friday night, Salem's 94-FM the Fish/Nashville is partnering with Salem's KLTY/Dallas to deliver Nightlight with Andrea to a national audience. The show airs from 7PM to Midnight and originates from KLTY. The program will make its nationwide network debut on Salem's Today's Christian Music Network Monday July 30th where it will reach a weekly potential 120 affiliates in the Monday-Friday 7pm-12mid time period.

Nightlight? features contemporary Christian music and listener interaction as Andrea takes listener calls on lifestyle family friendly topics. Stations interested in adding Nightlight? with Andrea to their lineup should contact Salem Music Network affiliate relations manager, Jeremy Sweat, at 615-367-2210 ext. 7033 or jsweat@SalemMusicNetwork.com.

View the original article here

Mason To Receive National Radio Award

June 4, 2012

CBS Radio President/CEO Dan Mason will be this year's recipient of the National Radio Award, to be presented at the 2012 Radio Show. The show is set for September 19-21 in Dallas.

"Throughout Dan Mason's career in radio, his commitment to innovation and growth, coupled with his programming expertise, has shaped radio as a whole," NAB EVP/Radio John David said. "We welcome the opportunity to honor Dan's contributions to radio by presenting him with the National Radio Award."

Mason began his career in 1975 at WZGC-FM/Atlanta, and headed to Washington, DC, in 1977 to take a post as First Media's national program director and PD of First's WPGC-FM. He became VP/GM of KTSA & KTFM/San Antonio in 1979, and later became president of First Media when it became Cook Inlet Radio Partners. He joined Westinghouse in 1993 as president of Group W Radio, which later merged with CBS Radio. Mason was president of CBS Radio from 1995-2002 and came back to the post full-time in 2007.

Mason is chairing the Steering Committee for the 2012 Radio Show and is a member of the NAB Radio Board. He'll receive the Radio Award at the Radio Show Luncheon, sponsored by Katz Media Group.

Previous Radio Award recipients include Steve Newberry, Charles Warfield, Ed Christian, Erica Farber, Jerry Lee, and others.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

National Advertising a Drag For Beasley

Thanks to Fayetteville, North Carolina, Beasley's net revenue increased 1.1% in the first quarter of 2012. National advertising has been the big drag. According to Caroline Beasley, who led the Beasley conference call Friday, overall national advertising in Philadelphia alone was down over 30% compared to 2011 which was no banner year for radio. She also said national was down over 7% in all Beasley markets.

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

Dial Global Adds Cohen as National Account Manager

Jacqueline Cohen joins Dial Global from Cumulus Media Networks where she held various sales positions since 2001. She said about her new position, "I am excited to join the team at Dial Global and for the opportunity to help advertisers meet their challenges through an impressive lineup of programming. March Madness, the Super Bowl, the many Talk radio superstars, digital integration? there is so much to offer.?

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

Dial Global Taking KMOX Overnight Program National

1-23-2012
Dial Global and CBS radio's KMOX News Radio in St. Louis have teamed up to do a national launch of the program "Overnight America with Jon Grayson." KMOX originated the program about three years ago. It airs from 1AM-6AM eastern and is already heard on KDKA-AM in Pittsburgh and WCCO AM in Minneapolis.

Grayson began his career in talk radio at age 19 while still in college. In just three years he had already hosted sports, politics, and general interest talk shows and served as the executive producer and on-air co-host of a top-rated weekly comedy broadcast on WFLA-AM in Tampa, FL. Jon honed his style through his early 20??s and landed the evening talk show host position at WWTN-FM in Nashville, TN at age 27. The show quickly went to No. 1 in the ratings and Jon enjoyed three years at the top of Nashville radio. In 2000, Jon moved to KMOX where he hosted the station?fs overnight show. 

The program will be available on January 30th and for more information on the program, contact Peter Sessa at Dial Global psessa@dialglobal.com

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

National Brands Go Local To Brand Online

A new emarketer report says national companies are looking to local communities more and more to reach the consumer. And they are using digital. eMarketer analyst Lauren Fisher says ?Local search, mobile devices, hyperlocal communities and daily deals are gaining popularity with consumers. As the go-to digital sources for local information, each offers on-demand access to community news and information and provides brands a distinct way to engage with US consumers on a local level.?

"In the past, a combination of mass media and traditional local advertising was enough to draw consumers toward a national brand?s local store or service. But as the internet and mobile devices whet consumers? appetites for immediate and relevant local information, national advertisers are also looking to local online advertising to reinforce their local brand presence.

Read the entire report HERE

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here