ASCAP: Our Future is at Stake in Pandora Case

8-4-14

On Monday an unredacted version of ASCAP's appeal in its case against Pandora was unsealed in federal court, according to The Tennessean. The organization is in a bitter dispute with Pandora over rates the pure-play must pay songrwriters and publishing companies. Pandora now pays 1.85 percent of its revenue and ASCAP wants that number to be closer to 3 percent. ASCAP is also worried that a lower court ruling that allows publishers to negotiate directly with publishers will destroy the company. Here's some of what ASCAP filed in court...

"This is an appeal from two district court decisions that, if not reversed, threaten the viability of (ASCAP), this nation's oldest and largest performing rights organization," ASCAP argued in the brief. "Such an outcome would have a profoundly negative effect on songwriters, music publishers and music users themselves, disrupting the marketplace for the licensing of music performing rights that has functioned for many decades as a result of the well-established efficiencies provided by an ASCAP license."

ASCAP is arguing that the lower court misinterpreted the law and publishers should not be allowed to negotiate directly, which some believe, could lead to collusion, a claim the D.O.J is now investigating as part of its review of the ASCAP and BMU consent decrees. "The district court's ruling is also at odds with the history of ASCAP's consent decree, which shows that ASCAP and the Department of Justice deliberately removed from the decree the very prohibition on members reserving exclusive rights for themselves that the district court imposed."

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A Future Of Infinite Sports?

1-15-14

Most of the action in online radio so far has been focused on music. But Sports Talk listeners are also starting to enjoy the effects of endless choices and on-demand satisfaction. At the Sports Radio Conference, set for March 10-11 at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay in San Diego, Edison Research President Larry Rosin will be showing brand-new, never-before-seen data from the 2014 "Infinite Dial" study, analyzing where Sports Talk radio fans are today, and where they're going in the digital audio world.

"The Infinite Dial" is the longest-running longitudinal study of digital media and changes in technology in America, dating back to 1998. The study, now produced by Edison Research and Triton Digital, is performed to the highest quality standards and is cited by hundreds of media outlets and academic reports.

To create this presentation for the Sports Radio Conference, Edison and Triton included a question about Sports radio usage. This is a unique opportunity to hear fresh, up-to-the-minute info on Sports radio from top researchers -- don't miss it!

The Sports Radio Conference is the radio industry's exclusive Sports and Sports Talk summit. With an agenda focused on growing audience and revenue at Sports0formatted stations, attendees get the chance to hear from a wide range of experts on topics that include programming, promotions, sales, marketing, and digital platforms as well as local, collegiate, and professional sports teams and events. If your station covers any sports or sports/talk, the Sports Radio Conference should be part of your game strategy.

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Where Does Radio Fit Into the Vehicle of the Future?

10/25/13

Day two of DASH started off with a panel of national automotive representatives who provided insight into radio's future position on the dash of the connected car, and the news was good. Greg Ross (pictured, second from left) from General Motors said infotainment is big, and right now radio makes a lot of sense. "Radio is a core feature in our cars for the foreseeable future," he said. "There is great content. It's efficient. There are customer demands for getting it in different forms or at the time customers want to consume it."

Toyota's Wayne Powell (pictured at right) said out loud exactly what the radio audience wanted to hear: "We love radio. We put three tuners in many of our cars. We don't see removal of the radio tuner at any time at all. The data is clear that terrestrial radio is the number one source in the car. We don't see it going away. We're using the radio pipe in a more expanded way. That keeps the pipe alive."

Powell also said Toyota has key partnerships with companies like Clear Channel for both voice and data. "It's not just Internet connectivity," he noted. "It's total connectivity." Powell pointed out that Toyota vehicles even seamlessly switch from HD to analog when a customer listening to an HD station drives into an area where it's not available, and said Toyota needs partners like Clear Channel to make that happen. "Partnerships are critical," he said. "We can't deliver this alone. We use carriers, content providers, and
pipe providers." Toyota has even opened up an office in Silicon Valley specifically to seek out nontraditional, cutting-edge partners.

GM's Ross also said that eventually every car will be connected "to other cars, to the road infrastructure, and to the Internet." He went on, "All cars will be programmable, with the capability of adding and updating software after the car is purchased. It will be more precise to the tastes and needs of the consumer. 4G connection will be rolled out next year in GM cars. Virtually every vehicle over the next 18 months will have it."

(10/25/2013 1:32:06 PM)
Was there any discussion or insight given to Apple's mobile operating system being installed in autos?
(10/25/2013 6:03:30 AM)
"Automakers Get HD Complaints"

"But even when HD stations do implement HD Radio or put a multicast channel on the air, they’re not always able to pay attention to the alignment of the analog and digital signal. That’s a problem, because complaints about audio quality are starting to arrive at dealerships. IBiquity Senior Vice President of Broadcast Programs & Advanced Services Joe D’Angelo ticked off several: customers say the HD often echoes as if two signals are being received slightly out of time, or the audio sounds as if the station is skipping. Other complaints include the radio doesn’t pick up HD stations, ever. Or, the HD goes in and out. Owners have been slow to embrace the advanced data features that can make a radio display look like its competitors, such as satellite radio or Pandora, in the dash. Only some 400 stations have so far and that’s a problem, according to HD proponents; they believe that if stations don’t step it up, automakers will move radio down the center stack of priorities in the dash, so to speak."

http://www.radioworld.com/article/radio-eyes-all-forms-of-%E2%80%98digital%E2%80%99/

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Can You Predict The Future?

10-16-13

These are wild times in politics, for the economy, and for the broadcast industry. What if you could predict the future? Register for Radio Ink's Forecast 2014, and you can hear a conversation among a group of experts in varied industries who have decades of combined experience and well-earned reputations for accurate insights and valuable predictions. The panel will be moderated by the industry's most respected analyst, Marci Ryvicker (pictured)
Marci Ryvicker joined Wells Fargo Securities, LLC as an equity analyst in June 2002 and currently covers the media sector, with specific focus on broadcast, outdoor, and cable/satellite. Ryvicker ranked runner-up in the 2008 Institutional Investor survey and was ranked No. 2 in media in the Forbes 2008 Best Brokerage Analysts survey. She began her career as a certified public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC, and she is a CFA charterholder. Ryvicker is also a member of the CFA Institute, the New York Society of Security Analysts, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

The Panelists
Tom is the founder of BIA Financial Network and CEO of BIA/Kelsey. Since founding BIA Financial Network in 1983, Buono has overseen its acquisitions and growth into a diversified strategic and financial consulting and information firm and has been involved in the creation and management of BIA Capital Strategies, LLC, a communications-industry investment bank; BIA Digital Partners LP, a mezzanine investment fund; and, most recently, BIA/Kelsey, to offer data, research, and services that provide an expanded and comprehensive view of local media and advertising. Buono has also been a principal in a venture capital firm, the president of a paging and SMR business, and the partial owner of a number of radio stations. He is often quoted in trade publications, business magazines, and national newspapers.

Mark Gray is president of the Katz Radio Group, the largest division of the Katz Media Group, the nation's leading media representation company. Katz Radio Group comprises the biggest radio sales force in the country and includes Katz Radio, Christal Radio, Eastman Radio, Univision Radio, CBS Radio Sales, Entercom Radio Sales, Katz Group Sales, and Katz 360 Digital Sales. In addition, Gray oversees the company?s national marketing and business development arm, Katz Marketing Solutions. Gray joined Katz Radio in 1988 as an AE in New York. He served as VP/manager, VP/GSM for the West Coast, and SVP/GM, and president of Katz Radio before moving into his current post in 2006.

Stephen Moore is senior economics writer for the Wall Street Journal editorial page and a member of the Journal's editorial board. He is also a contributing economic commentator for Fox News Channel, where he appears daily commenting on economic, fiscal policy, and political issues. He can also be seen regularly on CNN and CNBC tv. Moore is a frequent lecturer to business, investment, and university audiences around the world on the U.S. economic and political outlook. From 1999-2004 he served as founder and president of the Club for Growth, an organization dedicated to helping elect free-market, tax-cutting candidates to Congress. Moore is the author of six books; his latest is Who's the Fairest of Them All? The Truth About Taxes, Income and Wealth in America, published in 2012.

Jack Myers is a media ecologist and chairman of Media Advisory Group, which provides economic counsel to more than 250 media, advertising, marketing, entertainment, and financial services companies who subscribe to the weekly Jack Myers Media Business Report. His new book, Hooked Up: A New Generation?s Surprising Take on Sex, Politics and Saving the World, shares insights into the first generation to grow up with the Internet and the positive impact they are likely to have on business, culture, and society. Myers is an award-winning documentary film producer, author of four books, and founder of the Women in Media Mentoring Initiative and Syracuse University Newhouse Network. His career includes sales and management positions at CBS Television, ABC Radio, and Metromedia Outdoor.

Radio Ink's Forecast is the radio industry's exclusive financial conference, gathering radio owners, CEOs, CFOs, group executives, and managers with Wall Street and private equity investors and analysts to forecast the upcoming year. Well informed and noted economic, political, and media participants present trends, opportunities, projections, and analytical commentary on the state of business, especially as it impacts media. Now in its 11th year, Forecast has become the premium event in radio financial circles. The event is held at the Harvard Club in New York City and is closed to the press.

Immediately following Forecast, Radio Ink's "40 Most Powerful People in Radio" are honored at an exclusive, invitation-only reception, also at the Harvard Club. Forecast attendees will get the exclusive opportunity to mingle with these industry luminaries. Only registered conference attendees are guaranteed invitations to this premier networking after-party. Attendance is limited to 200.

Forecast 2014
November 20, 2013
Harvard Club
New York
To register, call 561-655-8778 or go to www.radioinkforecast.com.

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In SYNC With The Future

9-26-13
Ford SYNC AppLinks Global Product Manager to Keynote DASH Conference. Ford's SYNC system has been at the forefront of the connected car since its introduction in 2007, when smartphones were still in their infancy. Over the last six years, Ford has continued to develop cutting-edge in-car technology enhancements that will keep customers on the leading edge of in-car entertainment and services.
Find out where Ford is driving the connected car next, when Radio Ink, Jacobs Media and Shuman Consulting Group welcome Julius Marchwiki, global product manager for Ford Motor Co.'s SYNC AppLink, who will deliver a keynote address at DASH, the connected car conference set for October 23-34 at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

Radio Ink Publisher Eric Rhoads says, "It's a great signal that Ford is coming to the table to participate in DASH. It shows their commitment to radio. Julius is one of the most respected leaders in the connected-car space and will open your eyes about technology trends that will impact our business."

Fred Jacobs, president of Jacobs Media, notes, "No one has been at the forefront of Ford?s Sync program more than Julius Marchwiki. He was the very first person we met at CES back in 2010, and he has played an integral role in Sync's development and Ford's ability to personalize its vehicles through technology. He is the quintessential leader in the space, and his presence and perspective are what DASH is all about."

At Ford, Marchwiki and his team are focused on programming interfaces, the smartphone ecosystem, and in-vehicle technologies that will deliver a variety of products, services, and features consumers -- listeners -- are certain to love. Ford's SYNC AppLink technology now allows enabled mobile apps to function using voice controls, another innovation that impacts radio brands. This is a genuine insider's view of the future of the connected car, from one of the people who is making it happen. It's a talk you won't want to miss.

Reminder: The special $159 DASH rate at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport ends Friday, September 27. Register today.

DASH
October 23-24, 2013
Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Detroit, MI
www.dashconference.com

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(TALK) The Future Of The Spoken Word

6-10-2013

The question I hear most frequently from reporters, broadcasters, and those I consult is about the future of the radio industry. Where is the industry going? What should we be paying attention to? It?s natural for people to want to know what?s next. Like many of you, I have my opinions about where things are going ? and that includes the adoption of radio into a digital environment.

For well over a decade, I?ve predicted the world?s move to digital and have told radio stations they need to make sure they are streaming their signals, establishing their brands online, and not assuming that transmitters will always be the only means of distribution. And for decades, some have called me a heretic for not blindly believing that ?Radio will always be fine.?

Clearly we?re seeing the beginnings of digital?s real impact. Even though radio remains very strong, the Pandoras of the world are fierce competitors ? Pandora has at times said it ranks number one in listening in several major cities, though there?s no way to verify that claim.

Right now, much of the focus in online radio is on music stations. But the entire basis of online radio was established by Mark Cuban and AudioNet, which later became Broadcast.com ? the early streaming service that made Cuban a billionaire when it was acquired by Yahoo! And all Cuban and partner Todd Wagner wanted to do was listen to their home sports teams? broadcasts online.

The unfortunate elephant in the room for online music radio is the high cost of operations due to the price of music licensing. The radio industry can?t gain its typically high margins when paying what amounts to a tax per listener hour. I believe that is the primary driver preventing radio from adopting streaming more broadly and pushing for a more digital world (though the investment in transmission infrastructure is another compelling reason).

There is, however, no such elephant in the room for spoken word radio. Talk radio, Sports radio, News/Talk and other forms of talk, not saddled with the high costs of music licensing, will become the great opportunity for the radio industry online, and will become the first streaming opportunity to be genuinely embraced by broadcasters. Spoken word programming offers a unique, defensible position, whereas music stations owned by broadcast companies have a hard time competing with the almost commercial-free environment of many of the online services.

Though anyone can create a podcast, and there are some highly successful podcasts making incredible profits, it?s difficult for most to emulate the strength and experience of radio broadcasters in spoken word formats. Music programming is easy to knock off, but talk presents a unique, defensible position.

There is no motivation better than the need to reinvent. We know the power of the spoken word. And we also know the highly polarizing nature of political Talk radio in a politically correct environment is making it more difficult for some in the Talk sector to find advertisers willing to support those who, in their opinion, cross the line. I believe there is a digital frontier for new spoken word formats, beyond the political, that are yet to be invented.

Change provides opportunity, and the changing distribution model for radio will force us all to reinvent. No one knows what these new, not-yet-thought-of spoken word formword formats will sound like. But it?s certain they will play off our greatest strengths as an industry.

B. Eric Rhoads is the publisher of Radio Ink. He can be reached via the following: bericrhoads@gmail.com, Facebook.com/eric.rhoads, Twitter: @ericrhoads

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The Future of HD Radio is in The Hands Of Independent Operators

3-25-13

The following opinion piece is from Kelly Wallingford. Wallingford is the President of Wallingford Broadcasting Company and the Immediate Past President of the Kentucky Broadcasters Association. He submitted this editorial in response to our Pew Research Center/HD Radio story which ran Friday.
Reading something in black and white, even if you really already knew it, can have a shocking effect. I suppose it's because you realize that now everyone else knows. As broadcasters, the lackluster appeal of HD Radio has been one of those things we "just don't speak of."
I knew HD was doomed from the start. I was part of a large group gathered at our State Convention in 2006 at Lake Barkley State Park to hear a KBA-assembled panel of experts do a seminar about HD. When iBiquity and the equipment reps got to the anticipated cost for HD, I could see they had lost the audience. It was the same look referenced when headlights catch a deer off guard. I boldly rose to my feet and asked the panel if they realized they were asking broadcasters for an investment in an unproven technology that would rival or exceed the original cost of a whole radio station. I then asked the question that sent the entire room into a frenzied standing ovation and propelled my name into Kentucky broadcasting infamy: "Why so greedy?"
The truth is, Clear Channel and Cumulus aside (both got far better "incentives" and deals to launch HD), the broadcasting world said "hell no" to the cost of HD. To this day the failure of HD rests with iBiquity's and manufacturers' refusal to engage the "non-corporate" broadcasting world with an affordable pathway to HD Radio.
Instead of exciting us, they priced us out. Instead of getting us on board, they turned an apathetic ear. Instead of every radio station in the country touting HD and encouraging listeners to be part of radio's great digital evolution, the public has heard virtually nothing about HD and has little understanding of it. They alienated a large segment of the stations that could have been their greatest allies. Here's the cold hard truth: Radio doesn't even like HD. I have said it all along and will say it again: Until all of radio starts getting excited about HD, no one will be excited about it.
As broadcasters, we currently have advantages and opportunities with Web-based services, podcasting, streaming etc. Many stations are branching out in these arenas and doing well as we migrate our localism into new areas. Do we even need HD?
Maybe. Since there is nothing else available to migrate radio to the exciting new digital world, HD could still have some merit for broadcasters. But far too much valuable time has already been wasted. The time to act is now. Look at it this way: Radio and HD have a tumultuous relationship. There may be an attraction there, but we just can't seem to get it right. So do we work on getting it right, or do we break up for good and forever wonder "what might have been"?
It appears that if we want a digital future for radio, we must save HD from itself, from those who seem hell bent on making sure it fails miserably if we don't give in to their demands ? a business model that, to be kind, is working like a glass eye at a keyhole.
I offer this: Every state broadcasting association should refine and adopt an offer to make to iBiquity and the equipment reps for a "startup" package deal we can live with. The offer would include what we will pay to make the conversion, with the number of stations on board and a timeline for how soon we will do it. Imagine, thousands of new stations excitedly touting HD! Encouraging listeners to get the next greatest technology for radio and join our evolution! Millions of consumers hearing daily about this "new" HD thing! It happened with FM in the '70s, and broadcasters can do it again for HD.

Make no mistake, HD's future has always been, and remains, in the hands of independent broadcasters. I'm sure iBiquity would love to sell some licenses, that all that dust-covered HD equipment at the plant would be better off "in line," and that broadcasters would love to have something new and exciting to crow about. This is your wake-up call. Somebody has finally said it. HD is dying a slow death. Unless radio intervenes.

Kelly Wallinford can be reached at kelly@wcyofm.com

(3/25/2013 6:48:54 AM)
It's all about lies, deception, and greed. You get what you deserve!
(3/25/2013 6:45:40 AM)
The first half is about how much denial radio had about IBOC, the second half is about how much denial radio still has about IBOC. It's dead in the water and has done about as well as any half baked technology could have done. Face it radio, it's O-V-E-R.

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(DIGITAL) Radio's Future

3-18-2013

The future, a subject the radio industry lives with and stresses about often, was on display at South By Southwest Interactive.

Beyond the long lines and the incessant partying, there were thousands of shiny objects in Austin, Texas.

I?ve written in this space about the need to tap into current listener behaviors and interests. SMS, the least sexy technology I can mention, is working for thousands of radio marketers and programmers who are driving engagement, loyalty, and with the inclusion of calls to action in ads and shows. Many have built robust permission-based databases to reach back out to an eager listener.

Other stations are making money and driving listening through mobile websites and other products and services.

Still, it was interesting to hear about the future from some of the top luminaries in business.

I heard Nate Silver, writer for the New York Times and one of the hottest speakers around after his dead-on predictions about the presidential election.

Silver said that while analytics and targeting are important, don't forget serendipity.

From Silver:

?I think sometimes people mistake what I do as someone who?s saying everything we do is predicable? Whereas, really, I?m more of a skeptic of prediction. What I?m actually doing is taking polls and averaging them and the fact that it?s so surprising says a lot about where we have to go in terms of science and math.?

America?s favorite nerd, took the stage in Austin at SXSW on Sunday to talk about his favorite topic: data. Needless to say, Silver?s had a few wins this year in that department.

He recently published a book called "The Signal and the Noise" that looks at the role data plays in our daily lives and the way we can use it to better understand the world around us.

Another great session was led by Ford Motor Company futurist Sheryl Connelly who calls for the ?balance between provocative and plausible? when assessing what could be ahead of us. She said that her team talked about $100 barrels of crude oil nearly a decade ago, but also had a discussion about what would happen if aliens landed on Earth.

To our knowledge, only one of those scenarios came true.

Such is your life when your role is to create a Center of Excellence for global consumer trend insights and a forward-looking mindset that can support and inform design, product development, strategy, business, and marketing functions throughout Ford.

Speaking to a packed audience, Connelly offered Lessons From A Futurist.

Many of her assertions were on the surprising side. Among them:

She once thought that the future is a mystery and best unexplored.

Connelly cautioned against the use of SWOT analysis that attempts to look at a company?s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. She said that such endeavors limit thinking and fail to take change into account.

?It?s foolish for an organization to think it owns its strengths,? she said. ?Those are defined by the marketplace.?

Connelly describes her job as a mission to look outside the automotive industry to understand what's happening in social, technological, economic, environmental, and political arenas so that we can understand shifts that are coming that may influence consumers' values, attitudes, and behaviors. She looks for those insights and collaborates with people in Ford Design and Product Development who try to turn them into business propositions.

She said that SXSW was the perfect venue to talk about ?information addiction? which she said is a medical condition. Further, she cautioned attendees from information overload, adding that it takes away self-reflection time that spurs innovation.

?Explore what you can't control,? Connelly said. ?Use scenario planning ? 'what if's'.
You don't have to be a victim to the future -- you can help develop it.?

Ivan Braiker is the president of mobile marketing company Hipcricket. He can be reached at ivan@hipcricket.com.
Read more articles from Ivan HERE

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(LEGAL) Back To The Future

12-10-2012

We go to conferences to hear seminars about it. Countless people blog about it. And more than a few water cooler confabs have taken it up as the subject of the moment. We study the technology for clues. Follow the relevant legislation. And we wonder if financial statements offer the biggest clues. We're talking about the future of radio, of course. And it's our good fortune to have broadcast attorney John Garziglia to give us a clear peek through the keyhole.

Radio Ink asks:  With the New Year just around the corner, it's time for a little crystal ball gazing. What about our radio industry? What do you see by peering into the future?

John Garziglia says:  21st century radio has arrived. We just have not noticed it yet.

Thinking back though, few noticed when FM made its entry a half-century ago. 21st century radio will be audio, video, and graphics content-on-demand on mobile devices.

I am excited about the potential for radio broadcasting from the ?Mobile TV? technology developed by the Open Mobile Video Coalition which allows for robust delivery of both audio and video on demand. It is worthwhile for radio broadcasters to read two recent releases from the OMVC. Start with the OMVC Press Release on Non-Real-Time Content. Then read the underlying document titled OMVC Non-Real Time Mobile DTV Use Cases. Neither is lengthy. Imagine the possibilities several years from now if thousands of portable devices and car radios have the capabilities described in these articles.

The initial staggering realization about TV today is to question the sanity of those who designed today?s 8-VSB and ATSC DTV standard and utterly failed to consider that consumers might like to receive on-demand video and audio in portable and mobile devices. That is a failure of imagination and design that one day will be looked back upon in amazement.

But I digress. We all can agree, I believe, that the future of radio is content-on-demand.

The central question is what technical platform will deliver mobile content-on-demand. The analog and digital iterations of today?s radio broadcasting technology cannot deliver mobile content-on-demand. While cell-phone-based 3G and 4G do deliver mobile content on demand, a cell phone infrastructure that currently cannot deliver reliable telephone service to much of the nation is a doubtful platform for future massive data delivery. Also, there is the significant cost issue of that 3G and 4G data delivery.

Broadcasting is the only delivery mechanism in our foreseeable future that has the capacity to deliver substantial amounts of unwired content to mobile mass audiences. The OMVC Mobile TV broadcasting platform may be the combined audio and video platform that radio broadcasters in particular have been waiting for.

Why would TV broadcasters not themselves take advantage of this new platform? Some may, but many in the TV industry are stuck in the mentality of program delivery to consumers when and how the TV station and video content owners want it, not when and how consumers want it. This attempt to maintain the status quo is illustrated by the way the TV industry strikes out against every new DVR/PVR scheme, and just about any other new content delivery scheme that attempts to allow consumers to use its media on demand.

I see radio broadcasters as more agile and sure-footed than TV broadcasters when it comes to delivery of content paired with advertising messages that attract consumers. Radio has been waiting for a mobile delivery platform such as the OMVC Mobile TV platform. OMVC Mobile TV delivers audio along with any kind of video. So, ?radio with pictures,? including album art, station logos, and more, is no problem for the OMVC Mobile TV platform.

So, how does this affect radio broadcasters? In a nutshell, the existing TV spectrum and TV licenses may be the new platform for what we now know as radio broadcasting.

Forward thinking radio broadcasters may want to consider thinking about the acquisition of a TV station in the future. Yes, the FCC rules now prohibit many radio-TV cross-ownership combinations, but that is likely to change.

For smaller radio markets, rather than a full-power TV station, there is the possibly of acquiring a digital LPTV station, many of which have substantial power. Many LPTV stations are there for the taking as almost none have ever made any money (sort of like FM in the beginning), and the radio-TV cross ownership rules do not apply to LPTV ownership.

There are, of course, substantial risks to acting on my prognostication. Many LPTV stations may be re-allocated out of existence with the upcoming TV spectrum auction. There will be substantial expenditures keeping a TV station on the air until substantial numbers of Mobile TV devices are in listeners? hands. Ultimately, there could be too many stations doing Mobile TV technology, and owning a TV station early may not represent an advantage for early adopters. And, of course, this OMVC Mobile TV technology could be one of tomorrow?s failed technologies.

But, if OMVC Mobile TV devices begin to proliferate in large numbers, I believe that has the potential to be an entirely new business platform for radio broadcasters. It will be an on-demand broadcasting platform that melds audio and video information, entertainment, and advertising content potentially delivered to an entire market population without data restrictions or service drop-outs. That on-demand audio, video, and graphic content delivery will very much be 21st century radio. 

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. Have a question for our "Ask The Attorney" feature? Send to edryan@radioink.com.

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Who Can Predict The Future?

10/10/2012

Radio Ink will hold Forecast 2013 on November 28, 2012, just three weeks after Election Day -- and one thing we can predict is that the election results will be the hottest topic at the conference. And that's why we're kicking off the day with a panel of top experts in finance and media sales, discussing what they see ahead for the next four years and beyond. Mark Fratrik (pictured) will moderate this panel.

Whether voters decide to stick with the status quo or choose a different path, the implications for business, media, and advertisers will be wide-ranging and complex. Take this opportunity to hear from people who can help make sense of it all -- there won't be a better opportunity to get a real sense of what the future of radio will look like.

Fratrik says, "Radio revenue growth in 2013 will be challenging as the economy creeps along with tepid growth and the level of competition continues to heat up. Yet radio in 2013 will still be an important part of the advertising mix of many national and local retailers. In order to better plan and budget for 2013 and beyond, it is essential to hear what our panelists see in terms of revenue growth."

On this panel will be:
Mark Gray, president of Katz Radio Group -- that's Katz Radio, Christal Radio, Eastman Radio, Univision Radio, CBS Radio Sales, Entercom Radio Sales, Katz Group Sales, and Katz 360 sales -- and heads up  the largest radio sales force in the country, representing thousands of stations. Gray also oversees Katz Marketing Solutions, KMG's national marketing business-development arm.

Jack Myers, media economist and chairman of Media Advisory Group and, via Myers Publishing, publishes the weekly subscriber-only newsletters Jack Myers Media Business Report and Media Wall Street Report. He's a highly regarded visionary economic forecaster -- the only analyst who predicted the media industry's interactive transformation -- and he's  advised such leading companies as Disney/ABC, CBS, Clear Channel, Google, and Facebook. Additionally, his MediaBizBloggers.com is a leading platform to hear from thought leaders in media, advertising, and marketing.

Marci Ryvicker, Managing Director/Equity Research: Media and Cable for Wells Fargo Securities, is a sought-after speaker and panelists for media-industry events and one of the most highly regarded radio-industry observers. She's been covering the media sector for Wells Fargo Securities for more than 10 years, with a special focus on broadcast and cable/satellite. In 2008, Ryvicker was ranked the No. 2 media analysts in a Forbes survey, and she was runner-up in that year's Institutional Investor survey.

Michael Weiss, President of Sales for CBS Radio, overseeing sales management for all 127 CBS Radio stations and directing CBS Radio's national representation at Katz Radio Group. Weiss spent more than 20 years at Interep, moving up from AE to head the Midwest office and then to head up the rep firm's CBS Radio division. He came to CBS Radio in 2007.

See the Forecast Agenda HERE
Register HERE

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"Future of Audio" Witnesses Announced

6-4-2012

The witness list for Congressman Greg Walden's subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on "The Future of Audio," has finally been announced. Joining Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan in the Rayburn Office Building at 10AM Wednesday will be Commonwealth Broadcasting CEO Steve Newberry (pictured), RIAA Chairman and CEO Cary Sherman, Pandora CEO Tim Westergren and others. Here's the full list of witnesses scheduled to appear and it may be interesting to note, not a single woman will be testifying.

Ben Allison
Bassist/Composer and
Governor, New York Chapter, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

David M. Israelite
President and CEO
National Music Publishers? Association

Cary Sherman
Chairman and CEO
Recording Industry Association of America

Jeff Smulyan
Chairman, President, and CEO
Emmis Communications

Steven W. Newberry
President and CEO
Commonwealth Broadcasting Corp.

Tim Westergren
Chief Strategy Officer and Founder
Pandora

Mr. Christopher Guttman-McCabe
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
CTIA

Mr. Gary Shapiro
President and CEO
Consumer Electronics Association

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Congressional Committee Wants to Know More About "The Future of Audio"

5-30-2012

It's being delivered through your phone. It's being delivered through your tablet. It's being delivered through your newly redesigned vehicle dashboard. It's being delivered by transmitters, the Internet and wirelessly. The explosion of how audio is delivered to consumers has now caught the attention of the federal government. Congressman Greg Walden has called a hearing for Wednesday, June 6th to discuss the issue before his Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Walden's office says witnesses will be announced soon, possibly today, and are by invitation only. We wondered for example, will Pandora, Sirius or auto manufacturers be part of the witness list. Walden's office would not give details last night other than to say more information about the focus of the hearing will be released this morning.

We can tell you that Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan has been invited before the committee to discuss the FM Chip for cell phones on behalf of the broadcast industry. However, it's our understanding that is not the only topic on the agenda before the committee. The hearing will be held Wednesday morning at 10:15 a.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building.

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Cumulus Managers Excited About Future After Atlanta Meetings

5-15-2012

Last week about 120 managers from Cumulus gathered at the Buckhead Theater in Atlanta for the first high level meeting since the Citadel merger. At the get together, managers had a chance to spend time with the Dickeys and Jon Pinch, they were given demonstrations from vendors and the meeting concluded with a performance by Rascal Flatts. We were given access to all the managers to ask them about the meeting and the company, with no strings attached. According to several managers who attended the meeting, and despite some of what you may hear about Cumulus,  they are pumped up about the future of the company. Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey said, ?To get a chance to meet all these guys and to spend time with them over 2 and half days was invaluable for us.?

WPLJ New York General Manager Steve Borneman is a former Citadel Manager who remained with the company after the merger. He says the meeting was absolutely awesome. ?I said to Lew (Dickey) as I was walking out of one of the meetings, I don't throw this word around very often, but it was actually inspiring. That is the word that really sort of set the tone for me. It was an inspiring meeting. It was informative. It was motivational. It was productive. It's a good feeling to have a a good feeling about your company. All the things that had been in the rumor mill prior to sale, all the negativity, you are going to get that, but Lew and John are smart operators. Jon Pinch is a smart operator. They are very passionate about what they want to do. They are a company that is being very aggressive in acquisitions as opposed to companies selling off radio stations. You fight the systems and it's not going to work. The systems that they have are phenomenal. They are cutting edge. Some of the systems that they presented to us over the course of the meetings, the demonstrations were tremendous. They?ll help us to do a better job. It?s a great company to work for. They care about their people. They treat us well. It was really a wonderful meeting. I hadn't been to a corporate meeting since, really, the ABC days. We didn't have them at Citadel.?

Donna Baker is a market manager for Cumulus on Houston. ?This isn't fluff. It really genuinely isn't. I have been to a lot of meetings in my career, and I can genuinely say I feel more positive and uplifted about the forward focus than I have in many, many years in my career. I see that we truly are on the verge of making something incredible happen in our industry. It was all forward focus. It was so positive. We get beat to death day to day in the media and the critics. It's big stuff and it's happening fast. They want everybody to understand it and be a part of it. I think they are so well positioned to take advantage of the opportunity. I really believe that Lew is brilliant. I genuinely think that he's the most brilliant mind in radio. He thinks so far forward. But he is also not one to just knee-jerk react. He put a lot of thought into how the execution, for the long term, needs to be set up to win.?

Ann McManus is the market manager for Cumulus in Bridgeport Connecticut. McManus was named market manager of the year - for medium markets - at the Atlanta meeting and says she absolutely loved what she heard. ?I can't say enough good things about what I saw down there. I have been with Cumulus for ten years. I am a huge fan of Lew Dickey. I am absolutely crazy about working for them. They have given me some opportunities to meet with the Citadel people during the introduction period. It was such an eye-opener for the people from Citadel to see how great Cumulus is. There was so much rumor out there, and all this innuendo. Then to see how brilliant and visionary Cumulus is, I think that they were blown away by it. They are the most visionary people that I have ever worked for. I have been in the radio business since I as 12 years old. I have seen the mom and pop's. I have seen the big companies. I worked for a jackass (name deleted) and I worked for a wonderful man named Marty Pompadur. There is no company like Cumulus.?

Also at the meeting, Dan Bennet was market manager of the year for large markets and Jim Christopherson for small.

(5/15/2012 7:15:17 AM)
How much did Cumulus pay for this article? This is insulting to your readers.
(5/15/2012 7:11:48 AM)
I was also there...and share the same feelings about the meetings.They were great meetings with great information. The company is not looking at next year, they are looking forward five and ten years out. Lew Dickey and his senior team have a great vision for the company, I am glad to be on their team

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Future Revenue Will Come From Digital

1-18-2012

BIA/Kelsey issued a report yesterday highlighting how awful 2011 was for media stocks and how the shift toward digital continues. The report said, "While the last quarter of 2011 saw a rebound in media stocks, the drop-off had been too significant to overcome." BIA/Kelsey Vice President Mark Fratrik (pictured) says the negative showing had a lot to do with concerns over the health of the global economy and the belief that businesses would cut back severly on their advertising spending. He says 2012 should be better due to a strengthening economy and high expectations for a huge year in political spending. He also sees a big shift toward digital spending

BIA/Kelsey concludes, overall, there is a secular shift toward growth in digital revenues as an increasing component of a fairly flat local advertising economy. As local media companies shift their ownership portfolios along with their sales and product strategies, eventually the results are reflected in share prices, with local media companies more involved in the digital space benefiting most.

With the maturity of digital technologies driving the delivery of content across multiple platforms, advertising opportunities are significantly increasing, and local media firms are starting to book incremental sales. According to BIA/Kelsey's forecast, by 2015 approximately 25 percent of all ad dollars spent in local media will be in digital media augmenting traditional media spending. Increasingly, this will occur in coordinated cross-platform media buying with integrated creative and marketing campaigns.
Launched in 2011, the Local Media Index is a $2.2 trillion market capitalization index offering a directional view of how approximately 60 publicly traded local media companies in the key sectors BIA/Kelsey follows and analyzes are performing relative to the overall economy. The LMI includes public companies tracked by BIA/Kelsey in cable, broadcast television and radio, newspapers, print directories, outdoor and digital/online advertising. The index is updated each Thursday morning on the BIA/Kelsey website and can be found at www.biakelsey.com/LMIndex.

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Understand The Past to Thrive in The Future

by Lee Abrams

I was recently having a friendly and spirited discussion with some product experts in the Urban marketplace.  Music became a topic and I suggested Gil Scott Heron's (RIP) contributions to the development of rap.  While two of the guys waxed on about Gil's work,  one went "who??" I was shocked...sort of.  I strongly believe that you cant design the future without understanding the past. Of course you can get lucky and come up with the hot new thing,  but the changers are more often those with a firm grounding in the history of their mission.

Back at XM in the pre launch years,  we were charged to recreate the magic of radio,  on 21st century terms.  The first thing we did was look BACK.  We'd play tapes of radio from the 40's to understand "theater of the mind";  the 50's and 60's to grasp how music could be 'sold' by air talent;  the 70's to experience 'bigger than life' and so on.  The point being that programmers were infinitely better prepared to fight the content war and deliver genuine positive  change if they had a strong bond with what made radio magical in the first place.  Of course it wasn't about re-creating the old days,  it was about understanding them as a powerful tool in their creative, strategic and tactical tool box.

It's clearly not only radio...it's ALL media and probably all business that has a vision for the future.  Great film makers religiously study the great classic films;  Great musicians EVOLVE from the past.  I doubt if there would be a Beatles without a Buddy Holly and certainly not a Led Zeppelin without the Muddy Waters school.  In 2007 we had Coldplay perform one of our Inside The Actors Studio like "Artist Confidential" shows where the late great George Taylor Morris conducted an interview/performance before a rabid audience.  Prior to the event,  many young programmers were insisting that Coldplay wouldn't relate to George and would want to talk about Rob Thomas.  Well,  George did the show and the band said it was clearly the best interview ever.  The reason was "George talked about things that interest us like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan instead of this weeks alternative flavor."  Coldplay of course sound nothing like Bob or Johnny,  but part of their brilliance is an understanding and inspiration from that music.

Food is like that too. A strong trend over the past few years has been molecular gastronomy. You know,  essence of horseradish foam napped in a mousse of Bolivian clover.  The difference between this style of  food being truly awful and truly amazing is in training.  A classically trained chef has the grounding to make  magic,  one without that background is probably going to deliver culinary hell.

Then of course there's the military cliche...but it's true.  The great military leaders certainly understand the historic basics of warfare...just watch Patton again.

The future is obviously digital and the history of the Internet is short,  but there's still a history.  More important is recognizing that the Internet is what CARRIES content,  so if it's say,  sports online/mobile,  you'd study the history of Sports content.  I have heard things like "This history stuff is irrelevant because everything is online"...wrong.  the Internet is a powerful, global, interactive, life changing transmitter.  It'll always be WHAT is transmitted that drives things. TV was/is a transmitter too.  It's what's ON the TV that makes the difference.

I found print to be an interesting case.  I studied newspapers going back to the 1800's.  There were many things papers USED to do that might actually work again if re-thought for today,  but it was generally met with such an obsession with the current state that it was  hard to get traction.

The danger is LIVING in the past.  Very bad idea and unfortunately that's how this stuff is often interpreted.  The truth is that passionately understanding past successes and failures is a powerful tool in designing the future.  So many are obsessed with dealing with the challenges of today where by looking back for inspiration is a 'depth of thinking' that has incalculable competitive, creative and end result advantages.

Lee Abrams can be reached at Lee Abrams n101xm@gmail.com

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Rock Is Out, Talk Is In. Has The Future Arrived?

by Ed Ryan

Radio spun a long overdue two-fer this week. After 87 years on AM, COX's WDBO (Orlando) will start simulcasting on the FM dial Friday and after 25 years, CBS's WIP will make the move September 6th. In both cases the Rock format was sent to the funeral home. Is "The Music You Grew Up With" finally fading away? Well, have you seen Mick Jagger lately? How many 14 minute Pink Floyd songs can you really endure now that you've been clean and sober for 30 years?

Who will be next to make the move? Let's get on with it. And, really, how can you argue with these business decisions? Why bother fighting for pennies with another rock station in town - whatever iteration of rock it is - if you can take one of your proven winners and give it more gusto? Save money, add the sweet sound of crystal clear FM and go after the younger demo.

If as a General Manager you can project an increase in revenue from a simulcast, why wouldn't you do it? The question should be why has it taken so long?  It's much easier and cheaper to simulcast than to try to start anew, ala Merlin. And enough already about listening to a baseball game under your pillow on a transistor radio. That's like saying I want to watch Happy Days on a Black and White TV, and by the way, can you hold those rabbit ears facing west please. People want to hear the crack of Ryan Howard's bat or Brett Favre crying when he gets hit by Marvin Harrison. They don't want to hear the swooshing sound of an AM signal because it brings back memories of Casey Stengal. Bravo CBS. Bravo COX.

CBS will WIP the switch (sorry about that) at 94.1 on September 6th. Rock station WYSP will have to toss all those CD's, cassettes and 8-track's right into the meat grinder. Mail them to P.O. Box Steve Dahl with a book of matches. CBS Senior VP and Market Manager in Philly  Marc Rayfield says "the move to FM is part of a natural evolution we?ve seen successfully work in several major cities across the nation.  We?ve always been a great sports talk radio station ? now we?ll be located on a much busier corner in a larger neighborhood.  One of the best years in Philadelphia sports has just become better.?

Feed me back at edryan@radioink.com
or leave a comment below.

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The Future of Radio. Don't Be Scared.

by Bill Pasha

Your knuckles turn a chalky white.   Your breathing shallows and your eyes dart back and forth beneath your perspiration-beaded forehead.  Your palms become clammy as your heart and brain engage in an epic battle between  whether to look back over your shoulder in fear, or stomp on the gas pedal and revel in shattering your personal speed limit on the way to the passing lane of success on the Cross-Platform Highway.  Such is the decision stress faced by broadcasters whose core skills and experience beg them to remain in the comfort zone that the ?right lane? of content offers. 

In recent years to devise new business models, Radio?s content designers and product managers ventured hesitantly onto the branches of increasingly more frustrating and dangerous decision trees.  The goals?  To repurpose over-the-air content  that invisibly integrates into digital platforms, and to create content for radio websites, mobile, and HD frequencies that result in entities ready for cross-platform marketing on partnered FCC-licensed frequencies.  In many cases, if not most, early efforts failed miserably.  The drive to achieve a harmonious programming merger between ?new media? digital delivery channels and ?old media? broadcast technologies seemed to sputter in the face of the lack of a roadmap.

At first, broadcasters hired ?experts? from the digital field, ostensibly to uncover shortcuts that had eluded the ?old media? employers.  At the same time, digital content producers longed for the vast experience and huge audiences enjoyed by seasoned radio pros.  Seemingly, no answer could be found.  But history shows that Mr. Marconi spawned remarkably resilient players who know how to collaborate and invent. 

Innovation has changed the operational and creative dynamics of the most intelligent leaders in both digital and programming.  Together, without the bubble-inducing fanfare of the dotcom boom, these discipline specialists have quietly applied equal pressure to their respective gas pedals to join flawlessly in a center lane that travels at speeds that no one thought possible even two years ago.

The key to this new development alliance has been the acceptance of, and capitalization on, the strengths of  Digital and Programming as stand-alone entities.  When merged, the sum of the equation demonstrates that one plus one equals more than two.  That?s the impact of the union.  The smartest voices of this new emerging media platform are whispering among themselves.  In quiet voices, they advise each other to look for new partnerships.  Online content and entertainment platforms, like the UK?s COVERmedia, engage experienced radio programming partners to convert their multi-faceted content assets into a remarkable radio show preparation system that provides instantly promotable access to audio, video, and text.  The consumable products are smarter, faster, and more comprehensive than any of COVERmedia?s competition or that of their radio client-partners.  Then, by partnering with a multi-platform media company, COVERmedia provides cross-platform digital and broadcast products and services in six languages. 

One especially noteworthy innovation of merged technology includes Jacobs Media?s Jacapps.  The premiere rock music programming consultants in the world, Jacobs Media, saw an important need for radio to become available on rapidly expanding digital mobile devices.  Jacapps jumped into the deep end of the software production pool.  It had to be frightening.  But it appears that the headlong leap off the high diving board has paid off for Jacobs Media, radio programmers, radio owners, listeners, and mobile device purveyors, all of whom enjoy the benefits of intelligent, bug-free, mobile applications that really deliver customer gratification.  Epic Win!

In Radio Tomorrowland, we can imagine that high-definition video and film producers will join forces with HD Radio operators to create powerful theater-of-the-mind audio imagery for their visual products.  Radio programmers will reinvent powerful content for immediate distribution on a large scale through listener-customized streaming radio stations.  No adaptation.  No repurposing.  Instead, this programming is designed for consumers who will use one or more delivery device to access entertainment, news, sports, and even data backup and delivery from their home computers, provided to them in mini data blasts at times they pre-designate.  Long form motion pictures, customized to specific demographic and psychographic targets of websites, will be produced digitally for seamless audio storytelling on HD Radio.  In-auto web radio will be the norm, not newfangled. 

Back in the present, Radio is a remarkable medium that has the capacity to play well with others and provide targeted programming to gargantuan weekly national audiences that are envied by its competition.   The industry continues to attract a core of the brightest and most innovative thinkers to its creative process.  But the true secret to this optimistic vision for the matrix of combined Radio and Digital success, is for both to do what they do best:  In the light of cooperation, not competition, go fearlessly into the content void without preconceptions, and endlessly dream of what Digital and Programming can accomplish together.

In the new media world, a new generation of thinkers has brought us to the on-ramp.  It is up to us whether we enter Cross-Platform Highway like a Smart Car, or thunder onto it like a Ferrari.  Choose the correct way, and it just might be a wild ride.

Bill Pasha is founder and president of MultiBrand Media International, LLC, a concierge consulting company that produces content, represents innovative digital and broadcast products and services, and develops strategies in diverse managerial, operational, and marketing disciplines for media professionals in countries worldwide. Until recently Bill was VP of Programming for Entercom where he was responsible for over half of Entercom's 11 stations. Contact Bill at bpasha@multibrandmedia.com.

(5/31/2011 6:47:44 AM)
"In Radio Tomorrowland, we can imagine that high-definition video and film producers will join forces with HD Radio operators to create powerful theater-of-the-mind audio imagery for their visual products."

That's all you've got? LOL! Better be scared of the likes of Pandora and Slacker!

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