Another Top Ten Market Getting NASH Affiliate

4-29-14

That's what Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey said Tuesday. Could it be Chicago? Dickey didn't say and none of the analysts on the earnings call bothered to ask. Dickey says NASH has momentum. "We are well on our way to rebranding all Cumulus Country stations to NASH. Dickey said Cumulus will have 50 affiliates by the end of the year and in 2015 start offering the brand to other companies. Dickey also said he expects NASH to return 2 percent incremental growth for the company beginning in 2015. And that will be done with video, digital, live events, platform sponsorships, merchandise revenue, and another content vertical the company will announce soon.

(4/30/2014 3:08:48 AM)
"Let me repeat that for emphasis: After almost 7 months, the NextRadio platform currently services an average audience of 119 listeners."

http://www.markramseymedia.com/2014/03/is-nextradio-growing-or-sinking/

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Is CBS' WBBM-AM Getting The Cubs?

3-14-14

That's what Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune believes will happen. Sherman writes WBBM is now the leading candidate for one of the most expensive losing franchises in pro sports. WGN will carry the 2014 season but has put the Cubs' rights on the market after it exercised an option to reopen its contract with the team. The Cubs have lost nearly 200 games over the past two seasons. If the Cubs move to WGN, it would end a relationship with WGN that dates back to 1925.

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Savage Still Having Issues Getting Into UK

12-15-13

Michael Savage was invited to the Oxford Union to participate in a debate on whether or not NSA leaker Edward Snowden should be considered a hero. Savage had to remind Oxford Union?s Charles Vaughn that he's banned from the country. In 2009, Savage was banned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown?s government. In his reply to Vaughan, Savage said: ?If you can convince your government to correct this miscarriage of justice and they will allow me to enter England, perhaps I could arrange to debate before your prestigious organization.?

In 2009, as WND reported, the Cambridge Union canceled Savage?s scheduled participation in a debate via video link just one week before the event. The organizers, who had asked him to debate on the theme of political correctness, claimed they had to cancel because of ?numerous legal issues? ? which they didn?t name ? along with technical and financial problems.

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What Is Goodman Getting?

10-10-13

While we do not yet know the price or multiple of the 33 stations, and with the government closed for business, who knows when we'll find out? BIA/Kelsey had NextMedia's 2012 revenue at just over $45 million. Goodman will also get two stations in the Chicago area, which are currently held by The Mile High Station Trust, that would be sold to Matrix Broadcasting. Here's is a list of the stations Dean Goodman will get in the purchase as NextMedia closes shop after accumulating 33 stations in eight states.

In San Jose, California, KEZR-FM and KBAY-FM
Joliet, Illinois: WERV-FM, WCCQ-FM, WJOL-FM, WSSR-FM, and WRXQ-FM
Waukegan, Illinois: WKRS-AM and WXLC-FM
Saginaw, Michigan: WCEN-FM, WGER-FM, WSGW-FM, WSGW-AM, and WTLZ-FM
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: WKZQ-FM, WRNN-FM, WRNN-AM, WYAV-FM, and WMYB-FM
New Bern, North Carolina: WERO-FM, WRNS-FM , WRNS-AM, WXQR-FM, WQZL-FM, WQSL-FM, and WANG-FM
Canton, Ohio: WHBC-FM and WHBC-AM 1480 AM
Dallas, Texas: KMKT-FM, KMAD-FM, and KLAK-FM
Kenosha, Wisconsin: WIIL-FM and WLIP-AM 

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Is Pandora Getting Sidetracked by Too Many Legal Battles?

7-3-13

As the consumer continues to go mobile for music, the drama over how much artists and publishers should be paid for that shift to digital continues. It certainly appears to be a complicated and expensive headache for Pandora. On many fronts, Tim Westergren and company are trying to lower the fees it pays to play music, including asking for help from Congress, to save the Pandora business model. Pandora was also pounded by the aging rock band Pink Floyd who said Pandora was trying to cut their pay. That certainly got big play in the press. And, as Pandora wages war with ASCAP, it's also cutting much more expensive side deals with labels.

Under a consent decree Pandora is paying 4.3% to ASCAP (BMI and SESAC). However, to the chagrin of Pandora, some labels are pulling out of that consent decree, and that may mean Pandora is in violation of copyright law if it plays an artist from that label. The company is awaiting a ruling on that from the ASCAP rate court. Warner/Chappell Music and BMG Chrysalis have already pulled digital rights from ASCAP as of July 1st. Sony/ATV and the EMI Music also pulled their digital rights but cut a side deal with Pandora so the service could keep playing their music.

A Universal Music Group spokesperson tells Billboard, "We can confirm that UMPG has worked out an arrangement with Pandora that we believe is in the best interest of our writers while ensuring Pandora access to our music through the end of the year." Billboard says the deal represents the highest rate Pandora has ever paid to the music publishing sector. It's a short-term deal which could still be squashed by the ASCAP rate court which could say no such deals are allowed until the current consent decree expires at the end of 2015. Pandora founder Tim Westergren says about his dealings with ASCAP and BMI, "In November of last year, following a lengthy negotiation, Pandora agreed with ASCAP to a new rate, an increase over the prior amount, and shook hands with ASCAP management. Not only was our hand-shake agreement rejected by the ASCAP board, but shortly thereafter we were subjected to a  steady stream of ?withdrawals? by major publishers from ASCAP and BMI seeking to negotiate separate and higher rates with Pandora, and only Pandora.

Pandora has also tried to claim it is now a broadcaster by purchasing a South Dakota radio station hoping that would allow them to get the same low rate negotiated by the Radio Music Licensing Committee. The RMLC represents radio and has negotiated a fee of 1.7% of gross revenue for both over-the-air and digital royalties. ASCAP has said Pandora is not a broadcaster simply because it purchased one radio station.

Read the full Billboard story HERE
Read Tim Westergrens full Blog on the subject HERE

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iHeartRadio Getting Massive Promotion

6-24-13

Across the country, radio stations are pumping out spots promoting Clear Channel's iHeartRadio. In the weekly Media Monitors report of spots played on radio, iHeart moved into the number two slot, behind Home Depot (59,831). Week after week, The Home Depot continues to be radio's number one advertiser according to Media Monitors. Rounding out the top five last week were GEICO (33,695), McDonalds (30,012), and Midas (26,296).

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(SALES) Getting to Know The Gatekeeper

4-23-13

Following my recent podcast with Radio Ink Magazine, which you can listen to HERE, I received significant feedback to my brief discussion of Gatekeepers. The comments varied but generally fit under the umbrella of Homer Simpson smacking his forehead and exclaiming, ?D?oh?, as in, ?Gee, I never made the connection.?For those of you who missed the interview, I introduced the Gatekeeper this way:

- A real person that exists, without exception, for every Decision Maker;
- Gatekeeper titles can range from Receptionist to Administrative Assistant to Department Head;
- It?s the person who stands between you (the seller) and the Decision Maker when you call or visit in person;
- It?s the person who is trusted by the Decision Maker to screen out frivolous interruptions; and,
- It?s the person who has the Decision Maker?s ear for good or bad reports on those (you) seeking appointments.

Like many of the less obvious best practices of outstanding sellers, dealing appropriately with Gatekeepers requires performing some mental gymnastics. For those less practiced in the art of sales, this task calls for a full 180-degree twist.

For many sellers, the Gatekeeper I have described is viewed as simply an annoying hurdle standing in the path of commerce, impeding efforts to make a sale. They approach this obstacle much as they would a large boulder in the middle of the road ? if they can?t roll it out of the way, they?ll find a way to go around.

As I?ll explain in a moment, this strategy won?t work. What these salespeople really need is an attitude adjustment that changes their perception of a Gatekeeper from an obstacle to an opportunity. Treating a Gatekeeper like an inanimate object (a boulder) is certain to have negative consequences. Consider these unhappy truths:

1. The Gatekeeper will resent being treated poorly and will find a way to convey that bad feeling to the Decision Maker; and,
2. The Gatekeeper is not going to go away. After sellers navigate around a Gatekeeper once, they will face the same challenge repeatedly each time they try to contact the Decision Maker but they will find the Gatekeeper to be less and less receptive.

Conversely, savvy sellers will aggressively seize the chance to cultivate a positive relationship with Gatekeepers. These salespeople will treat Gatekeepers with the same courtesy and respect they show to Decision Makers, even taking the time to conduct a mini-CNA before asking to speak with ?the boss?.

The benefits of taking this opportunistic (and animate) approach to Gatekeepers are both predictable and significant. A salesperson?s life becomes exponentially easier when:
1. The Gatekeeper welcomes contact from the seller;
2. The Gatekeeper makes sure the seller?s messages reach the Decision Maker; and,
3. The Gatekeeper speaks highly (better) of the seller to the Decision Maker when compared to other peddlers.

If salespeople remain unconvinced that Gatekeepers merit this special treatment, one final reality check should close the deal. It is not uncommon and perhaps even likely for Gatekeepers to ultimately be promoted to Decision Makers. So, the way sellers treat today?s Gatekeepers may well determine their future relationship with Decision Makers. I rest my case.

Jon E. Horton is the author of The 22 Unbreakable Laws of Selling available in both paperback and Kindle versions from Amazon.com. For more on this topic, please read Chapter 8, The Law of Gatekeepers. Contact Jon@JonEHorton.com

Interested in ordering Jon's book? Do it HERE

(4/23/2013 7:38:03 PM)
Great point, Dan! Thanks!
(4/23/2013 5:27:14 PM)
Amen, Jon! And one more thing. When gift-giving time rolls around (holidays, free tickets, etc) allocate a little something for the Gatekeeper. You'll be amazed at the results!

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Warshaw Ecstatic About Getting Connecticut

2-12-2013

Connoisseur CEO Jeffrey Warshaw says he got some fabulous radio stations when he signed to purchase the Cox cluster in Connecticut. "They are the best people, great positions, tremendous facilities, and amazing community involvement, which is the business that we are in." Warshaw says nothing will change in terms of the  people employed at the Connecticut cluster which is run by market manager Kristin Okesson.

In the deal, Connoisseur  will get WPLR FM, WEZN FM, and WFOX FM. Connoisseur is also purchasing CMG?s services arrangement with Yale Broadcasting under which CMG provides sales and other services to Urban Adult Contemporary WYBC-FM.

While Warshaw would not give away the multiple he paid for the stations, he says clearly Connoisseur was the company willing to pay more than anybody else. And from all the stations Cox was shopping, this market was the one that piqued his interest. "These are very special stations in an amazing market. It's a real benefit being in our backyard, with the Long Island stations that we're having tremendous success with, the stations in Pennsylvania, the New Jersey stations that we are buying from Nassau, we could see that they all fit together. Within a couple of hours' drive from our office, we are within a very meaningful amount of cash flow."

On whether he wants to grow even more, Warshaw says, "We are interested in being the best, not the biggest. We are connoisseurs, we are not gluttons." Connoisseur has been in a rapid-growth mode, recently expanding into several markets including Long Island, Trenton, N.J., and Allentown, PA. The company has closed on or announced over $100,000,000 of radio station acquisitions in the past nine months.
Connoisseur is headquartered in Westport, CT. The company owns and/or operates radio stations in Allentown, PA, Billings, MT, Bloomington, IL, Erie, PA, Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y., Omaha, NE, Rapid City, S.D., Stroudsburg, PA, Trenton, N.J., and Wichita, KS.

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Despite Complaints About Streaming Costs, Artists Still Getting Very Little

1-28-2013

The New York Times is reporting that much like the CD when it first came out, Streaming music to consumers, is not very lucrative for artists. For example, on a 99-cent download, a typical artist earn about 7 to 10 cents after cuts are doled out to retailers, the record company and the songwriter. "One industry joke calls the flow of these royalties a ?river of nickels.? In the CRS issue of Radio Ink, Big Machine Label CEO Scott Borchetta says it's also time for radio to give a little more back to artists. And, he has very little sympathy for Pandora's complaints about paying too much to operate its business.

Borchetta says over the last couple of years radio received a price break from BMI and ASCAP. "They gave radio a couple of points back. It's time to give those points to the artists, to the labels. They are no more important partners than we are. We are not even asking for more. We are saying, "What you have got on the table, share it. Bring it back." As far as Pandora, I didn't ask them to take my content and build a new business model with it. They chose that route, not me. If Pandora went away tomorrow, if they went out of business, it's not my fault. They chose that route." Borchetta's label is home to Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw and The Band Perry and other big name Country stars. 

The Times piece highlights Spotify, Pandora and other Internet music companies that "pay fractions of a cent to record companies and publishers each time a song is played, some portion of which goes to performers and songwriters as royalties. Unlike the royalties from a sale, these payments accrue every time a listener clicks on a song, year after year. Complicating the issue, each type of service pays different rates. Pandora?s are set by law. According to a number of music executives who have negotiated with Spotify, it generally pays 0.5 to 0.7 cent a stream (or $5,000 to $8,000 per million plays) for its paid tier, and as much as 90 percent less for its free tier."

The companies behind streaming are ballooning quickly, The Times writes. "Pandora, with 67 million regular users, is publicly traded, with a market capitalization of nearly $2 billion, and Spotify?s investors have reportedly valued the company at $3 billion. Yet so far they have contributed relatively little to the American recording industry?s $7 billion bottom line. In its last four reported quarters, Pandora paid $202 million in ?content acquisition costs,? including licensing fees, and Spotify recently announced that it has paid $500 million in royalties since its inception. Downloads, by comparison, had $2.6 billion in sales in 2011, according to the Recording Industry Association of America."

Read the entire Times piece HERE
Subscribe to Radio Ink in time to receive our Country Radio Seminar issue highlighting the 25 Best Country PD's in America and our interview with Scott Borchetta.

(1/29/2013 7:39:50 PM)
Having read some of the comments, it seems some readers do not understand the difference between market capitalization and profit and loss. What is Pandora's market cap - somewhere around $2 billion. On the other hand annual revenues of around $300 million carry a performance fee of close to 60%. Add to that administrative fees, engineering expenses, etc. and there is no manner in which the company can make a profit. And some of readers think that Pandora should pay higher fees. Study accounting
(1/29/2013 10:16:12 AM)
@Robbie is correct i can tell you for a fact small market radio jobs WILL be lost. people like lanny simply don't care. just how much more money do artists need at the expense of working folks while they fly around on private airplanes doing cocaine lanny?
(1/29/2013 10:02:21 AM)
It's time for a tough negotiator to step up for radio. It's the radio stations that should be receiving money for the advertising and promotion of the music. Yes, it's radio that made those artists and songwriters. Believe in radio or get another career.
(1/29/2013 9:21:29 AM)
I laugh that this article says ZERO about Google/YouTube's catastrophic copyright infringement with the use of Mozilla Firefox'x VideoDownloadHelper to download every YouTube, Veoh, Vimeo, DailyMotion, ETC. files of both video and audio (with a background of a picture) from these sites behind all artists' and record company's backs (along with a Terms of Use that state it can be done), and then Google/YouTube lie in the Viacom case asserting no downloads take place.

Any complaints now artists?

(1/29/2013 7:53:39 AM)
Really Lanny? You also have starving midday jocks in smaller markets, and I guarantee they'll get cut before any increased royalties radio is forced to pay hit the bottom line.

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Leykis Says He's Getting Traction

10-11-2012

Tom Leykis has been broadcasting his Internet-only show for six months now and he says listener numbers are growing. During three weeks in September, according to Triton, 115,684 (unique) people sampled the show. Leykis says, ?I figure at the rate we are going, we should have over 175,000 unique people listening to our show every month. Again these will be accurate and honest numbers, not some random Arbitron sample.?

READ OUR COVER STORY WITH TOM LEYKIS HERE

Leykis adds, ?It's great to have accreditation for what we are doing. Everyone else who does a show on the Net brags about having hundreds of thousands of listeners, but they never put their money where their mouth is.? The Tom Leykis Show debuted on April 2 after a 37-month hiatus from radio. The show is broadcast live Monday through Friday from 3:00 PM ? 7:00PM PT and can be heard on a 24/7 streamed replay. It's also available on TuneIn, Windows Media Player, iTunes, iPhone, Winamp, and Shoutcast.

Visit www.blowmeuptom.com

(10/12/2012 8:06:06 AM)
The link to the actual interview is down.

Can you fix it?

Thanks.

(10/12/2012 7:45:24 AM)
The headline is hilarious! Since no one wants Leykis, it's sort of like "Man spits in the face of Foreclosed Home, goes Homeless". How's that for spin?
(10/11/2012 10:01:40 PM)
FYI:

Your text has a mistake. Says Tom had a "37 Hiatus."

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Is Mel Getting Ready to Leave Sirius?

8-30-2012

Let the speculation begin. The Sirius XM stock will be an intersting one to watch on Friday. The company announced that CEO Mel Karmazin "has adopted a trading plan" and will be selling 30 million shares, possibly by mid-September. How will the market react knowing that Karmazin's contract expires at the end of this year and with Liberty creeping closer to taking a majority position in the company. Karmazin briefly mentioned his contract on Sirius' Q2 conference call but he certainly did not comitt to returning. Officially from the company, the Karmazin trading plan "is intended to facilitate Mr. Karmazin's personal financial planning strategy of asset diversification and liquidity."

(8/30/2012 9:16:12 PM)
Good for Mel!
Don't trust Malone, he will screw your ass!!

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Clear Channel Getting Traction on Digital

8-2-2012

Of course there is a big company push behind iHeartRadio, especially this time of the year, with the iHeartRadio festival a little more than one month away. The 2012 two-day event in Las Vegas sold out in 8 minutes. Clear Channel CFO Tom Casey says iHeartRadio now has over 10 million registered users and the company is now able to leverage the success of the iHeartRadio brand with national advertisers. This year the Vegas show is being sponsored by DISH, Macy's, The TV show The Voice , State Farm Insurance and Amazon's Kindle Fire.

And while Clear Channel is still commercial free on the music creation side of iHeartRadio, the company also says it has received 95 million downloads and upgrades of the iHeartRadio app and had just under 112 million total listening hours in June which is an increase of 113% year over year. In addition, in 2012, Clear Channel has teamed up with many radio companies adding to the number of traditional radio stations on iHeartRadio from all over the country.

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(SOCIAL) Getting Listeners to Like Your FB Page

5-1-2012
While I'm not a big fan of trying to see how many "likes" you can get on your radio station Facebook page, (I'm more focused on having radio use Facebook to drive relationship, engagement, and activity back to our actual brands), clients ask this question all the time: How can I get more "likes"? They also want to know how to make social media easy, quick, and profitable.

So, here are the easy takeaways when you just don't have a lot of time to invest:
1. Put the Facebook widget on every communication. Put it in your loyal-listener email, your website and blogs. I'm sure you've already done this, right?

2. Specifically invite listeners on-air, on your website, in blogs, and in your own loyal-listener database to "like" you. Sure, it's a little like pandering, but some listeners will do it. Radio works. Don't make people crazy with this, but you can do it on a limited yet regular basis.

3. Add a link to all personality personal pages for the station page. You can do this in the space where people click on the highlighted blue word "About" under your photo. This should be done with every employee as well. Opportunity and influence are everywhere. Use them.

4. When you participate in concerts or station events, take tons of photos and video, post them on Facebook, and ask loyal listeners/fans to tag the photos. This, of course, pushes you to their walls so their friends see the content, too.

5. Be helpful to listeners, comment on their profile pages, (as your fan/station page and as personalities), respond to their needs and their comments, and include your station page in your signature. 

6. Get visual the way people are visual. If you don't post a picture or video with every post you execute on Facebook, you are cheating yourself out of additional exposure. That means less people will see you and less will "like" you.

7. Since you are marketing your radio station, you should look to partner with others in your market who have assets, in terms of generating print material that can include your Facebook fan page. In fact, your Facebook station page should be on all printed material you generate. This means everything from flyers to disclaimers. Every. Printed. Piece. 

While something like less than 10 percent of Facebook active users may even participate with "liking" a brand page, radio has an advantage because of the kind of relationship it has traditionally enjoyed with listeners (although that is changing in many markets). If you've done a good job with listener relationship, you should use this advantage to gain access to more "likes" for your station Facebook page to build your Facebook footprint.

Just remember: Being successful on Facebook isn't about how many "likes" you have. It's about how much engagement and relationship you have with your core active listeners or fans. There is nothing wrong with pumping up your Facebook "likes." However, if you build a proper strategy for Facebook (and all of your social media), you're more likely to get real-world results that will matter for your core business, generating additional non-traditional dollars, and improving your future business.

Loyd Ford is the direct marketing, ratings, and social media strategist for Americalist. He has programmed successful radio brands in markets of all sizes, including KRMD-AM and FM in Shreveport, WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte, and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Learn more about Loyd here: http://about.me/loydford. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE Visit his Facebook radio-social media page HERE

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It's Getting Ugly in Emmisville

4-16-2012

Emmis preferred shareholders say Jeff Smulyan hatched a brazen scheme. Shareholders Kevan Fight, Corre Opportunities Fund, Zazove Associates, DJD Group, and First Derivative Traders have filed a civil action in U.S. District Court, alleging Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan and the Emmis Board ignored SEC rules, did not file proper documentation, took part in back-room deals, and tried to coerce preferred stockholders into "total return swap" arrangements in an effort to take control of the company and eliminate all the rights of the preferred shareholders.

The complaint says Emmis

CFO Pat Walsh approached several preferred shareholders with what was described as a "prisoner's dilemma": a proposal to repurchase preferred stock at $15.00 per share and treat those shares as retired. "Emmis devised a plan to repurchase the shares yet keep the vote alive." The upset shareholders are saying the shares were not retired, and that the shareholders who took the money also entered into an agreement assigning their voting rights to Emmis, giving the company more power. The result was the creation of "zombie shares," according to the complaint.

In late 2011, Emmis made a deal with Sam Zell. Zell bought $35 million in unsecured notes at an interest rate of 23 percent. The money would be used to purchase back preferred stock. By December, 56.8 percent of the preferred stock was repurchased and $28.5 million of Zell's $35 million was drawn. The complaint says, "Emmis' use of total return swaps is deceptive and manipulative. Emmis has fraudulently secured for itself to vote shares of preferred stock that should be retired. The threat was starting to become clearer: the terms were take it or leave it, time was running out, and there was a limited number of lifeboats for preferred stockholders."

The angry preferred shareholder group has asked a court to invalidate many of the steps Emmis has taken to get control of over two-thirds of the voting power. They say it is a plan to strip preferred shareholders of all rights and privileges in a rigged vote.

Emmis has not paid a dividend on the stock, totaling $26.1 million, since December of 2008. Emmis is also dealing with a possible delisting from the NASDAQ, being that the stock has fallen below $1. Emmis issued the following statement last night: "We believe that the allegations are completely without merit and we intend to vigorously defend the matter and our actions."

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(DIGITAL) Getting Digital to Work For Your Clients

4-2-2012

(by Chris Miller) If the future is digital, then there?s always another potential unknown pitfall ahead in the dark. There?s always something new that we don?t know about, or that someone could use against us ? or is that really the case? ?The future is not digital; the future is the same as it?s always been,? according to former PD turned digital expert Craig Ashwood. ?Relationships with clients and listeners?i> is what will fuel our success Ashwood told me in a recent interview.  

Ashwood has has focused exclusively on digital for radio, TV, and newspapers for the last twelve years. He got into digital after a radio career as a major market PD, seller and on-air talent. ?People rush lemming-like towards technology,? Ashweed says, advising against tossing out our core competencies.  After years as a programmer, Ashwood says if someone asked him how radio works, he?d say, ?Magic!? In other words, he didn?t need to know how it worked. He knew how to create results with it. It?s the same thing with our new digital tools and platforms.

?A ?CNA? is a Client Needs Analysis, not a Client Wants Analysis,? Ashwood points out. With a quiver full of effective arrows, we need to go solve marketing problems and get results for our customers, whether it?s on the air or online. Before meeting with new clients, it?s easy to learn how knowledgeable and comfortable they are with technology by seeing what their business is doing online and checking their Facebook or Twitter profiles. When meeting with them (especially direct clients) ask them about their online activities, such as what do they like to do or use, or if there are any friends or relatives that have influenced them."

Ashwood then suggests you find out about their global, strategic business goals. Even if they?re hoping you can create a special website game that their nephew thought of, focus them on what they want to accomplish and what tools you already have that you can plug them into that will get them proven results.

Ashwood uses the example of a client having a special weekend sale. Knowing that the people who listen to your stream are mostly your P1s, who value your brand more than others, ?you can run a saturation schedule on your inserted ad stream, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and get them tremendous bang for their buck with the people most likely to like and act on your message.?

Accountability and usability are two important words for the future. We?re far more accountable selling digital, because everything can be measured. In addition, management needs to be accountable for the development and use of digital platforms. Ashwood says he still hears major market programmers say things like, ?I don?t care about the stream,? to show that the top people need to adopt and champion digital tools.

In radio, ?it?s in our DNA that we have a tendency to keep promoting,? Ashwood says, ?and what gets lost [on the web] is the usability. People ignore that at their peril.? If you do a great job marketing a client, putting together a campaign using all your platforms, but then you link to their site you go to the main page instead of a page to register for a particular contest ? you?ve hurt both yourself and your client.

Contact Craig Ashwood at 404-455-1764 or craigashwood@gmail.com.

Chris Miller has been a major-market PD in Atlanta, Portland and Cleveland. He now operates Chris Miller Digital, which he launched. Visit his website at www.chrismillerdigital.com.
Contact Chris via e-mail, chris@chrismillerdigital.com or 216-236-3955.

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"Rock Stations Getting Killed All Over The Country"

1-16-2012

That's a quote from former WRXW-FM Program Director Brad Stevens. Stevens was working at the station until Backyard Broadcasting sold it, along with WWJK-FM to the Educational Media Foundation. Both Jackson, Mississippi dial positions are flipping to Christian. Stevens is taking the format to the Internet, working from a studio in his home.

Stevens told the Clarionledger.com that this is an opportunity to keep Rock 93.9 alive. "I bought the intellectual property rights to the format. The Internet domain (http://www.rock939.com/) is mine. I want Jackson to have a rock station. People think rock is dying, but it's not." Stevens is now looking for advertisers. Read the entire story HERE.

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