10-2-14
Donna Hall (pictured) previously Group VP with Cox Media ? the media sales division of Cox Communications ? returns to CMG to lead the five-station Atlanta radio group as VP and GM. Ben Reed, previously VP and general manager in Atlanta, will now lead San Antonio?s seven-station group. Dan Lawrie, previously VP and general manager in San Antonio, now leads Tulsa?s four-station group. Lawrie replaces Gene Vidler who is no longer with the company.
5-30-14
Cumulus has made multiple promotions and changes in several markets, including Cincinnati, Topeka, Reno, and Boise. WRRM Cincinnati PD Chris Huneke becomes PD for Country-formatted WNNF (NASH), replacing Mike Scott who departs the company. Huneke will continue to work with several Cumulus AC stations in a music advisory capacity. Greg Dunkin moves from PD of Topeka stations KMAJ (AC) and KWIC (Classic Hits) to PD at WRRM.
Topeka Operations Manager and KDVV Program Director Forrest Smithkors segues to Cumulus co-owned Classic Rock KKGL in Boise as Program Director. Steve Mills joins Cumulus Topeka from Clear Channel Allentown as new Program Director of KWIC and KDVV. Amber Lee is promoted from APD to Program Director of both KMAJ and KTOP. WMIM Toledo/Monroe (AC) Program Director/Morning personality Ryan Nutter transfers to KNEV-FM (AC) Reno as Program Director/Morning personality. He replaces Doug Daniels.
5-13-14
Cumulus promotesd John Gallagher to Regional Vice President, where he will now oversee Appleton/Oshkosh and Green Bay. Gallagher replaces Tom Joerres, who has been acting as interim Market Manager for the Appleton/Oshkosh and Green Bay clusters. Gallagher was Vice President/Market Manager of Cumulus Toledo and has managed at WJR and WRIF in Detroit, WLS in Chicago, and KCMO in Kansas City.
3-20-14
Three markets will have a new ratings provider this Spring. Eastlan Ratings begins service in Columbus, GA, Hammond LA and Tallahassee. Hammond is previously unrated market while Columbus and Tallahassee are also served by Nielsen. Eastlan CEO Mike Gould said, ?As Eastlan rolls into our 15th year, we are so grateful to the small and medium market radio leaders who have recognized the value in carefully scrutinizing their radio ratings vendor relationship.
3-10-14
Jared Fallon joins Clear Channel's Q102 in Philadelphia as PD, moving from the Clear Channel Cincinnati cluster, where he was PD for KISS 107. "Deelo" replaces Fallon in Cincinnati. Deelo moves to Cincinnati from Savannah where he was PD at 97.3 KISS-FM in Savannah. He began his radio career when he was 15 years old in Pittsburgh and since then he's made stops in State College, Panama City, Memphis, and Tuscaloosa.
10-22-13
Eastlan Ratings announced it has added 11 additional markets. They are \: Abilene TX, Casper WY, Cheyenne WY, Lake Charles LA, Lawton OK, Lufkin/Nacogdoches TX, Mankato/New Ulm MN, Odessa/Midland TX, State College PA, Texarkana AR and Wichita Falls TX. Eastlan CEO Mike Gould said, ?We know where our bread is buttered and we are extremely thankful. Eastlan is a 100% radio focused brand. Our future is inexorably linked to the success of small and medium market radio broadcasters. Local radio is in the middle of resurgence as new ownership groups revitalize the industry in step with forward-thinking established broadcasters. Our purpose is to be certain the power of local radio is not diminished by research companies geared toward television or personal jukebox services like Pandora or Spotify.?
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9-15-13
Regional Reps will handle all national sales in Duluth, MN, Hibbing, MN, Holland, MI, Lansing, MI, Sioux Falls, SD, and Terre Haute, IN. The Midwest stations in Sheboygan, WI, have been represented by Regional Reps since 2007. Midwest Communications CEO Duke Wright (pictured) said, ?We're very excited about working with Regional Reps in a number of our markets. Regional Reps has demonstrated to us that they are innovative, produce results for the stations they represent, and take the initiative in developing new revenue streams for their clients."
8-18-13
Arbitron says the Media Rating Council has accredited the Portable People Meter ratings service in eight additional markets: Cleveland, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Denver-Boulder, Detroit, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood, Pittsburgh, Portland OR, and Nassau/Suffolk (Long Island). MRC Executive Director George Ivie said, ?We congratulate Arbitron for the continued improvements of its quality metrics and on earning accreditation in eight additional markets. Arbitron has clearly made progress in meeting MRC requirements, particularly in most of the larger PPM markets. We look forward to future audits and continued progress.?
That brings the total number of accredited markets to 26. The MRC voted to not grant accreditation at this time in the remaining 22 PPM markets. ?MRC accreditation for our PPM markets is a company-wide priority at Arbitron, and we are pleased the MRC continues to recognize our ongoing efforts to improve Sample Performance Indicators and other quality metrics in our Portable People Meter ratings services,? said Gregg Lindner, executive Vice President, Service Innovation and Chief Research Officer, Arbitron Inc. ?Continuous improvement remains our watchword, for PPM and for all our ratings and software offerings and we are focused on earning accreditation for the balance of our PPM markets.?
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7-10-2013
Just because you work in a small market doesn?t mean you have to think small.
Small market broadcasters have a significant advantage over their cousins at the large and medium stations. This is because a business? gross margin of profit remains about the same whether it?s operating in a small, medium, or large market. For example, grocery stores try to operate on about an 18 percent gross margin whether they?re located in Los Angeles, CA, Austin, TX, or Mitchell, SD. And, average sales for groceries don?t fluctuate much between large, medium, and small markets.
Funeral homes operate on a 55 percent gross margin (after the cost of labor), regardless of whether they are operating in Atlanta, GA, Cleveland, OH, or Bartlesville, OK. And, the average cost for a funeral ($6,000) is about the same regardless of market size.
Furniture stores in all sizes of markets operate on a 44 percent gross margin. The average sale at a furniture store, regardless of market size, is around $800.
I just spoke with a plastic surgeon who lives and works in a small Iowa market. His gross margin is 50 percent. His average sale for liposuction is $3500 per zone sucked (there are eight zones). His average sale and gross margin would be the same if he worked in Dallas or Pittsburg.
So, if gross margins of profit and average sales are similar regardless of market size, what?s the small market advantage? Media costs. Compared to the rates in bigger towns and cities, small market rates are obviously very low. That means a small-market business owner can afford to own significant media inventory, a schedule he?d probably never be able to afford if he were working in a bigger market.
Bigger schedules usually get better results. Unfortunately, the only thing keeping clients from running bigger schedules is us. We?re not asking for bigger orders. We?re used to asking for $500 per month, instead of $500 per week.
?Why run a commercial every hour on these stations?? I say to the client. ?Because they let you, Mrs. Independent Businessperson. In this town you can afford to own your category on these stations,? I continue. ?So, why wouldn?t you take advantage of that? Here, you could afford to run as much or more than your biggest national competitor. With that kind of schedule and a good creative idea, when people think about your category, they?ll only think about you.?
The plastic surgeon fully understood what I was saying. ?Your average sale is $3500 and your gross margin is 50 percent. So, how many $1750s have to come through your clinic per thousand a week spent on advertising? It looks like a good calculated risk to me,? I said. He agreed. With that kind of money, he could afford to run a massive schedule to educate people on the benefits of liposuction and, at the same time, teach people to trust him and to like him. Instead of going to a larger market for the procedure, they can have it done by a big-city doctor right here in town.
The furniture store owner absolutely gets the concept. By spending $500 per week on his small-town station, he now owns his category. He has plenty of minute-long opportunities to teach people about his bistro tables, tilting armchairs, and indoor/outdoor furniture. He is now aware that to break even on his campaign, he only needs to catch one new fish per week.
Previously never a big advertiser, the funeral home director now sees the benefit of running a very competitive marketing campaign. Per thousand dollars per week spent, he only needs one or two new customers a month and he?s more than paid back for his advertising investment. Unscripted, he talks about the kinds of services that people request. He gives people ideas they can use when planning their own funerals. He lets the people know that he is a real human being with real emotions. This is important, if he is to survive his battle with a price-cutting corporate competitor.
The grocer now has a better way to deal with his biggest competitor, Wal-Mart. He can use vignettes of unscripted conversation to remind listeners that, unlike his competitor, all of his meat is cut fresh each day right there at his store. Unlike his competitor, he buys almost all of his produce locally. Unlike his corporate competitor, he participates in virtually every single local charitable event.
Even in small markets, big ideas deserve bigger budgets. Do the client?s marketing and advertising thinking for them. Then, ask them for real money. If you ask for more budget and back it up with calculated risk based on gross margins and average sales, you?ll find far less rate resistance than you think.
Paul Weyland helps broadcast stations bring in more long-term local direct business. Read his book Successful Local Broadcast Sales. Contact Paul at www.paulweyland.com or call him at 512 236 1222.
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2-20-13
In Radio One's four largest clusters, revenue in Washington, D.C. was the big winner, up 38 percent, a lot of that due to political and government advertising. Baltimore was up 11.2 percent and Atlanta gained 7.4 percent. But it was Houston, only up 4.6 percent, that Radio One CEO Alfred Liggins was raving about. "The Houston market is on fire. The market is healthier than it's been in many years." Philadelphia and Raleigh were the only two Radio One markets that reported a decline in revenue.
2/12/2013
Cox Media Group has made agreements to sell radio stations in six markets: Its Southern Connecticut stations will go to Connoisseur Media, while the CMG stations in Birmingham; Greenville, SC; Hawaii; Louisville; and Richmond are being purchased by SummitMedia.
CMG President Doug Franklin said, "These are all important brands powered by talented media professionals who tirelessly serve their audiences, advertisers, and communities. We wish all of the employees well and know they will continue to work hard to produce quality entertainment, news, and information for their customers and new owners."
The stations in the deal are:
Southern Connecticut
WPLR-FM, WEZN-FM, WFOX-FM, and contract rights for WYBC-FM
Birmingham
WAGG-AM, WBHJ-FM, WBHK-FM, WENN-AM, WZZK-FM, WZNN-FM, WBPT-FM, and CMG?s contract rights for WALJ-FM)
Hawaii
KRTR-AM 7 FM, KPHW-FM, KCCN-FM, KINE-FM, and KKNE-AM
Louisville
WRKA-FM, WVEZ-FM, WSFR-FM, and WQNU-FM
Richmond
WHTI-FM, WKHK-FM, WKLR-FM, WURV-FM
The sales, part of a previously announced "broadcast realignment" at CMG, are expected to close in the second quarter.
(2/12/2013 10:13:18 PM)
Terrestrial radio is dying - let the fire-sales begin!
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9-12-2012
WideOrbit, a company that provides advertising management software says Entercom has selected WO Traffic, WideOrbit?s sales, traffic and billing solution, and WO CRM for all of its 100-plus stations that span 23 markets. Leslie Hartmann, Business Analyst and leader of the WideOrbit implementation project at Entercom said, ?This was more than a traffic decision for us, but a revenue management decision. With a long-term partnership with WideOrbit now in place and the traffic system installed in all of our markets, we are able to focus on customizing the product and tools to best suit Entercom?s needs and strategic vision."
More than 800 radio stations use WO Traffic, WideOrbit?s sales, traffic and billing solution that enables broadcasters to manage multiple stations, markets and groups from a single database. WideOrbit will be providing live demonstrations of WO Traffic, WO CRM and all of its solutions for radio at the 2012 Radio Show in booths 805 and 905 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas, September 19-21. For more information or to schedule a meeting or demo, go to www.wideorbit.com/Radio-Show or contact Mike Zinsmeister at mikez@wideorbit.com.
Cox Media Group (CMG) is realigning its broadcast portfolio to focus on larger markets, cross-media collaboration, and heightened impact in fewer markets. As part of this realignment, CMG will be adding four new TV stations in two markets ? Jacksonville, Fla. and Tulsa, Okla. ? to its broadcast group from Newport Television. Following receipt of regulatory approvals, the company will take ownership of three of the new stations and will provide operating services to the fourth. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter. The new stations will provide opportunities for collaboration with CMG?s other businesses in those markets.
The new stations include:
WAWS-TV (Fox) and WTEV-TV (CBS) in Jacksonville
KOKI-TV (Fox) and KMYT-TV (MyNetwork) in Tulsa
As part of its strategy and after careful consideration, CMG will be selling its radio locations in Birmingham, Ala.; Greenville, S.C.; Hawaii; Louisville, Ky.; Richmond, Va.; and Southern Connecticut, as well as television stations in four markets El Paso, Texas; Johnstown, Pa.; Reno, Nev.; and Steubenville, Ohio.
?This simplified structure will enable CMG to capitalize on continued growth and synergies, while retaining its size financially,? said CMG President Doug Franklin. ?All of our media outlets, regardless of size, are valuable, profitable brands with strong futures thanks to the hard work and dedication of our talented professionals who serve their audiences, advertisers and communities. We thank the leaders and employees in the locations we?re selling for their outstanding contributions to this company over the years and the valuable service they will continue to provide their respective communities.?
Leadership Realignment to Fit New Media Portfolio
Simultaneously, CMG is realigning its leadership structure to fit its new portfolio. This new structure will provide even more focus on the specific media platforms (newspaper, radio, TV), while continuing to drive collaboration and growth. As a result, former Group VP Kim Guthrie is CMG?s new Senior Vice President responsible for radio markets, and former Austin American-Statesman Publisher Jane Williams is the company?s new Senior Vice President responsible for TV markets, both reporting to Bill Hoffman, EVP over broadcast. Additional leadership changes effective immediately include:
- Former Group VP Rich Reis is now VP and GM of Digital Operations reporting to EVP Neil Johnston.
- Former Group VP Ben Reed is now VP and Market Manager of Atlanta radio reporting to Kim Guthrie. Ben succeeds Dan Kearney, who is now VP and Market Manager of Miami radio. Kearney succeeds Jerry Rushin, who is retiring from the company later this month.
- Former Group VP Jay O?Connor, as previously announced, is the new VP and GM at KIRO TV in Seattle.
- Additionally, EVP Mike Joseph continues to oversee CMG?s newspaper operations and CMG Ohio. The company will announce the new publisher of the Austin American-Statesman in the near future.
Franklin said, ?Our new business realignment enables us to simplify our structure and continue our strategic initiatives of driving cash flow, extending our strong local brands into digital, and continuing the development of our talented people. We will also continue to bolster our core portfolio with new, high-growth initiatives that focus on emerging advertising and scalable content.?
Cox?s media properties for sale include:
Birmingham (WAGG-AM, WBHJ-FM, WBHK-FM, WENN-AM, WZZK-FM, WZNN-FM, WBPT-FM, and CMG?s contract rights for WALJ-FM)
Greenville (WJMZ-FM/HD3, WHZT-FM)
Hawaii (KRTR-AM/FM, KPHW-FM, KCCN-FM, KINE-FM, KKNE-AM)
Louisville (WRKA-FM, WVEZ-FM, WSFR-FM, WQNU-FM)
Richmond (WHTI-FM, WKHK-FM, WKLR-FM, WURV-FM)
Southern Connecticut ((WPLR-FM, WEZN-FM, WFOX-FM, and CMG?s contract rights for WYBC-FM)
El Paso (KFOX-TV) (Fox affiliate)
Johnstown (WJAC-TV) (NBC affiliate)
Reno (KRXI-TV and CMG?s option and other contract rights for KAME-TV) (Fox affiliate)
Steubenville (WTOV-TV) (NBC affiliate)
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7-20-2012
Earlier today Cox Media Group announced it was looking to sell radio stations in 6 markets (see next story). The stations are located in medium sized markets and CMG wants to shift its focus to mostly top 50 markets. Announcing publicly which markets and specific stations are up for sale is not something you see often. CMG Executive Vice President for Broadcast Bill Hoffman explains why the company made the announcement and says he hopes to have a buyer within 6 months. LISTEN HERE
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4-10-2012
Small markets may not be what CBS is looking for but according to BIA/Kelsey, they performed quite well in 2011. Several small and mid-size markets flourished in 2011, according to the BIA report released yesterday. The Portland, Maine market, for example, had the largest increase in revenues over 2010, with $25.4 million, or 22.8 percent. Worcester, Massachusetts, posted a 15.8 percent increase, with $12.9 million in revenue, followed by Ann Arbor, Michigan, a 10.5 percent increase with $6.1 million in revenue, and Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where revenue grew to $45.3 million, a 9.9 percent increase over 2010.
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July 13, 2011
I've only written two blogs for Radio Ink and yet my inbox was almost immediately filled with questions about dealing with things through a small market filter. I have been spending so much time with Google plus this week, it seemed like a good time to answer a few of the questions instead of expounding on Google+, which was the original plan. So here goes. Names held to protect the innocent from their bosses.
I do mornings in a small market that is under the influence of a major market. Their signals all get in here and I have virtually no chance of having the tools that they have. My PD doesn't have a plan but I want to win, or at least TRY to win here. What would be the first thing you would concentrate on?
KM: That's an easy answer with a tough follow through for you. The main thing that you have that they don't is ACCESS. You have ACCESS to your listeners on a personal and local level. SPEAK TO THAT. Every show prep session focus more than 2/3 of your show on local content and local events. I am assuming that this major market is within 50-75 miles? If so, that means that the listeners are also under the influence of that citie's events and festivals. It is only natural to be shifted by those events during your prep sessions. Focus your attention on what you can do there in your town. Local contests, something that requires YOU to be out in the public are always helpful but as far as your morning show goes; you need to make every effort to bring in local people, talk about local events, make an emotional connection locally and personally. Don't be cookie cutter and don't try to imitate the big guys that are on the dial.
I am a PD in a small market, and have a question regarding social media and streaming. How do you handle people from out of the market entering your contests? We have had three winners from more than 100 miles away in the past year. I feel like I am wasting my schwag on them.
KM: That's GREAT! That must mean that your streaming strategies are working and you are connecting with people from outside your broadcast circle. That is a good thing! We live in an ever shrinking world. They way I handle this is by taking the stats of our web stream to our sales manager. It gives them the understanding that there is a base of people out there that could be reached by our sales department. It might mean a day trip a few days each month or hiring someone specifically to sell those outside towns. Web streams can be a significant revenue stream if you have an ENLIGHTENED sales department that isn't living in the 80s. We have built a REGIONAL station. We position it as regional, and we like it like that. The point of streaming in the first place is to connect with people that can't otherwise hear you. Keep up the great work and remember that!
Whatever happened to small markets being a bed of talent?
KM: I was just discussing this this other day with a PD friend. When I started, small markets were kind of like the minor leagues. I worked my way up from an unrated market to a Top 100, then to a major. It was a right of passage. You learned the craft and moved up. Now it seems that small markets are populated by people that are doing the job because they were local people that had been recruited by management and have never done the job before or by older jocks who are on the downside of their career. There doesn't seem to be the young hungry kids who love the business and want to learn and move up.
I had a meeting last week with an under-performing staff member who actually said to me that she didn't CARE if she got better because she would just go back to her old career if this "didn't work out." I would love to see small market owners take the responsibility of grooming younger people to carry the torch. After all, they grew up in a digital world. They know more about social networking, connecting with people and global issues than most anyone else. Why not take that knowledge and let them mold it around a radio career? Why not USE that knowledge to better a small market station. Take a chance. GIVE a chance. The only way our industry survives is by passing the info that we have to the younger generation and let them take THEIR skills and mesh the two.
Kit Mann (The Kit Mann Morning Show) can be reached at 214-702-MANN http://www.kitmannmorningshow.com or http://www.facebook.com/kitmannrocks or http://twitter.com/kitmannrocks
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June 28, 2011
The markets affected by the change are: Albany, GA (Now 239/Was 262), Amarillo, TX. (Now168/Was 193), Bryan-College Station, TX. (Now 206/Was 233), Corpus Christi, TX. (Now 108/Was 137), Des Moines, IA. (Now 72/Was 91), Fayettville, AR. (Was 128/Now 127), Ft. Smith AR. (Now 159/Was 175), Jonesboro, AR. (Now 234/Was 284), New Orleans, LA. (Now 45/Was 52) and Portland, ME (Now89/Was 168)