3-26-2015
In an effort to help develop the next generation of sports broadcast talent, Yahoo Sports Radio announced a partnership with Sportscasters Talent Agency of America. Yahoo and STAA are launching the STAA University, which will be led by veteran broadcasters and executives, with an 11-week online curriculum, broadcast tools, and mentorship. Registration runs through June 1 at http://www.becomeasportscaster.com/.
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1-7-2015
Rdio announced an exclusive partnership with Bosch integrating its music subscription service into dashboards using the Bosch mySPIN platform. The partnership adds Jaguar and Land Rover's to the on-demand music streaming service. The service will be accessible to subscribers of the unlimited music service in Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles where InControl Apps is installed. Rdio says that the free Internet radio solution will be integrated later this year.
Anthony Bay, CEO, Rdio noted, "Rdio is committed to delivering the best streaming experience wherever our customers listen to music. Rdio on InControl Apps underscores our effort to simplify how people listen to music by providing them with the most convenient access to our massive catalog."
12-15-14
All Sports United is a platform for athletes, sports personalities, businesses and individuals to engage in philanthropic endeavors. Yahoo Sports Radio will be the title media partner in the organization?s effort to increase participation. The partnership includes promos and listener engagement to raise funds during the inaugural Gaming to Give charity tournament, which kicks-off online during the first week of January and culminates with a big event January 29th at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale.
All Sports United Co-Founder Alan Pavlosky said, "All Sports United is thrilled to partner with Yahoo Sports Radio. Their track record of innovative delivery of thoughtful sports content speaks for itself. Gaming to Give is the first of many opportunities for All Sports United and Yahoo Sports Radio to help shine the light on athletes who are committed to making a difference.?
Yahoo Sports Radio COO and Program Director Craig Larson added, ?We are honored to be joining forces with All Sports United in support of their mission. Gaming to Give will be a fun-filled event, but more importantly, allow the sports and entertainment communities to come together to make an impact on the community and engage listeners in support of those important causes.?
12-9-14
Sun Broadcast Group and Casa Media Partners have entered into a sales partnership that will bring CMPs owned and operated stations to Sun?s Hispanic lineup on a national network scale. The two have also signed a long-term agreement to expand the footprint of AccuWeather en Espa?ol by offering their listeners local weather updates and breaking weather news. Sun?s Hispanic division Sun Latino will handle the ad sales and distribution for both partnerships.
8-12-14
With the recent additions of WWCS-AM/Pittsburgh, WCAR-AM Detroit, KTXX-FM/Austin, WCLT-AM/Columbus, and KSGG-AM/Reno, Yahoo! Sports Radio says it now has 500 affiliate partners nationwide. CEO David Gow says, ?We are thrilled to work with our 500 tremendous partner stations on a daily basis. The commitment of our talent, producers, sports news anchors, and management team has allowed us to achieve this milestone and continually expand our reach through custom programming and unique, local and national advertiser opportunities.?
7-21-14
The Chicago Tribune reports Erich "Mancow" Muller has filed a lawsuit against Rodney Rainey's Maverick Radio Partners claiming Rainey defrauded him out of $50,000 that Muller invested with him to purchase radio stations. Muller says the stations were never purchased and Rainey used the money for other purposes and did not return his $50,000.
The suit claims Muller was approached by Rainey in 2011 and claimed Maverick Radio Partners had secured $19.3 million in equity and debt to finance the acquisition of WFRE-FM and WFMD-AM in Frederick, Md. Muller alleges Maverick said it had secured a commitment of $200 million from Spartacus Partners to build a radio group with purchases in Hartford, Orlando, Charlotte, Nashville and other markets. Muller entered into an oral agreement with Rainey and wired him the money which was to be held in escrow until documentation was in place to buy the stations. That never happened. Muller reached out to Rainey on several occasions requesting his money be returned and says that also never happened.
Read the full Chicago Trib story HERE
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3-31-14
Imagine Communications and Marketron have announced a strategic partnership to provide both TV and Radio with end-to-end ad sales, traffic and scheduling, and automation solutions. The partnership will provide cross-media revenue operations and reporting for companies with multiple properties and markets. Marketron CEO Jeff Haley (pictured) says, "This integration enables our customers to easily run their cross-media business from Marketron?s Mediascape platform, a single, end-to-end, integrated platform, enabling streamlined, efficient business operations.?
Imagine Communications CEO Charlie Vogt said, ?We are thrilled about our partnership with Marketron, as together we will deliver the industry?s most feature-rich, end-to-end enterprise business and playout solutions designed for TV and radio broadcasters, TV networks and content distributors. Last week we unveiled MediaCentral, our reference architecture for the integration and virtualization of our media software, playout and automation functions. Our partnership with Marketron signals an industry ecosystem required to accelerated innovation and best-in-class solutions.?
1-7-14
This announcement also coming out of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Aha Radio by HARMAN and Univision Radio will be partnering. Sixty-five Univision stations from the Uforia digital music service will be incorporated into Aha-enabled vehicles and mobile apps. Univision President Jose Valle said, ?This new partnership with Aha Radio helps us continue to serve and reach our listeners in new and meaningful ways. The growth of digital music and our Uforia app is driven by our ability to offer our listeners the music they want, wherever they are, regardless of platform.?
10/17/13
Norm Pattiz continues to stack his podcast roster, adding national sports-talker Dan Patrick. Listeners can now access Patrick?s podcast on-demand at PodcastOne. The PodcastOne CEO says, "Nobody does sports talk better than Dan Patrick. Nobody does on-demand audio better than we do. So it should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that we?re teaming up for the benefit of listeners and advertisers. With the addition of Dan Patrick, the list of stars on the PodcastOne platform has just become significantly brighter.?
Patrick joins other big names at PodcastOne including Adam Carolla, Dr. Drew, Steve Austin, Kathie Lee Gifford, Dennis Miller, Ron Paul, Jay Mohr, Jillian Michaels, NPR New York, NPR Los Angeles, 60 Minutes, and more.
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9-13-13
There are more services and systems coming to enhance the car dashboard than most of us can imagine. All of it will make driving a different, better experience -- and radio can be part of the revolution. At next month's DASH conference, you can hear about the state of the art in connected audiotainment from the folks who are creating and selling those systems today. Dangerous rivals? No -- potential partners and collaborators to make radio and in-car entertainment better and better.
Find out what's out there and how you can be part of it at DASH, as Jeff Gilbert of CBS Radio's WWJ (Newsradio950) Detroit moderates the "What's New in the Car" panel. It's a discussion you won't want to miss: Gilbert says, "As somebody who probably drives 70 to 80 different cars every year, I've seen an amazingly fast change in the entertainment options that are available to drivers. Radio isn't going away. But, we have a lot more competition, and a lot of opportunity."
Valerie Shuman, principal of DASH presenting partner Shuman Consulting Group, says, "I am delighted with the diverse range of companies that have joined our speaker lineup and the creative ideas they have shared with us so far. DASH is shaping up to be a real opportunity to kick-start new collaborations."
DASH is set for October 23-24 at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Register today.
Moderator:
Jeff Gilbert is an automotive reporter and host of Car Chronicles at WWJ (Newsradio 950)/Detroit. He's spent more than 20 years at the station and is the only broadcast reporter in the U.S. assigned to exclusively cover the auto industry. Along with his news reports on WWJ, he hosts the daily Car Chronicles, and his weekly "Car Chronicles" feature is heard on CBS Radio Network affiliates nationwide. He also writes many of the auto-industry stories that appear on the WWJ website.
Panelists:
As VP of marketing for Pioneer's Car Electronics Division, Ted Cardenas is responsible for overall brand strategy,
sales initiatives, promotional activities, and advertising. He and his team focus on educating consumers about Pioneer's in-vehicle entertainment, navigation, and connectivity solutions, building excitement and demand. Cardenas began his 16-year career at Pioneer as a product specialist and in 1997 was promoted to district sales manager, covering the northwest territory. In 2000, Cardenas became brand manager for the mobile business group's marketing division. He became director of marketing in 2009 and rose to his current role in 2012.
Hakan Kostepen 
is an executive director of product planning strategy and innovation at Panasonic Automotive Systems Co. of America. The Global Product Planning Strategy & Innovation group leads in in-car integration and development of all Panasonic Company-domain technologies and products to optimize the user experience for both automotive OEM customers and consumers. Kostepen has broad systems engineering and advanced product-development experience with Panasonic, Automotive Systems, Ford Motor Co., Visteon, EDS, and the U.S. Air Force. He was also responsible for the industry-first Jaguar S-Type Voice Recognition Infotainment System, and the European Ford Focus Telematics application with Vodafone.
Wayne Powell is the GM and senior executive engineer of electrical systems at Toyota Technical Center, located
in Ann Arbor, MI. TTC is Toyota's North American R&D center, a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, North America, Inc. Powell is responsible for the development of multimedia and telematics systems for Toyota North America. He joined TTC in 2008 as a quality manager and in 2009 became manager/body electronics systems. In 2010, he was promoted to general manager, wiring harness body electronics, and he moved into the multimedia/telematics area in 2011. Before joining Toyota, Powell worked for Ford Motor Co. and Visteon Corp.
DASH
October 23-24, 2013
Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Detroit, MI
www.dashconference.com
9-15-13
With the purchase of Dial Global/Westwood One Cumulus, CEO Lew Dickey has made it clear his goal is to put his company in a position to compete with Clear Channel. Now, Dickey appears ready to make his digital play. For the most part Cumulus has latched onto iHeartRadio, streaming its stations via Clear Channel's consumer app. Now, Dickey could be signaling a break from iHeartRadio when his contract with Clear Channel expires, in another attempt to compete with Clear Channel. At 9a.m. Monday morning, Cumulus will announce a new partnership with Rdio. In exchange for a significant equity stake in Rdio?s parent company, Pulser Media, Cumulus will give Rdio broad access to its programming and promote Rdio on its stations. The deal between Rdio and Cumulus is a trade, with no cash changing hands but the value of Cumulus?s content and services is estimated at over $100 million. Rdio.com offers three subscription plans, $4.99 per month for web based streaming, $9.99 per month for unlimited web and mobile listening and $17.99 per month for two unlimited subscriptions. Cumulus stations are already heard on Clear Channel's iHeartRadio. In the New York Times, Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey called that deal ?a marriage of convenience? and said that the Rdio deal allowed it to do much more. Dickey is quoted in the Times saying, ?We?re trying to be much more active in the audio ecosystem than just passively handing our streams over. That has severe limitations in terms of our ability to monetize.?Last night, Dickey told Radio Ink Cumulus is not leaving iHeartRadio. "Cumulus is happy with the iHeart deal as we?ve seen our traffic increase dramatically since we moved over to their platform. We have a contract with them and are happy to be honoring it. Rdio does not presently have this feature and we are relying on iHeart as well as our stations websites and apps for streaming of our local radio stations."A Clear Channel spokesperson told Radio Ink, "We will continue to be a good partner and portal for Cumulus stations and wish them luck in their new endeavor."Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend
7-25-13
Clear Channel and indie music label Innovative Leisure have announced an agreement that will enable Innovative Leisure's artists to share in broadcast and digital revenue. The label's artists, including Hanni el Khatib, Rhye, Classixx, Nosaj Thing, and others, will receive a share of revenue for airplay on Clear Channel's 850 AM/FM stations in 150 U.S. markets as well as on its fast-growing iHeartRadio digital radio platform.
6-18-13
Veteran talent agents Marc Guss and Phil Sutfin, co-founders of talent management company ACM, have partnered with John McConnell to launch ACM Broadcast. The goal of the new company is to create a business environment where talent strategize on using radio and other audio broadcast platforms as the foundation to build their brand.
McConnell said, ?I?ve always believed in the power of radio and am a proponent of making that a priority in a performer?s career. I look forward to working with talented individuals and helping them to realize their full potential as they soar to new heights.?
McConnell is president of Entertainment Radio Network and founder of McConnell Media, LLC, a traditional and new media consultancy with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Until November, 2008, McConnell served as SVP of Programming at ABC Radio Networks where he managed programming for ABC Music Radio, ABC News Radio, ABC Talk Radio, and the ESPN Radio Network, all of which were heard on 4,400 ABC radio affiliates and websites.
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4-4-13
While I was learning many things from the beginning, one thing that I knew without a doubt was that I would need an attorney and more than likely a banker or someone to help me with the financial side. Choosing an attorney was pretty easy. As soon as I realized I would need an FCC attorney, I remembered sitting next to this guy at the Marconi?s last year. He was kind and funny in a dry, attorney-type way. I enjoyed listening to him guess nearly perfectly who would win in each category. However, in order to do due diligence to the selection process, I sent off an email requesting references to a good attorney. When they came back, they matched the card I held in my hand?
? Where do I go for answers?
? How does getting financing work? What actually can be secured and how? What security would be required?
? What is an LMA, and do I want to do one? If so, under what terms?
? Do I need or want a deal where the owner carries some of the paper?
? If I seek out investors, how do I structure the deal?
? Do I work with a banker and if so, which one?
I asked all of these questions and more. The answers that came back were completely varied and all over the place depending on the position and history of the person involved. I decided to start with meeting a few local bankers and seeing what sparked. I called three banks. One never returned my call; another stood me up and the last was a friend that worked as a commercial lender. While trying to be supportive as my friend, he was clear that the bank had an abundance of money to loan and equally clear about how difficult it would be to get a loan from a bank for a radio station, especially since I was poor in capital. So far, it wasn?t looking good.
I was at a point where I was trying to figure out who to talk to next when the banker that stood me up called me twice and emailed me two times to try to reschedule. It turned out that we had a mix-up in our calendars. I was feeling frustrated at not being taken seriously, so I delayed resetting the appointment but reset it I did. And, I?m so glad that I did.
I?ll never forget the first day I sat in Todd Hoien?s office at Hawthorn Bank. He was attentive as I cast a vision for what I wanted to do and why I was very qualified to do it. Todd would ask me questions and take notes. He took me seriously. He posed the questions to me that I knew I would get:
? Is radio still a viable industry?
? How has satellite and iPods impacted traditional radio listening?
? What role does digital listening options and social media play in or against the radio industry?
By the end of our first meeting, it was clear that he not only saw the potential of my dream, but believed in my ability to pull it off and was interested in learning more. Since then, I have also explored every financing scenario possible, mostly while brainstorming with Todd in his office. He has truly proved to be a problem solver and engaged in the entire process, up to and including opening the bank early to participate on 5 way conference calls with me, John, and potential sellers.
He told me early on that he was in and wanted to help me make this happen. In fact, it was December 31, 2012 that Todd called with final confirmation. What a way to start the New Year, right? I was filled with hope at that moment. I had a bank that believed in me enough to back the process. I had a couple of friends that also believed in me enough to help front capital to make it happen. Life was looking pretty good at this point.
Here?s what I?ve learned from this process so far:
? Regardless of which direction you take, you must find someone that believes in your vision with you and wants to and is capable of playing an active part in making it happen.
? Small community banks have money to loan and are in need of qualified borrowers. Build your business plan and start talking to people. They are looking for the next hometown dream to invest in.
? Be prepared to be an advocate for the industry and do a lot of educating.
? Be very careful and selective.
Since starting this series of articles, I?ve received a great deal of support and advice. (For that, I am very grateful. Please! Keep it coming. I am genuinely learning and doing all of this as I go.) I am also very fortunate to have a small group of former clients who have become close friends that advise me. One of them told me something that I?ll never forget. While a bit provocative, he makes a great point: ?Erica, when you are selecting investors or partners, just keep in mind?who do you want to be sleeping with? Because, figuratively speaking, that?s how involved these relationships get. What your partner has, you have to deal with, as well, including their personal, emotional and financial baggage.? Well, I think that says it all, doesn?t it?
Next week, I tell about making my first offer. See you then!
Reach out to Erica about her journey erica@theruckusgroup.com
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1-21-2013
Emmis has announced that TagStation is expanding support for on-air system integration from Arctic Palm's CSRDS and ENCO's PADapult datacasting systems. Although BE TRE remains the flagship middleware partnership, more options for stations that want to quickly launch TagStation with the services they currently use, can help with more rapid industry-wide adoption. Emmis is working on technology called NextRadio which will be incorporated into new Sprint smartphones. The technology will allow local radio stations to be played without using data.
9-12-2012
Radio One will deploy Quu's suite of products and technology solutions through it's digital arm, Interactive One. Sr. Director of Operations at Interactive One Local Shawn Smith says, ?Quu?s advanced technology includes dynamic, intelligent, RDS scheduling technology unmatched in the radio industry, and Radio One can now leverage RDS and digital assets to increase ad retention for clients and derive new revenue from this infrastructure.?
Quu (http://www.quuinteractive.com/) developed an advertising and content management platform that recognizes over-the-air commercials and coordinates enhanced client campaigns on RDS and HD Radio, online and mobile platforms from a single, easy-to-use interface. Over-the-air radio commercials evolve into a visual, synchronized, measurable campaign.
4-5-2012
SiriusXM Radio announced it has entered into a multi-year agreement with MLB Advanced Media, the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, to stream live radio broadcasts of every Major League Baseball game on smartphones, mobile devices and online for SiriusXM subscribers nationwide.
SiriusXM's President and Chief Content Officer Scott Greenstein says, "We're thrilled to be able to deliver every MLB game to all of our SiriusXM subscribers. Throughout the sport's history, fans have connected with America's pastime through radio calls. With those broadcasts now available on SiriusXM Internet Radio, coupled with the satellite radio broadcasts on XM, SiriusXM subscribers across the country have the most extensive audio listening experience with which to follow any MLB team from their cars, homes or anywhere." With this agreement, SiriusXM becomes the Official Internet Radio Partner of MLB.com.
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March 21, 2012: Katz 360 signs a strategic agreement with online ad platform company Audience Partners and its subsidiary CampaignGrid to deliver what Katz 360 called "the most advanced micro-targeting abilities available to reach registered voters online."
Audience Partners' platform lets political campaigns and advocacy groups reach their targets by way of its National Online Voter File of more than 187 million registered voters, along with other data sets; with the deal, Katz will be able to offer "micro-targeted" online audiences that can be segmented by such specifics as party affiliation, voting history, and congressional district.
"In this political cycle, advertisers and candidates are starting to appreciate the enormous value of targeting audiences online, which can capture incredibly effective results and near real-time, responsive flexibility," Katz 360 President Brian Benedik said. "Through our new agreement with Audience Partners, we have added a powerful platform to drive revenue and deliver valuable voters. We can offer a completely data-driven campaign, which is the most efficient use of advertising dollars to reach the exact segmented audience an advertiser or candidate wants."
Katz Radio Group VP/Political Sales & Strategy Pat McGee called the new capabilities "a powerful complement to our Katz offline TV and radio sales efforts within the political ad community."
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2-15-2012
Regional Reps will handle national sales for 19 NRG stations. NRG Chief Operating Officer Chuck DuCoty (pictured) said, ?I am confident that by having a formal relationship we will have a strong partnership to identify key and target accounts and develop a strategy for sales growth. They have developed strong relationships with buyers, planners and other decision makers and their experience and extensive network of sellers will serve us well.?
Shayna Sharpe, Manger of Business Development for Regional Reps Corp. added, ?It is really special to have the opportunity work with a group like NRG Media. They are truly local broadcasters, committed to excellence and committed to the communities in which they serve. I can?t wait to grow together!?
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The Donny Osmond Show, a daily radio show customized for AC and Classic Hits radio stations, joins TeshMedia Group for creative input, production, affiliation and distribution. Tesh Media, known for The John Tesh ?Intelligence for Your Life? and ?Intelligence for Your Health? with Connie Sellecca shows, will work in partnership with McVay Syndication in continuing the programs growth. Donny Osmond said ?It?s an honor to team with such an iconic brand in radio. TeshMedia has proved that they understand what their listeners want and that they know how to deliver it to them in the most entertaining way.?
John Tesh said ?Donny is an entertainment icon who truly connects with his audience. It's a privilege to welcome him to the TeshMedia family.? Commercial distribution in the USA will be from Dial-Global. TeshMedia and McVay Syndication will work together worldwide. The Donny Osmond Show is broadcast in the USA, Canada, Australia and The United Kingdom. McVay Syndications Mike McVay said ?We?ve had a front row seat to watch John Tesh, Executive Producers Scotty Meyers and Betsy Chase, and the TeshMedia Group as they built what is arguably North America?s most successful syndicated network daily music program. We?re excited to have The Donny Osmond Show become a part of their team. Donny is one of the most relevant talents on radio, TV and on-stage today. This is going to be a great relationship for all of us.?
The Donny Osmond Show is designed for AC and Classic Hits radio stations. It is a daily five-hour program (delivered via FTP as a voice-tracked show) that also features a weekend show and two short-form features. Hear the show demo at www.donnydemo.com. Visit www.donny.com/radio to learn more about the show. For more information contact Scott Meyers at 888.548.8637 or scott@meyers.net. Contact Mike McVay at 440.343.0800 or at mike@mcvaymedia.com.