Radio+Television Business Report

As a former senior advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Republican FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington is well
prepared to address the many items on the Commission docket that will impact broadcasters in the years ahead.

As he demonstrated at the recent Hispanic Radio Conference, Simington is eager to learn about the broadcast media industry’s input and concerns.

You can share your thoughts and desires with Simington in-person, with your registration to Forecast 2022 at the prestigious Harvard Club in New York.

You can never have too many allies — especially at the FCC. That’s why your attendance at Forecast 2022, November 16 in midtown Manhattan, is the perfect opportunity for you to use your voice where it counts. Broadcasters need decisionmakers who understand their challenges and will listen to their perspectives with an unbiased and well-informed mind.

Simington is that type of individual, and has demonstrated that he appreciates the unique value proposition broadcasters offer communities across the country and the media environment in which they operate.

This could be the only chance you get this year to express your views to someone who can impact and influence the fate of your business over the coming years.

Will you be there, or will you give up your spot to someone who may not see things your way?

Make your voice heard. Register for Forecast 2022 today.

About Forecast:
Forecast brings together the best and brightest talent in broadcasting and advertising to forecast the coming year, and to discuss the trends and momentums that will affect ratings and revenue. From Washington to Wall Street, Forecast focuses on what’s ahead in the broadcast community’s future and how to prepare for its opportunities and challenges. Join today’s industry leaders and be part of the discussions and debates about what’s ahead for radio in 2022 and beyond. Register today for Forecast 2022. The venue is small – demand is higher than usual – don’t be left out due to a sellout!

 

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An outfit that describes itself as “an innovative podcast and audio entertainment production studio” has completed a $12 million fundraising round, and this particular effort saw the nation’s lone satellite radio content creator and distributor emerge as the biggest dollar injector.

Sirius XM Radio Inc. on Monday (10/11) confirmed that it led a Series B fundraising round for Audio Up. 

Founded by CEO Jared Gutstadt, Audio Up was founded in 2020 by the creator of the Jingle Punks creative music agency, Podcast Business Journal reports.

With the investment, Sirius XM SVP/Business Affairs and Programming Operations Andrew Moss is joining Audio Up’s Board of Directors.

And, thanks to the dollar dose from Sirius XM, it’s moved forward with the creation of a creative programming and strategic agreement with Audio Up.

It’s a significant development, as it brings Sirius XM further into the on-demand audio space. Under the agreement, Audio Up is expected to create new original scripted podcasts for Sirius XM and its owned audio platforms – which include the SXM App, Pandora and Stitcher. Audio Up will also collaborate with Sirius XM to develop new audio entertainment concepts and forge new promotional and distribution synergies across Sirius XM properties, the companies say.

Specifically, the agreement gives Sirius XM an exclusive “first-look” co-production option for new Audio Up original podcast concepts, with accompanying options for exclusive distribution across Sirius XM properties, in addition to exclusive rights to manage and sell advertising inventory and sponsorship in connection with any podcast produced for Sirius XM through its SXM Media combined sales organization.

Audio Up’s slate of original scripted audio entertainment includes offerings from recording artists Machine Gun Kelly, 24kGoldn, Miranda Lambert and Nelly, and actors including Jason Alexander and Gary Busey.

Forthcoming new Audio Up original podcast series include The Playboy Interview, which presents teleplay-type reenactments “of some of the most iconic Playboy Interview conversations in history,” Audio Up says.

“Whether it’s inventing a new breed of boundary-breaking original podcasts or developing innovative audio concepts that let brands and creators connect with listeners in new ways, Jared and Audio Up have become the place where talent meets technology,” said Sirius XM President/Chief Creative Officer Scott Greenstein. “Audio Up is known for creating podcasts that combine music, entertainment, and rich storytelling to create bold new listening experiences, and we’re thrilled to welcome them to our extended SiriusXM family.”

The agreement follows SiriusXM’s acquisition of podcast platform Stitcher and the inking of a series of exclusive podcast content deals, including the acquisition of Roman Mars’ 99% Invisible podcast and the launch of Seth Rogen’s original podcast series, Storytime With Seth Rogen.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND — One of the leading privately held radio and outdoor media companies in the Pacific Rim has licensed Veritone, Inc.‘s AI-driven application that brings real-time insights into data-driven advertising performance.

Be sure to follow RBR+TVBR on Twitter for the latest Breaking News first!

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In mid-August, RBR+TVBR first reported on the purchase of construction permits for low-power television stations located in the Southernmost City in the United States and in the heart of the Coachella Valley, respectively, by The E.W. Scripps Co.

That deal, brokered by Bob Heymann of the Chicago office of Media Services Group, has just closed.

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There are several ways to employ “cultural insights” to help brands gain the right amount of intelligence to solve the larger questions surrounding the consumer — and the marketing campaign surrounding a brand.

With the right insights, marketers can create solutions for today, and also shape how their media buy looks. In this column, brand strategist Whitney Dunlap-Fowler offers her expert analysis of how the right cultural insights can be best used for one’s branding needs.

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He was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2004, thanks to his time at a Top 40 giant in the Twin Cities and, later, at Nationwide Communications. Upon his 2002 retirement, he ran Saga Communications’ Champaign and Springfield, Ill., properties.

Now, the life of Dale Weber is being recalled by the radio industry, as the former executive has died.

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A group of Capitol Hill Democrats in both the House and Senate made it clear this week that they want legislation adopted that would force WWOR-9 in Secaucus, N.J., owned by FOX, to turn its attention away from the Big Apple and focus instead on the Garden State.

Interestingly, little was mentioned about the “New Jersey News Network,” operating on co-channel signals covering Northern New Jersey and the five boroughs of the City of New York.

Perhaps they knew about its sale, as that’s just been consummated. Who’s the buyer?

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Add Saga Communications to the growing calendar of media companies that will be releasing their third quarter financial results during the first week of November.

Be sure to follow RBR+TVBR on Twitter, so you’ll get Breaking News as it happens.

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Travel to the north of Stillwater, Okla., via U.S. Highway 177, and you’ll reach Ponca City. It’s home to the Pioneer Woman Museum, and a museum devoted to regional gasoline brand Conoco.

It’s also home to the broadcasting, news, sports, and media entertainment platform operating under the Ponca Post brand. Until now, two radio brands have been under Ponca Post’s operations. Soon, two more will be added to the mix.

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Here’s another warning to MVPDs from a global market intelligence organization regarding the continued wave of “cord cutting” inflicting harm on the cable and DBS service provider’s growth prospects in the near-term.

“Video cord cutting is expected to strip nearly $33.6 billion in annual revenue from traditional U.S. multichannel services” by the end of 2025.

That’s according to a report released this week by Kagan.

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What’s the Deal? That’s a question we ask in the just-released RBR+TVBR Fall 2021 Special Report. The broadcast deal flow sank to a decade-long low in 2020, although TV M&A activity is strong. The trend seems to be cemented for 2021, unless a surprise mega-transaction for Radio emerges in Q4.

Is deregulation the deal ignitor needed for radio? Are over-leveraged, revenue-challenged media properties particularly vulnerable, and acquisition targets from cash-rich enterprises? The conversation is poised to continue at a Forecast 2022 session that’s worthy of every broadcast leader’s presence — and perhaps a financier or broker, too.

An esteemed panel of investment specialists will take a hard look at the status of 2021 and the future of 2022 for broadcast investments in this “fact-based, tire kicking” session.

With Guggenheim Securities Senior Advisor Drew Marcus as the session moderator, the transactions outlook will take center stage as Wells Fargo Securities Managing Director and Senior Equity Media/Cable Analyst Steven Cahall participates in a discussion alongside Noble Capital Markets Managing Director/TMT Christopher Ensley and veteran media broker Richard A. Foreman.

The morning session on November 16 at Forecast 2022 could see Foreman elaborate on commentary shared to readers in the Fall 2021 RBR+TVBR Special Report.

Richard A. Foreman, appearing at Forecast 2022 on Nov. 16, 2021 in New York.

Looking at the deal landscape, Foreman believes the radio industry has really been in a funk when it comes to transactions. “That’s created by a few buried issues,” he said. “You’re dealing with a technology today that is over 100 years of age that has withstood the hands of time greatly, but it is wearing. And, there are tremendous competitive products out there that really compete against it.”

Thanks to these new digitally delivered audio options, combined with the pandemic, radio has had what Foreman called “tremendous sluggishness in revenue.”

When Foreman looks at the television deal-making landscape, he expresses confidence in the fact that there are buyers — including the mega groups and Byron Allen-led Allen Media Group. The key problem? “There is no inventory,” he said. “That’s it. Period. And the prices being paid for television are eight to nine times trailing cash flow. But, you can’t find anything.”

For more, be sure to be present November 16 at Forecast 22 in New York.
REGISTER NOW BY CLICKING HERE! The venue is small. Demand is higher than usual. Don’t be left out due to a sellout!

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APM Studios, the podcast production division of American Public Media, has named a new Chief Content Officer while also putting a Chief Strategy Officer in place.

For Breaking News when it happens, be sure to follow RBR+TVBR on Twitter!

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COLMAR, FRANCE — If there every was a fairy tale town in Europe, the city of Colmar in France’s Alsace region may be the best example. Its old town, replete with a “little Venice” canal and numerous architectural treasures, is home to some 69,000 residents.

Here, FM radio reception is very good, with no less than 19 stations beaming from Mulhouse, a 40 minute drive to the south.

Travel another 10 minutes and you’ll reach Basel, Switzerland, a city of more than 171,000. Five Swiss FM stations can be heard, in addition to FMs tied to the large SWR regional broadcaster over the Rhine in Germany.

While that may seem small in number, the total number of FMs expected to be on the air in Basel in less than three years is zero.

Welcome to the next station to not only say goodbye to AM, but also to FM.

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How has broadcast media revenue recovered from the onset of a pandemic that saw generally steep declines for Radio, and lesser dips for Television?

Is Automotive poised for a rebound, even as supply chain issues make used vehicles more valued than ever?

As the country continues to emerge from the pandemic, a Forecast 2022 session that includes the participation of TVB President/CEO Steve Lanzano is shaping up to be another provocative must-attend event.

Reviewing where the strong pockets of opportunity for broadcast advertising may be, Lanzano will be joined by GroupM Executive Director of Specialty Channels Jen Soch. Moderating the panel is Katz Media Group CEO Mark Gray.

Lanzano, whose organization last week staged the successful virtual TVB Forward Conference, spoke exclusive with RBR+TVBR for a conversation that exclusively appears in our Fall 2021 Special Report.

Of the big topics among TVB members, measurement is likely at the top of everyone’s minds, based on the discussion across the September 30 event. “Measurement is always either the top or top two sessions when we do our post-conference survey,” Lanzano said. “People love them and want more, and that’s why it is really the first major content session.”

With Nielsen seeking to work with the Media Rating Council on an accreditation hiatus, Lanzano hoped the audience measurement company’s issues will soon be somewhat more resolved than they were in late August. “We’ve been going back and forth with
Nielsen regarding accreditation,” Lanzano said. “We want BBO homes in but we want them put in at the right time, so we have good data.”

Cross-platform measurement, with one aggregated audience for content that is
deduped, “seems to be where the industry is going.” GroupM’s Soch likely has a strong view on that topic, setting Forecast 2022 up for a lively discussion.

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Salem Media Group executives are gearing up for a presentation scheduled for October 13 at a key investor event of the fall season.

As they finalize what they plan on sharing, investors on Wall Street can’t decide if they should buy Salem, or make a quick profit by selling their stock.

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The National Hockey League now has an agreement in place that will help bring audio coverage of select regular season games and the Stanley Cup Finals to radio stations across the U.S.

Sports USA is now the NHL’s exclusive live national radio play-by-play partner, thanks to a three year agreement that ends following the 2024-2025 season.

Sports USA began broadcasting NHL games with the 2020-2021 season. It starts its 2021-2022 regular season coverage with the first-ever game from the newest NHL franchise, the Seattle Kraken. They’ll play the league’s second-newest franchise, the Las Vegas Golden Knights, on Tuesday (10/12).

Other regular season games on Sports USA include the 2022 Discover NHL Winter Classic, which features the St. Louis Blues and the Minnesota Wild at Target Field in Minneapolis on January 1, and the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series, which includes the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Nashville Predators at Nissan Stadium in Nashville on February 26.

“We look forward to building on the success we had during our coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and are thrilled to expand upon this partnership,” said Larry Kahn, Sports USA’s founder and CEO. “The NHL has a loyal and passionate fan base and we couldn’t be more excited about the next four years.”

In addition to terrestrial radio, the live broadcasts will also be distributed digitally via Tune-In, SiriusXM and other NHL digital partners, as well as SportsUSAMedia.com.

The company’s connection to the NHL began last February with its coverage of the 2021 NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe, featuring two regular-season outdoor games played at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nev. and continued through the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals and Stanley Cup Final.

For the second consecutive year, the Radio + Television Business Report has partnered with Media Staffing Network for a comprehensive analysis of television industry sales compensation.

With more years of data to glean from, MSN has tracked trends and can offer television station owners and managers valuable insights — information that can empower them to budget accordingly.

The report’s highlights are available in the RBR+TVBR Fall 2021 Special Report, our quarterly magazine. The full report has now been released by Media Staffing Network, in partnership with RBR+TVBR.

“This year brought a new area to investigate,” notes Media Staffing Network CEO Laurie Kahn. “Our survey was conducted over the summer when we were well into the COVID-19 pandemic. Covid triggered many changes in our business and impacted how we employ and compensate people. We added more questions, and as situations arise in the future, we will continue to adjust accordingly by including questions that are relevant to current market conditions. We always probe for information that is critical to decision-making, and we accommodate as many requests for new questions as possible.”

To view the report’s full analysis, please click here.

He most recently served as the station manager of a TV station serving Midland-Odessa, Tex., and before that was in Alaska.

Now, The E.W. Scripps Co. has appointed this local leader VP/GM of its CBS affiliate serving Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska.

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SAVANNAH, GA — For 36 years, he was an omnipresent figure at a Classic Rock station serving Georgia’s Coastal Empire. Before that, he enjoyed a stint at the former Rock 40 WSHE-FM 103.5, both in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market.

Now, the radio industry is mourning over the loss of Don Scott, who has succumbed to the COVID-19 coronavirus. He was 65 years old.

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The SVP and Market Manager of the Boston-market properties owned by Audacy, the company formerly known as Entercom, has been promoted to the C-Suite position of SVP of Digital Audio Content. He’ll now be working with the company’s central digital team, as his successor has been named by Audacy.

Earning the new role is Tim Clarke.

This makes Clarke responsible for all audio content across the Audacy digital platform. This includes the recently rebranded Audacy app formerly known as Radio.com, the Audacy.com web portal and the websites for each Audacy-owned station.

He is also being asked to “drive strategy and execution for new exclusive and original content for the platform” and will have oversight of Audacy’s new exclusive digital music stations. Furthermore, Clarke will also be responsible for the digital audio experiences of Audacy’s portfolio of broadcast stations, local and national station affiliates, and podcast partners.

Clarke will now work alongside Pam Russo, EVP/GM of the Audacy digital platform; and John Pacino, Audacy’s EVP of Product. Additionally, Clarke will work closely with EVP and Head of Programming Jeff Sottolano and Audacy’s programming and content teams across the company.

“Tim is a rising star in our industry and we’re excited to add his talents and capabilities to our digital business,” said J.D. Crowley, Chief Digital Officer at Audacy. “He brings rich experience leading content and consumer strategies that we trust will enable him to help us further elevate our mission of delivering dynamic digital audio content through a listener-friendly platform every day.”

Tim Clarke

Clarke added, “I am truly honored to join our industry-leading digital and content teams as we build the future of audio with Audacy. A sincere thanks to the team at Audacy, including Mark Hannon and my colleagues in Boston. I have loved working with the incredible people and brands in this market and look forward to seeing their continued success under Mike Thomas’ leadership.”

Clarke joined Audacy in March 2021 and previously served as VP of Content and Audience for Cox Media Group. At Cox, Clarke also held the roles of Director of Branding and Programming for Top 40 WPOI-FM “Hot 101.5” in Tampa; and served as PD of Top 40 WAPE-FM in Jacksonville. He’s also been Music Director for the company’s WBLI-FM in Patchogue, N.Y.

AUDACY’S NEW BACK BAY LEADER

With Clarke’s rise, Mike Thomas has been chosen to succeed him as Audacy/Boston SVP/Market Manager.

This gives Thomas oversight of six radio stations: Classic Hits WBGB “Big 103,” Adult Contemporary WMJX “Magic 106.7,” Hot Adult Contemporary WWBX “Mix 104.1,” and the WEEI Sports Network.

He’ll assume his new role on November 1.

Mike Thomas

“I am thrilled to welcome Mike back to Boston to lead Audacy’s leading brands here,” said Audacy Regional President Mark Hannon. “Mike’s a proven winner and his leadership will be critical in moving the business forward. I also want to thank Tim Clarke for the exceptional job he has done this past year and wish him continued success as he moves to our central digital team.”

Thomas served as the Brand Manager for WBZ-FM 98.5 “The Sports Hub” from 2017-2019 and returns to Boston after serving as Market Manager of WMVP-AM “ESPN Chicago 1000,” today owned by Craig Karmazin’s Good Karma Brands.

Before that, Thomas spent nine years with CBS Radio, holding multiple roles including VP of Sports Programming.

Classic Rock veterans are likely familiar with Thomas for his 11-year run as PD of WZLX/Boston, in addition to serving as CBS Radio/Boston’s Vice President of Programming.

Before that, Thomas got national notice in such trade publications as Radio & Records for his roles as a PD and on-air personality at Clear Channel Classic Rockers KGB-FM in San Diego and WFBQ-FM in Indianapolis.

“Boston evokes memories of great times and celebrations,” Thomas said. “When Mark Hannon reached out about coming back and leading such a diverse group of stations, it was exhilarating! I can’t wait to reconnect with a lot of talented people, some which I spent over a dozen years working side-by-side with, and celebrating many more victories.”