Radio+Television Business Report

NEW YORK — Take an Uber or Lyft across one of the Five Boroughs, and there’s a good chance you’ll get a driver tuned to WPAT “Amor 93.1” or WSKQ “Mega 97.9” — FM radio properties that command the lion’s share of the Spanish-speaking audience in the New York market.

The properties are just some of the audio properties that make Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) one of the broadcast media industry’s biggest comeback companies. In Q3, radio revenue and adjusted OIBDA again exceeded 2019 pre-pandemic levels, the company announced late Monday (11/15).

“Our third quarter results evidenced continued solid financial performance as we again delivered double digit growth in both net revenue and adjusted OIBDA, driven by the strong growth of our radio business,” said Raúl Alarcón Jr., Chairman/CEO of SBS.

It was the second quarter in a row that SBS’s radio revenue exceeded 2019 levels. “Our radio operating margins again led the industry, and we expect continued peak operating efficiency as we roll out our previously pandemic-postponed schedule of projected sold-out sponsored concerts in the New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico markets in the coming months,” Alarcón said.

Despite a 38% drop in television division revenue, to $3.02 million from $4.87 million, radio division net revenue surged to $35.94 million from $25.08 million.

This led SBS to shift to net income of $846,000 ($0.11 per share), compared to a net loss of $4.46 million (-$0.61 per share). Operating income increased to $9.21 million, from $6.58 million. Overall net revenue including $485,000 of political advertising climbed to $38.96 million, from $29.96 million in Q3 2020, when some $2.06 million in political ad dollars were seen.

With SBS President/COO Albert Rodriguez in attendance at Forecast 2022 at the Harvard Club on Tuesday, SBS will have its quarterly earnings call for analysts and shareholders on Thursday.

Europe’s leading exhibition and conference for broadband, television and online business executives is readying for “a brilliant comeback” from a COVID-19 pandemic pause.

Get ready for ANGA COM, scheduled for May 10-12, 2022 in Cologne, Germany.

Stand booking is already open and a Call for Participation for the technology program is available online at www.angacom.de.

Key topics of ANGA COM 2022 include FTTH, DOCSIS 4.0, 10G, Wifi, Fixed Mobile Convergence, Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Services, OTT, AppTV, Video Streaming, Smart City and Smart Home.

Numerous leading technology vendors have already confirmed their stand bookings for the exhibition, including ASTRA, ASTRO Strobel, AVM, Berthold Sichert, BTV Multimedia, CommScope, DCT DELTA, Deutsche Glasfaser, Emtelle, gabo, Ocilion IPTV Technologies, Technetix, Vodafone and WISI Communications.

The broadband industry is facing a new spirit of optimism. Even after the pandemic – or precisely because of last year’s experience – the expansion of broadband networks is at the top of the agenda everywhere in Europe. In Germany, for example, with its more than 40 million households, network operators and a steadily growing number of international investors have announced an investment of many billions.

Event organizers says ANGA COM will take place at a date that allows sufficient lead time, given the dates of CES 2022 and the NAB Show, in mid-April in Las Vegas.

Legal and company travel restrictions are expected to be lifted by Spring 2022 at the latest, even with a current surge in COVID-19 cases across several German states.

Solid State Logic has confirmed that it will feature its new System T TE1 and TE2 Tempest Engines at IBC 2021, scheduled for December 3-6 at RAI Amsterdam.

The company’s new System T V3.1 software introduces pay-as-you-go licensing, while delivering enhanced third party device control on top of advanced AoIP routing technology at its core.

The new System T V3.1 software release enables operators using the new TE1 and TE2 Tempest Engines to flexibly scale processing capabilities according to their specific broadcast production requirements. Software licenses for five different processing packs, defined by the total number of mono All-Paths equivalent channels supported, from 85 to 800, are available to users as perpetual or short-term, time-based rental upgrades.

The new TE1 Tempest Engine supports Processing Pack 1 (140 paths) or 2 (256 paths) while the TE2 engine supports all five packs, from 140 to 800 paths at 48 kHz or 85 to 500 paths at 96 kHz. The TE1 is equivalent to the original T25 engine for System T, which offered a maximum of 256 paths, while the TE2 matches the previous 800-path T80 engine. The two new engines and five processing packs expand beyond those configurations to offer a wider variety of channel path capacities that align with a broader range of applications and budgets.

Additionally, the System T V3.1 software provides alerts and warnings as any processing pack license nears its expiration. The new SSL licensing platform enables users to retrieve licenses as required and seamlessly add them to their console systems.

The infrastructure supporting live productions is gradually changing from mainly SDI Video to IP networks. That’s a result of more computer-generated content, new IP cameras and other NDI or IP sources become commonplace.

As such, there’s a need to integrate a mix of SDI, HDMI and IP Video sources.

Broadcast Pix has responded.

It’s brought to market a new integrated production product, “MX Solution.”

The MX Hybrid features:

• 8 Network/IP + 3 SDI (HD/4K) + 1 HDMI/SDI/Analog inputs
• 4 (2 SDI + 2 NDI) Program and Aux assignable outputs
• 6 Keyers with DVEs and chromakey
• Remote “Browser-Based” and “Easy-To-Operate” User Interfaces
• GuestPix remote guest integration
• Integrated Chat and Intercom
• Enhanced macros to automate repetitive tasks and ensure consistency of production
• Built-in streaming, recording and audio mixing
• Hardware that fully supports 1080p/60 and 4K

“We are very pleased to announce MX Hybrid, the latest product in our range of easy-to-use live production solutions,” said Graham Sharp, CEO at Broadcast Pix. “The feature rich, future proof and flexible MX Hybrid will serve the production needs of government, broadcast, live events, and visual radio users – well into the future with its hybrid input configuration and video format agnostic support. We are offering competitive upgrades to existing users and coupled with our customer support packages, we are fulfilling our vow never to leave any customer behind.”

The MX Hybrid is now available to order for $19,995 MSRP and will begin shipping in late 2021.

Marketing analytics company LeadsRx’s LeadsRx Attribution product now supports multi-touch attribution (MTA) for national television commercials — including live, broadcast, and dual-feed cable programming.

The enhancement, says LeadsRx, “leads to greater accuracy in attribution results, which means buyers of TV advertising can better optimize their budgets and earn higher return on ad spend (ROAS).”

The new LeadsRx capability is available to provide support for national television spot logs that take into consideration the complexities of national advertising. The system automatically adjusts the time commercials air according to the type of feed, time zones, and daylight savings time considerations.

“Accurately measuring the impact of national television advertising has been a pain point for some time due to the existence of dual feeds,” said Adam Ortman, VP of Growth & Innovation at Generator Media + Analytics. “With this new methodology, LeadsRx is now able to better inform clients and help optimize their national TV ad budgets by providing a truer picture of TV’s impact across the country.”

Incorporating national television ads within analytics, such as MTA, is difficult due to the complexities of television. Commercials air at different times throughout the U.S. depending on whether ads are shown during live events (such as sports, concerts, etc.), on broadcast networks (such as the big three of ABC, CBS, and NBC), or on cable networks.

Adding to the complexity is the fact that some cable networks are shown live across the country, while others are aired twice a day (“dual-feed cable”), time zones are different, and some states (e.g., Arizona and Hawaii) do not switch to Daylight Savings Time.

National advertisers must take an analytic approach to understanding how various ad mediums are performing both as individual channels as well as in combination with other channels. The complexity surrounding national TV advertising compounds the issue of accurately measuring advertising effectiveness for brands that advertise across the country. The examples in this Nielsen Feed Pattern Guide shows just how confusing it can be to understand broadcast and dual-feed cable programming air times.

“By offering this solution, LeadsRx is using analytics to help national television advertisers and agencies representing advertisers to lower customer acquisition costs, increase customer lifetime value, and spot and eliminate wasted ad spend,” said AJ Brown, CEO and co-founder of LeadsRx. “Our customers have been clamoring for this kind of solution, and our team has worked hard to provide an MTA solution offering this capability.”

There is no extra charge to add the new feature, LeadsRx notes.

MadHive, described as “the enterprise software platform that powers modern media,” has a new Chief Product Officer.

Craig Berlingo will lead product strategy and development for MadHive’s suite of customizable ad tech software.

Prior to joining MadHive, Berlingo recently served as Head of Product at Telaria, where he grew the video exchange business from zero to $300+ million per year in gross revenue and oversaw the platform’s adoption by top tier publishers and partners such as Hulu, Sling, A&E, Cheddar, Pluto.tv, Adobe, Google, and The Trade Desk.

“There’s no question that advertising has reached an inflection point,” said Adam Helfgott, CEO at MadHive. “New policies from tech giants, a shifting regulatory environment, and the fragmentation of consumer attention across more devices and channels than ever are causing the entire industry to rethink how we target and measure advertising. Craig’s experience building billion dollar ad tech businesses will allow us to further accelerate our rapid growth trajectory as we push the industry forward.”

MadHive got its start helping the nation’s largest broadcasters transition to streaming. The company’s infrastructure-as-a-service offering currently powers local OTT reach extension for major broadcasters including Fox. The full-stack solution provides customizable tools to manage the entire campaign lifecycle, from the industry’s most accurate audience forecasting and targeting to cross-screen attribution against its proprietary OTT-first device graph. This holistic approach has led to adoption with agencies and DTC brands aiming to target more precise audiences beyond social media.

“MadHive has established itself as a leader in digital TV, with its end-to-end platform now powering efforts for both broadcasters and brands,” said Berlingo. “I’m looking forward to joining the team at this exciting time in the company’s growth, as we continue to scale the software that further simplifies how media is bought, sold, and measured across all devices and screens.”

Reaching over 2.7 million people each week, Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) is one of Australia’s most diverse entertainment companies, with audio and visual brands and content reaching Australians through radio, television and digital properties.

When it came time to build and flip the switch on a Network Operations Center for Commercial Radio, the first in Australia, SCA selected a U.S.-headquartered provider of resource management software to make it happen.

Specifically, SCA selected Xytech to deploy its flagship MediaPulse system for the operations center.

“Although we are still in the development process, there has already been a significant level of support from Xytech,” said Ben Fransman, Network Operations Manager at SCA. “Fully understanding the nature of our business, the team has been extremely helpful in outlining our goals for MediaPulse and working with us on addressing the complexities associated with this project.”

Southern Cross Austereo upgraded from ScheduALL to MediaPulse. This, Xytech says, was done to better provide stakeholders the ability to create bookings. The resource management solutions provided by Xytech’s MediaPulse “was exactly what we were looking for,” Fransman says.

The Network Operations Centre will manage work orders as well as confirm the booking and create the connection based on date, time and project collateral, including talent interviews, remote guests and cameras.

This is one of the first installed MediaPulse systems in Australia since the ScheduALL acquisition, said Greg Dolan of Xytech. “Everyone at Xytech is really excited to see the confidence Ben and his team have placed in us and MediaPulse,” he said. “Our Managing Director in Australia, Tanya Kelly was really instrumental in this transaction, and I know she’ll be a great partner to Sothern Cross for years to come.”

Closing is on target for December 1. Yet, Gray Television has wasted no time in announcing that “several” of its current local-level general managers will assume leadership positions at broadcast TV stations it is poised to acquire from Meredith Corporation and retain after the National Media arm is spun off to Barry Diller’s IAC.

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A “deluge of ads” from expanded legalized sports betting and the return of midterm political ad spending in 2022 are expected to aid U.S. broadcasters’ rebound from the
pandemic. But, that is inclusive of Television. How is radio shaping up?

Justin Nielson, a Senior Research Analyst for broadcast media at S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Kagan group is poised to deliver much insight on Tuesday (11/15) at Forecast 2022 in New York.

Ahead of the event, which you can still register for here, Nielsen offered some top-line takeaways for where Radio revenues will likely be in a year. Nielson’s key insight: Radio station business is expected to bounce back from the pandemic-induced recession, but with an important caveat.

“Expected growth of 6.2% to $15.75 billion in 2022 is still only a partial recovery given the deep 23% decline in 2020, with revenues falling to $13.68 billion,” Nielson says. “Radio ads are predominantly local and focused on the auto, retail, travel and entertainment categories, which were heavily impacted by the advertising pullback.”

Radio also must compete with “multiple” streaming and on-demand options for music and talk and is “hindered” by the new hybrid or permanent work-from-home economy, which has greatly reduced commuting hours during prime in-car radio time.

This counters Nielsen data (no relation to Justin Nielson) that suggest radio’s consumption recovery is all but complete from the depths of pandemic-induced quarantines.

Despite those headwinds, Nielson of Kagan points to radio’s “lower ad cost, local audience and relatively high return on investment compared to other media.”

This, Nielson says, should help Radio maintain its share of the U.S. advertising market.

The Delaware corporation headed by the former CEO of HC2 Holdings has struck again.

The Philip Falcone-led Sovryn Holdings has struck a deal that will see it add a digital Class A television station in a top DMA to its growing list of properties, pending FCC approval.

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In August 2012, the broadcast TV station ownership group and the direct broadcast satellite company were headed to a “blackout” due to an impasse on a retransmission consent agreement. It was averted.

In August 2015, negotiations went sour, and a “blackout” transpired — one that saw the DBS provider file a “good faith” complaint at the FCC against the broadcast company. Days later, however, an agreement was reached.

Three months ago, history was set to repeat itself. That didn’t happen. This morning, the companies ensured it won’t for a few more years.

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A full-service telecommunications company owned by Schurz Communications since 1968 has reached a multi-year agreement for local TV measurement.

It’s a deal that will see Nielsen’s data support the Western Maryland-based MVPD’s ability to determine the individual local performance of the cable networks that it represents and the audience that each network delivers.

At the same time, it is a tale of small MVPD divergence, as a rural Kentucky telecommunications company has opted to phase out its cable television services by handing it to Dish Network via a partnership agreement.

Inking the deal with Nielsen is Antietam Broadband, which serves customers in Washington County, Md., a part of the Washington, D.C. DMA that includes Hagerstown.

For Antietam, the Nielsen data give it the capability to price its inventory based on Nielsen local TV ratings data. For small and independent MVPDs, this could be crucial for continuing such services, rather than taking the road of the Kentucky MVPD.

Antietam Broadband Director of Media Services Tony Heaton cited Nielsen’s addition of Broadband Only (BBO) measurement. “We are also excited about Nielsen’s commitment to impressions in local TV, which will benefit not only us, but the entire industry,” he said.

Nielsen Local TV EVP/Managing Director Catherine Herkovic commented, “Antietam’s support and enthusiasm for impressions based buying further demonstrates this need across the industry, and we are looking forward to continuing to empower them with the insights that will enable them to go to the next level of advertiser effectiveness with their clients.”

The controversy over “net neutrality” advocate Gigi Sohn’s nomination to the FCC is the talk of Washington — and will be a key topic of discussion tomorrow at Forecast 2022.

As American Enterprise Institute (AEI) nonresident senior fellow Daniel Lyons sees it, these nomination battles could be less frequent — and less important — if the focus of legislative decision-making was shifted from agencies like the FCC back to Congress.

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Attention, broadcast TV station owners and managers: Streaming growth has stalled, and the fight for streamers is now to retain subscribers.

That’s the big takeaway from research released late last week by Kantar, which says this fight for retention will be heightened between now and the end of the year. Can broadcasters perhaps benefit from this, in particular with their digital multicast and/or OTT offerings?

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A Class B1 religious FM serving Williamsport, Pa., is being spun.

The buyer is another broadcast ministry presently serving audiences along New York’s Southern Tier, and to the west in the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. As such, this deal is a natural growth opportunity for the soon-to-be new owner.

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In another sign that the local cable TV provider is far from that in 2021, an ACA Connects member serving a Kentucky town of some 3,600 residents to the north of Knoxville, Tenn., has decided to cease offering cable television services to new customers.

For existing customers, they won’t be left without alternatives — thanks to a partnership with DISH Network.

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DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. — The 2022 New York Festivals® Radio Awards competition is now open for entries.

New York Festivals Radio Awards honors storytellers from around the globe. Since 1957 NYF has celebrated excellence and innovation across all genres and platforms, keeping pace with industry-wide developments and global trends.

“When we added nine categories for social justice content last year, radio producers and the global audio storytelling community responded with thought-provoking work,” said Rose Anderson, VP/Executive Director at New York Festivals Radio Awards. “This year, we are thrilled to announce the debut of our new trophy, the iconic NYF Tower in hand-polished Gold, Silver, and Bronze.”

2021 Social Justice medal winners included “Birds Eye View” (StoryProjects), “Racism Within” (SBS Australia), “Say Their Name” (DCP Entertainment), and “Bioneers Radio Series” (Bioneers).

To view the complete roster of 2022 Radio Awards categories, visit HERE.

2021 NYF Radio Grand Awards were I’m Not A Monster from BBC Panorama & FRONTLINE (BBC), The Hobbit, By J.R.R. Tolkien, Read by Andy Serkis (HarperCollins Publishers) and Weightless (DMC Studio Argentina). To view all the 2021 Radio Awards winners, visit HERE.

Molly Solomon, Executive Producer & President of NBC Olympics Production and Executive Producer for the Golf Channel received the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award.

The BBC earned the Broadcaster of the Year Award and TBI Media UK earned the title of Production Company of the Year.

Although the 2021 in-person NAB Show was cancelled due to pandemic quarantine restrictions, NYF pivoted with a 90-minute virtual ceremony Storytellers Gala featuring highlights and acceptances from 100 winning teams of men and women coming from their homes in 40+ countries.

The 2022 Storytellers Gala will take place at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 26, 2022. This is the twelfth year of NYF’s strategic partnership with NAB Show. All NYF Radio Award winners have access to the multi-day event which is the world’s largest global gathering for the media and entertainment industry.

For the second year in a row, New York Festivals welcomes JusticeAid, an organization that promotes justice through the arts and public engagement, as a partner.

The NYF Radio Awards receives entries from radio stations, networks, and independent producers from over 30 countries around the globe. The mission of the competition is to honor the achievements of the men and women who make up the global audio storytelling community. To view the 2021 winner’s Gallery, visit: HERE.

New York Festivals invites award-winning industry leaders from around the world to become members of their world-class Radio Awards Grand Jury. The 2022 Grand jury will be set in the coming months. Those jurors will include some of the most world’s recognizable voices and captivating content producers in the radio industry. Entries are judged on production values, organization, presentation of information, creativity, and use of the medium.

All Entries in the 2022 competition will be judged online by NYF’s Radio Awards Grand Jury of 200+ producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the Radio Awards winners gallery.

The deadline to enter the 2022 Radio Awards competition is February 9, 2022.

As RBR+TVBR first reported on Wednesday (11/10), Meredith Corporation‘s Board of Directors signed off on a stock distribution move that effectively signals the coming closing of its merger with Gray Television and the immediate spin-off of Meredith’s National Media arm to the Barry Diller-fronted IAC.

The move put the wheels in motion on what would be the deal’s closing date — assuming regulatory approval would come.

That assumption has proved to be correct.

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A Class B AM serving the Gateway City as a Sports Talker since April 1993 is changing hands.

The transaction has been in the works for months, and led to the August resignation of John Hadley as General Manager over “poor communication” between him and the incoming owner.

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A hybrid return to normalcy offers a brighter outlook for film and broadcast station advertising, while posing challenges to momentum for subscription streaming, broadband and global pay TV amid persistent semiconductor supply constraints.

That’s according to the just-released 2022 Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) Outlook from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

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