Industry News

Until now, opposition to President Biden’s choice to take the fifth seat on the Federal Communications Commission, Gigi Sohn, was expected to get vocal opposition from Republican members of the U.S. Senate.

Now, one key GOP leader in the upper body of Congress has voiced his opposition to the nomination of the acting Chairwoman to serve a new five-year term, setting the stage for a potentially unthinkable scenario — a 2-1 Republican majority at the FCC during a Democratic presidential term.

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A Class B FM once known for its rock ‘n’ roll programming and today offering South Asians an audio home as “Bolly 92.3” has become the first radio station in the U.S. to broadcast geo-targeted advertising.

It’s perhaps the first step in convincing marketers that broad-casting isn’t so broad, after all, and can bring addressable advertising to the FM radio dial, in addition to streaming audio.

RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION: There’s a song that’s more than 40 years old called “Video Killed The Radio Star.” How about an update called “Marketers Killed The Radio Business.” Why? Broadcasters offer a broad array of consumers, putting one single message in the ears of thousands of potential buyers. Is that not worth anything in 2021?

 

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Is the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 a worry Wall Street need not push to much focus on? On Monday, that answer appeared to be a “yes,” as financial markets were up broadly.

Media stocks rode the wave upward. But, 3 notable decliners were seen.

Nexstar Media Group shares slipped by 1% on Monday, to $152.42, while Entravision shares declined by 2.6%, to $7.01. Also down: Cumulus Media, dipping by 1.4% to $11.83.

How did other stocks fare on Monday? Please visit the RBR.com homepage to view our Wall Street Report.

Recently, Good Karma Brands promoted Sam Pines to a corporate-level role of SVP. This left the top leadership spot open in Cleveland, where it operates the market’s ESPN Radio affiliate.

Pines’ successor in the market has now been named.

Rising to the post is Amy Crossman. She was previously the Director of Sales & Marketing for the Sports Talk station.

Pines said, “Amy embodies Good Karm Brands’ core values and takes a marketing first approach for our fans, advertising partners and teammates. She directly impacted our growth during a difficult and unique two years. I am excited for the future of ESPN Cleveland and our continued growth with Amy as Market Manager.”

Crossman added, “I appreciate the trust Sam Pines and the Good Karma Brands’ leadership team has put in me to lead and continue to grow a legacy brand. ESPN Cleveland has a passionate fanbase, loyal advertising partners and a dedicated team that we will continue to build in 2021 and beyond.”

Crossman joined ESPN Radio in Cleveland in October 2019, and for 19 months prior to that was Director of Partnership at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. A 25-year veteran of marketing, Crossman has worked at Men’s Health, Time, The New York Times, Crain’s New York Business, PARADE Group, and as a director for Momentum Worldwide’s top B2B account, American Express OPEN.

On Wednesday, December 1, the legal counsel representing the trustee for two FM radio stations in Florida Cox Media Group is required to sell in order to comply with FCC local ownership rules spoke by phone with the head of the Media Bureau.

Why? Media Bureau Chief Michelle Carey wants answers as to the necessary steps for the “CXR Radio Station Trust,” led by Houlihan Lokey broker Elliot Evers, to complete an “orderly process” of divesting the two radio stations.

Does this point to a capitulation with respect to Cox’s request that it get up to one year to sell the FMs, on the basis that the COVID-19 pandemic deflated their valuations and a rise in value could come in the next 12 months?

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) elected three experienced media executives to serve on the ATSC Board of Directors for three-year terms that begin in January 2022.

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On Dec. 2, Croatian media regulator Agencija za Elektroničke Medije (AEM) announced plans to consider applications for national DAB+ concessions, as well as local DAB+ concessions in Zagreb and nine counties. Applications for the 20-year concessions are due by year-end.

According to a report in the newspaper Glas Istre, AEM believes there is public interest in launching new digital radio services, especially in the Zagreb region, despite the low number of DAB+ receivers in the country.

Comment on this or any article. Write to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Croatia Opens DAB+ Licensing appeared first on Radio World.

A new partnership between Triton Digital and Pocket FM will give media buyers additional access to the digital audio space in India.

The agreement will make Pocket FM’s OTT platform — a free podcast app and audio show that has grown into the largest audio OTT platform in India, the company said — available on the Triton Audio Ad exchange, giving buyers access to Pocket FM’s inventory through more than 30 demand size platforms via Triton.

According to the company, Pocket FM has become a top-ranking music and audio app, clocking in more than 40 million downloads and 2.7 billion monthly listening minutes. Listeners have access to more than 100,000 hours of programming via long-format content, audio shows, stories, novels and podcasts in eight languages through Pocket FM.

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Through the partnership, the companies said, Pocket FM media buyers will have access to Triton’s Yield-Op capability, an audio-first supply-side platform built for broadcasters, podcasters and music streaming services. Yield-Op offers users controls to set up deals, manage demand and optimize yield. Users will also have access to Triton’s Tap OnDemand, which enables streaming audio services and web-only audio publishers to streamline advertising trafficking and maximize revenue with dynamic audio ad insertion (DAI) as well as coordinate campaign trafficking, delivery and reporting.

“Consumption has grown significantly over the past 24 months, making digital audio an important medium for marketers seeking to reach this engaged and growing audience,” said Aditya Summanwar, director of market development for Triton Digital, adding that 57.6 million people in India as of 2020 were consuming podcasts on a monthly basis. “That makes India the third largest country for podcast consumption, following the U.S. and China,” Summanwar said.

Rohan Nayak, co-founder and CEO of Pocket FM, said that the new partnership with Triton Digital will offer media buyers and publishers a deeper look into validated measurement of India’s growing digital audio consumption market. “In the coming months, Pocket FM intends to achieve 100 million users and introduce more genres on the platform, building the largest community of writers, artists and homegrown authors in India,” Nayak said.

Submit business announcements to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Triton Digital, Pocket FM Ink Partnership appeared first on Radio World.

The newest version of the Global Radio Guide is out.

Penned by author Gayle Van Horn, this edition of the publication lists by-hour schedules that include language services, frequencies and world target areas for more than 500 stations. The guide includes listings of DX radio programs, websites, entries for time and frequencies for many stations as well as a group of unique transmissions available on shortwave radio bands.

The guide includes articles that look at the current state of shortwave receiver technology, technology product reviews, a guide to shortwave music programs from around the world, and current radio news.

In this issue, Van Horn delves into covering the radio broadcast services of the People’s Republic of China, looking at the local, regional and international medium-wave and shortwave networks run by China’s Communist Party, including the country’s largest and most widely broadcast radio station, China Radio International.

The 17th edition also includes introductory articles on traveling the world via shortwave radio broadcasts, tips on monitoring shortwave action bands and a frequency list of high-frequency non-broadcast radio stations worldwide.

The current edition of the Global Radio Guide is available on the Teak Publishing website and via Amazon.

The post Newest Edition of Global Radio Guide Hits the Streets appeared first on Radio World.

 

Work is done on a 3.8-meter single-feed antenna aimed at satellite SES-11. This particular facility in Christmas, Fla., supports a Hearst Properties site for WESH(TV).

USSI Global said it has helped satellite company SES complete the first phase of the FCC’s accelerated C-band clearing and relocation activities.

As part of the FCC’s program to encourage the rollout of 5G, SES is seeking to clear 280 MHz of the C-band spectrum. Broadcasters with satellite infrastructure are among the business sectors that have been affected by the overall process, as Radio World has reported.

“Phase I required SES to relocate all of its existing services that are received by Incumbent Earth Stations out of the 3700–3820 MHz band,” USSI Global stated in a press release. “USSI Global made the necessary equipment changes on all associated Incumbent Earth Stations.”

SES selected USSI Global as its primary vendor to help manage and execute the transition of Incumbent Earth Station filtering to mitigate risks of 5G interference.

“USSI Global served as the lead project management firm and was responsible for outreach, IT systems integration, field support management and status reporting.”

The work included research about site-specific details, and then design, procurement, installation and commissioning of 5G filters and antennas. USSI Global supported approximately 600 Phase 1 Incumbent Earth Station site transitions, which helped SES meet eligibility for the first accelerated relocation payment from the government.

The company said it also has supported the clearing of more than 100 Phase II sites so far.

The post USSI Global Supports SES in C-Band Transition appeared first on Radio World.