Radio+Television Business Report

It’s a 6kw Class A serving a small Alaskan city accessible to Anchorage only by a 75-minute flight.

Pending FCC approval, it will be soon owned by Strait Media. 

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The owner of the KLOVE and Air1 Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) noncommercial networks wanted a big FM between San Antonio and Victoria, Tex.

The company that owns this FM said OK — so long as it could get an asset in a Top 30 market it’s been leasing in return.

Educational Media Foundation agreed. As such, Alpha Media is gaining another FM signal in its home market.

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Using a “three-pronged valuation approach,” MoffettNathanson sliced the target price of The Walt Disney Co.’s share price by ten percent.

On a tough day for Wall Street, the decision couldn’t have come at a worse time for DIS, which fell by 5.1% in average trading on Monday.

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The owner of the TV One and Cleo cable TV networks, and the Radio One and Reach Media audio content creation and distribution arms, now has the freedom to engage in some significant stock buybacks — should it elect to do so over the next two years.

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Ralph Oakley will be making perhaps one final appearance in his role as head of a broadcast television company now part of the Gray Television family.

The now-retired President/CEO of Quincy Media, Inc., ranked in 2021 as one of Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders by RBR+TVBR readers, will be joined by Byron Allen; the now-retired EVP of Media Relations at the NAB; and two radio industry executives as a Leadership Award honoree at the 2022 Broadcasters Foundation of America breakfast.

The event, which is traditionally held during the NAB Show in Las Vegas, makes it return after a three-year absence on Wednesday, April 27 — bright and early at 7am Pacific.

Among the other honorees — now-retired NAB EVP/Media Relations Dennis Wharton; Katz Radio Group‘s President, Christine Travaglini; and Pierre Bouvard, the Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus Media and former longtime Arbitron EVP.

The five honorees include those previously announced in 2021, prior to the cancellation of the 2021 NAB Show.

The Broadcasters Foundation is the only charity devoted exclusively to providing financial aid to broadcasters in acute need from critical illness, accident, or serious misfortune, and the breakfast held during the NAB Show is complimentary to all in broadcasting.

During the Breakfast, the Broadcasters Foundation will also present the Lowry Mays Excellence in Broadcasting Award. It is bestowed on an individual whose work in broadcasting exemplifies innovation, community service, advocacy, and entrepreneurship.

Who’s the recipient? Gordon Smith, the now-former NAB head and ex-U.S. Senator from Oregon, who is now a special advisor to the association.

While the Breakfast is complimentary to all in broadcasting, pre-registration is required.

To register or to reserve a page in the Program Guide, broadcasters can visit www.broadcastersfoundation.org/leadershipbreakfast.

Sponsors for the 2022 event include AccuRadio, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), National Association of Media Brokers (NAMB), Nielsen, Premiere Networks, Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB), USTrust and vCreative.

The mission of the Broadcasters Foundation of America is to improve the quality of life and maintain the personal dignity of men and women in the radio and television broadcast profession who find themselves in acute need. The Foundation reaches out across the country to identify and provide an anonymous safety net in cases of critical illness, advanced age, death of a spouse, accident, and other serious misfortune. The Broadcasters Foundation of America is a 501(c)3 Public Charity and has been rated 100 from Charity Navigator for solid financial health and received full credit for its program to expense ratio.

As RBR+TVBR first reported in December 2021, Craig Karmazin-led Good Karma Brands agreed to pay $15 million to The Walt Disney Company for WEPN-AM 1050 in New York, KSPN-AM 710 in Los Angeles and two-year LMA partner WMVP-AM 1000 in Chicago. Additionally, it is acquiring Disney’s LMA agreement with Emmis Communications that has allowed WEPN to simulcast on 98.7 MHz in New York.

Now, GKB has revealed who will lead the New York and L.A. stations under new ownership.

Sam Pines, Senior Vice President of GKB, will be ESPN Los Angeles’ Market Manager.

Former ESPN Audio Senior Director of Sales Vinny DiMarco has joined GKB and will serve as ESPN New York Market Manager.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have both Sam and Vinny in their respective roles,” said Craig Karmazin (pictured, top left), the founder and CEO of Milwaukee-based Good Karma Brands. “Sam has distinguished himself as a leader both inside and outside the company, and will bring creativity and take a relationship-focused and marketing savvy approach to ESPN Los Angeles. Vinny’s background at ESPN New York and his relationships within New York City and throughout both Good Karma and ESPN make him a well-liked and respected leader who will keep teammates, advertising partners and our fans at the forefront of all that we do and achieve.”

Pines joined Good Karma Brands in 2000. Since 2006, he has led ESPN Cleveland as a Market Manager and Sales Manager.

“I’m excited to be part of the team at ESPN 710,” Pines said. “It’s rare that an opportunity comes along where we can invest our resources in a place that has such a well-established foundation of great local sports talk, significant play by play rights, including the 18-time champion Lakers, the Super Bowl Champion Rams, LAFC and the Angels, and the power and reach of ESPN’s digital assets. I’m looking forward to bringing a marketing-first approach to working with advertisers to such a great city and sports community.”

At ESPN, DiMarco managed multi-market, multi-platform sales across ESPN radio affiliates, and oversaw emerging categories, including sports betting and crypto-currency. He started his ESPN career at ESPN New York as GSM.

“After working closely with GKB for so many years, inside Disney/ESPN, I’m thrilled to join the team and return to my roots in the local NY market,” DiMarco said. “98.7 ESPN and 1050 ESPN’s collection of assets is second to none. Our on-air talent is among the best in the business, and they resonate with every NY sports fan. Add to that our play-by-play partnerships with the Jets, Knicks, Rangers and Islanders and you have some of the most compelling content in all of Sports. For our advertising partners, our multi-channel offerings, including ESPN Digital media, provide impactful marketing opportunities with best-in-class service and execution. I’m very excited for the future of ESPN New York and our partners.”

Salem Media Group will hold its annual stockholders meeting at its principal executive offices, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, on the first Wednesday in May.

The announcement comes on a day when the company’s shares were dipping from a three-year high on Wall Street.

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Its brand has been battered and bruised from a fictional HBO Max series that saw the death of “Mr. Big.” Layoffs came, and sales plummeted.

It hasn’t been great of late for Peloton. Now, a spot cable effort is being used to revive the home cycling athletic brand.

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He’s been associated with a Hearst Communications heritage Rock n’ Roll radio station serving “Charm City” for eight years and has a resume that includes roles at Saga Communications and a top-level role at former WMXJ/Miami and WQSR/Baltimore owner Sconnix Broadcasting. 

Now, this veteran radio industry figure who once served as OM of WIP/Philadelphia and Station Manager of WBZ-AM in Boston has decided to say “Good Morning Baltimore” to his staff one final time come March 31.

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A well-known Netherlands-based provider of broadcast software products to radio and television companies has agreed to suspend all of its operations in Russia.

The decision was sparked by the ongoing war in Ukraine, which saw the Russian military destroy the main broadcast communications tower in Kyiv, the nation’s capital.

Raoul Wedel, CEO of Wedel Software, confirmed via LinkedIn on Friday that his company will be putting a halt to all of its Russian operations. “Today’s news out of Tsjernihiv and Borodyanka is heartbreaking and are all war crimes,” Wedel said of Russian military incidents that prompted him to stop his company’s activities in Russia. “No company, person or organization should financially support a regime deliberately killing innocent civilians.”

Roughly 20 employees are impacted. “We are sad that the freedoms promised in the 90s did not prevail,” Wedel added.

Via e-mail communication, Wedel confirmed to Weekly Tech Roundup that his company has had a portion of its research and development in Russia for eight years. Interestingly, prior to that it was in Ukraine, for five years. “I have been in the region many times and have many friends an connections there,” he said. “The decision was on one hand heartbreaking, and on the other hand I feel we have no choice. People must unite against these war crimes. We have employees in Donetsk, Rostov on Don, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. None of them support this war and they are just trying to provide for their families. One is actually emigrating because he does not want to pay taxes to the government.”

Wedel notes that the decision will not impact his company in the short term. But, he added, “We will need to regroup our R&D in the near future. Even if the war were to end soon, the country will remain unstable and sanctioned as long as Putin is in power. I hope this story will make more companies consider cutting all their ties with Russia.”

An AM/FM pair serving a small city due north of Amarillo is being spun. The deal value includes the studio building and land, station equipment and the broadcast tower.

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It’s another steady-as-she-goes week for advertisers using national radio to reach consumers.

That said, a popular heritage convenience store chain is now in the Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report … and it’s a place we paid $3.59 a gallon for gasoline while visiting St. Petersburg, Fla., on Friday.

Our shout-out goes to Circle K, which has a formidable footprint of quick-mart and fill-up sites across the U.S. With 7 Eleven stores expanding of late and competition in Florida from Philadelphia-area legend WAWA, the convenience store category is hot.

Furthermore, as Mintel research conducted in 2011 shows, African Americans overindex in their frequency and purchasing of goods at convenience stores, compared to the total population. This hasn’t changed today, giving the category a unique opportunity at Radio, given the R&B and hip-hop formats that make FM a prime listener destination in markets with a sizable Black population.

Overall, Circle K is No. 10 on the latest Spot Ten Radio report. It’s the lone new entrant, as Indeed remains the big No. 1 and both Progressive and Babbel continue their strong use of spot radio. In particular, Babbel spots were heard Saturday evening on WWLL-FM in Sebring, Fla., and have been heard on stations in Cambria, Calif.

This illustrates the continued importance of national radio in a media mix, and how brands can capitalize on reaching unique audiences in non-rated markets.

Online presentations can be a drag. But you can change that, says “Zoom expert” and veteran public relations executive Rosemary Ravinal.

“How you open can make a huge difference in your ability to hold attention and make your content memorable,” she says. “Your opening can determine how much interest the audience will show later. The first few sentences you speak must capture their attention and arouse enthusiasm and curiosity. You need to make them understand that what you are about to say is important to them because at the heart of any audience is their own self-interest.”

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If there was any doubt that Entravision Communications’ revenue is, today, being driven by its digital assets, it has officially been erased thanks to the company’s just-released Q4 2021 earnings report.

The company’s digital business, now global in scale, fueled growth in the final three months of 2021 and for the entire fiscal year. In fact, it comprises 73% of Entravision’s net revenue.

How did the company’s radio and television divisions, which superserve U.S. Hispanics consumers, perform?

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That’s a question MMTC’s President Emeritus and Senior Advisor David Honig, President/CEO Robert Branson and Tech and Telecom Policy Counsel Danielle Davis asked, among others pertaining to Equal Employment Opportunity, during a March 1 Zoom call with members of the FCC.

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A 3kw Class A FM serving the Fort Walton Beach and Destin areas of Northwest Florida is being sold by its court-appointed receiver.

The station is presently a part of “The Ticket Sports Network.”

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Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, the 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of female leadership in radio broadcasting, has opened the application window for the 2022 Mildred Carter Mentoring Program.

Established in 2002, MIW’s heritage annual mentoring initiative connects mentees with accomplished women recognized as leaders, mentors, and game-changers within all aspects of radio broadcasting.

Four candidates from the radio broadcasting industry – within the sales, marketing, programming, and digital disciplines – will be selected for the 2021 program.

For mentee criteria and instructions on how to apply, please visit https://miw.secondstreetapp.com/MC-Mentor-App-2022/

The deadline to apply is March 21, 2022.

Beasley Media Group CEO Caroline Beasley commented, “It is a privilege to be part of an outstanding initiative which reflects the values of our company in nurturing, supporting, and promoting the advancement of women to senior positions in the radio industry.”

Karina Cerda, EVP of Marketing & Insights for Entravision Communications, added, “We are very honored to join MIW Radio Group’s mission to champion the professional growth of women executives in our industry through the Mildred Carter Mentoring Program. Entravision is very passionate about encouraging, empowering, and supporting our future female leaders and we look forward to doing our part in spotlighting the merit of this vital program.”

Broadcasting, digital media and publishing revenue was up. And, total operating expenses were down. The result?

Salem Media Group’s Q4 net income roared ahead, year-over-year.

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He has his three FM stations back, for now. And, he continues to operate a Class B AM with 1kw during daylight hours from 2 towers and 300 watts at night from 3 towers.

Royce International Broadcasting, led by Ed Stolz, still faces the very real possibility of no longer operating the FMs he successfully wrestled back from court-appointed receiver Larry Patrick as part of a separate bankruptcy filing in a Nevada federal court.

All this time, the AM, serving Las Vegas, was immune to headlines and attention. The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau just changed that.

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Network radio programmer United Stations, radio station owner Audacy Corp., and AccuWeather have extended — and expanded — their three-way partnership. It is thanks to a new, multi-year agreement that provides for the continuation of AccuWeather’s services on existing Audacy affiliates.

The new deal adds 14 Audacy stations to the list of AccuWeather outlets — including FM stations in New York, Detroit, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Memphis, and Buffalo.

Additionally, AccuWeather, Audacy and United Stations collaborated on the creation of the newly introduced “Social Plus” service as well as the “AccuWeather Weather Protection Plan.” Both are expanded weather services that provide affiliates access to weather forecasts and expert reporting from AccuWeather meteorologists before, during and after severe weather events along with social media posts on the affiliates’ social media platforms. These additional AccuWeather services and the enhancements that they bring to each affiliate were “key ingredients” in the renewal process as well as important components to fulfill the needs of Audacy’s FM stations.

In marking the renewal and expansion of the three-way partnership, Fred Bennett, Senior Vice President of Revenue Analytics and Networks at Audacy Corp., said, “Our local radio station brands are deeply embedded in each of their communities, and this partnership helps us solidify our commitment to delivering the kinds of information that they depend on and trust.”

AccuWeather’s Ken Prehl added, “Developing new and creative ways of delivering the best weather forecasts, warnings and data around is always energizing, but it becomes extra compelling when we are helping legendary radio stations continue to fulfill their fundamental roles as broadcasters. Weather is still ‘lean in’ content, and we are extremely excited and proud to extend this important partnership.”

United Stations Chief Revenue Officer Greg Janoff commented, “Our job is to bring together great content, essential services and the most powerful brands in radio so that our marketing partners are in the most impactful environment possible. When you are talking about brands like WINS, WCBS-AM, WBBM, and WWJ it’s an impressive universe, and now that we are adding major market FM stations to the mix, it’s a milestone moment for everyone involved.”