Radio+Television Business Report

In year’s past, April was the month where the media industry gathered in Las Vegas for the NAB Show. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, that last happened in 2019.

While a NAB Show is planned for October 2021, a digitally delivered “NAB Show Premiere” kicked off Monday as a forum for innovation and discussion hub for radio and TV station owners in continuous transition as local digital nibbles away at ad dollars and localism’s balance with budget realities continues to create challenges for some broadcast companies.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Spring is here, and with the housing market on fire in locales as diverse as Ulster County, N.Y. and Palm Beach County, Fla., the need for new furniture is growing.

One retailer is using spot television to court these potential customers.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

It boasts 6,000 watts of power, and provides “Today’s Best Music” to communities due west of Midland, Mich.

Now, it is trading hands, and Norm McKee and Michael Chires are the two individuals tied to the buyer.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

PSAs and podcast promotion, along with iHeartRadio content plugs, permeate the latest Spot Ten Radio report from iHeart-owned Media Monitors.

What brands stick about in-between all of those efforts? Indeed, there’s a big return for the nation’s largest do-it-yourself home improvement chain.

That’s The Home Depot, which storms back into the Spot Ten this week thanks to nearly 41,000 spot plays, as detected by Media Monitors.

Otherwise, job search site Indeed is in power mode, with nearly 56,500 spot plays seen as the employment market is heating up, based on RBR+TVBR monitors.

Also of note: Progressive trumps GEICO in the auto insurance category once again.

 

First, it was a branding agreement via a long-term licensing deal.

Now, Bally’s Corporation has signaled its ready affirm an additional accord with Sinclair Broadcast Group that makes it a key content collaboration partner for the regional sports networks formerly owned by FOX.

And, you’ll never guess who offered comments in his role as Bally’s Corp. Board Chairman. That would be the man who seeks greater control of TEGNA.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON FACEBOOK!

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

MIAMI — A pocketful of legal knowledge crafted in the Sunshine State has just landed at the NAB.

With a J.D. from Florida International University’s College of Law in Miami and degrees from Orlando’s University of Central Florida, this woman has just joined the office of Government Relations at the U.S. media industry’s biggest lobbying association.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Hispanic consumers are gaining more confidence in the nation’s economic outlook and their own finances as COVID-19 vaccines become widely available and government support helps hard-hit households recover from the devastating pandemic.

That’s according to new research from Florida Atlantic University.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The permitee and owner of five low-power television station construction permits has opted to sell them instead of moving forward with getting the properties up and running itself.

The result? David Lampel is getting a check from an individual largely known for his role as the head of Edge Spectrum.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, is growing its audience every week, with fresh episodes each Tuesday and Thursday.

In fact, there are 108 podcasts available for you to enjoy. And, it’s never been easier to tune in, thanks to our new embedded player at RBR.com!

From our latest episode, featuring Andy Whatley of Instreamatic to our acclaimed chat with Rich Stern, at TuneIn, there’s definitely something to enjoy — and learn from.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR ENTIRE MENU OF EPISODES, AND ENJOY!

The first full week of April 2021 ended with up-and-down activity across the broadcast media landscape, as Audacy enjoyed its first day with a new ticker symbol by gaining ground.

For companies such as ViacomCBS however, the pain for short-term investors continues.

Audacity’s opening day saw the former ETM rise 13 cents to $5.16.

Other gainers include Saga Communications, up 10 cents to $21, and Gray Television, rising 23 cents to $19.63.

ViacomCBS’s woes continued Friday, as Peter Dunn and David Friend are officially out at CBS Television Stations. The closing price: $41.88, off 41 cents.

Other decliners include Salem Media Group, shedding 26 cents to $2.50.

 

The FCC on Friday established a formal pleading cycle that will allow public comment in response to iHeartMedia‘s request to win Commission approval for greater foreign ownership and non-U.S. investment.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Two top television broadcast executives will be joined by a key radio industry leader as the centerpiece of the opening session of NAB Show Premiere — a virtually delivered event scheduled for the midday hours, Eastern Time, on Monday.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON TWITTER!

 

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

After two decades at the helm of a highly influential ABC affiliate that has long played a pivotal role in presidential elections, as the host of debates ahead of the New Hampshire primary, the President and GM of this Hearst Television property will soon retire.

This puts the wheels in motion on the search for a new leader at WMUR-9 in Manchester, N.H.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

And, just like that, 53 years of history crafted largely by Joseph Field disappeared with the push of a button as the New York Stock Exchange commenced its April 9, 2021 trading session.

Entercom Communications, which last week changed its corporate identity to Audacy and is in the process of transitioning its Radio.com brand to Audacy, officially said goodbye to its “ETM” ticker symbol. With that symbolic Opening Bell opportunity, a new era officially begins for Field’s son, President/CEO David Field.

The virtual appearance by Field’s C-Suite members as trading began followed a 30-minute interview on Clubhouse with Entercom CMO Paul Suchman, conducted by Radio Ink Editor Ed Ryan, that saw Suchman share details about how the name change to Audacy came to be.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Jeffrey Wlodarczak, a Principal and the Entertainment/Interactive Subscription Services Analyst for top Wall Street investment house Pivotal Research Group, this week took a deep dive into the NBCUniversal component of media giant Comcast.

Wlodarczak conducted the review as part of an assessment of NBC’s “mostly” new reporting format. His report card shows that a “likely significantly rebounding NBC” — along with “healthy” cable EBITDA growth, despite the multitude of cord-cutting tales — will fuel Comcast share growth.

As such, he raised his target price on Comcast.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Meet Erica Mandy. Today Erica is running a multiple six-figure podcast business and taking home more money than she made working for KCBS-2 and KCAL-9 in Los Angeles.

She is also now one of the most successful podcasters in the space.

You can hear Erica’s story of how she became a successful podcaster and how she’s making money doing what she loves at “How to Make Real Money Podcasting.”

After 10 years in broadcast journalism, which culminated with a job in the second-largest news market in the country, Mandy had heard from too many people that news felt overly depressing, time-consuming, and biased, and she wanted to try to help solve those problems.

She took a big career risk by quitting her TV job and starting a new podcast.

In 2017 Erica left CBS Los Angeles and launched her podcast The NewsWorthy. The 10-minute short-form daily podcast combines Erica’s love for news with her upbeat and positive delivery style.

In addition to being available on all podcast platforms, Erica sends out her daily news podcast by e-mail to subscribers by 4 a.m. The podcast is accompanied by a professionally written and well-sourced daily newsletter that details the national stories Erica covers in the podcast.

The NewsWorthy has been written up by Fast Company, Harper’s Bazaar,  WWD, and  The Penny Hoarder. It’s also been featured in Apple Podcast’s New & Noteworthy. And, in 2020 Erica went over the 10 million download mark. Listen and subscribe to The NewsWorthy HERE.

Mandy says, “I’m grateful we’ve been able to grow our audience and team into a sustainable business and podcast because it allows us to continue doing what we love: providing real value to our listeners on a daily basis. Our main motivation is hearing from listeners who feel less anxiety about the news, who voted for the first time, or who are having better, more informed conversations with friends, families, and co-workers. It makes all the risks and hard work over the last few years worthwhile, and we’re excited for continued growth and expansion in the future.”

Register now for “How to Make Real Money Podcasting,” July 13-15.

The event features one-on-one interviews with Mandy and other podcasters who are making REAL money podcasting. They will tell you how they’re making money and show you how you can make money. They will share their SECRETS with you to help you develop a successful and money-making  podcasting strategy.

See our full agenda HERE.
Check out our speakers HERE.

Register Now.

The agenda is up. The speakers are set. Are you ready to make money? Streamline Publishing’s co-owned Podcast Business Journal and Radio Ink Magazine are teaming up to help you maximize the revenue potential from your podcasting strategy.

Podcasting revenue has become a significant and profitable contributor to many big media corporations. By all projections, that pot of revenue is expected to become larger and larger over the next five years. Even during the pandemic podcasting was strong.

There are ways to generate revenue without hiring a huge team of writers, producers and Hollywood stars.

And for three days in July, you’ll get the opportunity to learn how.

Our conference website is up HERE.
Our agenda is set HERE.
We will be conducting one-on-one interviews with hosts and companies who are making REAL money. See who we have lined up already HERE.

Be one of the first to register HERE so you are ready to make money in July.

Are you eligible for costs incurred from your broadcast TV station’s “repack” move and still need cash from the U.S. Government to help pay those bills?

The FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force and the Media Bureau remind you that filing deadlines to submit all of your remaining invoices will commence soon.

Translation: Stop procrastinating!

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

To the southwest of Corpus Christi, Tex., is Falfurrias, home to a Class B AM that has been owned and operated by a New Jersey-based Hispanic broadcast ministry since fall 2019.

Now, Erick Salgado is saying goodbye to this station.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

On Wednesday (4/7), ViacomCBS confirmed that Peter Dunn, who led the CBS O&Os, and news division leader David Friend will not return to their positions and will be exiting the company.

Dunn’s attorney on Thursday issued a statement that clarifies Dunn’s departure from ViacomCBS.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)