In May 2011, Educational Media Foundation agreed to purchase a Class C3 FM licensed to Okeene, Oklahoma. Its ownership of the property was short-lived, as it later saw for-profit FMI Media and non-profit Libertad En Cristo Ministries obtain ownership of this station.
Most recently, it was poised to become a Highway 64 Media-owned property. Now, that’s not going to happen.
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The founder and CEO of Diya TV, serving South Asian consumers, has been active in recent weeks for his agreements to purchase low-powered TV stations in various locales across the U.S.
His latest deal will put him in the middle of the biggest DMA in America.
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In early November 2020, the No. 1 audio media company in the U.S. received an affirmative Declaratory Ruling from the FCC in response to its request to increase its authorized aggregate foreign ownership from 25% to 100%.
With the decision by the Pai Commission, iHeartMedia gained the ability to become fully foreign-owned, should it choose to go that route.
That’s not likely, but a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing getting lots of coverage in the British press confirms iHeart ownership has just gone “Global” — sort of.
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A pair of South Dakota TV stations are being spun to a broadcast ministry — a deal brokered by Kalil & Co. that fully transitions a property (and its full-time satellite partner) that had been one of the original FOX network affiliates.
In fact, the sale was greatly influenced by Gray Television‘s 2020 acquisition of the intellectual property associated with that 33-year-old broadcast station.
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Here’s something you may find weird: The time spent watching television increased across 2020. Yet, eMarketer analysis finds, viewership “plummeted” last year.
The data suggest television was punished by COVID-19 in very much the same way broadcast Radio was.
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The Digital Division of Nexstar Inc., a subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group, has selected from within to fill the newly created role of Chief Revenue Officer and EVP of Revenue Operations.
At the same time, new SVPs of local and national digital sales, respectively, have been named by Nexstar Digital.
Now in the CRO seat is Lori Tavoularis.
She reports to Nexstar Digital President Karen Brophy and will oversee all revenue-related functions including national, local and programmatic sales and digital marketing services.
Brophy said of Tavoularis, “Lori has the expertise and business acumen to allow us to build new digital offerings and bring top-tier advertising solutions to clients.”
Tavoularis first joined Nexstar in June 2019, overseeing digital revenue and operations. Before that, she served as the as the Head of Supply for the Global Advertising Business at Rakuten. Before that, Tavoularis was SVP of Digital Revenue and Operations for Tribune Publishing, where she oversaw all of the company’s digital revenue operations.
Tavoularis commented, “We have a tremendous foothold both locally and nationally, reaching 116 unique markets in the United States. I look forward to building on that foothold in partnership by developing and enhancing our product offerings.”
Helping Tavoularis are Jennifer Scilabro, who takes the role of SVP of Local Digital Sales, and Wil Danielson, who becomes SVP of National Digital Sales.
Scilabro, whose maiden name is Jennifer Guerrieri, was VP of Sales Enablement at Cleveland-based Harvest ROI, a sales-focused HubSpot Platinum Solutions Partner.
Danielson previously served as the Digital Division’s Head of Revenue and Client Success, overseeing sales, operations and fulfillment.
A division of FOX Entertainment paving an advertiser-based video-on-demand (AVOD) platform for the company is expanding its news content.
To accomplish this, it is partnering with four broadcast TV station ownership groups, which have agreed to provide live local news feeds.
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Borrell Associates on Thursday (2/11) released the second in a series of reports that examine 2021 spending plans for a dozen different types of local ad buyers.
This 14-page analysis, drawn from a survey of 373 local businesses that buy TV ads, shifts focus to Broadcast TV Advertisers.
What are they planning as the pandemic subsides? What’s their uptake of TV’s targeted competitor/ally, streaming video?
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Robin Szabo has served as President of Szabo Associates since 2006. If you’ve never heard of this company, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, go chat with your CFO or the collections department!
Szabo Associates began life as a media collection services operation in 1971. Why? Was Radio plagued with a collection of deadbeats?
That’s just one of the questions Robin answers in this latest InFOCUS Podcast, presented by DOT.FM.
The start of the comment period for a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on a bold plan to modify the FCC‘s rules governing the operation of FM booster stations by radio broadcasters has come.
And, it saw the company behind ZoneCasting state its case while noting that the filing of comments “marks the beginning of an active debate on innovation in the radio industry.”
You can say that again. The NAB also filed comments on Wednesday regarding the NPRM. In its view, enabling geo-targeting “will depress Radio advertising rates and revenues at
a time when broadcasters already face enormous economic and competitive challenges.”
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Starting February 12, a Beasley Media Group FM previously owned by Greater Media will begin what amounts to a year-long fete celebrating its 50 years of serving “Detroit Rock City.”
The party will reach its crescendo on Sunday, as WRIF-FM 101.1 formally celebrates its life as a Rock station.
It’s all part of what Beasley is billing “The Riff’s Legends Weekend.”
The fun begins Friday (2/12) with morning hosts Dave & Chuck The Freak highlighting their favorite moments from their successful seven years at WRIF. Throughout the day, WRIF will then air vignettes paying tribute to legacy WRIF personalities — including “Big Daddy” Arthur Penhallow, Ken Calvert, Karen Savelly, and Steve Kostan.
The following “Legends” are scheduled to be in studio on Friday, Feb. 12 at WRIF-FM:
1pm Hour: Jim Johnson and George Baier from JJ and The Morning Crew with Jade Springart
2pm Hour: Ken Calvert and Karen Savelly with Jade Springart
4pm Hour: Steve Kostan with Meltdown
Detroit native and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Alice Cooper commented, “You can’t really talk about Detroit music without talking about Riff. Detroit was easily the hard rock capital of the United States and WRIF supported all those bands. I’ve dropped their name in a couple of songs over the years because it was so Detroit and everyone know what that means.”
What about Drew & Mike, a 22-year morning show that cemented WRIF’s popularity in a market that saw the demise, and return, of WLLZ as a Rock competitor?
At 7pm on Friday, WRIF will air the “Best Of Drew & Mike”, highlighting classic moments from the duo’s time at the station.
The celebration of WRIF comes after the February 4 death of notable local radio personality Jerry Lubin, at the age of 80. Lubin worked at WRIF, although he is largely remembered for his time as an “Air Ace” at another former competitor, WABX. WABX signed off the air in January 1984.
Meanwhile, WRIF successfully outlasted a third Rock station of note in Detroit: WWWW (W4), where Howard Stern was the morning host on the day it changed to Country.
While WRIF’s history dates to Valentine’s Day 1971, its time as a Rock station actually began in 1970. Under previous call letters WXYZ-FM, it was one of ABC’s “Love” network properties, airing a progressive album-oriented Rock format. From 1966, WXYZ-FM had attempted Middle-of-the-Road and, later, Top 40 programming.
Interestingly, WRIF-FM could have ended up at 95.5 MHz in New York — the home of WPLJ. Those calls were requested for the former WABC-FM. In Detroit, the WDAI call letters were sought; they infamously ended up in Chicago at WLS-FM, with a Rock-to-Disco move a catalyst for Steve Dahl’s 1979 “Disco Demolition.”
The WRIF call letters, of course, would not end up in New York. And with Lee Abrams in command, WRIF in its early days wasn’t shy of Top 40 product. That changed in 1975, when it decided to focus solely on rock ‘n’ roll — a formula that continues to this day.
WRIF’s corporate history saw it move from ABC to Capital Cities in 1986, and then to “Silver Star Communications.” In 1987, Great American Broadcasting obtained WRIF; it declared bankruptcy in 1993, and WRIF in 1994 was purchased by Greater Media.
The first of the fourth quarter and full-year 2020 earnings reports from the radio broadcasting industry quietly arrived on Wednesday morning, as Beasley Broadcast Group shared its fiscal report card for the final three months of last year.
How did the audio media company with an investment in eSports perform? Its earnings per share shattered the analysts’ consensus estimate by eighteen cents.
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The Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio (MIW) Group has just released its 2020 Annual Gender Analysis study.
It tracks the career progress of women in radio broadcasting rising to the ranks of management.
“Even with the unpredictability of 2020, you will still see glimmers of hope within the findings,” they say.
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NORTHVILLE, MICH. — In August 2019, a Class A FM playing country music’s greatest hits, serving such Michigan towns as St. Helen and Skidway Lake, in August found itself in a tussle over its future ownership.
A family trust filed an objection with the FCC against the station’s transfer from its licensee to a new 50/50 partnership driven by the station’s manager. “Misrepresentations” were noted by the trust.
Nearly 18 months later, the trust has secured ownership of the station.
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Travel to the Champaign-Urbana area of downstate Illinois, and you’ll find a quartet of radio stations licensed to Stevie Jay Broadcasting.
Until now, it’s been a three-way partnership involving an investment group and two individuals.
As of today, Stevie Jay himself is poised to be the sole owner of these FMs.
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One of the world’s largest manufacturers of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters has struck a deal that effectively expands its Digital Radio offerings to broadcast customers.
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It’s been a busy few months for The E.W. Scripps Company. It completed its purchase of ION Media, with integration of its properties ongoing. Its conducting a “special virtual investor presentation” on March 3 to help attract more Wall Street dollars.
Now, with its share price on fire, the company with Brian Lawlor at the helm of its local TV stations has shared when it will share its Q4 and full-year 2020 results.
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A top daily local sports podcast network was recently acquired by one of the biggest broadcast TV companies in the U.S.
Now, TEGNA is teaming with the owner of Cadence13 and Pineapple Street to bring content from that podcast operation to a wider audience.
Entercom today confirmed that it has inked a content agreement with Locked On Podcast Network, purchased in late January by TEGNA.
As part of the partnership, Locked On’s lineup of professional and collegiate sports podcasts, which feature premier analysis from local experts, writers, reporters and insiders, will be heard on Radio.com.
Additionally, the partnership will see the development of new content including co-produced and co-branded podcasts; a daily sports news podcast featuring hosts from leading Radio.com sports stations and local experts from Locked On; and two weekly one-hour programs, produced by Locked On, available on select Entercom radio stations and on radio.com.
Entercom will also promote the podcasts across its local Sports Talk stations.
Locked On Today is the first podcast of at least four new series that will be released in a co-production under the partnership.
Hosted daily by Peter Bukowski (Locked On Packers), Locked On Today is a described as a “fast-paced take on the biggest sports stories of the day,” offering insight and perspective from the local experts of the Locked On Podcast Network and Entercom sports radio stations.
Locked On Podcast Network was created in June 2016 by Locke, the radio voice of the Utah Jazz. Originating with a single podcast, Locked On Jazz, the network today produces more than 160 different podcasts – providing in-depth coverage of every NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL team plus major college sports teams.
Locked On publishes over 600 podcast episodes every week – generating more than eight million listens a month and growing.
She’s had a career that includes a well-remembered role as Exec. VP of Programming for the former Nassau Broadcasting, where she oversaw all aspects of programming and digital content, strategy, marketing, and brand management for 75 stations including big regional Top 40 leader WPST-FM in Trenton, N.J.
In May 2019, she took a position assisting the programming team for two big Entercom Communications stations in the Big Apple.
Now, Michelle Stevens is heading to Miami to serve as Brand Manager for a pair of Entercom stations targeting adult listeners across South Florida.
RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION: Our editor-in-chief’s station of choice upon graduating college: WPST-FM, serving Trenton and Philadelphia. Congrats, Michelle, and bienvenidos a Miami.
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As Market President for an iHeartMedia group of stations, one works closely with the programming, business and sales teams and oversees the stations’ on-air and digital programming as well as create new revenue opportunities.
In Philadelphia, that role is going to an individual who has spent the last decade in the station group’s top sales role.
Taking the top role for a group of stations comprised of WDAS-AM “FOX Sports The Gambler” and Adult R&B WDAS-FM, WRFF-FM “ALT 104.5”, Top 40 WIOQ-FM “Q102”, Soft Adult Contemporary WISX-FM “106.1 The Breeze”, and Hip-Hop/R&B WUSL-FM “Power 99” is Jeff Moore.
Moore began his career as the Sales Manager for iHeartMedia Philadelphia 10 years ago, most recently serving as the Senior Vice President of Sales.
He will report to Scott Hopeck, Division President for iHeartMedia.
Moore began his career as the Sales Manager for iHeartMedia Philadelphia 10 years ago, rising to General Sales Manager and Regional Senior Vice President of Sales since then.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead this great team of successful sales and programming professionals in Philadelphia while representing some of the most iconic brands,” said Moore, a graduate of Temple University.. “My mission is to continue to build a winning culture that attracts the best talent and has a positive impact on our employees, brands and the community we serve.”
Christopher SquireWith Moore’s promotion, Chris Squire assumes his former SVP/Sales role. He will report to Moore. Squire previously served as General Sales Manager for Townsquare Media in Trenton, N.J., a group of stations heard across much of the Philadelphia market.
From 1989, Squire served as Station Manager for Adult R&B WDAS-FM. He would later hold roles at Radio One and at legendary Adult R&B station WBLS-FM in New York under Emmis Communications and its previous ownership, YMF Media and, before that, Inner City Broadcasting.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the Senior Vice President of Sales for iHeartMedia Philadelphia,” said Squire, who is a NAB Leadership Training graduate. “To have the chance to work under a talented and inspiring leader like Jeff as well as a team of experienced and dedicated managers and account executives is a recipe for success.”
Hopeck added, “I’m thrilled to promote both Jeff and Chris. It’s especially rewarding to find the best candidates for key leadership roles within your own division. They’ve collaborated under the most difficult circumstances in 2020 and clearly demonstrated their creativity and resilience. I’m confident this duo will continue to lead our Philadelphia operation to new highs.”
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