Gray Television isn’t the only broadcast TV company to greatly benefit from boffo political advertising revenue in the final three months of 2020.
The owner of such stations as NBC affiliate WDIV-4 in Detroit and CBS affiliate WKMG-6 in Orlando enjoyed a big revenue increase in Q4 for its television broadcasting division.
The reason: A big political revenue gain.
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Until his June 2020 departure from HC2 Holdings Inc., Phillip Falcone was widely known across the broadcast media industry as a flashy big spender on low-power broadcast TV stations.
Then came accusations that Falcone defaulted on loans. His assets were frozen for failure to compensate his legal representatives. This followed by a 2019 court order that saw HC2 withhold some of Falcone’s salary in lieu of some $2.69 million in unpaid taxes to the City of New York.
All of that negative activity is firmly now in the past, as Falcone has reemerged as the head of a new entity that’s agreed to purchase two low-power TV stations in Los Angeles.
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Nautel has added two topics to its schedule of webinars about broadcast technology, scheduled for alternating Wednesdays in March.
On March 3 the company covers “All-Digital AM featuring the NX Series” to answer questions about the MA3 mode of HD Radio now that the FCC has allowed its use.
“Many broadcasters have asked what is involved in upgrading, what the different modes mean, and if there is any benefit for their particular situation.”
On March 17 a webinar will explore “FM Digital, featuring the Nautel HD MultiCast+ (HDMC+) HD Importer/Exporter.” Nautel cites discussion in the industry about the pros and cons of fixed-purpose embedded hardware vs. software implementations, especially involving HD Radio importer and exporter components.
“This webinar will review the evolution of HD Radio for FM, the development and features of the HDMC+, and will cover some of the capabilities of this powerful tool.”
Register at https://nautel.com/webinars. Nautel webinars qualify for ½ SBE recertification credit.
The post Nautel Plans March Webinars appeared first on Radio World.
In the state of Maine, cable TV subscribers were in a rather unique situation when it came to not only the channels they wanted — but also the individual shows they desired.
It was part of an a la carte package designed by the state government as part of an effort to seemingly benefit consumers, allowing them to enjoy channels through an “unbundle” by MVPDs.
A district court tossed the law. Now, a federal appeals court has upheld that ruling.
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LAKE WALES, FLA. — One of the top providers of media workflow software products to broadcast media companies across the U.S. has signed up Alpha Media as a client.
As such, the Portland, Ore.-based owner of radio stations will extend its vCreative vPPO service while adding the vTrade service across all of its properties.
vTrade was developed by Central Florida-based vCreative to provide media companies with the ability to easily track, manage, audit and report on trade inventory, eliminating the risk of financial loss due to wasted or expired trade.
A recently released feature in vTrade helps manage the creation and sales tracking for on-air auctions, coupons and/or vouchers.
“After using vPPO for nearly three years and knowing how it has improved our workflow, I was excited to see vTrade had been added to the family,” said Stephanie Ross, Regional Business Manager at Alpha Media. “The team at vCreative also added an entirely new component to vTrade that will make managing our auctions even better than before. From entering consignments, tracking sales, and printing vouchers with unique IDs, we can now easily and efficiently manage this complex area of our business.”
Mary DelGrande, SVP of Sales at vCreative, said, “We are thrilled to be continuing and expanding upon our partnership with Alpha Media. vCreative’s main objective is to continue to innovate and evolve. The adoption of vTrade and Alpha’s renewed commitment to vPPO is proof that we are succeeding.”
CAMARILLO, CALIF. — Salem Media Group, the media company known for its Christian-themed and conservative Talk radio stations, has selected when it will issue its fourth quarter and full-year 2020 financial results.
The announcement came amidst a sell-off of Salem shares on Wall Street.
Salem executives will host a conference call to discuss its results at 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific on Thursday, March 4 — one hour after it formally releases the numbers to the public.
It’s unusual timing, as Salem regularly selects 2pm Pacific, after the Closing Bell in New York has run, for its earnings call.
What will Salem executives have to share on the call? Analysts could be curious if the heir to Rush Limbaugh‘s legions of fans is one of Salem’s own talk hosts. Or, they could be hyperfocused on advertising trends against difficult year-over-year comparisons.
Whatever is on the minds of Salem’s investors, it isn’t clear. SALM was off sharply on Thursday (2/25), falling 14% to $2.7437 as of 2:42pm Eastern.
The dip ends a nice rally for Salem stock, which sat at $1.03 as recently as Dec. 21, 2020.
But, it must be said that Wednesday’s closing price of $3.19 marked the highest finish for SALM seen since September 2018.
How is 2021 shaping up for transactions, now that Kagan has analyzed 2020’s dealmaking? Are deals still in a COVID-19 fueled frozen state?
Those are just some of the questions Greg Guy, the managing partner for media brokerage Patrick Communications, answers in this latest InFOCUS Podcast, presented by DOT.FM.
Heading into last night’s ViacomCBS’ Streaming Investor Day, MoffettNathanson‘s clients had two basic questions:
“At least now we have some clarity around the first question,” Senior Analyst Michael Nathanson and Analyst Robert Fishman noted Thursday, following a three-hour affair that offered a detailed look at the soon-to-relaunch Paramount+ OTT platform, formerly CBS AllAccess.
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One of the nation’s largest radio stations owners, one with a big stake in podcasting, has just lured a SHOWTIME Networks marketing pro to take on the newly created position of Head of Marketing for Podcasts.
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Joining Entercom Communications, owner of Cadence13 and Pineapple Street and the Radio.com streaming audio platform to promote podcasts is Brian Swarth.
He was previously SVP of Digital Media & Marketing at SHOWTIME Networks, where he directed all aspects of digital and social marketing including acquisition and CRM strategy, influencer marketing, interactive creative and production, multi-platform content development, marketing and advertising technology, digital marketing analytics and emerging platforms.
Once he settles in to his new role at Entercom, Swarth will lead and oversee all marketing and public relations for Entercom’s podcast division.
He reports directly to Chris Corcoran, Chief Content Officer at Cadence13.
Before joining SHOWTIME, Swarth was VP/Managing Director of Client Strategy, Media and Entertainment at Zemoga. Before that, he was Sr. Director of Strategy and Business Operations/Content Distribution at MTV Networks, where he steered expansion of MTVN and BETN content distribution and enabled the successful launch of the multiplatform premium movie service EPIX.
NBCUniversal‘s U.S. household addressable footprint is set to expand by nearly 40%, to 45 million households.
To accomplish this, it has agreed to a newly formed advanced advertising pact with one of the nation’s largest cable TV service providers.
Importantly, NBCUniversal says the deal makes its advanced advertising offering one of the largest offered in the market by a television publisher.
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SAVANNAH, GA. — Thanks in part to its ownership of the dominant CBS affiliate serving Georgia’s Coastal Empire, WTOC-11, and keeping a watchful eye on expenses, Gray Television enjoyed a 138% year-over-year net income rise as total revenue jumped 37% to $792 million.
Next year’s finish is poised to be even bigger, as Gray awaits approval of its $925 million acquisition of Quincy Media Inc.
While there are many positive takeaways from the earnings results, the bigger news from Gray is that for the first time in 13 years, a quarterly dividend is coming to shareholders.
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The author is owner of Airwaves Audio.
CLERMONT, Fla — I own a small production company called Airwaves Audio that does live TV and radio remote production. I’ve worked for several years with ESPN on shows like “Mike & Mike” and “Rusillo & Kanell” to cover events like the Super Bowl and Major League Baseball All-Star games. I also engineer large broadcasts with multiple stations for organizations like Disney.
It’s a lot of coordination. In addition to handling the technical side, I manage the moving pieces to ensure everyone can be on the air when they need to be.
We started using Comrex equipment in the early 2000s. We tried it for the first time for a mass live broadcast from a Disney cruise ship.
We had made several attempts to connect an ISDN line to the ship, and it just wasn’t happening. So we set up 24 Comrex Access codecs, and ran them simultaneously over the ship’s internet back to the studio. It really saved our bacon on that job, and we never looked back. Comrex has been our number one IP audio codec choice since then.
As an engineer, my favorite part of Access NX Portable is the screen. While I sometimes have a headset and listen to every second of the broadcast, in most cases I set up the equipment, explain how to use it, and then step back. If I have to make sure everything is working during the show, it’s much easier to see the large Access NX screen than the smaller interface on the original Access. And the LEDs in the knobs make it easy for me to keep an eye on levels from a distance — it’s reassuring to know that no one is clipping and the audio sounds good.
When I first took the Access NX Portable out of the box, I was struck by how it was organized. It’s done the way that I would do it. The channels are clearly delineated, and are color-coded and labeled. When there’s a problem, time speeds up and you’ve got to jump in and fix it ASAP. And I can do that with this because Access NX is so user-friendly.
When I’m out in the field, about 80% of the people I run into these days are using Access NX. ISDN was once the default, but that’s now all but gone.
When I’m on a job, and I’m told that we’re going to be using a Comrex, I feel a sense of relief because I’m familiar with the software and the interface and I know what we’re getting into.
I recently did the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. My client requested a somewhat elaborate setup, so I had to get there 5–6 hours ahead of time to get it done.
As I finished and sat down, I looked through the glass wall of the booth next to mine, and saw a couple guys with an Access NX. They got in the door and were set up in 10 minutes, and I was instantly jealous of how simple their day was going to be. If I had the choice, I’d always pick Access NX.
Radio World User Reports are testimonial articles intended to help readers understand why a colleague chose a particular product to solve a technical situation.
For information, contact Chris Crump with Comrex in Massachusetts at 1-978-784-1776 or visit www.comrex.com.
The post User Report: Access NX Serves Airwaves Audio appeared first on Radio World.
Responding to record cold in Texas along with related consequences such as loss of power for days, the Broadcasters Foundation of America is making one-time emergency grants of up to $2,000 each to qualifying individual broadcaster industry employees based in Texas.
Broadcasters Foundation of America Vice President Peter Doyle explained, “Broken pipes, power outages, displacement, and more have brought devastation to many of our colleagues. The foundation’s Emergency Grant Program is set up with a streamlined vetting process that allows us to move quickly and get checks to those in desperate need. We’re asking every broadcaster in affected areas to help us get the word out to those who may need our assistance.”
Those interested in seeking aid may visit https://broadcastersfoundation.org/apply-for-help. According to a release, once at the webpage, choose Emergency Grants on the right to get to the Emergency Grant & Disaster Information Request Form. According to the release the foundation has heard from employees of Tegna, Nexstar, Radio One, Entercom, Fox and others.
The post Broadcasters Foundation Offers Aid for Texas Broadcasters appeared first on Radio World.
Fry’s Electronics has gone out of business.
“After nearly 36 years in business as the one-stop-shop and online resource for high-tech professionals across nine states and 31 stores, Fry’s Electronics, Inc. … has made the difficult decision to shut down its operations and close its business permanently as a result of changes in the retail industry and the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic,” it stated on its website.
“The company will implement the shut down through an orderly wind down process that it believes will be in the best interests of the company, its creditors, and other stakeholders.”
It said it began the wind-down today, Wednesday. “It is hoped that undertaking the wind-down through this orderly process will reduce costs, avoid additional liabilities, minimize the impact on our customers, vendors, landlords and associates, and maximize the value of the Company’s assets for its creditors and other stakeholders.”
It said it was reaching out to customers with repairs and consignment vendors to help them understand what this will mean for them and the proposed next steps.
One veteran engineering told Radio World, “These guys were a great alternative to RadioShack, especially out west! A shame to see them go.”
The post Fry’s Electronics Closes Its Doors appeared first on Radio World.
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