Industry News

French media regulator CSA announced this month that the national DAB+ broadcast authorization across France will become effective on July 15, essentially setting the earliest day by which national broadcasters in France can go on air.

According to a WorldDAB summary of the CSA announcement, the first stage of the national broadcasts is set to cover highways in mainland France (often referred to as “metropolitan France” in French), starting with highways between the country’s two largest cities, Paris and Marseille, crossing Lyon.

A total of two multiplexes are set to launch in France in the summer of 2021, hosting 12 and 13 stations respectively. The 25 broadcasters that have been selected to broadcast nationally on DAB+ have already been determined, and include the six Radio France national radio stations.

WorldDAB said the CSA’s DAB+ rollout plan, the nodes and arcs strategy, which also includes continued regional rollouts alongside the launch of national services, aims to bring population coverage in France up to 40% by the end of 2022.

The post France Edges Closer to National DAB+ Launch appeared first on Radio World.

With Bill Hendrich‘s retirement at the end of 2020, Cox Media Group needed to select a new leader to oversee its collection of AM and FM radio stations.

On Thursday, CMG, today majority-owned by Apollo Global Management, revealed just who will be assuming Hendrich’s former duties.

While Hendrich held the title of Executive VP of Radio, his day-to-day duties are being passed on to Rob Babin, who takes the title of SVP/Radio.

Babin rises from the role of VP/Market Manager for Cox Media Group’s Atlanta and Athens, Ga., stations.

“We are so excited that Rob accepted this role on the CMG leadership team,” said Dan York, who assumed President/CEO duties at CMG following the exit of Kim Guthrie in May 2020. “He is a proven leader with a true passion for the radio, CMG and his people. Rob is a collaborative and agile executive, with deep industry and CMG expertise and passion for everything he does – making him the ideal leader for CMG Radio.”

Specifically, Babin will be responsible for the profitability, strategic direction and operational execution of CMG’s radio platform, comprised of 65 radio stations in 11 markets including Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg and Miami-Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Tulsa; Dayton; and its home market of Atlanta.

CMG says Babin will also focus heavily “on achieving CMG’s Radio strategic growth objectives while maintaining CMG’s industry leading content, impactful community engagement, and growth-focused culture.”

Babin is a Cox Radio veteran, and has served as a regional VP overseeing Miami, Houston, Tampa-St. Petersburg, San Antonio and New York’s Long Island (Nassau-Suffolk).

He’s also served as GSM and Director of Sales for CMG’s Atlanta quartet, comprised of WSB-AM, WSB-FM, WALR and WSRV “97.1 The River.”

“Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside many exceptional individuals and teams across CMG,” said Babin. “I am thrilled to accept this position and honored to lead our CMG radio team. With our company’s incredible strength, brands, and people, we will continue to excel and grow our radio business to new heights.”

Babin is currently a board member of the Georgia Association of Broadcasters and the Radio Advertising Bureau.

KNXR-FM in Rochester, Minn. is the top-rated station in the market, ranked No. 217 by Nielsen Audio.

It’s a 100kw boomer, and the crown jewel in a 19-station operation focused on Southern Minnesota owned by Lynn Ketelsen and John Linder’s Blooming Prairie Farm & Radio.

How has this Classic Hits station branded as “Minnesota 97.5” managed to stay live and local from 6am-7pm, and keep both local and national advertising buys flowing some 11 1/2 months into the COVID-19 pandemic?

Station Operations Manager and morning co-host Lou Kastler shares the details in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by DOT.FM.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Lou Kastler, KNXR-FM” on Spreaker.

From Radio World’s Who’s Buying What page: UK-based streaming platform SharpStream said British Forces Broadcasting Service chose its Timbre production suite to manage and deliver audio content, including listen again, catchup and on-demand material as well as the “Sitrep” podcast.

Timbre is a new media management and streaming production suite. In addition to hosting and streaming, the company says, it has an interface that allows broadcasters and podcasters to automatically record, publish, distribute and monetize content, and analyze results.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

“IAB-compliant analytics give customers the ability to accurately value their audience for monetization,” the company states. “Its multiuser environment gives broadcasters the ability to create custom roles and approval workflows. Timbre comes with unlimited podcasts/feeds/playlists and a 99.9% SLA.”

Anthony Woodley is digital projects manager at BFBS, which brings UK TV, sport and music to armed forces worldwide.

Send news for Who’s Buying What coverage to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post BFBS Uses Timbre by SharpStream appeared first on Radio World.

MIAMI — He was part of the legendary team that made Y-100 one of America’s most successful FM Top 40 stations in the 1970s. Later, he would propel Power 96 to the top of the ratings as a Latino-focused dance-fueled alternative to his former station.

In the 1990s, he would pivot by becoming one of the nation’s most respected Hispanic radio programming executives. But, he also had his challenges, with negative press nearly costing him his job some 30 years ago and a botched format change at WASH-FM in Washington, D.C., a career low point.

Today, the radio industry is coming together to mourn Bill Tanner, the EVP/Programming at Birmingham, Ala.-based SummitMedia.

RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION: Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson grew up listening to “Tanner in the Morning.” He later spent decades interviewing Tanner for R&R and Hispanic Market Weekly, maintaining a close professional relationship across three decades. He shares his thoughts below.

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MMTC announced that another station has been donated through its donation program.

“Multicultural Media & Telecom Brokers recently closed on the sale of Barstow, Calif., radio station KIQQ(AM) to Asian-American entrepreneur Jeff Chang,” it stated.

“This transaction was made possible by Lazer Broadcasting Corp., to whom we are deeply grateful for their generosity.”

[Related: “La Z Seeks to Make Its Mark in Detroit”]

The donation program offers broadcasters who might otherwise close down a station an alternative with tax benefits that also helps boost another operator.

Lazer had aired regional Mexican music. Chang Media Group has not announced a planned new format but indicated it would complement its other station in the area, KQTE(AM), which carries ESPN Radio. Transmission equipment is part of the donation agreement.

MMTC seeks to promote minority and women entrepreneurship in broadcasting through this program. Past station donors include Entercom, Trinity Broadcasting and Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia). Markets where other stations have been donated over the past decade include Detroit, Minneapolis, and Salem, Ore.

“We encourage interested donors to call or email us for more information about our station donation program.” Email Director Suzanne Gougherty.

The post California AM Donated to Chang Media Group appeared first on Radio World.

The nation’s largest owner of broadcast TV stations on Thursday announced that its Board of Directors has approved a big new share repurchase program, one that authorizes it to repurchase up to $1 billion shares of its Class A common stock.

That’s not the only huge news from Nexstar Media Group. It’s board has also approved an increase in the company’s quarterly cash dividend — a somewhat incredible feat as some radio broadcasting companies saw COVID-19 suspend their dividend altogether.

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Entercom and the Baltimore Orioles have agreed to an extension to their broadcast partnership agreement today, keeping WJZ-FM “105.7 The Fan” in Baltimore as the flagship station for the American League baseball club.

As part of the partnership, Entercom will manage the Baltimore Orioles Radio Network – comprised of more than 40 stations across the mid-Atlantic region.

The contract ensures that Baltimore Orioles Radio Network programming, including live game broadcasts, pre- and postgame shows, regular season weekly shows and additional offseason programming will air exclusively in the Baltimore market on WJZ-FM.

“We are very excited to continue our broadcast partnership with the Orioles,” said Tracy Brandys, Entercom/Baltimore’s SVP/Market Manager. “This ongoing partnership with the team is a major component of Baltimore’s number-one sports brand – 105.7 The Fan. As the nation’s unrivaled leader in sports radio, we’re proud to continue to be the station Baltimore turns to for the latest updates on their local teams.”

T.J. Brightman, SVP and Chief Revenue Officer for the Major League Baseball team, added, “Entercom has been a valuable partner for the Orioles and we are pleased to continue our relationship. Through our partnership of the Orioles Radio Network, we have provided millions of fans across the Mid-Atlantic access to every single Orioles game and our corporate partners the opportunity to showcase their own brands.”

WJZ-FM, once Oldies WQSR-FM under Sconnix Broadcasting ownership, also serves as the flagship station for the Maryland Terrapin Radio Network and provides Baltimore gameday football coverage.

On December 13, Sirius XM Holdings successfully launched its SXM-7 satellite. In-orbit testing of the satellite began on January 4, 2021.

Something went wrong. Now, Sirius XM is assuring consumers and investors that it “does not expect” its satellite radio service to be impacted by “adverse SXM-7 events.”

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From Podcast Business Journal

The media company that owns such stations as WUSA-9 in Washington, D.C., and WTSP-10 in Tampa has acquired a podcast network focused on sports.

TEGNA has acquired Locked On Podcast Network, which produces daily shows for every team across the four major professional sports leagues, as well as more than 30 college sports programs.

TEGNA, formerly known as Gannett, already owns VAULT Studios, which produces podcasts.

“Local communities are at the heart of what we do, and nothing brings communities together like local sports,” said TEGNA President/CEO Dave Lougee. “That’s why we’re very pleased to welcome Locked On to TEGNA. We look forward to growing the Locked On network through collaboration with our local stations, including the potential for video simulcasts of shows, and further increasing distribution, engagement and monetization of these fan favorite podcasts.”

Locked On CEO David Locke added, “With local stations in many of America’s largest professional and college sports markets, joining the TEGNA family was a natural fit as we seek to grow our audience and expand our offerings. We’re excited to begin our next phase as we work with TEGNA on new innovations that will enhance our value with our loyal listeners and help us reach new sports fans across the country.”

Founded in 2016, Locked On produces 160 podcasts, providing in-depth coverage of every NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL team plus major college sports teams. Locked On publishes more than 600 podcast episodes each week, generating eight million listens a month. Its podcasts were downloaded more than 80 million times in 2020.

Locked On also produces industry-leading, league-wide daily podcasts for fantasy sports, sports betting, the NFL Draft and national shows featuring industry-renowned writers, reporters and insiders. Big 5 college conference experts deliver daily podcasts for college basketball and football fans for each major conference.

Locked On will continue to operate as a standalone business within TEGNA. Locke, who is also the radio voice of the Utah Jazz, COO Carl Weinstein and Locked On’s staff will join TEGNA as part of the transaction. It is expected that current contributors will continue to provide content to Locked On.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. TEGNA will finance the acquisition through available cash on hand, and the transaction is not expected to have a material impact on TEGNA’s 2021 financials or leverage.