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PPM ushers in more format wars.
Call it “battle of the brands.” The switch to PPM has brought quicker reads into how a format change is playing out in a market, and that’s led to more flips. PPM is also leveling the playing field and exposing “successful station syndrome” – or the notion that a brand too big to be beaten may be actually be susceptible to a challenger.
RAB: Radio revenue up 1% in Q1.
Despite a late-quarter slowdown in advertiser spending, the radio industry still posted its third consecutive first quarter revenue increase. Total industry revenue rose 1% to $3.8 billion according to the Radio Advertising Bureau. Total spot revenue was flat, while the digital, off-air and network segments posted growth over 2011.
Karmazin cashes in stock.
A chief executive selling 13.7 million shares over three days is uncommon on its own, but with a possible takeover brewing Mel Karmazin’s move is drawing added scrutiny. The Sirius XM chief cashed-in stock options valued at $27.2 million this week. Karmazin had alerted shareholders in February he’d sell some options to fund “philanthropic efforts.” Liberty Media has been raising its holdings in the company to gain control.
“Mix” becomes “Now” in Dallas.
A more current music mix, a new morning co-host and rebranding are part of an ongoing evolution at KDMX, Dallas. The Clear Channel hot AC has discarded its “Mix 102.9” handle in favor of “102.9 Now,” which the station says is more consistent with its target audience and more current music stance. MORE
People Moves This Week.
There are new general managers in Kansas City, Little Rock and Fresno. There are new program directors in Las Vegas, Knoxville and Wichita. Radio remembers a celebrated farm broadcaster and a morning man who spent three decades in one market. Catch up with this week’s People Moves HERE.
WBCN gets back on the bus.
A lime-green school bus is serving as the air studio for a recreation of the original free-form version of Boston rock station WBCN. Dubbed the “Gypsy Dancer,” the bus also acts as a travelling billboard for WBCN Free Form Rock, an online stream and HD3 channel of CBS Radio classic rock WZLX (100.7). Live WBCN jocks include the station’s former programmer and concert promoter Sam Kopper. MORE
Web listeners embrace registration.
Broadcasters skittish about requiring listeners to register to access premium audio content take heart: Eight months after re-launching its digital radio platform with a personalized radio add-on, Clear Channel reports 10 million users have registered to use iHeartRadio.
Survey: Content is what Pandora users miss.
Little more than one-in-ten (13%) of Pandora users say FM/AM radio is better than the web music service because it’s available in the dashboard. The new survey from Mark Kassof & Co. shows content and personality are bigger differentiation points than mobility. And since Pandora is generally well-liked, that may be a better message to use when targeting consumers.
FNX’s suburban FM finds a buyer too.
WFEX, Peterborough, NH (92.1) will swap the Clash for Christ as the other shoe drops in Phoenix Media Group’s decision to sell its iconic WFNX alternative rock stations. Buyer Blount Communications plans to simulcast its Manchester religious “Life Changing Radio” WDER (1320) on the signal.
National ad slowdown hits NPR.
The pullback by national advertisers has been pinching commercial radio for more than a year, and now it’s impacting National Public Radio too. A reduction in corporate underwriting has left NPR with a $2.6 million deficit in the first six months of its fiscal year.
Dickey: Cumulus is still a buyer.
Cumulus Media recently announced a 55-station 11-market swap of stations with Townsquare Media, and more deals aren’t out of the question. CEO Lew Dickey tells Bloomberg the company is still working “judiciously” to fill-in holes in its platform, primarily in the top 50 markets. MORE
A phone fine, even though call didn’t air.
Nassau Broadcasting classic hits “106.9 The Eagle” WWEG, Hagerstown, MD has been fined by the FCC for recording a telephone call without a listener’s permission. The fine comes even though the station didn’t put the call on the air.
Arbitron expands India research facility.
Since opening its first offices in Kochi, India the size of Arbitron’s offshore workforce has grown from 16 to 250 fulltime employees. The Hindu Business Line reports Arbitron has just expanded the size of its facility by one-third to further increase the scale of the India operations. MORE
Dish serves up radio ads.
Commercials for Dish Network’s new ad-skipping “Hopper” feature may have a tough time getting aired on television, so that will bring the satellite TV service to radio. Dish will try to get some TV stations to run the ads too, according to the Wall Street Journal, which reports NBC and Fox have already refused the spots. Dish plans to double or triple its advertising budget to market the new DVR feature. The company is also buying print and social media ads.
Spotify raises cash.
It may have a fraction of Pandora’s revenue or registered users, but Spotify is reportedly raising millions from investors, putting its value at more than twice Pandora’s market cap. The New York Times reports Spotify is set to raise as $210 million. The deals peg the value of the Swedish music company at roughly $4 billion. MORE
Suit over AFTRA-SAG merger dropped.
After members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild ratified a merger, a group of actors suing to block the combination have withdrawn their lawsuit. Their lawyer tells the Los Angeles Times that “substantial questions remain” about the process, but there’s “little to be gained at this point.” In March AFTRA and SAG combined to form one union. MORE
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INSIDE RADIO Webcast
Friday, May 18, 2012
Hosted by Kelly Jenkins
RADIO2VIDEO - Solving The Internet Puzzle
Radio2Video explains how radio can solve the Internet puzzle; why the Internet, and online video in particular, is the biggest sales opportunity for radio to come along in years. Read the BLUE PAGE Here
