Radio News

Looking for a pending business and forecast management system for your radio stations? Here's something that may be of interest to you, as media ad sales platform creator Matrix Solutions has partnered with Katz Media Group on a new reporting system for its broadcast partners.

Turner, who is president of Advertising Sales & Marketing for the company, will retire at the end of the year. Univision will announce leadership transition plans in the coming weeks. Turner has spent 40 years in the media industry and been with UCI since 2012, where he has developed the advertising sales team, activated more than 600 brands across all platforms, and built on the company’s strong service for the Hispanic community across America. Prior to joining UCI, Turner served as the senior vice president of Media Sales and Sponsorship at the NFL.

A new “Radio Industry Refresher” report put out by Wells Fargo senior analyst Marci Ryvicker takes a sharp look at 2016 revenue totals and sources. Written in response to investor queries about the Entercom-CBS Radio merger, Ryvicker ranks the top dozen publicly traded radio companies for revenue in 2016, showing iHeartMedia ($3.40 billion) at No. 1, and CBS Radio ($1.22 billion) in second place. Ryvicker also listed the biggest ad-spend categories for radio.

In last week’s Media Monitors Radio Spot Ten report, The Home Depot was in first place, yet again, airing 82,167 spots, while iHeartRadio held on to No. 2 again with 48,355 ads.

Not exactly the type to let the grass grow under his feet, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is hitting the road again, and he’ll really be clocking up the miles on a Mid-Atlantic swing. He’ll start in Wardensville, West Virginia, on Monday and end in Crownsville, Maryland, on Wednesday. His primary goal? Working towards closing the country’s digital divide.

Yesterday we reported on the effect that the TV repack will have on potentially hundreds of radio stations. Now, it seems, Microsoft has stuck its foot in the repack door, not endearing itself to the folks at the NAB in the process. Microsoft wants the FCC to reserve a vacant UHF white space channel in every market nationwide.

As it works with creditors to manage its burdensome debt, iHeartMedia has extended its deadline for holders of five sets of notes due in 2021 so they may consider its offer to exchange the existing notes for new securities. This is the eighth such extension and so far the strategy is not going well.

Townsquare Media, Inc. has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire six radio stations and two FM translators, in and around the Pittsfield, MA market, from Gamma Broadcasting LLC and Berkshire Broadcasting Co., Inc. Pro forma for the acquisition, Townsquare will own 318 radio stations in 67 markets. The company expects to close in the third quarter of this year.

Things continue to darken for music and podcast streaming outfit SoundCloud. The company has just cut 173 jobs – 40 percent of the company’s total personnel. And many executive leaders are also jumping ship. Speculation has been stirred up that the company may be sold. Any takers?

As the president and chief executive officer at Entercom, few would argue that David Field has carried himself well. So it’s no surprise that he will be honored with the National Radio Award at the 2017 Radio Show. The award will be presented on Wednesday, September 6, at the Radio Luncheon.

A NAB-commissioned study conducted by V-Soft Communications has found that more than 600 FM stations could be affected by a TV repack, which involves over 1,100 TV stations changing channels or going off the air. Many of the TV stations will require antenna replacements or other tower work that could take days, or weeks. Some 452 TV stations planning to change channels could affect the operation of 629 nearby FMs.

Connoisseur Media chief Jeff Warshaw wants changes to the embedded market rule that affects New York and Washington, DC. He’s addressing the issue to the FCC, including a July 5 letter to the Commission. The NAB is backing the move. Warshaw has been championing the cause for several years, seeing it as being against the public interest and competition, and another example of the radio industry laboring under outdated, pre-Internet regulations.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has already kicked up quite a bit of dust in the short time since he was handed the job by President Trump. Now Pai is slated to appear at the 2017 Radio Show on Wednesday, September 6, and give a keynote address at the Radio Luncheon. It’s a time of significant change for the FCC, with commissioners coming and going, and a raft issues currently being looked at. Pai is generally considered a “friend” of radio, one of his hallmarks being his championing of revitalization of the AM band. He has also come down hard on radio pirates and revisited several regulations.

Over the holiday weekend, Bloomberg Radio was broadcasting from Boston Beasley stations 106.1FM, WRCA 1330 AM, and 92.9/WBOS-FM HD2. The company plans to continue to broadcast on WXKS 1200AM/94.5FM-HD2 for the next few months. Beasley Media Boston Vice President and Market Manager Mary Menna said, “We’re excited to partner with a global news and business leader of Bloomberg’s magnitude. This unique programming underscores the company’s commitment to providing our listeners with the very best content and complements our five existing music brands in Boston.”

The financial services firm resumed Pandora coverage, Wednesday, with an Overweight rating and a price target of $12.00. Things remain bleak for the music-streaming company and the infusion of cash from Sirius XM will not likely be a game changer, but will slow the bleeding and bolster the balance sheet.