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Syracuse, NY
metro FM: $3.25M
Open to purchase, swap plus cash, or LMA. Confidentiality agreement required. No brokers please.
hightowercommunications
@hotmail.com
888-904-0045

Ski Country FM
NEast, very profitable w. T site.
8.5x trailing CF. Price 950K
Inquiries 781-848-4201
email: [email protected]
Web: RadioStationsForSale.net

10 TX, AZ, NC, and GA
FM radio stations at an exceptional value offered for sale. Broker cooperation encouraged. Please visit www.toweritrust.com for complete information including pricing.

Evans moves to ESPN
Dr. Tom Evans has been named vice president, digital and cross media measurement at ESPN. In this newly created position, Evans will supervise research strategy for ESPN digital media, including Internet, mobile, digital audio and video. He'll also focus on research programs to support digital media growth including ad sales, brand and content development. In addition, Evans will guide ESPN's efforts to advance cross media research capabilities including the use of new technologies and innovative research methods. Evans will be based in New York and joins ESPN after nine years as VP/research for ABC Radio.

Shooting at CNN Center
A woman died after a shooting inside CNN Center in Atlanta that was witnessed by many people, including CNN employees. Atlanta police are calling it a domestic situation. Witnesses said the gunman dragged the woman around, then shot her. He was then shot by a Turner Security guard.

EchoStar and Google partner on automated ad system
Looks like Google has made its first big score in getting its ad system into traditional media: It has entered into a partnership with EchoStar to introduce the an automated system for buying, selling, delivering and measuring television ads on EchoStar Dish Network's 125 national satellite programming networks. DISH has around 13.1 million subscribers. Google will have access to a portion of Dish Network's ad inventory that spans across all channels and dayparts. The agreement is the first of its kind for a national pay-TV provider and Google. This partnership extends Google's current advertising platform to a national TV audience with the aim to deliver more relevant and measurable ads. EchoStar and Google are working together to provide automated online campaign planning, scheduling, delivery and measurement of ads on the Dish Network. We asked Google competitor, SoftWave Media Exchange's COO Bill Figenshu, about the Google-Echostar deal and what it might mean to the electronic ad marketplace in general. Fig said this deal means it's another box. "It's an addressable box placed into the system between the advertiser and the viewer. It sounds like EchoStar is giving up their control to Google. Google is going to be doing their sales. It's closer to what they had in mind for the original concept of radio and television than what they currently have. There's no difference between putting a box in the system before the TV set than putting a box in the system before a radio and television transmitter. For us, we like broadcasters to be in control. Who is in control of the box with advertisers? If it's Google, then that's exactly what we think they're doing on the remnant radio side."

TVBR observation: Google has mentioned they are moving away from the box model for radio. The deal with EchoStar will likely use the existing Dish Network box, which can download new programming from the birds. This may be Google's entree into traditional media. While everything up until now has been piecemeal, remnant inventory, planners and buyers will be able to try the system with larger campaigns using prime inventory. It's still not regular network inventory or access into top TV stations.

Can Sam Zell fix the
newspaper business?
February was a particularly bad month for the US newspaper business. Sam Zell had better hope that is not the start of a trend for an already suffering business to get even worse. The Chicago real estate billionaire thinks he knows how to make money from the so-called "old media" assets currently losing market share to new media. His track record in media, though limited, is good. He made a lot of money for himself and others when he bailed out Jacor Communications and eventually sold it to Clear Channel.

RBR observation: This deal would be a breeze to get FCC approval without the crossownership situations, but we understand why Zell wants to keep the company together. The CW network is building nicely and the cash flow from Tribune's big TV stations in New York, LA and Chicago should help counter the difficulties as their newspaper brethren go through the gut-wrenching phase of waiting for Internet ad growth to get to the point of counterbalancing print declines. But there is already pressure in Washington for the FCC to set an expiration date for Tribune's controversial crossownership waivers, since they were predicated on the expectation that the rule was on the verge of being eliminated anyway - something that hasn't happened and doesn't appear likely to happen in the foreseeable future. We see a real possibility that Zell will be turned down flat for new waivers. What then? Would the deal crater or would Tribune Television be put up for sale? One previous bidder who wanted only the TV group reportedly offered four billion bucks for them. One final note. Since Tribune is planning to sell the Chicago Cubs, why is it keeping WGN-AM Chicago, its only remaining radio station? The station's close ties to the baseball team appear to be the only business reason to keep it in the company - and that justification is going away. No doubt there are radio groups who would step up and bid aggressively for the legendary Chicago station.
(If you missed Tuesday RBR click and review)
04/03/07 RBR #65

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