Radio News

As 2021 began, the FCC formally objected to a Petition for Reconsideration of the elimination of a radio duplication rule for AM and FM stations. The petition was filed by three groups, who last week submitted a joint "final consolidated reply" -- as did a fourth group that's been a NAB antagonist.

As of today, Northern California Public Media has used a 120-watt signal to reach such Mendocino County towns as Healdsburg, Cloverdale and Windsor. To bring its programming to listeners in Santa Rosa, a 16-watt translator at 90.9 MHz was brought into the mix. Soon, everyone north of San Francisco will be able to hear NoCal's programming.

It's been a challenging year for radio industry pure-play Saga Communications. But, after a late October 2019 dip of its stock to nearly $17 a share, this audio-focused company appears to be in recovery mode. How it performed in the final three months of 2020 will be made known on the second Friday in March.

When Marci Ryvicker was Managing Director of Wells Fargo Securities, a role she had for 16 years before exiting in August 2018, she was a champion of Entercom Communications. Some 2 1/2 years later, her successor at Wells Fargo is equally enamored with the audio media company, as he's just given its stock an important vote of confidence.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Beasley Media Group said Tuesday that it intends to offer millions of dollars in aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes, subject to market and other conditions. Why? It is a "new debt for old debt" move from the Southwest Florida-based media company.

For a generation of Puerto Ricans, "Alfa Rock 106" was the home for rock and roll music. Times change, and just after midnight on March 3, 2018, WCAD-FM concluded its broadcast era. Just before Christmas 2018, the station was reborn, later taking new call letters that better reflect its current programming. Now, it's installed a listener-funded Dielectric DCR-M. 

The first radio app to be compatible with one of the world's more popular brands of smart watches has been released for international consumption. But, radio broadcasters in the U.S. shouldn't get too excited about it. The smart watch manufacturer has been branded by Washington Republicans as an agent of the People's Republic of China.

The revenue decline remains in the double digits. But, the results point to a good, if not great, quarter-by-quarter recovery from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic's economic carnage on broadcast radio in Canada. That's the story Montréal-based Cogeco is sharing with respect to its just-released fiscal Q1 2021 results.

It's a nation where political dollars weren't a factor in quarterly earnings growth. Yet, television segment income was up despite a dip in revenue for Canadian media company Corus. This helped Corus achieve flat earnings per share in the fiscal first quarter of 2021, as net income only slightly decreased. The bigger issue for the company is Radio.

Speaking at a virtual event hosted by Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, U.S. Asst. Attorney General Makan Delrahim made it known that the Department of Justice does not plan to take action on the consent decrees governing the performance royalty organizations ASCAP and BMI. Among the first to cheer is NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith.

Beasley Broadcast Group shares finished Thursday's trading at $1.97, rising 4.8% as the media company in eSports and radio programming disclosed an early look at its Q4 2020 results that are decidedly positive.

The notable owner of three FMs and an AM serving North Central Washington state has decided to put the AM and two of the FMs it owns on the market. And, it has retained Greg Guy of Patrick Communications to find the right buyer -- preferably a local one.

For some 30 years, the 1540 kHz signal has been associated with Spanish-language programming across the National Capital Region. It has been associated with Alejandro Carrasco since 1997, and has been owned by Carrasco for two decades. Now, Carrasco is selling the facility. But, "Radio América" will continue.

For three hours on Wednesday, Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media Strategies conducted a virtual tour of the all-online Consumer Electronics Show — CES 2021. With presentations from Amazon Alexa Auto and Xperi ahead of those scheduled from LG, Ford, Triton Digital and Mercedes Benz, we offer a small taste of what participants got to see and learn about.

It's a big deal for attracting institutional investors, and Townsquare Media had previously announced that its CEO, Bill Wilson, would be presenting. Now, two of its audio media industry peers have revealed they, too, will be presenting at NobleCon17.