Radio News

The fight over the removal of Title II classification for broadband, thus ending the two-year-old "net neutrality" rules created by the FCC under former Chairman Tom Wheeler, is already set to be a fierce one -- even though Democrats find themselves in the minority on a vote that is all-but inevitably affirmative come Dec. 14. The war officially began on Twitter at High Noon, Eastern time, thanks to Democratic Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. "Let's roar," she declared in sharing her official public statement on the medium most-preferred by the President of the United States.

CBS Corp. started the day mired in a potentially ugly battle with DISH Network, which this morning pulled the plug on CBS O&Os, several affiliates of The CW and three MVPD-distributed networks due to a bitter retransmission dispute. But, that's not the only new news involving CBS. Its Board of Directors just declared a healthy quarterly dividend, as the final numbers for the CBS Radio share exchange were released. That went well: the share exchange offer was oversubscribed.

One of the nation's most listened-to spoken word radio stations, both on the radio and online, desired a new robust App for both Apple and Android devices. When all was said and done, this top-rated Hubbard Radio station worked with jācapps to get the job done. 

The real estate associated with a radio broadcasting company operating since 1927 is heading for a tax auction following the Thanksgiving holiday. Of the five stations it is licensed to operate, just one remains on the air -- and it is fully automated. A rotting station van for a now-defunct FM sits at the facility that's soon to be auctioned off. This is the sorry end to a cluster in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York.

The 2018 NAB Show is guaranteed to have more bright lights -- and food for attendees -- than the jam-packed and expansive 2017 event in Las Vegas. Two new events highlighting broadcast industry achievement are on tap. As a result, three luncheons have been tossed.

With Cyber Monday already eclipsing Black Friday among many consumer groups, one of the biggest e-retailers is aggressively courting customers ahead of the Thanksgiving Day festivities. And, it is using radio commercials to help bring in the digital sales, the latest Media Monitors Radio Spot Ten report finds.

Entercom President/CEO David Field can barely control his excitement over the addition of CBS Radio to the company's stable of stations, and he's literally welcomed all former CBS Radio employees with open arms -- as seen in a four-minute video distributed across the company. Meanwhile, three new business practices are now in place that "better reflect radio's strong value." This includes lower ad inventory.

Entercom President/CEO David Field loves Alternative music so much that he attended the entire three-day Lollapalooza festival in Chicago from August 2-5, 2018. Now, on his visits to the Big Apple and Big D, he need not stream one of his company's out-of-market stations to enjoy the sounds of such beloved acts as Soundgarden or Foo Fighters. Meanwhile, a Chicago FM formerly owned by CBS Radio has embraced "Throwbacks."

An Indianapolis market veteran who started his career in radio as PD of WFMS-FM 95.5 for former owner Susquehanna Radio Corp. has just been given the keys for Emmis Communications' flagship station group.  

"It was a tough battle, but it was the right decision." That's what Jeff Warshaw, CEO of Connoisseur Media, told RBR+TVBR on Friday morning as he formally shared the biggest and most positive bit of news he'd be hoping for from the FCC for months. With the 3-2 vote to eliminate the Commission's media cross-ownership rules came a victory for Warshaw and other operators, including Pamal Broadcasting, with respect to how the FCC will view embedded markets. In short, relief is here -- and he's more than relieved.

Proud father. Frustrated athlete. Lifelong learner. Music lover. Sports fanatic. Now, David Field can add "Radio's Top Cheerleader" to his Twitter feed self-description of who he is, and what he's all about. As the hours tick down to zero for the merger of his company, Entercom Communications, with CBS Radio, this Wharton MBA holder's rise to the top of the radio broadcasting industry -- as both an advocate and a leader on Wall Street and Madison Avenue -- is nearly complete.

This dream will self-destruct in 3, 2, 1 ... And then there was silence, as Entercom handed Classic Rock KSWD-FM 100.3 in Los Angeles over to Educational Media Foundation just before 1pm Pacific on Thursday.

"It’s a simple proposition: the media ownership regulations of 2017 should match the media marketplace of 2017." That's the view held by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai regarding the Commission's 3-2 vote to do away with its broadcast cross-ownership rules that have prevented a company from owning both a newspaper and a radio or TV property in a market -- sans waiver -- since 1975. Several interested parties chimed in with their approval, and dissent.

How does the radio broadcasting industry's newest "pure-play" operator compare to its peers, with respect to its third quarter earnings? That's just what Capital Cube wanted to know, and here's their findings.

With Townsquare Media noting during its Q3 conference call with financial analysts that it would put its events business in a strategic review, investors have expressed wariness as to the company's future as a small- and medium-sized radio industry pure play. That negative sentiment continued on Wall Street today, as TSQ shares saw a nearly 3% dip.