Radio News

Educational Media Foundation gained a significant presence in the Golden State in late September when it agreed to a deal valued at $57,750,000 that gave it entry into L.A. and North County San Diego. The City by the Bay was not noted, as EMF already owns a Class B covering the Bay Area that airs KLOVE. Yet, EMF just secured a translator covering San Francisco for KLOVE. Is another deal in play?

More than seven months ago, iHeartMedia's iHeartCommnications commenced private offers to eligible lenders under its Term Loan D and Term Loan E facilities to amend the existing term loans and exchange them for new securities of iHeartMedia and CC Outdoor Holdings and/or iHeart Communications. The company has had no luck with the exchange offers, offering extension after extension since April 5. The latest extension came late Thursday evening, with none of iHeart's original terms amended.

CBS Corp. has commenced its exchange offer for the separation of its radio business. The exchange offer represents the next step in the planned combination of CBS Radio and Entercom, which will be effected through a "Reverse Morris Trust" transaction.

A final agreement has been put into place that will convert a LMA to outright ownership for the entity that's now overseeing a three FM/two AM (plus translators) cluster in a big Ozark resort town that also includes a local online news hub and cable TV offering The Vacation Channel. The company buying the stations is led Paul Coates, and a former presidential candidate who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas.

Today marks a very special occasion for the Recording Academy. It’s District Advocate Day, which sees the activation of group members across the country to meet with their local member of Congress "to discuss important updates to music legislation." Translation: Lobbying is being done to gain support for presently moribund House bills that would impose more royalty fees on radio stations across the U.S.

Nearly one year ago, a buccaneer in the Heart of Dixie was slapped with a steep fine for operating an FM station without a license. The FCC's Enforcement Bureau has finally reviewed, and adjudicated, on the response to its NAL from the individual found to have been operating an unlicensed radio station in Guntersville, Ala. The message to this radio pirate? Surrender the booty.

Independents and smaller groups may seem to face a different set of challenges, especially when it comes to maintaining a competitive edge and commanding their due share of revenue against the bigger groups. But smaller can be more flexible, nimbler, and easier to maneuver without layers of interference or corporate inertia. Was "economy of scale" a myth? How does the independent maintain the level of talent and creativity needed to compete head-to-head with stations relying on "synergy"? The answers will come at Forecast 2018, in New York.

Entercom Communications shareholders on Nov. 15 will vote on the company's Reverse Morris Trust-fueled merger with CBS Radio, and there aren't expected to be any surprises -- the deal will be all but a fait accompli. Some on Wall Street are already excited over what the merger will mean to Entercom, and financial advisory Seeking Alpha is hot on the radio industry pure-play.

Hearst Stations Inc. enjoys a formidable media presence in Charm City. It's now doubled down on its spoken word presence here by acquiring an FM translator for the AM -- the latest effort by a venerable station to bring a little "revitalization" to itself.

Pandora has just published the 2018 edition of its annual Definitive Guide to Audio. Our ever-skeptical Editor-in-Chief took a look at some of the highlights, and eagerly agreed to share them with RBR+TVBR readers. Why? It shows that radio is "far from dead," but is full of salacious "findings" that paint AM and FM as a home for AARP members and few who didn't grow up watching ALF in prime-time.

A special meeting of Entercom Communications shareholders has been set for Nov. 15 in Philadelphia that will likely serve as one of the final steps in Entercom's Reverse Morris Trust-fueled merger with CBS Radio. The company revealed the details in a SEC filing made late Monday.

The owner of radio stations in small and medium-sized markets on Monday afternoon promoted Bill Wilson and Dhruv Prasad to the respective roles of Co-Chief Executive Officer. As a result, Townsquare founder and CEO Steven Price is transitioning to the role of Executive Chairman of the Board. In addition, Erik Hellum has been appointed COO of Local Media.

The General Manager for three decades at such Indianapolis radio stations as iHeartRadio's Classic Rock WFBQ-FM 94.7, the former WRZX-FM 103.3 and Sports WNDE-AM 1260, died Thursday night. He was 66 years old. A memorial service will be held Oct. 23 in Cincinnati.

The worst-kept secret at Entercom Communications has been confirmed: Susan Larkin, who in mid-July joined the company merging with CBS Radio, has settled in to Entercom's San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose cluster where she will continue as a Regional VP while also assuming VP/Market Manager duties previously held by Steve DiNardo.

Liberty Mutual Insurance is back as a Top 10 advertiser at local radio. The insurer took 10th place in the most recent Media Monitors Radio Spot Ten report. Meanwhile, as seen with broadcast TV, GEICO is an important advertiser for AM and FM radio, as the brand moved up to second place.