Radio News

CBS Radio may be fading into the annals of radio broadcasting history by the end of the year, but it certainly hasn't given up on moving forward and bringing Entercom brands and products that are refreshed and/or relaunched. That's good news for David Field, who is on track to be welcoming a new and improved version of CBS Radio's free streaming mobile app, Radio.com.

Hurricane Irma ravaged much of the Sunshine State, including Southwest Florida—the home of Beasley Media Group's corporate headquarters and six radio stations that were particularly battered by the destructive storm. The company persevered, but Irma solidified one strong thought for Beasley CEO Caroline Beasley: Radio is the essential go-to medium when a community needs its information at its most critical time.

It's been a difficult September for Spanish Broadcasting System, the Hispanic-focused media company led by Raúl Alarcón Jr. First, Hurricane Irma put SBS's South Florida stations to the test. Then, Hurricane Maria stormed through Puerto Rico, creating havoc and destruction. As of Friday morning, two SBS FM stations are the only ones able to broadcast. In the middle of all of this came a notice from OTC Markets that SBS's market capitalization no longer meets its minimum standards.

Sunny days for Southern California radio as the Southern California Broadcasters Association forecasts “busy and active” ad spending activity for its 170 member radio stations in Los Angeles and San Diego during the fourth quarter, in a new report.

New research proves radio advertising drives search results, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau. Based upon its analysis of over 2,100 local radio ads across six different categories, there was a 29% incremental lift in search results. Radio is extremely effective in driving search during weekdays and in the daytime.

CBS Radio’s app doesn’t just get a facelift, navigation, streaming quality, and ad targeting have all been improved. Users can listen to CBS Radio stations by location or genre, while local stations and followed podcasts will appear at the top of the homepage. And there are plenty of choices.

IFPI has released its 2017 Music Consumer Insight Report, “Connecting With Music,” which looks at the ways fans are engaging with recorded music across 13 of the world's leading music markets. The report reveals that more Americans are streaming music on smartphones, but the numbers don’t match those in other countries.

How important are streaming audio services to the music industry? If not for them, revenue for the record labels would be far less than what's being reported today. It paints a picture that explains why efforts on Capitol Hill, thus far unsuccessful, to introduce new fees on broadcast radio for the airplay of recorded music were seen this year. Simply put, the recording industry's run out of ways to make money from the sale of singles and albums.

As part of his written response to an inquiry from leading Democrats on the House E&C Committee, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai affirmed that its television Joint Sales Agreement (JSA) attribution rule will be up for reconsideration. While that will likely impact the broadcast TV industry and media brokers, radio industry's C-Suite need not fret about any changes to its JSA regulations.

Looking for ways to create engaging, rewarding connections that lead to listener loyalty? Make plans to attend Radio's Financial Summit Forecast 2018. A session devoted to the topic is on the schedule, with a top group head conducting a candid one-on-one conversation with Momentum Worldwide's CEO.

With the end of an agreement with American University to use W288BS at 105.5 MHz in Chevy Chase, Md., for its "Bluegrass Country" programming, licensee Reston Translator LLC — owned by D.C. communications attorney John Garziglia — needed new programming. Callers came, and eventually Sputnik — a News/Talk format funded by the Russian government — was launched. That's made three House Democrats hot.

Lessons learned from Hurricane Irma across the state of Florida will help improve the reliability and resiliency of our nation's communications networks. That was the message delivered Monday morning by Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, who joined FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a tour of Miami-area FCC-regulated facilities as the storm-battered region saw its students return to school and typically horrific rush hour traffic punctuated by still-inoperable traffic lights.

One of the last independent radio station owners in a Top 10 market has a plan to convince advertisers that spots on an AM or FM property are effective and delivering ROI. In fact, he's putting his words and belief in radio to the test: Free "effectiveness testing" of radio commercials will be given to every Philadelphia-area advertiser that spends at least $12,000 a year in local radio.

There's much status quo in the latest Media Monitors Radio Spot Ten report. But, it's worth noting that one advertiser is pushing a new soft drink line by turning to spot radio. What other brands are big on radio in mid-September? Click here for the details.

The Southern California Broadcasters Association (SCBA) on Thursday announced the election of new officers for the 2018-2019 term. We're pleased to share all of the details regarding the new executive committee members for the new term beginning Jan. 1, 2018.