Radio News

"We reaped the benefits of a diversified platform." That's the key assessment of how 2016 fared for Townsquare Media from its Chairman/CEO Steven Price, and a strong Q4 is a big reason why this owner of AM and FM stations in small- and medium-sized markets maintains an upbeat outlook for what lies ahead in 2017.

In last week’s Media Monitors Radio Spot Ten report, GEICO was again at the No. 1 spot. The Home Depot moved up to No. 2, while Liberty Mutual Insurance now has a presence. What's notable is what one U.S. government agency is up to.

On March 2 RBR + TVBR reported that, according to noted radio programming consultant Randy Kabrich, two Nielsen Audio panelists in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market singlehandedly helped the audio stream for Beasley Media Group‘s Tropical WYUU-FM “Maxima 92.5” finish at No. 1 among Persons 18-34 in the January 2017 weekly PPM ratings. It's now known that the panelists have been removed by Nielsen. We have an RBR + TVBR OBSERVATION on this situation.

Bryant Kent “Ken” Hawkins, a longtime member of the National Association of Media Brokers (NAMB) and a founding partner of Raycom Media, died Thursday at the age of 77. Hawkins was at a rehabilitation facility near his home in Wetumpka, Alabama, and was recovering from surgery completed a week earlier.

The owner of the regional Mexican “La Campesina” network geared to first-generation Latino farmworkers and recent immigrants has acquired a Class B AM in the Valley of the Sun, in a deal that saw Kalil & Co. serve as the exclusive broker in this transaction. The purchase was necessary for the network to air paid advertisements, as it has been airing on an NCE facility – and earning high ratings. But, is another purchase for a Phoenix station still to come? *** RBR + TVBR OBSERVATION: "There is something going on right now that could impact Hispanic radio so badly that stations could be forced to change formats or have difficulty surviving."

Faced with diminished national buys, fierce competition from such publicly traded large broadcasters as Townsquare Media and iHeartMedia, and a listener pool with a strong appetite for Sirius XM, Radio Woodstock -- WDST-FM in Woodstock, NY -- went to its listeners with a pledge drive not-so dissimilar to one seen on a public radio station. In an exclusive RBR + TVBR INFOCUS report, GM Richard Fusco explains why it was done, and how it can save independent broadcasters across the U.S.

It was a good news, bad news kind of Q4 -- and 2016 -- for Christian and conservative-focused media company Salem Media Group. The company on Thursday reported a Q4 net income dip, despite a slight revenue increase. Why the dip in net income? We have the answer.

A group of three FMs and an AM with an FM translator serving the ski resort communities near Jackson, Wyo., could be silent by Thursday morning -- or not. That's because the decision to take the stations off the air won't come from their owner. Rather, the company calling the shots, the stations' owner tells RBR + TVBR, is American Tower Corp. They haven't spoken to station management in weeks.

Are you looking for an online forum to share your thoughts, or seek the answers to questions, that pertain to the AM and FM radio stations found across the U.S.? Radio Discussions is the site designed for you.

Mark June 21, 2017 on your calendars if you plan on flying to Munich, Germany, to learn the latest about digital audio and the "connected car." Car makers and their suppliers will get to meet broadcasters from across Europe at WorldDAB Automotive 2017.

Speaking in front of members of the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly made it be known that "a core function of the Commission ... is not being sufficiently achieved as it pertains to pirate radio stations." As he sees it, the continued presence of buccaneer broadcasters littering the FM dial with unlicensed signals is a failure of the Commission's ability to protect "the integrity of Commission-granted spectrum rights." We have an RBR + TVBR OBSERVATION on the topic.

A company that bills itself as "a neutral technology platform for individualized copyright transactions, with built-in rights administration and royalty settlement," has been given the nod of approval by Sirius XM Radio and counsel representing those who brought a Class Action suit against the satellite radio company over pre-1972 royalty payments.

"It's 6 a.m. Do you know where your morning show is?" Is this a question you and your C-Suite colleagues ask? If so, here's another question to ask: "Do your listeners know where your morning show is?" Those, of course, may not be the most appropriate questions to seek the answers to. The one question that may be of utmost importance is this: "Does it matter where your morning show is?"

Thanks, Obama ... and Hillary, and local and statewide candidates seeking political office in 2016. Your ad spending at media targeting African-Americans helped Radio One narrow its net loss in Q4 2016 while net revenue improved by 3.8% from the last three months of 2015. But, it may have been some gamblers and guests at a brand-new casino resort that truly gave the D.C.-area company a much needed shot in the arm.

It's DIY season, if you look at the activity in last week’s Media Monitors Radio Spot Ten report for one top home improvement chain. Meanwhile, a big drug store chain stepped up its use of AM and FM radio. We've got the details right here.