While many broadcast media leaders lament how the “GAFAN” group of digital media Goliaths have grabbed dollar after dollar from their over-the-air stations, resulting in advertising challenges, it turns out that the top brand using Spot Television for the week ending October 10 is one of those “GAFAN” giants.
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A September 29 conversation with the four individuals at the helm of Salem Media Group with a key Wall Street media analyst is available now on Channelchek.
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“People earn cash back, businesses make more.”
That’s the basic premise behind a brand that has sought to grow its national profile by promoting its services via Spot Radio. And, the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Radio report shows, this brand has emerged as one of the more exciting new users of AM and FM radio for its marketing efforts.
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The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten Cable report is out, and it shows brand stability across the rankings by play count.
The report also shows that two brands that have been active in the past at Spot Cable are now back in a big way, thanks to new campaigns.
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Swagger Institute and P1 Learning are teaming up for a third time to stage a virtual sales and management training summit.
The two-day affair is scheduled for January 26-27, 2022.
Featuring lessons from top industry professionals, Rising Above (risingabovesummit.com) is designed to help sellers and managers get ready to take on 2022.
P1 Learning’s Speed Marriott commented, “After last January’s summit, we really didn’t think we were going to do another Rising Above event. We figured our world would be on a path to normalcy, but wow, were we wrong! With feedback from sellers and managers along with industry surveys, we learned that the industry still needs motivation and
encouragement, so how could we not do this again?”
Registration for Rising Above will be offered for free through participating State Broadcasters Associations and their memberships.
An on-demand version will be available for those who register.
Derron Steenbergen, of the Swagger Institute, said, “Sales managers across the country keep saying their sellers need help. With this pandemic lingering, salespeople are not getting to travel to training opportunities like they once did. Rising Above was birthed initially to provide help to those in the trenches in our industry and it continues to fill that void today. Speed and I are extremely excited to bring the best trainers together again to give our sellers and managers the tools to go deliver more results for their clients. Finally, the goal for Rising Above 3 will be to provide lift to our industry and those working so hard to help the businesses in their communities.”
For more information about Rising Above: A Virtual Sales & Management Summit, visit
risingabovesummit.com
Seven months ago, RBR+TVBR reported that the fate of three FM radio stations formerly controlled by Ed Stolz through his Royce International Broadcasting Corp. was seeming sealed. Paperwork had been filed with the FCC signaling the properties’ transfer of control to religious broadcast ministry VCY America, from the court-appointed receiver of the stations.
While many believed Stolz would maneuver to thwart the loss of his FMs, the proposed $6 million has perhaps an unexpected obstacle blocking its ultimate fruition: the FCC’s Media Bureau.
As such, the parties involved in the transaction last week met by video conference with the Media Bureau Chief, and the two key leaders in the Audio Division, pleading the Commission to green-light the deal already. It’s a move the frustrated Federal judge overseeing the court-ordered station deal is urging, too.
Join Larry Patrick, the noted broker who is the court-appointed receiver for the three FMs formerly controlled by Ed Stolz’s Royce International Broadcasting, as he moderates a Forecast 2022 panel discussion on how independent broadcasters are surviving and thriving as station owners. For more information, click on the Forecast 2022 logo today!
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As a former senior advisor at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Republican FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington is well
prepared to address the many items on the Commission docket that will impact broadcasters in the years ahead.
As he demonstrated at the recent Hispanic Radio Conference, Simington is eager to learn about the broadcast media industry’s input and concerns.
You can share your thoughts and desires with Simington in-person, with your registration to Forecast 2022 at the prestigious Harvard Club in New York.
You can never have too many allies — especially at the FCC. That’s why your attendance at Forecast 2022, November 16 in midtown Manhattan, is the perfect opportunity for you to use your voice where it counts. Broadcasters need decisionmakers who understand their challenges and will listen to their perspectives with an unbiased and well-informed mind.
Simington is that type of individual, and has demonstrated that he appreciates the unique value proposition broadcasters offer communities across the country and the media environment in which they operate.
This could be the only chance you get this year to express your views to someone who can impact and influence the fate of your business over the coming years.
Will you be there, or will you give up your spot to someone who may not see things your way?
Make your voice heard. Register for Forecast 2022 today.
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An outfit that describes itself as “an innovative podcast and audio entertainment production studio” has completed a $12 million fundraising round, and this particular effort saw the nation’s lone satellite radio content creator and distributor emerge as the biggest dollar injector.
Sirius XM Radio Inc. on Monday (10/11) confirmed that it led a Series B fundraising round for Audio Up.
Founded by CEO Jared Gutstadt, Audio Up was founded in 2020 by the creator of the Jingle Punks creative music agency, Podcast Business Journal reports.
With the investment, Sirius XM SVP/Business Affairs and Programming Operations Andrew Moss is joining Audio Up’s Board of Directors.
And, thanks to the dollar dose from Sirius XM, it’s moved forward with the creation of a creative programming and strategic agreement with Audio Up.
It’s a significant development, as it brings Sirius XM further into the on-demand audio space. Under the agreement, Audio Up is expected to create new original scripted podcasts for Sirius XM and its owned audio platforms – which include the SXM App, Pandora and Stitcher. Audio Up will also collaborate with Sirius XM to develop new audio entertainment concepts and forge new promotional and distribution synergies across Sirius XM properties, the companies say.
Specifically, the agreement gives Sirius XM an exclusive “first-look” co-production option for new Audio Up original podcast concepts, with accompanying options for exclusive distribution across Sirius XM properties, in addition to exclusive rights to manage and sell advertising inventory and sponsorship in connection with any podcast produced for Sirius XM through its SXM Media combined sales organization.
Audio Up’s slate of original scripted audio entertainment includes offerings from recording artists Machine Gun Kelly, 24kGoldn, Miranda Lambert and Nelly, and actors including Jason Alexander and Gary Busey.
Forthcoming new Audio Up original podcast series include The Playboy Interview, which presents teleplay-type reenactments “of some of the most iconic Playboy Interview conversations in history,” Audio Up says.
“Whether it’s inventing a new breed of boundary-breaking original podcasts or developing innovative audio concepts that let brands and creators connect with listeners in new ways, Jared and Audio Up have become the place where talent meets technology,” said Sirius XM President/Chief Creative Officer Scott Greenstein. “Audio Up is known for creating podcasts that combine music, entertainment, and rich storytelling to create bold new listening experiences, and we’re thrilled to welcome them to our extended SiriusXM family.”
The agreement follows SiriusXM’s acquisition of podcast platform Stitcher and the inking of a series of exclusive podcast content deals, including the acquisition of Roman Mars’ 99% Invisible podcast and the launch of Seth Rogen’s original podcast series, Storytime With Seth Rogen.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND — One of the leading privately held radio and outdoor media companies in the Pacific Rim has licensed Veritone, Inc.‘s AI-driven application that brings real-time insights into data-driven advertising performance.
Be sure to follow RBR+TVBR on Twitter for the latest Breaking News first!
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In mid-August, RBR+TVBR first reported on the purchase of construction permits for low-power television stations located in the Southernmost City in the United States and in the heart of the Coachella Valley, respectively, by The E.W. Scripps Co.
That deal, brokered by Bob Heymann of the Chicago office of Media Services Group, has just closed.
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There are several ways to employ “cultural insights” to help brands gain the right amount of intelligence to solve the larger questions surrounding the consumer — and the marketing campaign surrounding a brand.
With the right insights, marketers can create solutions for today, and also shape how their media buy looks. In this column, brand strategist Whitney Dunlap-Fowler offers her expert analysis of how the right cultural insights can be best used for one’s branding needs.
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He was inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2004, thanks to his time at a Top 40 giant in the Twin Cities and, later, at Nationwide Communications. Upon his 2002 retirement, he ran Saga Communications’ Champaign and Springfield, Ill., properties.
Now, the life of Dale Weber is being recalled by the radio industry, as the former executive has died.
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A group of Capitol Hill Democrats in both the House and Senate made it clear this week that they want legislation adopted that would force WWOR-9 in Secaucus, N.J., owned by FOX, to turn its attention away from the Big Apple and focus instead on the Garden State.
Interestingly, little was mentioned about the “New Jersey News Network,” operating on co-channel signals covering Northern New Jersey and the five boroughs of the City of New York.
Perhaps they knew about its sale, as that’s just been consummated. Who’s the buyer?
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Add Saga Communications to the growing calendar of media companies that will be releasing their third quarter financial results during the first week of November.
Be sure to follow RBR+TVBR on Twitter, so you’ll get Breaking News as it happens.
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Travel to the north of Stillwater, Okla., via U.S. Highway 177, and you’ll reach Ponca City. It’s home to the Pioneer Woman Museum, and a museum devoted to regional gasoline brand Conoco.
It’s also home to the broadcasting, news, sports, and media entertainment platform operating under the Ponca Post brand. Until now, two radio brands have been under Ponca Post’s operations. Soon, two more will be added to the mix.
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Here’s another warning to MVPDs from a global market intelligence organization regarding the continued wave of “cord cutting” inflicting harm on the cable and DBS service provider’s growth prospects in the near-term.
“Video cord cutting is expected to strip nearly $33.6 billion in annual revenue from traditional U.S. multichannel services” by the end of 2025.
That’s according to a report released this week by Kagan.
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What’s the Deal? That’s a question we ask in the just-released RBR+TVBR Fall 2021 Special Report. The broadcast deal flow sank to a decade-long low in 2020, although TV M&A activity is strong. The trend seems to be cemented for 2021, unless a surprise mega-transaction for Radio emerges in Q4.
Is deregulation the deal ignitor needed for radio? Are over-leveraged, revenue-challenged media properties particularly vulnerable, and acquisition targets from cash-rich enterprises? The conversation is poised to continue at a Forecast 2022 session that’s worthy of every broadcast leader’s presence — and perhaps a financier or broker, too.
An esteemed panel of investment specialists will take a hard look at the status of 2021 and the future of 2022 for broadcast investments in this “fact-based, tire kicking” session.
With Guggenheim Securities Senior Advisor Drew Marcus as the session moderator, the transactions outlook will take center stage as Wells Fargo Securities Managing Director and Senior Equity Media/Cable Analyst Steven Cahall participates in a discussion alongside Noble Capital Markets Managing Director/TMT Christopher Ensley and veteran media broker Richard A. Foreman.
The morning session on November 16 at Forecast 2022 could see Foreman elaborate on commentary shared to readers in the Fall 2021 RBR+TVBR Special Report.
Richard A. Foreman, appearing at Forecast 2022 on Nov. 16, 2021 in New York.Looking at the deal landscape, Foreman believes the radio industry has really been in a funk when it comes to transactions. “That’s created by a few buried issues,” he said. “You’re dealing with a technology today that is over 100 years of age that has withstood the hands of time greatly, but it is wearing. And, there are tremendous competitive products out there that really compete against it.”
Thanks to these new digitally delivered audio options, combined with the pandemic, radio has had what Foreman called “tremendous sluggishness in revenue.”
When Foreman looks at the television deal-making landscape, he expresses confidence in the fact that there are buyers — including the mega groups and Byron Allen-led Allen Media Group. The key problem? “There is no inventory,” he said. “That’s it. Period. And the prices being paid for television are eight to nine times trailing cash flow. But, you can’t find anything.”
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APM Studios, the podcast production division of American Public Media, has named a new Chief Content Officer while also putting a Chief Strategy Officer in place.
For Breaking News when it happens, be sure to follow RBR+TVBR on Twitter!
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COLMAR, FRANCE — If there every was a fairy tale town in Europe, the city of Colmar in France’s Alsace region may be the best example. Its old town, replete with a “little Venice” canal and numerous architectural treasures, is home to some 69,000 residents.
Here, FM radio reception is very good, with no less than 19 stations beaming from Mulhouse, a 40 minute drive to the south.
Travel another 10 minutes and you’ll reach Basel, Switzerland, a city of more than 171,000. Five Swiss FM stations can be heard, in addition to FMs tied to the large SWR regional broadcaster over the Rhine in Germany.
While that may seem small in number, the total number of FMs expected to be on the air in Basel in less than three years is zero.
Welcome to the next station to not only say goodbye to AM, but also to FM.
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How has broadcast media revenue recovered from the onset of a pandemic that saw generally steep declines for Radio, and lesser dips for Television?
Is Automotive poised for a rebound, even as supply chain issues make used vehicles more valued than ever?
As the country continues to emerge from the pandemic, a Forecast 2022 session that includes the participation of TVB President/CEO Steve Lanzano is shaping up to be another provocative must-attend event.
Reviewing where the strong pockets of opportunity for broadcast advertising may be, Lanzano will be joined by GroupM Executive Director of Specialty Channels Jen Soch. Moderating the panel is Katz Media Group CEO Mark Gray.
Lanzano, whose organization last week staged the successful virtual TVB Forward Conference, spoke exclusive with RBR+TVBR for a conversation that exclusively appears in our Fall 2021 Special Report.
Of the big topics among TVB members, measurement is likely at the top of everyone’s minds, based on the discussion across the September 30 event. “Measurement is always either the top or top two sessions when we do our post-conference survey,” Lanzano said. “People love them and want more, and that’s why it is really the first major content session.”
With Nielsen seeking to work with the Media Rating Council on an accreditation hiatus, Lanzano hoped the audience measurement company’s issues will soon be somewhat more resolved than they were in late August. “We’ve been going back and forth with
Nielsen regarding accreditation,” Lanzano said. “We want BBO homes in but we want them put in at the right time, so we have good data.”
Cross-platform measurement, with one aggregated audience for content that is
deduped, “seems to be where the industry is going.” GroupM’s Soch likely has a strong view on that topic, setting Forecast 2022 up for a lively discussion.
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