The Walt Disney Co.’s stock price zoomed upward by 5.3% in early after-hours trading on Thursday, as the diversified entertainment and communications company that owns ABC and its ESPN arm delivered quarterly earnings that topped analysts’ estimates.
How did the Broadcasting division perform? Over-the-air TV performed better in the quarter.
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As of August 2, Adrienne Roark began serving as a President of CBS Stations, serving the East Coast following a tenure in Portland, Ore.
Now, two other veteran local television executives have earned the President/CBS Stations title at ViacomCBS.
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Meredith Corp. on Thursday (8/12) released its fiscal Q4 and full-year 2021 earnings results, which will be the last fourth-quarter fiscal health report from the company that includes its broadcast TV arm.
How did Meredith Local Media perform in the three-month period ending June 30? Net revenue rebounded from a COVID-19-influenced dip to break the $100 million mark as adjusted EBITDA and operating profit were each on the rise.
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It’s pronounced “E-VOCK-A,” and it is the next-generation television service under development in Boise, Idaho, that deserves a closer look. Why? It is built on ATSC 3.0 and IP-based.
With a Phoenix rollout in the works, ahead of additional markets, the individual behind Avoca, Edge Networks President/CEO Todd Achilles offers an exclusive update in this new InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
The CEO and the CFO of Townsquare Media have confirmed that they will participate in a two-day virtual investor conference scheduled for August 18-19.
The “Local First” radio station owner and digital media solutions provider will appear on the second day of the online affair.
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iHeartMedia will get a new FM CP in Sacramento after bidding more than $6.1 million in a just-concluded auction held by the Federal Communications Commission.
The FCC held Auction 109 for new FM and AM construction permits. Sixty-seven bidders won a total of 97 CPs. (Here’s the list of winning bids in PDF form.)
The commission said the auction raised about $12.3 million in bids.
Half of that total came from a single winning bid by iHeartMedia’s iHM Licenses LLC, which won the Class B FM CP on 107.9 MHz in Sacramento, Calif.
The second largest net winning bid was from Radio Brands for a permit in Sanger, Texas, at about $2.3 million for a Class C3 on 104.1.
No other CP went for more than $300,000, and most were far less than that.
The smallest winning bid was $750, from Mekaddesh Group Corp. for a Class A FM CP in San Isidro, Texas on 98.9.
The winners must pay their down payments by Aug. 26. At the end of the process, licenses will be issued for an eight-year term.
The post iHeart Snags a Sacramento FM CP in FCC Auction appeared first on Radio World.
Nielsen on Wednesday “proactively initiated” an accreditation hiatus process for its National TV ratings service.
Why? “While we remain confident in the integrity of our data and measurement, and fully support the audit process,” the nation’s dominant supplier of audience measurement and consumer data says, “we believe that moving to a hiatus allows us to concentrate our audit-related efforts on continuing to address panel concerns alongside the transformation of our National TV product and development of Nielsen ONE.”
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While not a publicly traded company, Univision Communications has long been transparent in sharing its quarterly earnings results with the public. On Thursday (8/12), the nation’s largest Hispanic-focused media organization did just that.
How did Univision do in Q2? The “Media Networks,” housing its visual media offerings including Univision’s television assets, enjoyed a revenue rebound that single-handedly swung the company from a net loss to net income.
And, despite a big year-over-year revenue jump, Univision Radio‘s net loss widened from the COVID-19 impacted Q2 2020. It is due to a sizable impairment loss.
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Florida – The Opportunity
Help build one of America’s best public media operations at the University of Florida and the UF College of Journalism and Communications. WUFT-TV/FM, WUFT Classic and GHQ make up part of the University of Florida’s Division of Media Properties and the foundation on which the College of Journalism and Communications prepares the next generation of journalists and media professionals. WUFT-TV/FM is looking for the next underwriting/sales superstar to join our team and to help provide the revenue and fuel that makes this engine go! The ideal candidate has experience in selling underwriting to businesses in support of public media and wants to work at an incredible institution like the University of Florida.
Specific Duties Include:
Sell underwriting to clients both directly and through advertising agencies. This includes typical outside sales duties such as regularly making new business calls, conducting Customer Needs Analysis, presenting revenue-generating ideas and providing customized solutions that will get results for clients.
Write proposals that include research of customers’ products as well as use of relevant proprietary research supplied by the companies.
Conduct daily plan activities to achieve budget goals. This includes organized activity that is mandated by management (such as attending weekly meetings, updating account lists, annual account-by-account budget plans and providing plans/summaries of activities) as well as self-imposed planning which includes setting appointments and lead generation.
Complete required paperwork to ensure the entire sales process is conducted in a fluid manner. This includes traffic orders, new business account worksheets, production order request forms along with all other communication-related materials.
Provide excellent customer service to all underwriting/advertising clients.
Talk with potential businesses and personal donors to pursue donations and pledge challenges for WUFT Pledge Drives.
Assist membership in donation strategies, securing volunteers for pledge drives, work in concert with Ambassador volunteer group to secure donations, and assist during pledge drives as needed.
The College of Journalism and Communications (www.jou.ufl.edu) offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees and certificates, both online and on campus. CJC students have the opportunity to gain practical experience in the Innovation News Center, which generates content across multiple platforms, and The Agency, an integrated strategic communication and consumer research agency focused on marketing to young adults. The College includes seven broadcast and digital media properties, the Joseph L. Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and the nation’s only STEM Translational Communication Center and Center for Public Interest Communications.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The UF College of Journalism and Communications and WUFT/WRUF is committed to creating an inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We attribute our success to a work force that embraces the contributions of people of all backgrounds and ability levels.
The City of Gainesville
Gainesville (http://cityofgainesville.org) is home to Florida’s largest and oldest university, and so is one of the state’s centers of education, medicine, cultural events and athletics. The University of Florida and UF Health Shands Hospital are the leading employers in Gainesville and provide jobs for many residents of surrounding counties. Gainesville is also the largest city in Alachua County and is the county seat, with approximately 269,000 residents county-wide. It serves as the cultural, educational and commercial center for the north central Florida region. The city provides a full range of municipal services, including cultural and nature services and necessary administrative services to support these activities. Additionally, the city owns a regional transit system, a regional airport, and a 72-par championship golf course. Known for its preservation of historic buildings and the beauty of its natural surroundings, Gainesville’s numerous parks, museums and lakes provide entertainment to thousands of visitors. Because of its beautiful landscape and urban “forest,” Gainesville is one of the most attractive cities in Florida. The city is in a central location to both the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, providing easy access within a day’s drive to beaches, nature preserves, and water-based activities. Explore Gainesville in 60 Seconds.
EXPECTED SALARY:
$45,000 – $48,000; base salary plus commission, commensurate with qualifications and experience.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
A high school diploma and four years of appropriate sales/marketing experience. Appropriate college coursework or vocational/technical training may substitute at an equivalent rate for the required experience.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
College degree in a related field such as advertising, marketing, journalism or business and a proven track record of sales success with public media.
The candidate must be able to work under pressure in a deadline-intense environment and be self-motivated, outgoing, creative, determined to succeed, committed to excellence and able to problem-solve quickly and efficiently.
Solid analytical skills and proficiency at using the telephone, writing, reading comprehension and basic math skills and capabilities are essential.
The ability to utilize the Microsoft suite of products and to learn proprietary software is also required.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO APPLICANTS:
In order to be considered, you must upload your cover letter and resume.
This position is eligible for veteran’s preference. If you are claiming veteran’s preference, please upload a copy of your DD 214 Member Copy 4 with your application for consideration. See our Veteran’s Preference Page for more specific information.
Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.
Applications must be submitted online via https://explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/517648/wufttvfm-account-executive .
The University of Florida is committed to non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, genetic information and veteran status in all aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training.
By Ed Ryan and Adam Jacobson
Streamline Publishing
Cumulus Media isn’t commenting publicly, but its CEO on Wednesday (8/11) — in a video message sent to all employees — declared that combating the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus means anyone who works for the audio content and distribution company “must be fully vaccinated” by the official return-to-office date of October 11.
News of the internal communiqué was first made known publicly by radio industry blog RadioInsight.com. Further details were gathered by both RBR+TVBR and Radio Ink on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.
In the video, Berner said, “All employees, except for those few who are already designated permanent remote like our traffic organization, must be fully vaccinated by our grand reopening date.”
The mandate is the first for a radio broadcasting company, and it includes the entire Cumulus market-by-market sales force and each of the Cumulus Media corporate employees in its New York and Atlanta offices.
Further, it is believed but not confirmed that all Westwood One employees are impacted by the vaccination order from the C-Suite.
“The company is not commenting,” a Cumulus spokesperson told RBR+TVBR Tuesday evening.
“There will be no exceptions unless it’s mandated by law,” Berner added, noting that the vast majority of Cumulus employees were already vaccinated. “If you are someone who has not made that choice, it is for your own protection.”
In its 10Q SEC filing made along with its second quarter 2021 earnings, Cumulus stated, “Since March 2020, most of our employees have been working from home, with only certain essential employees working on site at our radio stations. Beginning in the third quarter of 2021, a majority of our employees will be returning to our stations or offices. For all employees returning to work, we have instituted COVID-19 protocols, increased the level of cleaning and sanitizing in the offices and radio stations and undertaken other actions to make these offices and stations safer for our employees.”
Now, it is clearly going one step further. Issues tied to existing employee protection initiatives, Cumulus stresses, are not fueling the vaccination mandate.
“We are generally following the requirements and protocols published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and state and local governments and will continue to monitor the latest public health and government guidance related to COVID-19,” Cumulus said. “As of the date of this filing, we do not believe these safety protocols, including the remote working environment, have adversely impacted our internal controls, financial reporting systems or our operations.”
Thousands of employees are impacted, as Cumulus Media owns and/or operates 413 stations across 86 markets. Then, there is Westwood One, which offers national programming ranging from 24/7 formats, syndicated music programming, a bevy of sports talk and play-by-play coverage, and daily and weekly Talk shows.
The hosts of those shows include Dan Bongino, viewed by many as the true heir to the late Rush Limbaugh‘s conservative talk radio throne. Westwood One’s syndicated talk shows also include The Ben Shapiro Show, The Mark Levin Show, The Michael Knowles Show and The Bob & Tom Show, largely tied to Classic Rock stations thanks to its many years based at WFBQ/Indianapolis.
With Cumulus not commenting, how these hosts would be impacted by the vaccination mandate — if at all — is unclear; with home studios and auxiliary facilities more common, the hosts and other air talent may not be impacted.
That said, thousands of Cumulus employees are impacted.
As of December 31, 2019, Cumulus employed 4,732 people, 3,139 of whom were employed full-time, the company said in its SEC 10-K filing earlier this year. Of these employees, approximately 170 employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements.
“We consider our relations with our employees to be positive,” Cumulus said.
Could that have changed on Wednesday, with a potential rebellion in at least one market possible from the mandate from the corporate office? There’s also chatter that the vaccination mandate is also a way for Cumulus to further trim its employee roster as it continues to seek ways to deleverage.
While that’s simply gossip and internet chatter, one thing is clear: Cumulus has taken a step not replicated at its peers.
Audacy is mandating that all new employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine but has refrained from requiring its current employees from getting it or risk losing their job.
A Townsquare Media executive tells Streamline Publishing that the company has “encouraged our team to get vaccinated given the benefits and protection it provides from COVID-19. We have provided [Paid Time Off] to allow the time to get vaccinated. But, we have not mandated it as a condition of employment.”
Meanwhile, the industry’s largest audio media company, iHeartMedia, has not issued any statement regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and its employees.
The Cumulus announcement comes as NBCUniversal on Wednesday issued its own internal memorandum to staff, alerting them that it has delayed its return-to-office date until October 18 “at the earliest.”
According to TVNewser, an opening after the Jewish New Year on September 6 was planned. Until then, fully vaccinated employees can return to the office on a voluntary basis.
CNN last week offered a similar announcement, stating that its reopen date of Sept. 7 was now delayed to mid-October, TVNewser reports. The network, similar to NBCUniversal, has a vaccination advisory in place for anyone who wishes to work from the office. Three individuals who were not vaccinated and worked from CNN facilities were fired for not adhering to the advisory.
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