PG 1

800.275.2840

THE MOST TRUSTED NEWS IN RADIO

MORE NEWS»

insideradio.com

NEWS@INSIDERADIO.COM | 800.275.2840

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015

Radio vs. Digital—Telling the Story Better. In part II of our four-part roundtable look at how radio can better monetize its huge reach number and sell itself to advertisers, we asked our six industry experts about how radio can tell its story better compared to the media world’s Next Big Thing—digital. Our panel, while acknowledging the perception of digital’s place, felt it was up to the industry to better talk up its own advantages. “People love cool new things and there is nothing cooler and sexier than NextRadio,” says Pierre Bouvard, CMO, Cumulus Media/Westwood One of the technology that wakes up FM receivers on your smartphone and enables new interactivity with content and advertising. “Every time I tell an advertiser, an agency or Wall Street analysts about NextRadio…they are blown away.” “‘Mobile’ is the biggest buzzword in advertising today—and the fact is that radio is more mobile than what people think of as mobile, namely the smartphone,” adds Radha Subramanyam, president, insights, research and data analytics for iHeartMedia. “Radio is the best way for advertisers to reach consumers outside of the home, when they’re on the go.” Drew Horowitz, president and COO, Hubbard Radio, is convinced that the answer lies in overcoming the perception issue. “We have to dim the glare of digital by showing the strength and beauty of radio through ideation, execution and creative promotion using our platform,” he says. “The digital platform is fun and is the shiny new platform, [but] radio is the original mobile marketing medium.” “The same old story is rarely exciting,” admits Bill McElveen, executive VP, Southern region, Alpha Media. “But the story is about delivering results and we need to tell it more effectively.” Roundtable Record—Read the entire conversation only at InsideRadio.com.

Radio vs. Digital Should Be Radio + Digital. To tell its story better vs. the media world’s giant hydra that is digital, radio needs to stop making it “either/or” and start stressing the advantage of making it “one-plus-one” in a smart, collective strategy. That’s the consensus from six industry experts in part II of our four-part radio reach roundtable. “The success of radio has always been, and always will be, about touching people on a daily basis,” says Steve Chessare, VP and market manager, Greater Media Detroit. “As a medium, radio is unsurpassed at meeting marketing objectives for our clients. Digital is a piece of that strategy as one of our many ways to engage people…Digital alone cannot achieve results equal to a plan that is a combination of all we have: on-air, online and on-site.” “Radio can make digital more effective,” adds Bill McElveen, executive VP, Southern region, Alpha Media. “It is to our advantage to provide conclusive evidence that the use of radio makes an advertiser’s digital spend more effective, moving the discussion away from ‘let’s use radio if there’s any money left over’ to ‘let’s use radio to make our digital spend more effective.’ We need to passionately position our medium to not only our advertisers but our staffs as well—and the word ‘passionately’ is key.” New statistics seem to provide more and more ammunition for the effort—Nielsen recently reported that the actual weekly reach of AM/FM is 93%—and if it all comes down to simple results, the panel believes radio has a boast-worthy story to tell. Says Scott Herman, COO of CBS Radio, “Clients who use broadcast radio to promote a product, drive customers into their store or deliver a brand message will tell you the medium is an effective form of advertising.” Roundtable Record—read all our panelists’ answers to this question at InsideRadio.com.

Beasley Takes Hit For Bubba Violation. Nielsen took the harsh step of removing rocker “Bubba 98.7” WBRN-FM from its Tampa ratings for the September survey after station owner Beasley Media Group said that syndicated morning personality Bubba The

insideradio.com

PG 2 NEWS@INSIDERADIO.COM | 800.275.2840

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015NEWS

Love Sponge (Todd Clem) had attempted to distort the ratings. The delayed ratings, released yesterday, had been held up pending Beasley’s internal investigation. Beasley says Clem was contacted directly by a Tampa market PPM panelist and subsequently attempted to influence the panelist’s listening habits, a clear violation of Nielsen’s Rating Distortion guidelines. In a statement, Nielsen said it discovered the improper activity in time to remove the panelist from the ratings before they were released. “The ratings themselves were not affected in any of the markets and for that reason, no data reissue is necessary,” Nielsen said. Nielsen flagged the Tampa report with a “Delistment” notice, which says the ratings giant is working with Beasley “to ensure that proper remediation measures will be implemented for the station.” The delistment notice includes a statement from the station saying it had no prior knowledge of the improper activity and cooperated fully with Nielsen. The station “strongly condemns the actions of Mr. Clem,” the statement said, noting that he isn’t a Beasley employee. Nielsen said it is adding a notation for one report period in the other markets in which Bubba’s syndicated show airs. In a statement, Beasley president Bruce Beasley said his company was “completely unaware” of Clem’s actions and “moved quickly to cooperate fully with Nielsen once they brought the allegations to our attention.” The company is conducting compliance training for Bubba and distributing guidelines on the importance of avoiding conduct that could cause ratings distortion. After more than a week of airing “Best Of” shows, Beasley was expected on Tuesday to resume carrying the host’s live feed.

How Strict Ratings Distortion Rules Snagged Bubba. The offending activity that Beasley and Nielsen say Bubba The Love Sponge (Todd Clem) engaged in falls under the Panelist Solicitation section of Nielsen’s Ratings Distortion policy. It specifically bans “a station learning the identity of PPM panel participants” and “a station gaining access to, or influence over, any Nielsen PPM (except as explicitly authorized by Nielsen).” Stations that learn the identity of any Nielsen PPM panelist, current or future, are expected to notify the ratings company immediately. In Bubba’s case, it was Nielsen that found out about the host’s contact with a panelist and then notified Beasley, not the other way around. Nielsen’s lengthy Ratings Distortion policy also forbids “any announcement, statement, or activity by a station in any medium that, by Nielsen judgment, may prompt any PPM panelist to identify his or her participation in the panel.” Beasley said yesterday that its internal investigation showed that Clem was contacted directly by a Tampa market panelist but doesn’t specify whether Clem solicited the panelist’s identity in the first place. But that type of activity is strictly forbidden by Nielsen’s policy. In fact, attempting to learn the identity of a PPM panelist can be deemed Rating Distortion—even if the attempt is unsuccessful in disclosing any Nielsen research participant. Nielsen provides examples of such activity, including questions by stations on social media sites or loyal listener emails asking listeners whether they have participated in radio ratings research. Even questions that ask listeners whether they would be willing to “carry a pager-sized device as part of a radio ratings research project” can be considered by Nielsen to be ratings distortion. Nielsen says clients can access its full Ratings Distortion policy on the measurement company’s client portal.

After SC Storm, Stations Help With Recovery. With historic amounts of rain, wind and flooding lashing the southeast over the past week, radio stations are manning the mic with essential information to keep listeners alerted. The weather has been so relentless in South Carolina, for example, that it’s been deemed a “1,000-year event.” In Columbia, SC, an astonishing 7.77 inches of rain fell over 24 hours, mandating a curfew. As the clouds rolled in early last week, Alpha Media began wall-to-wall local coverage in Columbia on its hot AC “Q93.5” WARQ, rock “Fox 102.3” WMFX, urban “Hot 103.9” WHXT and urban AC “The Big DM 101 FM” WWDM, stripping away syndicated morning programming through Friday. “We’re hanging in there, but this is crazy. It feels like we took a direct hit from a hurricane, with rain totals that have actually exceeded most hurricanes,” says Alpha GM & market manager Mike Hartel. “We’re surrounded by rivers and a ton of lakes in between. We’ve had dams breaking, small bridges washed away and streets just vanish underwater.” Hartel tells Inside Radio that the Alpha stations have worked together to share content, bringing Columbia’s mayor on-air and partnering with the Red Cross and other first-responders. The quartet of stations is also continually updating its websites with news, weather and alerts, and posting video to keep listeners aware of danger zones. “At first it was all about safety and preparing everybody to make sure they stayed inside and avoided the danger,” Hartel says. The station group is now shifting into fundraising

insideradio.com

PG 3 NEWS@INSIDERADIO.COM | 800.275.2840

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015NEWS

mode to help the thousands impacted by the washout. “When you see how many homes and businesses have been lost, you know it’s time to get to work.” How To Help—Find out how Alpha is joining the Red Cross is the effort at InsideRadio.com.

Analyst’s Take On How To Fix Cumulus. What will it take for new CEO Mary Berner to turn Cumulus Media around? According to one analyst, the company desperately needs to show more top-line revenue growth. “That’s the biggest thing that needs to happen at Cumulus and other publicly traded groups,” according to SNL Kagan senior research analyst Justin Nielson. But with one foot in small and medium markets and the other in the majors (through the legacy ABC stations acquired by predecessor Citadel Broadcasting), Berner may also have an identity crisis to deal with at Cumulus. “It seems like they are torn between focusing on the major markets and the smaller markets, which are not the primary focus of the overall business,” Nielson says. Noting that Cumulus underperforms the market in San Francisco and Detroit, Nielson sees its greatest potential for improvement at the local level. “Where radio will excel is in the local markets, even if some of that ad revenue is shifting away from the national business,” he says. At last week’s Radio Show, talk of the Cumulus shakeup dominated hallway chatter, with many wondering whether the company was destined for chapter 11. Nielson doesn’t see things progressing that far, and Cumulus chairman Jeffrey Marcus has reportedly been saying as much to industry influencers. “It was a big wakeup call when the stock hit 74 cents a share, last week,” Nielson says. And though its Q2 earnings came in lower than expected, Cumulus has said Q3 will be better and Q4 better still. “It will come down to…talking with the investment community and making sure they can improve not only the operations but their cash flow,” Nielson says. Another item on Berner’s long To-Do list—paying down some of the company’s $2.4 billion in debt. “That overhang is a challenge,” Nielson says.

Allstate Test Proves NextRadio’s Worth. With NextRadio’s reach poised to grow significantly next year as cellphone carriers, namely AT&T and T-Mobile, activate FM chips in smartphones, makers of the technology are fine-tuning its pitch to advertisers. The takeaway from early test campaigns with Allstate insurance of interactive ads, revealed at last week’s Radio Show, NextRadio says, is that on-screen ads produced higher response rates than click-through ads for digital and, in some markets, showed double-digit response rates. And, for media buyers and marketers hungry for data-driven results, NextRadio says it can offer next-day reporting, a feature that radio stations can’t offer for on-air spots. For its test buy on NextRadio, Allstate bought time on 245 stations and, overall, the campaign yielded a 1.55% response rate. Response rates were highest in Washington DC, at 2.86%, followed by Chicago (2.55%) and Philadelphia (1.87%). “Allstate was flabbergasted by that conversion rate,” NextRadio president Paul Brenner said. “This is marketing data that they previously only could have expected from television or digital.” Among dayparts, evenings produced the most interactions, with a 3.94% response rate, followed by daytime (1.66%). Morning and afternoon drive, presumably when consumers do not have their smartphones as accessible, garnered lower response rates, with 1.33% for afternoon drive and 0.89% for the morning. When NextRadio sliced the data by formats, CHR stations nabbed the best results, with a 2.88% response rate, compared to adult hits (1.54%) and country (1.02%). In another test campaign for new albums, NextRadio experimented with adding a “call to action” button layered onto the interactive ad, which produced higher rates of interactivity with the artist (6.55% interactivity rate) and purchase button usage (4% response rate). These responses, the company says, are “well above” industry averages. On NextRadio’s platform, those interactive options include playing the music, purchasing the music and social media functions, such as liking, disliking and sharing.

SD Rivals Join Forces In Competitive Market. Two competing San Diego radio groups have formed a Joint Operating Agreement that puts five stations under a common umbrella. Local Media San Diego and Midwest TV have formed SDLocal, which they say will reach about 1.5 million listeners in the San Diego area. The agreement unites Local Media’s rhythmic oldies “Magic 92.5” XHRM-FM, rhythmic CHR “Z90” XHTZ and modern rock “91X” XTRA-FM with Midwest TV’s news/talk KFMB (760) and hot AC “100.7 Jack FM” KFMB-FM, also known as the KFMB Stations. Midwest TV also owns KFMB-TV, the market’s CBS affiliate. “We’re excited to finalize this agreement with the KFMB Stations’ radio group,” Gregg Wolfson, VP and general manager at Local Media San Diego, said in a statement. “With both organizations focused exclusively on the San Diego market, this partnership gives us the resources to deliver

insideradio.com

PG 4 NEWS@INSIDERADIO.COM | 800.275.2840

even more localized programming, events, contests and promotions to our advertising partners and the San Diego community.” The ability to market the five stations as one group is seen as a way to more effectively contend with larger competitors, such as iHeartMedia, which owns seven stations in the market; Entercom, which has four; and CBS Radio and Univision, which own two apiece.

Rates Rise On Public Radio Royalty Payments. Public radio broadcasters will pay $2.8 million annually in digital performance royalties to Sound Exchange, the organization that collects and distributes those royalties, through 2019, according to Billboard. The settlement, approved by the three judges who make up the Copyright Royalty Board, is an increase from the $2.4 million annual rate paid under the previous term. The new agreement covers NPR, American Public Media, Public Radio International, Public Radio Exchange and up to 530 originating public radio stations named by Corporation for Public Broadcasting, per Billboard. Each public radio station’s minimum royalty will remain $500 per year, unchanged from the previous term. The settlement, which calls for the pubcasters to pay the royalties in five installments through 2019, contains a clause that allows the number of participating stations to increase. Billboard notes that while the payments will be made to SoundExchange, which in turn distributes them to labels and recording artists, the CRB must first approve the portion of the settlement that deems it as a collective agency. That won’t come until the CRB finishes setting rates for all webcasts. The deal still requires approval from the Register of the U.S. Copyright Office, Maria Pallante. It comes about one week after College Broadcasters Inc. reached a streaming royalty agreement with SoundExchange. New webcasting rates for commercial broadcasters and pureplay streamers are expected before the end of the year.

iHeart Will Ride ‘Jingle’ All the Way. The Jingle season has begun, as three iHeartMedia stations—in San Francisco, Boston and Dallas—have announced A-list artist rosters for their 2015 holiday concerts, as well as a CBS Radio St. Louis outlet. The annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour features additional stops, with varying lineups, in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Miami and Tampa. Capital One is the title sponsor partner for the tour. In San Francisco, rhythmic CHR “Wild 94.9” KYLD will host Selena Gomez, Calvin Harris, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Tove Lo, Shawn Mendes, R. City, Conrad Sewell, Alessia Cara and DNCE, on Thursday, Dec. 3 at Oracle Arena. The charity for Wild 94.9’s Jingle Ball is the non-profit Ryan Seacrest Foundation, dedicated to inspiring today’s youth through entertainment and education-focused initiatives. For each ticket sold, $1 will be donated to the organization. In Boston, CHR “Kiss 108” WXKS-FM’s Jingle Ball headliners, in addition to Jonas, Jovato and Tone Lo include The Weeknd, Calvin Harris, 5 Seconds of Summer, Demi Hailee Steinield and Natalie La Rose. The concert will take place Thursday, Dec. 10 at the TD Garden. Kiss’ charity benefactor is also the Ryan Seacrest Foundation. In Dallas, “106.1 Kiss FM” KHKS’ Jingle Ball 2015 will welcome One Direction, Calvin Harris, Lovato, Mendes, 5SOS, Ellie Goulding, Zedd, Mendes, Tove Lo, Charlie Puth and DNCE. The station’s extravaganza takes place Tuesday, Dec. 1 at American Airlines Center. The Dallas-Kiss Jingle Ball’s charity tie in is Kidd’s Kids, the non-profit of the KHKS-based “Kidd Kraddick Morning Show.” For each ticket sold, $1 will benefit the charity dedicated to helping sick and/or physically challenged children by sending them on a Disneyworld adventure. CBS Radio In On the Act—Find out their St. Louis lineup at InsideRadio.com.

New Yorker Discovers It Has a Phase For Radio. How’s this for a radio plug: The New Yorker, one of the most venerable brands in media, is getting into the radio business with a new one-hour weekly show and podcast series. The award-winning magazine is partnering with public media news/talk powerhouse WNYC-FM, New York (93.9) to produce a show and podcasts “loosely inspired by the magazine” and covering similar topics. With all the available platforms, including digital and social media, why radio? “I think [the] space is very hot right now, particularly as far as podcasts,” New Yorker publisher Lisa Hughes said in an interview with Adweek. Podcasting got a big boost after Apple pre-installed a podcasting app in the iPhone 6, Hughes noted. “Truly overnight, that changed how people access podcasts and the ease of downloading them,” she said. Also, she singled out NPR’s hit podcast series “Serial” for helping to elevate the genre. And while The New Yorker already has its own podcasts available for its digital customers, garnering about 700,000 downloads per month, partnering with WNYC will elevate its reach and sales efforts. The programming departments from both outlets will help shape the podcasts. Hughes says The New Yorker and WNYC sales teams are successfully selling sponsorships, landing Audible and Squarespace as launch sponsors.

— Get more news, people moves and insider extras @ www.insideradio.com. —

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015NEWS

insideradio.com

PG 5 NEWS@INSIDERADIO.COM | 800.275.2840

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2015CLASSIFIEDS

INSIDE RADIO, Copyright 2015. www.insideradio.com. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, or retransmitted in any form. This publication cannot be distributed beyond the physical address of the named subscriber. Address: P.O. Box 567925, Atlanta, GA 31156. Subscribe to INSIDE RADIO monthly subscription $39.95 recurring payment. For information, visit www.insideradio.com. To advertise, call 1-800-248-4242 x711. Email: ads@insideradio.com.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES @ INSIDERADIO.COM >>

SALES MANAGERTired of the Mega company rat race?

Want to work for a company where your efforts are appreciated? Santamaria Broadcasting seeks a Sales Manager for our Minneapolis Stations. Successful candidates should have a minimum of 5 years radio sales experience and a proven track-record of sales success and leadership.

If you are ready to take on a new challenge where the rewards will match your efforts,send resume to:

interestedinthejob@yahoo.com

An equal opportunity employer.

GENERAL MANAGERSOUTHEAST

Successful private radio group has an opening for an aggressive, goal oriented and knowledgeable General Manager for a successful radio cluster with strong ratings located in the Southeast. If you have a winning attitude, proven track record of growing revenue, a passion for radio sales excellence and a desire to be a partner on a winning team, then this is the opportunity for you.

This is a rare opportunity with tremendous growth potential. Three plus years of radio general manager experience is required.

If qualified, please send cover letter and resume in

CONFIDENCE to: jobs@insideradio.com

E.O.E.

MARKET MANAGERArtistic Media Partners, Inc. is looking for a hands-on

Market Manager with a track record of success to run heritage stations in a stable radio market. Applicants must have an

understanding of Hiring, Sales, Programming, Promotions and successful General Management experience. Pay is competitive

and consists of salary plus incentive. Successful sales management experience is required.

Qualified candidates, send resumes to: Arthur@artisticradio.com

AMP = EOE

SALEM MEDIA GROUP NEW YORK CITY“BREAKING NEWS”

There is STILL a place for a super radio career that is waiting for you! If you have a successful track record in broadcast sales and are looking for the right ‘home,’ call or write the NYC headquarters of Salem Media Group.

Salem Radio in New York is looking for a dynamic individual to join the sales team for AM970 The Answer, which is News Talk format, and the legendary WMCA AM570 The Mission, New York’s Christian Talk. Compensation is commensurate with degree of experience and skills. This is a fabulous career opportunity for the right individual with one of the finest broadcasting companies in America. Sales experience involving media is a must. Undergraduate degree required.

Contact Jerry Crowley’s assistant, Laura Sheaffer at laura@nycradio.com Or, 212-857-9639 to schedule an interview. APPLY HERE EOE

VICE PRESIDENT OF SALESSummitMedia Honolulu currently has an opening for a Vice President of Sales to oversee the sales department for all six SummitMedia Honolulu radio stations. This position is responsible for creating, driving, and achieving revenue goals of the cluster. Duties include but are not limited to developing, strategizing and executing a comprehensive sales plan designed to achieve revenue goals, training and developing a talented sales staff, monitoring sales activities on the stations, and making client calls with the sales staff. Job Requirements Here.

If interested in applying for this position, please forward a resume to: SummitMedia Birmingham, Attn: Helen Mitchell, 2700 Corporate Drive, Suite 115, Birmingham, AL 35242. Or, email to: Helen.mitchell@summitmediacorp.com E.O.E.