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Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman to Add Chairman of the Board 
Clear Channel CEO Bob Pittman will add the title Chairman of the Board, effective May 17. In a new SEC filing, Clear Channel names Pittman to be Mark Mays' successor as Chairman of the Board. Mays will remain a member of the Clear Channel Board of Directors, but his brother Randall Mays "is not standing for re-election" -- and, according to the filing, will not be replaced on the Board. The filing notes that Mays served as President/CEO and Chairman of the Board from July 30, 2008 to March 31, 2011, at which time he retired as President/CEO. The Clear Channel SEC filing adds, "Other than the period of time since Mr. Mays' retirement as our Chief Executive Officer, we historically have combined the roles of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. The Board does not have a policy regarding the separation of the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board as the Board believes it is in the best interests of CC Media to make that determination based on the position and direction of CC Media, the membership of the Board and the individuals who occupy those roles. As our Chairman of the Board and our previous Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mays has worked collaboratively with Mr. Pittman and, prior to his appointment, the Office of the Chief Executive Officer during its tenure during 2011. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and our Board have continued to evaluate the appropriate leadership structure for our company, including our past leadership structures and Mr. Pittman’s service as our Chief Executive Officer. After considering these factors, our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee recommended and our Board approved the appointment of Mr. Pittman to serve as our Chairman of the Board beginning on May 17, 2013, subject to his re-election as a director." The full SEC Schedule 14A filing is available here from the SEC.
BIA/Kelsey: Radio Online Revenues Growing Faster Than On-Air 
Radio industry over-the-air revenues inched slightly upwards in 2012, increasing to $14.3 billion, a 1.5 percent change from the year before, according to the first edition of "Investing In Radio Market Report," a quarterly report published by BIA/Kelsey. That slight change is due in large part to the sluggish overall economy for 2012 and the increased competition radio faces in the local media market. The company also notes that station revenue mix will continue to shift somewhat and income from online advertising is expected to rise at a rate of about 10.8 percent annually over the next five years versus 2.5 percent from over-the-air. For 2013, BIA/Kelsey forecasts over-the-air radio revenues should see 2.3 percent growth, or $14.7 billion, again due to the slightly stronger economy. In 2012, online radio ad revenues reached $491 million, representing 3.3 percent for the industry. Markets such as Boston saw 14.2 percent in online radio revenue with overall numbers rising by 3.6 percent. BIA/Kelsey forecasts radio's online revenue growth will reach $818 million by 2017, while the industry's combined total revenue will reach $17 billion by 2017. "As the digital marketplace continues to rise in all sectors of advertising, radio is improving its listener engagement online and benefitting from the value of its web and mobile assets," says BIA/Kelsey VP and Chief Economist
Mark Fratrik. "Overall, the industry is still recognized as an important part of the media mix as it continues to meander around, rising slightly with the rate of inflation but not keeping up with the economy."
DC's WTOP-FM Again the Top Billing U.S. Radio Station 
WTOP-FM, Washington DC, is again the top billing U.S. radio station, according to BIA/Kelsey. WTOP-FM is reported as the number one billing station for a third year in a row with $64.6 million in 2012, up from $60 million for 2011. Clear Channel's CHR-Top40 KIIS-FM, Los Angeles, was the second highest billing station for 2012, says BIA/Kelsey, at $56.8 million, followed by co-owned CHR-Top40 "Z100" WHTZ-FM, New York, at $48.2 million. Rounding out the top five billing stations for last year is All News WCBS-AM, New York, at number four with $47.2 million, and KFI-AM, Los Angeles, at $46 million. Clear Channel stations account for three of the top five billing radio outlets, while CBS Radio had five of the top ten billing U.S. stations in 2012. Number One WTOP-FM is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. The remainder of the top ten are WBBM-AM, Chicago, at $45.7 million, WLTW-FM, New York, at $43 million, WINS-AM, New York, at $41.5 million, WFAN-AM-FM, New York, at $41 million and KROQ-FM, Los Angeles with $39.3 million. Windows Phone 8 to Restore FM Radio Capability 
Last week, we reported that as Pandora rolls out its Windows Phone mobile app, "Pandora listeners on Windows Phone 8 will receive ad-free personalized radio at no cost, courtesy of Microsoft, through the rest of this year, plus features unique to the platform." As an addemdum, we noted, "In what's bad news for terrestrial radio, we've learned that with the new Pandora push, Microsoft has removed the FM radio tuner as a base feature from Windows Phone 8." Now, though, Microsoft says the Windows 8 Phone will bring back FM radio capability. Sources tell The Verge that Microsoft will bring back FM radio support, after dropping it following the Windows Phone 7. The Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 are both expected to support FM radio, while other compatible handsets will include the support as well. To date, there's been no explanation as to why Microsoft had dropped the FM radio capability from Phone 8, but it was suggested last week by others that it was in conjunction with its new deal with Pandora. Cumulus Names Skip Murphy to Replace Michael Baisden 
Cumulus Media Network is filling the vacancy resulting from the exit of Michael Baisden's show with the new "Skip Murphy in the Afternoon" -- a music-based program, beginning April 1. The new syndicated Urban show is a partnership with Reach Media that brings Murphy and co-host Jasmine Sanders to the 3-7pm time slot. CMN says the show will feature "celebrity guests participating on a continuous basis." The show will feature Urban/R&B "hits from today, the 80’s and the 90’s." We're told that "Skip Murphy in the Afternoon" will be "upbeat, with humor, dishing on the latest trends, gossip and more. The music will provide the beat for an entertaining drive home. We will also begin testing more beloved and captivating personalities in the African American community in the entertainment category to be a part of the show." The CMN announcement comes one day after Reach Media announced it had selected Murphy and Sanders to replace the Michael Baisden afternoon show previously syndicated by Cumulus on all Radio One stations that have aired Baisden. His show, currently running old "Best of" editions, ends March 29. Reach Media was telling Baisden affiliates the show would start April 1, and "will be a music intensive show, not a talk show." Affiliates were being told this is test run with Skip and Jasmine until further notice. Murphy spent 15 years in mornings at Service Broadcasting's "K104" KKDA-FM and KRNB-FM, Dallas, until exiting in 2008. Since then he's hosted an online show and has filled in frequently for Reach Media's Tom Joyner. Sanders has worked at AC "Fresh 102.7" WWFS-FM and Urban AC WBLS-FM, New York. WUIL-FM/Champaign-Urbana Flips to Classic Hits WKIO-FM 
Another follow-up from last week: "U-Rock 107.9" WUIL-FM, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, has flipped to "Classic Hits 107.9" WKIO-FM, focusing on hits from the 60s, 70s and 80s, launching with 10,000 songs in a row commercial free. We had reported that WUIL-FM was "expected to soon drop its Rock format and re-brand with a change of call letters to WKIO-FM." As we told you then that would return those calls to the market where they have a colorful history on other frequencies. But, was the question, "what exactly that means for the format is still a topic for speculation." Some believed it would be Classic Hits (they were right), while others suggested something different. We were wrong, suggesting the possibility of Classic Rock, rather than Classic Hits. The WKIO call letters had last been used in the market on 92.5 FM airing Classic Hits. Further back in time, WKIO had been a Top 40 station on what was billed as "K-104" with the WKIO call letters for "Keep It On" and "Keep It On K-104" as its positioner. With WUIL-FM flipping, this is the second station in the market to abandon Rock this year. WGKC-FM dropped Classic Rock for Country "US 105.9" in January." That led us to speculate that perhaps rather than Classic Hits, "U-Rock 107.9" might be planning a flip to Classic Rock to fill that void in the Champaign-Urbana market. Oops. Bad call! Radio Honorees Among Peabody Award Winners 
ABC News Radio, NPR, WBEZ-FM/Chicago, and WNYC-AM-FM/New York, are radio honorees as the winners of the 72nd annual George Foster Peabody Awards were announced today. ABC News Radio was honored as part of ABC News for its coverage of Superstorm Sandy, and for "Robin's Journey," the series of reports on radio and TV chronicling "Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts' battle with cancer. NPR won for "Syria 2012" and the "All Things Considered" feature "Teen Contender," a radio diary of an aspiring Olympian. Chicago Public Media's noncommercial News Talk WBEZ-FM/Chicago was honored for "This American Life," along with Pro Publica and Fundacion Mepi, for the episode "What Happened at Dos Erres," the story of a child survivor of the 1982 Guatemalan civil war massacre of civilians in a small village who discovered that the man he thought was his father was actually the commander of the troops who killed most of the people in his village. New York Public Radio noncommercial News Talk WNYC-AM-FM/New York won for a series of documentaries on "Media Mechanics" featuring recordings named for the Library of Congress registry, shared with Public Radio International, and for Leoard Lopate's local talk show. A complete list of all the Peabody Award winners is available here. Entercom to Deploy Triton Digital's a2x Platform 
Triton Digital announces that Entercom Communications has joined a2x, bringing its digital radio stations to the platform. The a2x platform is described by Triton as "the industry's only audience-based programmatic buying solution for online and mobile audio ads." Says Entercom VP of Digital Strategy and Enterprise Platforms Tim Murphy, "We are driven by a mission to optimize the value of our core audio content for our advertising partners, and Triton's a2x platform allows us to do just that. a2x fits perfectly with our vision for the digital future of radio, and we're proud to sign on as an early adopter of the platform."
WideOrbit Announces iPad and Android Traffic App, 
Advertising management software provider WideOrbit announces a new app for iPad and Android that will allow sales and traffic pros to "quickly and easily book and approve orders directly from their tablets through the WO Traffic product." The app, says Wide Orbit, will make it easier for their broadcast and media network customers to sell media while submitting orders, making changes, and viewing inventory, etc. while on the go. WideOrbit will preview the new app at the 2013 NAB Show. “We are excited to introduce an innovative tool that helps improve our clients’ productivity and fulfills their growing need to be more mobile,” says WO Traffic Product Manager Arden Ten Broeck. “The WO Traffic order entry and approvals app will help salespeople go from the customer’s desk to submitting orders on their tablet device without being tethered to the office. Sales managers will also benefit from the ability to approve new orders and order changes while on the go; and they will have a more up-to-date view of sales orders and inventory. We’ve made the tool incredibly quick and easy to use in order to simplify the process of booking orders across sales and traffic organizations, and deliver significant time savings to our clients.” The company also tells us that its WO Analytics product is being used by more than 240 radio, TV and media networks after being introduced last year at the 2012 NAB Show. The WO Analytics "helps media companies identify new business opportunities, improve pricing, streamline operations and increase forecasting accuracy." The product, we're told, also offers views of transactional data and key metrics that can identify opportunities to increase revenue and reduce credits. Christal Radio Promotes Two
Kristina Garafalo Goldman to VP of Sales in Los Angeles 
Christal Radio promotes Kristina Garafalo Goldman to VP of Sales in Los Angeles, and Melissa Ostrander to Senior Account Executive in Chicago. Christal Radio is part of the Katz Radio Group. "We have an impressive team of talented sellers and both Kristina and Melissa are terrific examples of how great initiative together with dedication can pay off," says Christal Radio President Christine Travaglini. "We look forward to seeing them continue to deliver outstanding results as they grow their careers with our company." Garafalo Goldman started her career at KGTV San Diego in 1999 as a Regional Sales Coordinator. In 2001, she switched to radio, joining Clear Channel San Diego as a local Account Executive. Two years later, she became part of Christal Radio as an Account Executive and spent several years in the New York office before transferring to the Los Angeles office. She is a graduate of the University of San Diego and a member of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. Ostrander joined Christal Radio in 2010. Prior to that, she was an Account Executive for Clear Channel Radio Sales in Chicago for two years. Ostrander also spent four years as an Assistant Relationship Manager for Northern Trust in Chicago. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a member of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. Alliance for Women in Media to Host NAB Show Event 
The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) will present “The Women’s Room” at the NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 8. "The event is limited to 200 registrants who will be served a healthy breakfast, have a professional headshot taken, receive feedback on their social media profile, and make high-impact connections with fellow women in media," says AWM. The event host committee includes Beasley Broadcast Group EVP and CFO Caroline Beasley; NAB Education Foundation VP Michelle Duke; Sarah Foss, media consultant; Kay Olin, President, Local Focus Radio; and Christine Travaglini, President, Christal Radio (Katz Radio Group). Says AWM President Erin Fuller, “The Alliance for Women in Media is excited to create a fun, dynamic, and professional community within the NAB Show – and we are thrilled by the high-impact women who have already stepped forward to support this new event. We are glad to be working with our long-term partners, NAB and NAB Education Foundation who have been such fantastic partners in launching The Women’s Room.”
Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio
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From Mark Harris Broadcast Consulting
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Wednesday's Radio & Media News - March 27, 2013
a2x enables real-time bidding and programmatic buying of targeted online and mobile audio inventory for advertisers, enhancing the ability to manage, buy and sell third-party advertising campaigns. The platform's automated, exchange-driven method of buying and selling ad impressions facilitates rapid and precise transactions, eliminating waste and resulting in the highest price for publishers and the greatest efficiency for advertisers. "Entercom is a progressive company, and has been in tune with our vision for a2x from the outset," says Triton Digital COO Mike Agovino. "We're excited to bring its highly-successful portfolio of stations to the platform, and work with them to leverage their data and ad inventory to maximize online and mobile revenues."
CHR-Top40 "Star 102.1" WWST-FM, Knoxville, night host Mike Shaffer is exiting to return to nights and Music Director at CHR-Top40 KCLD-FM, St. Cloud, Minnesota, replacing Tamo Sein who transferred to co-owned Alternative "XL102" WRXL-FM, Richmond, as we reported last week. Shaffer previously held the same position at KCLD-FM before going to nights at CHR-Top40 WSTW-FM, Wilmington, Delaware, in 2010 ... J.J. Ryan is the new Program Director at "92.1 The Beat" KTBT-FM, Tulsa. Ryan adds the new duties to his role as PD for the cluster’s Country "106.1 The Twister" KTGX-FM ... Parker is in at Country "Eagle 92.9" WEGX-FM, Florence, SC, as afternoon host, arriving from Country sister "97.7 Kicker" WKKR-FM, Auburn, Alabama. Former WEGX-FM afternoon host Mudflap segues to mornings as co-host of "Mudflap and Palmer," as former morning co-host Tessa exits for mornings at AC "Sunny 106.9" KRNO-FM, Reno, Nevada ... Country WHOK-FM, Columbus, Ohio, morning host Mike "Jocephus" Austin exits, and is seeking his next opportunity ... Morning show host Ace McKay is moving from WLAB-FM, Fort Wayne, to Christian "JQ99" WJQK-FM to team with Sabrina Fairchild for the "Ace and Sabrina" morning show starting April 8 ...
Classic Rock "1051 The Blaze" KKBZ-FM, Fresno, names Jon Ballard as Program Director, replacing Dan Thomas, who exited earlier this year. Ballard arrives from "Rock 103" WVRK-FM, Columbus, Georgia, where he was PD ... Urban "101.1 The Wiz" WIZF-FM, Cincinnati, promotes APD/Music Director EJ Grieg to Program Director.
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