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Techsurvey9: Sports Audience Increases Media and Gadget Usage 
Jacobs Media, releasing more data from the Techsurvey9 study of core radio listeners, says that more than 4,500 Sports Radio fans express clear preferences for how they use digital media and broadcast radio to satisfy their sports interest. Twitter, we're told, continues to be an important conduit for Sports Radio stations, as fans enjoy following both stations and personalities on that social network. Says Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs, "Sports Radio fans are a smart, tech-savvy group. From smartphones to tablets to connected cars, they are using mobility and portability to feed their habit. Radio operators need to get on their frequency to optimize listening, even in sports hungry markets." Some key takeaways from the latest release include: Mobile & mobility are in the forefront. In Techsurvey9, Sports Radio listeners are moving quickly to purchase smartphones and tablets. Nearly seven in ten (69%) now own a smartphone (+14% from TS8), while more than four in ten (42%) have acquired a tablet (+55% from TS8). There's a special Sports Radio/car relationship. Not only are fans of Sports Radio stations more likely to indicate that the bulk of their broadcasting radio listening takes place behind the wheel, they are more apt to have the ability to connect an iPod-like device or a phone in their main vehicle. And Sports Radio partisans are among the leaders for owning a car with a "digital dashboard." And they lead the league in downloading radio apps. Of those with smartphones who download apps, nearly three-fourths (74%) say they've downloaded a radio-centric mobile application-a big deal for Sports Radio stations working on their mobile strategies. The Twitter leaders in the clubhouse. While four in ten Sports Radio fans use Twitter, well more than half (55%) follow stations and/or personalities on that platform-far more than any of the other 11 format fan groups in TS9. Sports Radio stations that don't actively use Twitter are missing key opportunities to connect with fans. The toothpaste is out of the tube. More so than most other format partisans, Sports Radio fans are more apt to use their favorite stations on digital platforms. Overall, nearly one-fourth (23%) recalled listening for the past week occurred via streams on computers, mobile devices, as well as on-demand. They are big time into satellite radio. Nearly one-fourth (24%) of Sports Radio fans say they subscribe to satellite radio (or are on a free trial). And a key reason why some Sports Radio partisans say they're listening to less broadcast radio is due to SiriusXM. They like radio, but... Fewer Sports Radio fans start their media days with broadcast radio, and they are more apt to be heavy Internet radio users than heavy radio listeners. Sports Radio stations are challenged to keep these core fans engaged with their stations. Digital avenues are key to retaining these fans. Stil to come from Jacobs Media are Techsurvey9 webinars for Rock/Classic Rock/Alternative (June 4) and AC/CHR/Hot AC (June 10). Techsurvey9 results were gathered online from January 29 to February 19. Overall, 264 broadcast stations across the U.S. and Canada participated, contributing 78,111 total respondents.
Survey Shows Americans Most Want to Keep Computers 
A new Clear Channel Media and Entertainment survey upends some commonly held misconceptions about the use and ownership of electronic devices, including the fact that respondents would rather keep their computer and give up their TV, smartphone and tablet if they could only use one device for a year.
Western states love their smartphones: In what will likely come as a surprise to the fast-paced, connected population on the East Coast, respondents from Western states were more likely to have a smartphone (56%) than those in the Northeast (46%) and the Midwest (42%). Women have more electronics: When it comes to smartphones and tablets, women are actually more likely than men to own these gadgets -- 52% of women have smartphones vs. 43% of men; and 31% of women have a tablet or e-reader compared to 25% of men. Multitasking: Media multitasking is now mainstream across all media channels. 65% of respondents have been online while watching TV at the same time; 59% have been online while listening to music; and even 25% of respondents watch TV and listen to music at the same time. Consumers want their gadgets close by -- day and night: Only one in ten consumers (11%) think it is "no big deal" if they accidentally leave their smartphone at home for the day. A large majority (78%) keep their smartphones in the bedroom at night, with 60% keeping their phones within arm's reach on the nightstand. Does constant connection come with a price? Though almost 70% of smartphone owners feel "connected" most or all of the time, they are split on the benefits, with 51% saying they "love it" and 49% saying it "has its pluses and minuses." Music is the ultimate "mood-enhancer": Two out of three consumers choose to turn on music (59%) rather than TV (39%) when they are looking to change their mood. "Consumers continue to change rapidly and surprise us. Preconceptions about men and women, young and old, are always tested," says CCME EVP of Insights and Analytics Radha Subramanyam. "This research helps sketch out a picture of how Americans spend their time-and what their priorities are."
TRN Suit Against Dial Global and Others Moved to New York, 
Talk Radio Network (TRN)'s lawsuit against competing talk show syndicators has been moved from a California court to a District Court in New York. The antitrust suit was filed against Dial Global, Triton Media and others. Courtside Entertainment has been dropped as a defendant in the suit. Courtside's motion to be dismissed as a defendant was granted by Judge Jesus Bernal in California for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, dismissing TRN's claims of interference with talent contracts. Bernal also granted the transfer motion, leaving the other allegations for the New York judge to rule upon or dismiss. Remaining defendants include Dial Global and related entities, Triton Media Group, Excelsior Radio Networks, Verge Media, Compass Media, and WYD Media Management. TRN is suing the companies alleging violation of anti-trust and monopoly laws in sales representation of independent spoken word radio. Bott Radio Network Joins iHeartRadio 
Bott Radio Network (BRN), which specializes in Christian Talk Radio, will now be available on Clear Channel Media and Entertainment's iHeartRadio digital radio service. BRN's 93 stations will promote iHeartRadio on-air, and BRN will continue to stream its broadcasts at www.bottradionetwork.com. "We are excited to provide a broadcast-friendly platform for Bott Radio Network and a fully integrated digital listening experience for their listeners," says Brian Lakamp, President of Digital for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.
STRATA: New Challenges Emerge As Q1 Ad Economy Strengthens Changes in Social Media Utilization and ROI Questions Linger 
Media buying agencies are experiencing major business growth and expect that growth to strengthen throughout the rest of the year, according to the latest quarterly survey conducted by STRATA. And there's good news for radio: 21% of media ad buyers surveyed say they are more interested in radio than they were last year. The recent study revealed that almost half (48%) of agencies polled said business is increasing this year over the same time last year; while 39% expect to see more growth in the first half of 2013 than the second half of 2012. This growth has led to many shops expanding their business as 39% plan on hiring this year (the largest amount since the first quarter of 2012). This is fueled by the fact that 28% say their clients are increasing their Marketing/Advertising budgets from last year. Even with more cash available, advertisers continue to spend on core channels. Compared to all other media types - TV was the most utilized avenue last quarter at 48%, followed by Digital (34%) and Radio (9%). When asked about their approach to TV, respondents were more interested in spot cable than they have been in five years (32% were more interested in cable than they were a year ago). Spot TV also saw a spike in interest, up 22% from last year. While these signs of an increase in business are encouraging, they do present unique challenges. Finding new clients has become a new difficulty for agencies, as 53% stated that client attraction is their biggest challenge (the highest number in the history of the STRATA survey and 49% higher than the first quarter of 2012). The second largest challenge was client spending (18%). However, most agencies are taking on this challenge by focusing more on business development (69%), and 47% say they will even expand into new advertising areas (such as streaming or online radio/TV).
AWM, 56 Other Groups Demand Answers on Journalists Targeting 
The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) is one of fifty-seven national groups that sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding a full, transparent account of the Justice Department’s targeting of journalists and whistleblowers on Friday, May 24. According to news release from AWM, their group and the others "believe that actions, which expand secrecy and intimidate those trying to shed more light on our government run counter to the Obama administration's promise of a new era of openness and transparency. In the letter, the groups demand a full account of the Justice Department’s targeting of journalists and whistleblowers so that they can advocate for appropriate action to protect everyone’s constitutional rights and push for stronger legal standards to protect all types of information gathering and sharing." Says AWM President Erin Fuller, "For over 62 years, the Alliance for Women in Media has represented women in all forms of electronic media, promoting issues such as women’s media ownership and positive and realistic portrayals of women and girls. Freedom of the press is such an essential element to our allied professions, industries and the partners with which we work, and AWM was proud to stand with the 57 organizations demanding increased accountability on this issue." Representing millions of Americans, the groups include Free Press, the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Library Association, the Communications Workers of America, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Sunlight Foundation and the Writers Guild of America East. Read the full text of the letter and the list of signers here. NY Post: 'Everybody’s Streaming - So Where's the Money?' 
The New York Post, looking at streaming services' finances, writes: "The fat lady has yet to sing, and the competition to capitalize on the digital music-streaming industry is far from over, especially with the likes of Google and Apple joining the ranks in the wake of pioneers like Spotify's Daniel Ek" (pictured). The Post says that the number of users and amount of revenue in the industry are on the rise. "Music-industry source IFPI reports that global revenue from digital music for record labels totaled $5.6 billion in 2012, up from $5.1 billion a year earlier." But the "challenge is, as usual, monetizing this audience, since consumers are accustomed to streaming music for free, thanks to 'freemium' models like Pandora." The Post report notes, "Pandora has 200 million US users, up from 100 million in 2011. Though the company has introduced a 40 hour-per-month listening restriction on free streaming, the majority of users are still listening for free. So the company relies on advertising." And says the report, the model might be working -- noting that last week Pandora reported first-quarter revenue rose 58 percent, to $128 million, thanks to largely to mobile advertising. Competitor Spotify, founded by Ek, counts 20 million active users and has a healthy advantage in the marketplace, thanks to its relationship with Facebook. Sam Hamadeh, founder and CEO of PrivCo, explains, “Spotify is clearly gaining market share from Pandora and others. Although Spotify continues to lose vast sums of money annually, its investments in growing both free and paying users are clearly paying off. And since Spotify has raised $286 million in venture-capital funding, the company can continue to lose money to gain market share — at least until the supply of new capital dries up.” Clear Channel's iHeartRadio, says the Post, trails Spotify and Pandora. Other players include Rdio, the Amazon-backed Songza and the pay-only Rhapsody. Read more here. Radio One Promotes Shawneen Thompson to St. Louis VP/GM 
Shawneen Thompson is promoted from Station Manager to VP and General Manager for Radio One's Urban Oldies "Old School 95.5" WFUN-FM and Hip Hop "Hot 104.1" WHHL-FM in St. Louis. She's been Station Manager there for the past three years. Says Regional VP Chris Wegman, "Shawneen has led our St. Louis operations to strong performances for a number of years. I am confident her leadership and community involvement will continue to grow our operations." Thompson adds, "I am excited to begin this next phase in my career and to continue to guide the Radio One St. Louis cluster by bridging the gap between the community we serve and the clients we work with on a local and national basis. I look forward to charting a course for our station's continued success in this ever changing media landscape." Thompson's radio career, spanning more than 20 years, began in the talent and programming side of radio in 1991, berfore she moved over to sales about seven years later. Her years in radio include a number of formats -- Country, Classic Rock, Oldies, Sports, AC and ultimately Urban. That career has included stops in Columbus, Ohio; Dallas, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia, among others, before St. Louis. She's previously worked for CBS Radio and Cox Radio, as well as Nationwide Communications and Blue Chip Broadcasting. All Cumulus Stations Raising Money for Tornado Victims Today 
Cumulus Media is raising money throughout the day today on all of its 525 radio stations for the victims of last week’s devastating Oklahoma tornado. The fundraising efforts feature local on-air personalities asking listeners to make donations for the survivors and families of the victims. Says Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey, "On behalf of all our employees and the communities we are privileged to serve, our hearts and prayers go out to the families and communities that lost loved ones. We hope our efforts help to bring much-needed relief to these communities. Radio’s power to help communities in need is truly inspiring." The May 29 fundraising efforts feature local on-air personalities asking listeners to make donations for the survivors and families of the victims. At 8pm, all 84 Country stations will air a one-hour fundraising special hosted by Kix Brooks and co-hosted by KSCS/Dallas personality Hawkeye – live from backstage at the “Healing In The Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert” -- organized by Blake Shelton, airing live from Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. All proceeds raised from the fundraising efforts will go to the United Way of Central Oklahoma Tornadoes Relief Fund to help victims of the Moore tornado. TuneIn Raises $25 Million, Tops A Billion Listening Hours 
TuneIn says it has raised $25 million in a round of funding led by Institutional Venture Partners, with participation from existing investors Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures and General Catalyst Partners. Says CEO John Donham, "This investment gives us the capital to accelerate the development of new technologies and support our ongoing expansion. We will use this funding to leverage our momentum, with a particular focus on growing ad revenues for our broadcast partners." IVP General Partner Jules Maltz, who will join the TuneIn Board of Directors, tells us, "TuneIn's rapid growth, superior business model, and ubiquitous product make for a compelling investment. John Donham is an exceptional leader with a vision to fundamentally transform the multi-billion dollar radio industry." TuneIn also announces that it surpassed one billion listening hours in the first four months of 2013, with more than 227 million listening sessions in the month of March alone. The streaming service says this solidifies "the company’s position as the world's number-one service for listening to live, online radio." Marty Franks to Exit CBS in 2013 Retirement 
CBS EVP of Planning, Policy and Government Affairs Martin "Marty" Franks says he will retire after 25 years with the company later this year. Franks, who plans to retire at the end of September, says CBS is a special place, and that he will miss everyone there. CBS Corporation President and CEO Leslie Moonves says he accepted Franks' resignation with reluctance. "The CBS we know today would not have been possible without Marty’s contributions over the past 25 years. He was instrumental in enacting Retransmission Consent, and then helped turn it into what is now a fast-growing, nine-figure revenue source for our Company." Moonves also had words of praise for Franks’ role in allowing networks to own their own programming, resulting in new domestic and international revenue streams. Accolades for the retiring CBS veteran also come from outside of CBS. NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith tells us, “If there was ever an unsung superstar in the broadcast business, it was Marty Franks. For a quarter of a century, Marty has personified professionalism at CBS. His wise Washington guidance helped broadcasters procure retransmission consent fees in the 1992 Cable Act; as Leslie Moonves’s ‘go-to guy’ in New York, Marty has provided counsel and advice as solid as a Black Rock. The NAB family wishes Marty a long and active retirement.” USRN Promotes Margaret Verghese to VP Comedy & Prep Services 
USRN (United Stations Radio Networks) promotes 12-year company veteran Margaret Verghese to the newly created position VP of Comedy and Prep Services, effective immediately. Verghese has been serving as the company's Managing Director of Pulse Content, its division that provides prep services, talent tours and web content to affiliates. In her new role, Verghese will also lead the creative team that generates the comedy services produced by USRN. Says United Stations President and COO Jim Higgins, "Margaret has been single-handedly responsible for much of the growth in both our comedy product and our prep services over the years, and this appointment is well deserved. She is a tireless executive who brings creativity and dedication to her efforts every single day, and we're thrilled to hand the reigns of these important areas of content creation over to her." Verghese started in radio at Bonneville's former CHR "Z104" WWZZ-FM, Washington DC. 'Red Eye Radio' Reaches 200 Affiliates 
The syndicated overnight show "Red Eye Radio" has reached the 200-affiliate mark, according to distributor Cumulus Media Networks. The five-hour nightly program, hosted by Eric Harley and Gary McNamara, airs 1-6am ET. Among the new affiliates are KTAR-FM/Phoenix, WTMJ-AM/Milwaukee, WFTL-AM/West Palm Beach, KJCE-AM/Austin and KBET-AM/Las Vegas. "Red Eye Radio has quickly become the source for stations to get information live as it happens in the overnight hours," says Cumulus Media Networks SVP of Affiliate Sales and Broadcast Operations Dennis Green. "When you look at the impressive lineup of stations that have come on board it speaks volumes to the success of this show!"
Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio "Boston's Talk Station" WRKO-AM, Boston, tells us that starting Monday, Jeff Kuhner will add an hour to his morning show -- "The Kuhner Report" -- and “The Financial Exchange” with Barry Armstrong will now air 10am-12:00noon. Kuhner has been airing 6-9am since November 2012. Additionally, Kuhner has anchored the station’s 11am-12noon hour leading into Rush Limbaugh. Armstrong’s program began as a one-hour show in September 2010 and was expanded to two hours last year ... CHR-Top40 "Star 94" WSTR-FM, Atlanta, weekender Sari Rose is promoted to night host, replacing Orff who recently exited ... Samantha Layne exits as morning co-host at Classic Rock/Classic Hits hybrid "99.9 The Eagle" WODE-FM, Allentown, PA, after 12 years with the station ... Country "92.5 The Wolf" KWOF-FM, Denver, Production Director and evening host Dan Hardee resigns after two years to seek a new opporunity.
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From Mark Harris Broadcast Consulting
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday's Radio & Media News - May 29, 2013
"Adding Bott Radio Network to iHeartRadio offers our listeners an even more diverse listening experience." BRN President and CEO Rich Bott tells us, "We're delighted to expand the reach of our programming to serve an ever expanding audience with this new, incredibly large and diverse digital platform. Clearly iHeartRadio is the dominant provider in this new digital arena and we are pleased to present our format on this platform." Bott Radio Network Director of Broadcast Operations Eben Fowler adds, "We are excited about our new partnership with iHeartRadio and the growing audience BRN will serve, both online and through the mobile app. It's clear iHeartRadio is dedicated to innovation and providing listeners with an ever-improving experience."
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