Monday's Radio & Media News - June 10, 2013

Apple Officially Unveils 'iTunes Radio' Apple today officially unveiled its long expected streaming music service -- officially calling it "iTunes Radio" -- at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled "iTunes Radio" during the WWDC keynote address. The forthcoming service is positioned to be a direct competitor to Pandora, and a direct tie-in with Apple's iTunes. The "iTunes Radio" is essentially what we’ve been hearing it would be -- a streaming music service that takes users tastes into account in order to play tracks that are likely to be in line with those tastes. Apple has essentially taken its Genius jukebox-style feature, which combs a user's library and builds genre-based playlists, or suggests recommended artists and tracks based on what they currently listen to. The difference with the new service is that it can access the entire iTunes catalog, which, at this point, is well over 26 million tracks. Sony, Universal and Warner are all on board. The system features a mix of curated pre-programmed stations as well as listener created stations based on artists and songs. Features involve song skipping and playlists of every song listened to with ability to purchase. It will be available as part of iOS7 for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch as well as iTunes for Macs and PCs and AppleTV. The service will be free with ads for all users and ad-free to subscribers of ITunes Match. It will be available only in the United States at first before expanding internationally. The service will use both text and audio ads to support the free streaming. Apple will also be using the service to funnel purchases to the iTunes store via buy buttons that appear on songs so that a user can instantly purchase tracks that they enjoy but don't yet own. Track skipping is supported, which was something that was reported to be a sticking point in negotiations with music label partners leading up to this product launch. We hear that it looks a lot like Pandora. On iOS, you create your custom stations, you can give a thumb up if you like a song. In the corner of every song, iOS shows a "Buy" button to make you jump to the iTunes Store. It was probably one of the requirements of the deals with music major companies and could be a good revenue generator for the iTunes Store. Cumulus Announces 'Nash FM 94.7' Morning Show with Blair Garner Cumulus announces "America's Morning Show" will debut on "Nash FM 94.7" WNSH-FM, New York, "America’s Country Station" -- "New York City's only Country format radio station," beginning later this month, live from 6-10am weekdays. The show will be hosted by Blair Garner, joined by Country artists Terri Clark, Sunny Sweeney, Chuck Wicks and Lee Ann Womack as co-hosts. The New York market radio program, says Cumulus, will feature a mix of Country hits, in-studio interviews with Country music's biggest stars and news about the Country lifestyle -- with New York City area traffic, weather and information updated throughout the show. "America’s Morning Show" will originate live from Nashville before a studio audience, with frequent broadcasts from "Nash FM" studios in New York City. The team from "America's Morning Show" joins existing on-air personalities Kelly Ford and Jesse Addy on "Nash FM 94.7". WNSH-FM, says Cumulus, is the flagship radio station for the national "Nash" entertainment brand based on the Country music lifestyle. "Nash" will be a multi-platform brand serving the large and growing interest in Country through radio, video, on-line, magazines, events and merchandise. Garner joins WNSH-FM from Clear Channel's Premiere Radio Networks where he hosted the syndicated "After Midnite." Says Cumulus EVP and co-COO John Dickey, "The collection of talent assembled for America's Morning Show is without equal. This show will bring the superstars of Country to listeners in an authentic entertaining way not done before." Garner tells us, "I am thrilled to begin waking up the New York area’s Country listeners on Nash FM 94.7 with an uplifting Country start to the day. New Yorkers are embracing Nash FM in an amazing way and I look forward to bringing the Country music lifestyle to the Big Apple straight from Nashville." There's no word now about possible (and expected) syndication of the new "Nash" show. Garner previously worked in the New York City market as afternoon host on WPLJ-FM. He's best-known for hosting the Country radio show "After Midnite with Blair Garner" for 20 years as well as the "Blair Garner Show" since 2006. Garner won "On-Air Personality of the Year" from the Academy of Country Music in the national category in 2004, 2006 and 2010 and has been nominated for the prestigious Marconi Award. Eric Weiss of The Weiss Agency represented Garner for his new role. As co-hosts, Country artists Clark, Sweeney, Wicks and Womack join "America's Morning Show" on "Nash FM," we're told, "directly from Country music's world stage." Heather McBee is the Operations Director of "America's Morning Show" with responsibility for marketing, promotions, staffing and booking. McBee previously spent 20 years at Sony Music Entertainment in Nashville where she most recently served as the Vice President of Marketing and Web Initiatives. Techsurvey9: AC and CHR Listeners Are Females Who Love Music The vast majority of respondents for the three major popular music formats are female, and for whom music is important -- and they turn to FM radio for music and artist discovery first. That's according to data released during the final in a series of webinars on Jacobs Media's Techsurvey9, this time focusing on AC, Hot AC and CHR listeners. Jacobs Media surveyed over 12,500 fans of the three radio formats on their changing media and digital habits. "Each of these pop-based formats is female-centric, with CHR and Hot AC fans having the most in common," says Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs. "Mainstream AC partisans are catching up technologically, but remain the heaviest radio listeners. Techsurvey9 provides a digital road map for strengthening relationships with these format fans." Some key takeaways by format include the follow. CHR fans are social creatures to the max. While they often lead other format fans in Facebook engagement, partisans of the Top 40 format are increasingly turning to other social platforms, and Twitter has become a much bigger deal. More so than fans of the AC formats, CHR partisans are more likely to share content, interact with their favorite stations socially, but also crave same-day acknowledgment. A strategic, active social media plan is critical for CHR brands hoping to grow and expand their audience reach. Jacobs Media notes that about half the respondents in this format grouping came from Canadian stations. As for Hot AC, it's a format under digital pressure. Hot AC fans engage on a variety of new media platforms. They're quickly adopting Pinterest, and they profile higher for subscribership to SiriusXM. Among Hot AC partisans listening to less broadcast radio during the past year, Pandora is a corrosive reason why. Fans of Hot AC are also a bit more likely to drive a "connected car," and considerably more apt to be able to connect a mobile phone or mp3 player in the vehicles they drive. And their tablet and smartphone ownership continues to be among the highest of all formats included in Techsurvey9. Mainstream AC listeners love radio, but often start their media day with TV. When it comes to that all important "First Occasion" of the day, turning on the television is a popular choice among AC fans. For these listeners, it’s all about Facebook. AC devotees profile as the heaviest broadcast radio users, but conversely, but those listening to less radio point the finger at programming they don’t find desirable as well as commercial loads. A great way to strengthen bonds with Mainstream AC fans is through station email clubs. Techsurvey9 results were gathered online from January 29-February 19, 2013. Overall, 264 broadcast stations across the U.S. and Canada participated, contributing 78,111 total respondents. 'Smooth Jazz JJZ' Returns to Philadelphia We first reported this one Sunday night. "Smooth Jazz JJZ" gets a third life at WDAS-AM and WISX-FM's HD2 multicast channel starting at 12noon Monday. Both are Clear Channel stations. The Smooth Jazz format replaces Urban Oldies "The Soul of Philadelphia" on WDAS-FM. The simulcast on the HD2 channel of WISX-FM marks a return of the format to its original home on 106.1 FM, where it aired as a main channel format from 1993 to 2006. The format then aired on 97.5 FM from 2006 until 2008. Clear Channel says the station will feature longtime WJJZ personality, Michael Tozzi, who was the midday host and Program Director of WJJZ-FM, in both of its former incarnations, from 1995 to 2008. The format on 1480 AM will include a variety genres and artists, such as Dave Koz, Peter White and Norman Brown. The format will also be available at WJJZ.com, which, as of Sunday night, linked to "The Soul of Philadelphia" WDAS-AM, in advance of the flip. Clear Channel tells us it will also be on iHeartRadio. "It's a proud moment for the music that so many love and has been missing from the airwaves," says Tozzi. "I'd like to thank the great team in Philadelphia for their commitment to the format and passionate fans it speaks to." Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Philadelphia VP of Programming Brian Check tells us, "The re-birth of 'JJZ fills a void for Smooth Jazz music, which hasn't had a local home in Philadelphia for several years. We're excited to bring back Smooth Jazz programming for our listeners." We're still not sure if the actual WJJZ call letters will replace the WDAS calls which were brought back when "The Soul of Philadelphia" was launched 18 months ago. BIA/Kelsey: Local Media Ad Spending on the Rise Auto and Financial/Insurance Segments Growing, Continued Growth in Digital According to BIA/Kelsey's Media Ad View Plus forecast, automotive and financial/insurance advertising in local media channels is growing steadily. BIA/Kelsey, adviser to companies in the local media space, expects the total local ad spend for the automotive sector will grow from $16.1 billion in 2012 to $17.5 billion in 2017, increasing its share of online advertising from 7.4 percent to 12 percent, and its mobile advertising from 0.5 percent to 4.4 percent in that same timeframe. Similar leaps are expected from the financial/insurance category, which will climb from $12.6 billion in local ad spending to $15.3 billion, with the mobile spend growing from 1.6 percent to 9.8 percent. As reported in the March "U.S. Local Media Forecast" (2012-2017), BIA/Kelsey expects the overall local ad market will climb from $132.5 billion in 2012 to $148.8 billion by 2017. To supplement the forecast and offer a more detailed picture of advertising trends and competitive market intelligence, the firm is now releasing its Media Ad View Plus forecast that offers both a local and a national comparative forecast that allows businesses to evaluate market opportunities across multiple dimensions: local markets, media and business categories. “The local media market continues to experience positive growth as media buyers look both locally and nationally to identify the right mix of traditional and digital channels for reaching local targets,” says BIA/Kelsey VP/Chief Economist Mark Fratrik. "Online and mobile continues to be the top growing ad channels. By 2017, the real estate business category will increase its online ad spend to an astonishing 40.8 percent and automotive dealers will focus on video, spending 11.4 percent of their $2.4 billion online ad budget on video display." Other findings from the Media Ad View Plus forecast reveal that by 2017 online's share of real estate advertising will grow by nearly 18 percent and that the quick service restaurant category (subset of restaurants) will increase its online spending from $434.4 million to $618.6 million. "Our clients have told us that the key value of Media Ad View Plus is that it allows them to review the state of their market in one place," says Fratrik. "By expanding the data in Media Ad View Plus, we are giving our clients a comprehensive snapshot of the activity in their local markets so they can decisively identify trends, revenue opportunities and competitors in an interactive format in order to develop justifiable budgets, targeted sales strategies and make informed board and sales presentations." BIA/Kelsey defines local media advertising as advertising placed purely on local media outlets, including national, regional and local ads on radio stations, television stations and newspapers. The methodology for Media Ad View Plus includes analysis based on client requests. Read more from BIA/Kelsey here. FCC Continues Seeking MMTC Cross-Media Study Comments As we first reported on May 30, the FCC is asking for public comment on a study conducted for the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) by BIA/Kelsey on cross-media ownership. Comments on the study are due by July 22, with replies due by August 6. The study, says the MMTC, "examines whether, and to what extent, cross-ownership might have a material adverse impact on minority and women ownership" of commercial broadcast stations. The study concluded that "we are struck by the lack of any large concern by almost all of the respondents to these cross-media operations," noting that respondents merely voiced "general business concerns that all radio and television stations have in all markets – strong broadcast station competitors especially in the genre of programming they provide and the emergence of new competitors from new sources." In our earlier report, we noted that the study report was based on a relatively small sampling -- only 14 responses representing 31 stations. But eight of the responses came from companies with minority or female owners. "While we would have preferred to have received more responses, we believe that the responses that we did receive indicated there is no difference in the views of the two groups of stations towards the impact of these cross-media operations," says BIA/Kelsey. Says the MMTC, "We were struck by the lack of any large concern by almost all of the respondents to these cross-media operations." They add, "The results of this study, while not dispositive, do provide evidence that the impact of cross-media ownership on minority and women broadcast ownership is probably negligible." Our May 30 report came as the study was just submitted to the FCC, including to acting FCC Chair Mignon Clyburn, who helped push for a study of the effects of cross-ownership rules. We subsequently told you the Commission was seeking public comments on the study. Beasley Fort Myers Names Ruben Perez Promotions/NTR Director Beasley Broadcast Southwest Florida appoints Ruben Perez Promotions and Non Traditional Revenue (NTR) Director for Beasley's five-station Fort Myers-Naples cluster, effective immediately. The cluster includes "Sunny 106" WJPT-FM, "B103.9" WXKB-FM, "96 K-Rock" WRXK-FM, "99X" WJBX-FM, and "770 ESPN" WWCN-AM. In his new role, Perez is responsible for the coordination and execution of all promotions for Beasley's stations in Fort Myers. He comes to Southwest Florida from Beasley's South Florida group, where was Promotions Director for "Power 96" WPOW-FM, Miami, since 2007. Previously, Perez was Promotions Manager at "Hot 97" WQHT-FM, New York, from 2000-07. Says VP/Market Manager Brad Beasley, "Ruben brings a wealth of radio knowledge and experience to our Southwest Florida team. We believe his abilities to generate large-scale events and brands will greatly benefit both our listeners and advertisers." Perez adds, "Having worked with Beasley in Miami, I have the utmost respect for the company's management and am thankful for this opportunity to be a part of the dynamic team and fast-growing market here in Florida's west coast. I'm looking forward to meeting members of the Southwest Florida community and to bringing creative promotions and unique branded events to the stations, advertisers and our loyal audiences." Marketron and Saga Expand Partnership Marketron expands its partnership with Saga Communications. Besides extending the existing partnership between Marketron and Saga, in which Marketron provides solutions for 99 radio stations in Saga’s 23 markets, the new agreement calls for Marketron to provide additional services. This includes Marketron’s Insight reporting product, which enables companies to manage and access mission-critical data; Proof of Performance, which allows radio stations to send advertisers and agencies spot time schedules and other information on a scheduled basis so they can make better buying decisions; as well as Network Connect, a system for automating network order processing designed to help traffic managers streamline their workflow. "Marketron's team delivers incredible value for our company, which helps strengthen our business relationship. We are enthused about our renewed commitment to run our business on Marketron solutions, and look forward to deploying new Marketron products at the station level," says Saga CFO Sam Bush. Marketron President/CEO Jeff Haley tells us, "Saga Communications first came to us for our mobile offerings and saw a meaningful outcome. We are proud of the work we've done and will continue to use our services to increase their user engagement across all platforms." In addition to the renewed agreement to use Marketron's radio traffic products and add-on services, Saga will continue to use Marketron Mobile to power their mobile advertising campaigns. In 2012, Saga worked with Marketron Mobile for its "Saga Collective Texting Contest." Overall total text club membership increased 45% during the the period. Total Traffic Network Wins 2013 Telematics Award Total Traffic Network has been named the 2013 Telematics Update Award winner for Best Navigation Solution. The Telematics Update Awards recognize the leading players in the telematics space during Telematics Detroit. TTN was recognized for its navigation solution that delivers real-time local traffic flow and incident information with graphics to vehicle dashboards via an HD Radio signal or IP-connectivity. Its HD Hybrid technology delivers easy-to-access features including Doppler radar, real-time local and national weather forecasts from The Weather Channel, as well as traffic updates and the ability to deliver news, stocks, sport scores and fuel prices. This year marked the 10th Anniversary of the Telematics Update Awards with more than 350 individual nominations in the running. Says TTN SVP of Operations Kevin Loftus, "Total Traffic Network is extremely proud to be honored as the Best Navigation Solution by Telematics Update. The prestige of this award continues to validate the hard and passionate work of our team in building compelling, valuable, relevant and dynamic content and distribution services for our customers. We are humbled and excited to have our industry peers recognize TTN as a leader for traffic and traveler information solutions."