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Derek Madden Named KLOS-FM Los Angeles Program Director 
As we first tipped you earlier today in our BTM section, Derek Madden is named Program Director of Cumulus Classic Rock KLOS-FM, Los Angeles. He arrives from sister Classic Rock "The Bone" KSAN-FM, San Francisco. Earlier we said that the official announcement was imminent. We have that now. Says Madden, "San Francisco's been my home for 12 years. It was always going to take something pretty special for me to leave, and now I've found it. As a college kid trying to figure out where radio could take me, my best-case scenario always ended at a station like KLOS. To work with that legendary brand and a top-shelf morning show like Heidi & Frank is literally a dream come true. Thanks to John Dickey, Val Garris, Marko Radlovic and Mike McVay for this tremendous opportunity. And a special thanks to the entire team at KSAN. I'm really proud of what we accomplished." At KLOS-FM, Madden replaces Bill Huning, who exited on Monday. Huning had been serving as Acting PD, as well as APD/MD, although his official title was Programming Coordinator. With Madden's move to Los Angeles, a number of changes are taking place at Cumulus San Francisco. Madden had been both "The Bone" PD and afternoon host of "The Ride Home." Now, KFOG-FM and KSAN-FM PD Bill Pugh will program "The Bone," as well as join the station's morning show alongside Greg Gory and producer Mud. Tim Jeffreys segues from mornings at KFOG-FM to afternoon drive at KSAN-FM. Webster arrives at KFOG-FM to host afternoons, coming in from KUFX-FM, San Jose. Harris Broadcast Names Charlie Vogt CEO 
Harris Broadcast today announced it has appointed Charlie Vogt as CEO, effective today. The 25-year information technology and communications leader joins Harris Broadcast following nine years as President and CEO of GENBAND where he led a company transformation that encompassed six acquisitions, including Tekelec SSG, NextPoint Networks and Nortel’s VoIP Business. "Through successful organic innovation, attention to operational integration and relentless focus on customers, GENBAND became number one in VoIP and delivered a compound annual growth rate of ~100 percent during his tenure." Vogt succeeds Harris Morris, who was appointed President of Harris Broadcast in 2010 when it was a subsidiary of Harris Corporation. Harris Broadcast is now "a portfolio company of The Gores Group and a global supplier of networking, routing and software solutions that create, manage, transmit, distribute and monetize multimedia content." Outgoing CEO Morris led the company through its divestiture process and guided the transition period to The Gores Group ownership, including the completion of fiscal year 2013.
SiriusXM Surpasses 25 Million Subscribers 
SiriusXM announces that it added 715,000 net new subscribers in the second quarter of 2013, bringing its total subscribers to more than 25 million. "Strong automotive sales helped drive 15% growth in net additions over the second quarter of 2012 and set a post-merger record for quarterly net subscriber additions." The satellite radio company also announced that it was raising full-year guidance for total net subscriber additions to 1.5 million from its previous guidance of 1.4 million. "The new subscriber additions in the quarter have helped SiriusXM reach an exciting new milestone that reflects the popularity and reach of SiriusXM programming and services," says SiriusXM CEO Jim Meyer. "The quarterly results bolster SiriusXM's leadership position in a dynamic audio entertainment marketplace as we continue our trend of strong, profitable growth. Additionally, we are raising 2013 subscriber guidance to 1.5 million net additions based on our record performance in the quarter." The company also reiterated its existing 2013 guidance for 1.6 million self-pay net subscriber additions. Pandora Reports Another Decline in Listener Hours 
Pandora has released its own self-reported listening metrics for the month of June, claiming the online streaming music service's listener hours reached 1.25 billion, a 17 percent increase from 1.08 billion in June 2012. However, that's down from 1.35 billion in May 2013 and 1.31 billion in April. Pandora says its (unverified) share of total U.S. radio listening in June was 7.04 percent, an increase from 5.98 percent at the same time last year, but down from 7.29 percent in May of this year. According to Pandora, active listeners reached 71.1 million at the end of June 2013, a 30 percent increase from 54.5 million during June of 2012. That's the one increase from May of this year when it reported 70.8 million. Listener hours reported for June were down for the fourth consecutive month since the company started charging subscribers after 40 hours per month of free mobile use. Gallup Poll: Radio Behind Other Media for News Source 
Television remains the primary news source for Americans, while the Internet continues rising -- but radio is now behind even print media, according to Gallup's latest poll asking respondents where they turn for news about current events. Television was picked by 55%, followed by the Internet at 21%, print at 9%, and radio at 6%. Within the radio category, radio in general was chosen by 4% and NPR and talk radio each were picked by 1% of respondents. "Few adults of any age say their main source of news is radio," reports Gallup. "While many Americans certainly tune in to radio for entertainment as well as talk radio, it is clearly not the place most turn for hard news about current events." Demographically, radio was the choice of only 3% of 18-29 year olds, 7% of 30-49 and 50-64 year olds, and 4% of those 65 and older. The Internet was much stronger in the two younger demographics, with print only breaking double digits in the 65+ demo. Radio does better among college graduates (11%) than those with high school education or less (4%) or "some college" (5%); 8% of the post-graduate category preferred radio. 8% of those employed favored radio, while 3% of the unemployed did; 6% of Republicans, 7% of independents, and 4% of Democrats chose radio. The results are based on a Gallup poll of 2,048 national adults conducted June 20-24, in which Americans were asked to say, unaided, what they consider to be their main source of news about U.S. and global events. The full Gallup poll report can be found here.
Boston Globe: 'Pandora Competing in Local Radio Ad Market' 
The Boston Globe reports that Pandora "recently opened its first sales office in Boston as the Internet music streaming company is aggressively competing with local radio stations for advertising dollars." The Globe's Michael Farrell notes that "Pandora has 29 sales offices in major markets such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, and plans more this year, in an effort to boost revenue and pay the artist royalties that run into the millions of dollars each year." Farrell writes, "Despite being the largest music streaming service in the United States and adding listeners, Pandora is losing money -- a lot of money. Last year, it posted a net loss of $38 million." The report questions Pandora's attempts to "convince longtime radio advertisers such as car dealers or furniture sellers that advertising on an Internet station is more effective than marketing over the airwaves." The Globe staff reporter notes that Pandora and other streaming services "are still behind traditional radio in terms of overall listenership and reach in local markets, according to industry specialists." However, Pandora VP of East Coast Operations Andy Lipset tells Farrell, “When you have 200 million registered users, that creates a whole new opportunity to talk to local advertisers. We’ve reached the scale now. We’re a top radio station in Boston because we have so many listeners.” The Globe report quickly adds, "Pandora would not disclose its listener numbers for Boston or other markets." Also offering responses to the streaming music service are Clear Channel's Tim Castelli, Triton Digital's Robert Favre, and Scott Fybush, an independent radio industry analyst in Rochester, NY. Fybush tells Farrell that radio stations "are still offering a demographic that is pretty hard for Pandora to match." However, "What Pandora and other Internet stations can offer is highly targeted advertising. Since Pandora users register with their location, age, and sex, the company has a good idea of who is listening at any given time. So advertisers who want to reach say, Boston-area men between the ages of 18 to 45, would be more likely to get the target audience to hear their commercials than running ads on terrestrial radio, says Fybush. Read the full Boston Globe report here.
AdWeek: Lee Abrams' Next Project: All Platforms TouchVision, 
When last we left Lee Abrams he was exiting Tribune Company where he'd worked under then-CEO Randy Michaels. That was three years ago. Now Abrams is back, saying he wants to "remake the news." AdWeek -- in an "exclusive report" -- calls Abrams' new TouchVision venture "a project that is perhaps the most ambitious undertaking thus far in a career that includes major roles in the creation of both Radio Disney and XM Radio." XM, Abrams said, "wasn't really the place to reinvent news and information," nor was Tribune. "They went through all the bankruptcy and craziness" while he was there, he said frankly. "We thought we'd do it without layers and layers of history and conference rooms full of people who were going to question it."
SoundExchange Announces $149M Q2 Royalty Distribution 
SoundExchange announces second quarter 2013 royalty payments of $149 million, saying that marks their highest quarterly payment to recording artists and record labels to date. The Q2 pay-out, says SoundExchange, marks a 55 percent increase from the year-ago period. Also, SoundExchange says it achieved a final 2012 administrative rate of 4.9 percent. "SoundExchange’s most recent distribution is yet another positive indication of where the industry is heading. More importantly, our low 4.9 percent admin rate means more money in creators’ pockets, and is a testament to our careful stewardship over this sector of the industry," says SoundExchange President/CEO Michael Huppe. In total, SoundExchange has paid more than $1.5 billion to artists and labels. These royalties are paid by Internet radio, satellite radio and cable radio services for their performance of sound recordings, and are distributed by SoundExchange to recording artists and record labels. In addition, SoundExchange works with more than 2,000 digital music services that rely on the organization to administer the statutory license for the use of sound recordings. Radio Show: 'Radio and the Connected Car' 
Organizers of the Radio Show, jointly produced by the NAB and the RAB, will present a Super Session entitled "Radio and the Connected Car." The session will take place on Thursday, September 19 at 9:15am at the Radio Show in Orlando. "Leading strategists, analysts and researchers will discuss developments in the connected car, what consumers want and where the technology is headed," says the announcement. "This session will reveal data from surveys, focus groups and consumer clinics along with sneak peeks at what car makers and their suppliers have in store for the dashboard of the future. Participants will offfer specific recommendations on what radio can do now to maintain its prominence in the automobile for years to come." We're told that the Super Session will feature research and insight from experts in both connected car technology and the radio industry, including presentations by Roger Lanctot, Associate Director, Global Automotive Practice at Strategy Analytics; and Fred Jacobs, President of Jacobs Media. Bill Rose, SVP of Marketing at Arbitron, will provide introductory remarks.
Pandora Again Tops Triton Digtital May Internet Rankings, 
Pandora remains on top for online listenership as Triton Digital releases its monthly Internet audio rankings for May 2013. Pandora's Domestic Rankings Average Active Sessions (AAS), Monday-Friday 6am-8pm, was down slightly, but this marks a third consecutive month for a decline. Pandora's AAS was about 1.698 million in April, slipping to just over 1.693 million in May. Session starts, though, increased to just under 961.5 million. Clear Channel was again ranked second, with a slight increase for AAS. The rest of the top ten are Slacker, Cumulus, CBS Radio, NPR Member Stations, EMF Corporate, Cox Radio, Entercom and ESPN. For the May 2013 All Streams Ranker (M-F, 6a-8p), Clear Channel was again first, followed by Digitally Imported, Slacker, Prisa Radio, Cumulus, CBS, NPR, EMF Corporate and Entercom. On the full week Domestic Ranker (6a-mid), Pandora is still in first place, with its AAS up slightly. Clear Channel is second, followed by Slacker, Cumulus, CBS, NPR, EMF Corporate, Cox, Univision and Entercom. Triton Digtital's May All Streams Ranker full week stats (6a-mid) show Clear Channel first, with Digitally Imported in second, then Slacker, Prisa Radio, Cumulus, CBS, NPR, EMF Corporate, Cox and a debut from Karnaval.com in tenth. Streaming Beats Service Reportedly in Talks with AT&T 
Jimmy Iovine's Beats Electronics is set to debut its own streaming music service later this year, and he's reportedly in talks to partner with AT&T when it launches. Iovine has reportedly been talking to AT&T executives, as well as the major labels, to bundle Beats' streaming service (codenamed "Daisy") with AT&T's data plans. Sources tell CNet the negotiations are still early, and if they fall through, Iovine could take his plan to a different wireless carrier. Other reports say that Beats has already been in discussions with a number of carriers, including AT&T. "Daisy" has been in the works for some time, since Beats acquired digital music service Mog last summer. At the time, terms of the deal were not disclosed, but executives familiar with the transaction said Beats paid less than $10 million for Mog, a streaming service with about 500,000 registered users. Plans to partner with a wireless carrier are said to include offering consumers a period of free access to the service, with the goal of converting them to paid subscribers. Repotedly, the point to be agreed involves how much free music would be available and who would pay for the costs. BRS Media Closer to Offering Dot Radio Domains 
BRS Media says its New gTLD (New generic Top-Level Domain) application to operate the .Radio (dot radio) domain has passed the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) initial evaluation. BRS has been attempting to secure and manage the .Radio domain for four years. ICANN’s evaluation panels determined that "the application was consistent with the requirements set out in the applicant guidebook and have validated that BRS Media's application demonstrates the technical, operational and financial capability to manage a Top-Level Domain Registry." Says BRS CEO George Bundy, “We're pleased and thrilled to have passed Initial Evaluation in ICANN's New gTLD Program. With over 15 years of running a successful Top-Level Domain, few applicants have the depth of experience and understanding to operate and market, an ‘Industry Specific’ New gTLD. Our history has proved, our commitment to administer the .RADIO top-level domain in a professional, reliable, secure and all-inclusive way, while at the same time encouraging innovation and openness in the .Radio domain space.” Entravision and Abacast Form Digital Audio Partnership 
Entravision Communications and Abacast announce a "comprehensive digital audio streaming and digital ad sales agreement." Under the agreement, Entravision will leverage the Abacast Clarity Digital Radio System as its online streaming solution for 42 of its radio stations, and the companies will jointly offer the Abacast Clarity Digital Radio System to Entravision’s 300 affiliated radio stations. Entravision Solutions will also partner with the Abacast Digital Ad Sales Network to focus on expanding digital ad sales for the Latino market.
TuneIn Signs Multi-Year Minor League Baseball Agreement 
TuneIn signs a multi-year agreement with Minor League Baseball's "Baseball Interactive Rights Company" (BIRCO) to bring live radio broadcasts of Minor League Baseball games to sports fans, enabling them "to hear live broadcasts on over 200 connected devices." Fans will also be able to listen to games on MiLB.com. Says TuneIn CEO John Donham, "Listening to baseball on the radio is a great American pastime, and by partnering with Minor League Baseball, we are bringing fans a way to enjoy baseball in ways they've never been able to do before. Opening up the world of Minor League Baseball to TuneIn listeners brings us one step closer to our goal of offering all the world's audio to people from wherever they are." The agreement with BIRCO, which manages the digital media rights of its member Minor League Baseball clubs and leagues, and MLB Advanced Media, "ensures baseball fans can listen to many of the 10,000 games played each season." The service will feature regular season, play-off, and championship action from every level of Minor League Baseball, including the Appalachian, California, Carolina, Eastern, Florida State, International, Midwest, New York-Penn, Northwest, Pacific Coast, Pioneer, South Atlantic, Southern and Texas leagues. "Minor League Baseball is excited about its new partnership with TuneIn, and the ability to offer the more than 40 million monthly active listeners on TuneIn access to live games," says VP/BIRCO and Business Services, Minor League Baseball Brian Earle. "We believe this partnership will afford passionate fans an even more expansive and fulfilling connection to their favorite teams and players no matter where they are in the world,"
Behind the Microphone: The Ins and Outs of Radio Sports Talk "92.9 The Game" WZGC-FM, Atlanta, afternoon co-host Rachel Baribeau exits for a TV job with Raycom Sports' new ACC Network ... Brad Austin is named Program Director and afternoon host at Delmarva’s Country WXCY-FM, Havre de Grace, Maryland, effective July 29 ... "Talk Radio 580" WHP-AM, Harrisburg, afternoon host Bob Durgin will retire on August 2 after a 24-year career at the station ... San Diego market veteran Gene Knight is named Music Director at "Magic 92.5" XHRM-FM, San Diego ... Gina Ferraro joins the morning show at Hot AC "Mix 107.7" WMMX-FM, Dayton. Ferraro previously worked at Total Traffic in Chicago ... .Midday host Jeff Miles exits CHR-Top40 "Q100" WWWQ-FM, Atlanta, after his contract wasn't renewed ... Alexia Gloria is in as a weekend host at Rhythmic CHR "Jammin' Z90" XHTZ-FM, San Diego. She previously was night host at KWIN-FM, Stockton, California ... Active Rock "103.9 The Bear" WRBR-FM, South Bend, Indiana, Program Director Tommy Carroll is promoted to Digital PD for Federated Media's South Bend cluster. Cluster Production and Imaging Director Ron Stryker returns to PD for WRBR-FM ... "Gator Country" WWGR-FM, Fort Myers, afternoon host Buzzy Ford exits ... Country KVOO-FM, Tulsa, hires market veteran Nina Valente for night host.
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From Mark Harris Broadcast Consulting
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Tuesday's Radio & Media News - July 9, 2013
According to AdWeek, "So he and his partner Steve Saslow have formed a newsroom staffed by more than 100 folks from local television stations around the country and created a user interface that can be accessed online, on mobile and on tablets. They're calling the new product TouchVision (last year, when it was still being roughed out, the venture was called Think Televisual), and they're hoping to expand to television as well. They're pitching not MSOs but stations with spare spectrum on their digital subchannel frequencies—a cheap but ever-more-popular piece of broadcast real estate." AdWeek's Sam Thielman raises a question we'd want to ask Abrams. "Why bother reinventing it at all? Why not let it migrate onto the Web?" Abrams, we're told, is quick with an answer. "You could drive a truck through the potential for news among 18-44s," he said. "You have TMZ, and it's great, and then you have Fox News and so forth and that's great, too -- very successful. There's a new opportunity to reach the mainstream Americans who find TMZ amusing but kind of dumb, and the [older-skewing] stuff kind of boring. We're looking for a way to find an audience for whom there's nothing really directly servicing their needs." 
Lanctot's expertise includes defining future trends in automotive safety, powertrain and infotainment systems. He has 25 years experience as an analyst, journalist and consultant. At Strategy Analytics, he specializes in tracking, analyzing and forecasting in-car infotainment systems and in-vehicle connectivity. Jacobs is a top radio consultant specializing in helping radio stations maximize their audience by optimizing marketing, branding and content across all platforms including on-air, social media and mobile. Jacobs' company, Jacobs Media, is a leading mobile application developer through its jacAPPS division, which has created more than 800 apps. Rose heads U.S. marketing efforts for Arbitron, leading marketing related to PPM and diary-based audience measurement services. "Radio and the Connected Car'' is under-written by and developed in coordination with Arbitron.
“Through our partnership with Abacast, we can now deliver superior quality online streaming, which will extend our reach and provide easy multi-platform listening options for our growing audiences across all of our stations,” says Entravision COO Jeffery Liberman. “In addition, Abacast’s focus on digital profitability and multiple ad insertion solutions provides opportunities for our advertisers to enhance digital revenue across our affiliates as they continue to ramp up their digital sales efforts." Abacast CEO Rob Green adds, "This agreement cements Entravision as an Abacast customer and partner to represent our products and digital ad sales, and exemplifies the range of capabilities of the Clarity system. Entravision provides us with tremendous exposure to Latino radio listeners nationwide and we look forward to a mutually-beneficial long-term relationship."
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