Thursday, September 30, 2010

New Research Puts A Damper On FM Radio Chips...

While NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith and his RAB counterpart Jeff Haley teamed up to hype the inclusion of FM chips in mobile phones at the Radio Show yesterday, new research indicates that maybe it's not such a great idea anyway. ComScore's new MobiLens study shows only 22.8% of the 234 million Americans own a smartphone and could access the web. Of the 53.4 million smartphone subscribers, only 23.8% own an iPhone. In other words, only 5.4% of everyone who has a cellphone use an iPhone. The study says that's important because iPhone owners listen to considerably more music than owners of competing cellphones. An additional 17% own a Google Android mobile. This means fewer than 21.8 million people have a wide selection of apps including the most popular radio apps. Now, here's the big question - would more people listen to radio if it was more readily available in a smartphone equipped with an FM chip???

Nielsen's Netview recently found that smartphone users spend less than 2 minutes an hour listening to music on their phones. It should be noted that Nielsen did not break out radio separately. Ready for another surprise? ComScore shows that there's an even bigger problem than the less than 2 minutes spent listening - most subscribers never listen to music on their phone. I mean, has the NAB or RAB seen this study? And if they did would they still push for FM chips? That doesn't even require an answer - of course they would...

There's even more to suggest that FM chips in smartphones may not be necessary - the least used activity is listening to music. Only 14.5% of mobile subscribers have listened to music on their phone in the past month. Mobile users might claim they want an FM chip, but their actions suggest that most won't use the radio and they probably won't spend much time listening. Arbitron tells us that nearly 200 million people listen to radio in the top 300 radio markets alone. Of that 200 million listener base, fewer than 34 million U.S. subscribers listen to music on their phones. Unless radio figures out a way to use 2 minutes of listening as a viable demographic to sell product from, is it worth it???

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1946] Justice received: An international military tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, finds 22 top Nazi leaders guilty of war crimes...
2.1947] Brought to you by: The World Series is televised for the 1st time with sponsors paying a "hefty" $65,000 for the entire Yankee-Dodger series...
3.1949] Airlift lands: The Berlin airlift, which delivered 2.3 million tons of food and fuel to West Berliners despite a Soviet blockade, ends...
4.1950] Premiered on this date: Radio's 'Grand Old Opry' is televised for the first time...1951] "The Red Skelton Show" debuts for a 20-season run...1960] "The Flintstones" becomes the first primetime animated series on its way to 6 years in first run and forever in syndication...1982] "Cheers" kicks off an 11-year run...
5.1955] Hollywood tragedy: 24-year old Hollywood star James Dean is killed in a two-car collision while racing near Cholame (CA)...
6.1960] Howdy goes back in the box: "The Howdy Doody Show" bows out with the silent Clarabelle (played by Bob Keeshan, future "Captain Kangaroo" speaking for the 1st time. Clarabelle simply says: "Goodbye kids"...
7.1962] With more to come: The 1st-year New York Mets lose a record 120th game and they hit into a triple-play to boot...
8.1972] A hero to the end: Future Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente picks up his 3,000th and final hit as he'll go down in a tragic plane crash on New Year's Eve...

9.1985] Howard exits: Howard Stern is fired by WNBC after 3 years but he will quickly resurface at WXRK (K-Rock)...
10.2004] Pulling the plug on Vioxx: Merck & Co. pulls Vioxx, its heavily promoted arthritis drug after a study finds it doubles the risk of heart attacks and strokes...

Music Memories:
  • 1971] Number One on this date: "Maggie May" - Rod Stewart...

Commentary: Legendary Hollywood leading man of the 50s, Tony Curtis has passed away at the age of 85. Curtis, born Bernard Schwartz in the Bronx, starred in more than 140 movies, mostly as a leading man. His most famous role was playing one of the girls in the movie "Some Like It Hot" with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon...Join host Maria Sitten and award-winning songwriters Dave Gibson, Wynn Varble and Chris Wallin for a fall songwriting seminar at Jim Oliver's Smoke House in beautiful Monteagle, Tennessee, November 5 - 7, 2010. Visit: TheSmokeHouse.com for additional information...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Martina Hingis (30), Jenna Elfman (39), Crystal Bernard (49), Fran Drescher (53), Barry ("Brady Bunch") Williams (56), Deborah Allen (57), Marilyn McCoo (67), Len Cariou (71), Johnny Mathis (75), Cissy Houston (77), Angie Dickinson (79) & Elie Wiesel (82)...

Timeline Countdown: 6 days until the MLB playoffs begin, 28 days until the World Series starts & 32 nights until Halloween...



Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Radio Gets RAINed On In Washington...

Here in New York, we've been rained on plenty this week but the RAIN in Washington is soaking terrestrial radio. RAIN Summits are the premiere educational and networking events for internet radio. Following successful conferences in Toronto, Las Vegas and Minneapolis earlier this year, the NAB and RAB decided to RAIN on the Radio Show to teach terrestrial radio a thing or two about the enemy. We're hoping that radio is listening...

The Summit was kicked off on Monday by Keynote speaker Bruce Reese who told those assembled in Washington that streaming is promotional more than it is a revenue generator. Now for the good news! Yesterday we found out that streaming is underdeveloped. That insight provided by Coleman Insights which released findings from its "Successful Audio Streaming Strategies" study. Coleman says that consumers who use streaming audio "are not aware of the many streaming options available to them and have relatively shallow perceptions of the options they are aware of. Streaming audio is a brand category that remains highly underdeveloped." Hmmm, not such good news unless you can convince consumers that with your stream they need not look any further. According to the study, consumers who regularly use streaming audio can name on average, 1.6 streaming audio brands unaided, compared to the usual 6 or 7 brands for "mature" categories. The only brands that Coleman found with "meaningful" awareness levels were those offered by AM/FM radio and Pandora...

There was lots more information in the Coleman study with truckloads to come from other sources before the RAIN Summit ends and surely there will be usable tactics to be absorbed and enacted on by radio broadcasters in order to stay relevant in an ever changing digital world. Let's be real - there's only a finite amount of improvements that radio can make in order to survive. People like terrestrial radio for its local appeal, for the cheesy promotions it runs, for their "friends" who dispense the music, news, talk or sports and best of all for its price...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1953] Premiered on this date: "Make Room For Daddy" starring Danny Thomas runs for 18 seasons...1960] "My Three Sons" starring Fred MacMurray runs for 12 seasons...

2.1954] Greatest catch: There have been better catches since but Willie Mays makes what's considered the greatest catch of all-time against Cleveland's Vic Wertz in game one of the World Series. The Giants not only win that game, they sweep the heavily-favored Indians in 4...
3.1957] Back to the Polo Grounds: The Giants play their last game in New York, losing to the Pirates 9-1 in front of 11,606 either crazy or diehard fans...
4.1974] The Beatle and The Professor: John Lennon sits in as a guest disc jockey on WNEW-FM. This clip from '74 is a MNF interview of John by Howard Cosell...
5.1976] It's time for a change: Tommy Lasorda replaces Walter Alston as Dodger manager. Alston was mgr. for 22 years, Lasorda rings up 20. Tommy talks about his playing days in this clip...
6.1978] 'Happy Trails': After serving barely over a month, Pope John Paul I is found dead of a heart attack. Some question whether or not the Pope was poisoned. The Pope was 66...
7.1982] Tainted Tylenol: Seven people die in Chicago after taking capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol that had been laced with cyanide. 264,000 bottles are recalled...
8.1986] Mom always liked you better: For the first time in baseball history 2 brothers (both rookies), pitch against each other in a game. Greg Maddux defeats brother Mike. Greg will waltz into the Hall of Fame while the closest Mike will get is by buying a ticket to get in...
9.1989] Vhat? I did not do that: Zsa Zsa Gabor is convicted of battery for slapping a Beverly Hills police officer who had pulled her and her Rolls-Royce over for expired plates. Latest update on Zsa Zsa is that she's out of the hospital and resting at home..
10.2005] Free as a bird: New York Times reporter Judith Miller is released from 85 days of federal detention after agreeing to testify in a criminal probe into the leak of a covert CIA officer's identity...

Music Memories:

Commentary: Microphone Technology and Multi-Dimensional Sound - A Symposium, will be presented by the Audio Engineering Society New York Section on Saturday, October 16, 2010. The symposium will be hosted by Agnieszka Roginska & Jim Anderson of NYU. Co-hosting will be James G. Williamson, AES Chair. At 8:30am there will be a 'meet & greet' followed by presentations at 9. For additional information go to the AES website here...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Jill ("Love Boat") Whelan (44), Andrew "Dice" Clay (53), Bryant Gumble (62), Lech Walesa (67), Jerry Lee Lewis (75), Anita Ekberg (79) and Lizabeth Scott (88)...

Timeline Countdown: 7 days until the MLB playoffs begin, 249 days until the World Series starts & 33 nights until Halloween...

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Broadcast Radio Remains Dominant In-Car Listening Source...

A new study of in-car listening discloses that 85% of U.S. respondents listen to broadcast radio - 49% listen to CDs or cassettes and 23% listen to music on a digital device through the car stereo. Other findings show 16% listen to satellite radio while 9% stream audio or podcasts on a smartphone through the stereo. Vision Critical's study found that broadcast radio "remains by far the most common media used in-car," followed by CDs and cassettes. One in four consumers studied in the U.S., Great Britain and Canada said they regularly use the car stereo to listen to personal digital music. The difference between the days when radio was the only source for music in-car and today is that there are far more choices for drivers to turn to. This is not winning by default and radio had better realize that...

Vision Critical states it well when they say: "Online in-car access provides opportunities for radio stations that embrace interactive and mobile platforms. Given the options that are becoming available, listeners will be expecting more from their radio station than a linear broadcast." VC also says streaming services like Pandora appear to be driving interest in in-car audio and they add this note: "We should be careful not to assume that increased use of in-car audio alternatives will displace listening to terrestrial or satellite radio. Even considering the prospect of online audio services in the car, these new alternatives may simply replace the use of other forms of music such as CDs - much like CDs replaced cassettes and 8-tracks." ...

More than half of the respondents in the study are interested in new technologies that would let them listen to online radio or on-demand playlists of music, news/talk and entertainment shows in the car - a desire being addressed by a number of major automakers that are promoting in-car online media. Now, more than ever broadcast radio must really get serious about entertaining its audience with more local and full-service features, in addition to their regular format. Radio needs to provide what listeners can't get from other sources...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1850] No floggin zone: Flogging is abolished as a form of punishment in the U.S. Navy. Hey maybe it can replace water-boarding...
2.1920] Dirty Sox: Eight members of the Chicago White Sox are indicted in the 'Black Sox' scandal. All eight are accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. They will be acquitted in 1921...
3.1941] Teddy Ballgame: Ted Williams goes 6 for 6 in a doubleheader and finishes with a .406 batting average. No one has done it since. Same date 10 years later in 1951, Williams hits a home run in his last at-bat...
4.1951] Oh-no x 2: The Yankees' Allie Reynolds pitches his second no-hitter of the season, beating the Red Sox 8-0. Yogi Berra gets a second chance to catch a foul pop-up after muffing one. This time he catches it ending the game and saving the no-hitter...
5.1955] In living color: The World Series is televised in color for the first time. I watched it in a store window on 13th Avenue in Borough Park - not happy to see the Dodgers win. This was the game that Sandy Amoros made his remarkable grab in left field...
6.1961] Premiered on this date: Richard Chamberlain starts making house calls as "Dr. Kildare". Four days later "Ben Casey" debuts...
7.1976] Rubberband Man: Muhammad Ali wins the rubber-match against Ken Norton in 15 rounds to win back the heavyweight title at Yankee Stadium. Not everyone thought Ali should have gotten the decision...
8.2004] 'Happy Trails': Legendary disc jockey Scott Muni passes away at 74 after suffering a stroke earlier in the year. This is a clip featuring audio of Scott and Norm N. Nite inducting Alan Freed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
9.2005] DeLay dances away: House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is indicted by a Texas grand jury on a charge of conspiring to violate political fundraising laws. The charge is later thrown out. Perhaps DeLay was auditioning for 'Dancing With The Stars' which he appeared on last year...
10.2005] Funny money: The U.S. Treasury unveils the new $10 bill, which features splashes of red, yellow and orange. I think they should have used 'monopoly gold' myself...

Music Memories:

  • 1957] Number One on this date: "Honeycomb" - Jimmie Rodgers...
  • 1958] Released on this date: "To Know Him Is To Love Him" - Teddy Bears (18-year old Phil Spector, a member of the group, used his father's headstone inscription as the title of the song)...

Commentary...
It's The best radio book I've ever read. If you don't own a copy of KHJ: Inside Boss Radio, you owe it to yourself to get one. Ron Jacobs has written an ultimate chronicle of what it feels like to program a radio station. He'll take you from that first day he walked into KHJ, to the glory days of one of the most famous radio stations of all-time. I especially loved staff memos Ron includes in the book. For additional information on the book and accompanying CDs, click here...In other news,
George Blanda, all-time leading scorer in the AFL when he retired in 1976 after 26 seasons as a QB/PK, has died at 83. Blanda, a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, played with the Chicago Bears, Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders. He won titles with the Oilers in 1960 and 1961. Al Davis, Oakland Raiders owner, hearing of Blanda's passing said this: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of the great George Blanda. George was a brave Raider and a close personal friend."

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Hilary Duff (23), Naomi Watts (42), Mira Sorvino (43), Janeane Garofalo (46), Ben E. King (72), Brigitte Bardot (76) and William Windom (87)...

Timeline Countdown: 8 days until the MLB playoffs start, 30 days until the World Series begins & 34 nights until Halloween...

Monday, September 27, 2010

Analysts Agree Radio Is Up In 2011...

Radio gets good news from just about all the analysts - 2011 will follow 2010 on the positive side. For the first time since 2006, radio will post positive growth not only this year but the trend is likely to continue in 2011. According to Mediaweek, forecasts range from 0.6% (Magna Global) to 4.4% (Veronis Suhler Stevenson). If you add predictions from PwC, SNL Kagan, BIA/Kelsey & Wells Fargo, that's just about a 3% increase average for 2011. Radio will take it. It's only a small fraction of the revenue but radio's digital platforms will continue to outpace traditional radio next year, up 17%, says BIA/Kelsey. Through the first half of this year, national spot was up 17% to $1.3 billion according to the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB). Local's performance (about 80% of radio's total take) was up 3% to $5.5 billion in the first half of 2010. Despite the good news, radio still has quite a way to go to get back to 2006 numbers...

Any growth is good after the nearly 20% drop in 2009, but 2010 and 2011 won't come close to making up the several billion lost since 2006 when radio peaked. None of the analysts expect radio to reach that point until some time after 2014. Stu Olds, president of Katz Media, remains optimistic the market will be up in the midsingle digits, but it might be better. "There are still a lot of things that are unsettled." ...

Leo Kivijarv, vp of research for VSS has his own theory. "Radio historically has been a strong performer out of a recession because it's cheap to advertise and easy to get on air. Some of those dynamics are still in place. When national advertisers spend, local advertisers feel better about spending, so that should be better." Spenders will come from seven categories (retail, auto, finance (insurance), entertainment, telecom, consumer products and professional services). Those categories says Stu Olds, "represent 80% to 87% of our business (and they are up)." A trend he expects will continue...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1964] Warren wrap: The Warren Commission issues a report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy concluding that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone...
2.1972] Dropping the puck: The 1st hockey game is played at the brand new Nassau Coliseum. In a pre-season affair, the Rangers beat the Islanders 6-4. We don't have video on that but what about Islanders TV...
3.1973] Special K: With a strikeout of Minnesota's Rich Reese, Nolan Ryan breaks the Sandy Koufax record for K's in a season with his 383rd...
4.1973] What's your name?: Carlos Santana, a disciple of Sri Chinmoy, changes his name to Devadip, begging the question, was it Devadip Santana or Santana Devadip??? Hare Krishna...
5.1990] Supes are in: The Senate Judiciary Committee approves the nomination of David H. Souter. One year later, same date, the Committee is deadlocked on Clarence Thomas but he eventually makes it...
6.1996] Ptooey: Orioles All-Star second-baseman Roberto Alomar spits on umpire John Hirschbeck during an argument. The two will become friends eventually after Alomar apologizes...
7.1998] Tainted record: Mark McGwire of the Cardinals sets the all-time home run record for a season when he hits numbers 69 and 70. That was not Tang he started his day with...
8.1999] Stadium de-clawed: Tiger Stadium closes after 87 years as home of baseball's Detroit Tigers...
9.2004] Spector charged: Phil Spector is charged with murder in the shooting death of Lana Clarkson at his mansion in 2003. In 2007 there was a mistrial but in 2009 Spector was convicted and sentenced to 19 years to life. He is serving that sentence now...
10.2005]Gotcha: Army reservist Lynndie England is sentenced to 3 years behind bars for her role in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal...

Music Memories:

  • 1963] Number One on this date: "Blue Velvet" - Bobby Vinton...1973] "We're An American Band" - Grand Funk...
  • 1964] Premiered on this date: The Beach Boys make their 1st appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" singing "I Get Around". This appearance is from another show...

Commentary...
The 2010 Giants of Broadcasting will be honored at a luncheon at the Manhattan Ballroom in the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 11:30am. For tickets, tables and tribute ads, contact Ms. Jessica Wolin, 212-685-4233 or at jessicawolin@hotmail.com This year's honorees are: Dick Clark, Norman Corwin, Sam Donaldson, Edward O. Fritts, Hal Jackson, Art Linkletter, Rue McClanahan, Agnes Nixon, Daniel Schorr, Lesley Stahl & David Wolper...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Avril Lavigne (26), Gwyneth Paltrow (38), Shaun Cassidy (52), Meatloaf aka Marvin Lee Aday (63), Randy Bachman (67), Don Cornelius (74), Wilford Brimley (76), Jayne Meadows (90), Johnny Pesky (91) and Zacherle aka John Zacherley (92)...

Timeline Countdown: 9 days until the MLB playoffs begin, 31 days until the World Series begins and 35 nights until Halloween...



Friday, September 24, 2010

Listeners Want More From Terrestrial Radio...

(Weekend Edition)

There's much to be learned from recent internet listening trends. Bridge Ratings has done an analysis of the Ando Media "Webcast Metrics" and found among other things, that consumers are speaking out now more than ever. They are moving in droves to internet radio. "In a typical week, 62% regularly listened to pure-play internet radio streams. Satisfaction levels among AM/FM simulcast streamers has plummeted overall as internet-only or pure-play internet radio services, led by Pandora are gathering momentum as primary listening posts for internet radio listeners in general." Bridge's latest projections based on their interviews is that "if terrestrially delivered content opportunities don't change, AM/FM simulcast primaries (those who spend more of their on-line time listening to terrestrial simulcast content) will shrink to 50% by 2014...

The key reason for the terrestrial radio exodus is that listeners prefer the abiliity to customize their content. And according to Bridge, "this translates to internet-delivered entertainment as it does for most internet activities." Nearly 80% of those questioned that say they listen to less terrestrial simulcasts are doing so because they can customize with pure play internet options. "Too many commercials" ranked second...

Part of the Bridge Ratings Epilogue states that "The internet has proven its ability to rapidly move and change consumer tastes and preferences. The technology simply makes decision-making easier. Consumers are smarter than ever due to their interactions on the internet. Nowhere is this more evident than in on-line radio listening." "Playing what you're saying" just won't cut it anymore. The best thing terrestrial radio can do is to be true to its audience. Do what you do best. Do it with the best people you can find and be honest to your audience. You may not be able to compete with the onslaught of internet radio but you can make yourself relevant at-home, in-office and in-car...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1954] Tonight, Tonight: Steve Allen becomes the first host of the "Tonight Show"...2004] NBC-TV tells Conan O'Brien he will become the new host of the show replacing Jay Leno. Leno gets another shift. Conan hosts the "Tonight Show." NBC moves Leno back to his old time slot. Conan starts a new show on TBS soon. Are you following this? (9/26 for both timelines)...
2.1957] Last exit from Brooklyn: The Dodgers play their last game in Brooklyn at Ebbets Field in front of 6,702 fans. They beat the Pirates 2-0 with Gil Hodges driving in the final run in Brooklyn (9/24)...
3.1960] Vote For Me: The first of four nationally televised debates between presidential candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon is held (9/26)...2008] On the same date 48 years later, Senators McCain and Obama square off in a presidential debate (9/26)...
4.1961] Curtains: "I Love Lucy" bows out after a run of 10 years (9/24)...
5.1962] A Sonny forecast: Sonny Liston KO's Floyd Patterson in the 1st round to win the heavyweight championship (9/25)...
6.1962] Premiered on this date: "Beverly Hillbillies" which will air for 9 seasons (9/26)...1964] "Gilligan's Island" kicks off a 3 season run before going into syndication forever (9/26)...1968] "Hawaii Five-O" says Aloha for 12 years (9/26)...1969] "The Brady Bunch" will start a successful 5 year run before going into syndication (9/26)...
7.1976] Guilty as charged: Patricia Hearst is sentenced to 7 years in prison for her role in a 1974 bank robbery. She serves 22 months before Jimmy Carter sets her free on a clemency order (9/24)...
8.1992] D-I-V-O-R-C-E: A judge in Orlando (FL) rules in favor of Gregory Kingsley, a 12-year old seeking a divorce from his biological parents (9/25)...
9.1997] Biting mad: NBC sportscaster Marv Albert pleads guilty to assault and battery of his lover. He is fired by NBC hours later (9/25)...
10.2008] 'Happy Trails': Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83 after suffering from lung cancer for more than 6 months (9/26)...


Commentary:
He had 4 number one hits and dominated the charts with 67 songs during the 50s. In addition to his music success, he made headlines when he married Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor. He was also married to Connie Stevens. Eddie Fisher died Wednesday of complications from hip surgery. Fisher's family issued this statement: "One of the greatest voices of the century passed away. He was an extraordinary talent and a true mensch." Fisher was 82. His number one hits included "I Need You Now", "I'm Walking Behind You", "Wish You Were Here" and this song...

Music Memories:


  • 1954] Live from the Grand Ole Opry: Elvis Presley appears singing "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (9/25)...
  • 1964] Released on this date: "You Really Got Me" - Kinks (9/26)...1971] "Peace Train" - Cat Stevens (9/25)...1977] "Come Sail Away" - Styx (9/24)...1979] "The Long Run" LP - Eagles (9/25)...1979] "I Fought The Law" - The Clash (9/26)...
  • 1966] Number One on this date: "Cherish" - Association (9/26)...
  • 1975] Jackie Wilson tragedy: Jackie Wilson collapses on stage while singing "Lonely Teardrops" in Cherry Hill (NJ). 41 at the time, Wilson suffers a heart attack resulting in brain damage (9/25). He dies in 1984 after spending 9 years in a coma...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": (9/24) Nia Vardalos (48), Joseph Kennedy II (58), Alan Colmes (60), Mean Joe Greene (64), Lou Dobbs (65), Gerry Marsden (68), & Sheila MacRae (86)...(9/25) Catherine Zeta-Jones (41), Will Smith (42), Heather Locklear (49), Mark Hamill (59), Cheryl Tiegs (63), Michael Douglas (66), Hubie Brown (77) and Barbara Walters (81)...(9/26) Serena Williams (29), WFAN's Joe Benigno (57), Olivia Newton-John (62), Lynn Anderson (63), Christie Todd Whitman (64) and Jack LaLanne (96)...

Timeline Countdown: 12 days until the MLB playoff opener, 34 days until the World Series begins & 38 nights until Halloween...


Thursday, September 23, 2010

It's The Height Of Talk Radio Season...

Negative political ads are the things that people dislike most about national elections (see: the latest Washington Whispers poll) but they love negative talk about national elections (or anything else) which would explain the popularity of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and other dispensers of "negativism" (see: Spiro Agnew). Market Watch calls this the nastiest political climate the U.S. has seen in 40-plus years which means Premiere Radio Networks, syndicator of Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck will celebrate Christmas early this year. No matter how nasty the talk gets, talk radio audiences love it. That's why they're listening. The choir loves to be preached to. Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck are on a pace to see their shows advertising sales increase by 10% to 40% from last year, according to Premiere. Talkers magazine's latest list of top radio audiences has Limbaugh with more than 15 million unique listeners each week, followed by Hannity's 14 million-plus and Beck's more than 10 million. A potent political force that can never be taken lightly...

Ratings for the Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck shows are expected to climb. Len Klatt, senior VP/Dir. research says "We always enjoy a 15% to 20% perk for those shows in the fall (Arbitron) book. When there's a presidential election, it's even higher. 2008 was monstrous for these three shows. We think we're probably going to get...pretty darn close to presidential levels. With the tea-party movement and the way those hosts are talking about it, I think you're going to see 85% of the presidential levels." ...

While most of this piece has focused on Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck, this is not meant to ignore the efforts of other talk show hosts like Michael Savage and Mark Levin who both have more than 8.5 million weekly listeners nor Neal Boortz, Michael Medved, Mike Gallagher and others. While critics contend that too many talk-radio shows offend listeners - hate sells. That's why people listen to them...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1642] A time for joy, a time for tears: Harvard holds its first commencement. A grand total of 9 men graduate with degrees...
2.1952] Your move Mr. Nixon: When questioned about his integrity, VP candidate Richard Nixon gives his famous "Checkers" speech. Checkers was the name of a dog given as a gift to 6-year old daughter Tricia...
3.1952] The winner and new champ: Rocky Marciano wins his biggest fight, winning the heavyweight crown by knocking out previous champ Jersey Joe Walcott in the 13th round. When Rocky went down in that small plane he was 49-0. He never lost a fight...
4.1956] Circus Boy: Mickey Braddock begins his career as "Corky", a 12-year old adopted by the circus in NBC-TV's "Circus Boy". Mickey Braddock will change his name to Micky Dolenz...
5.1962] Maury Wills it so: Dodger Maury Wills breaks Ty Cobb's 47-year old stolen base record when he swipes #97 on the way to 104...
6.1962] The Name Game: The New York Philharmonic Hall opens as the first unit in Lincoln Center. The hall will later be renamed Avery Fisher Hall...
7.1969] Paul is dead: The London Daily Mirror reports that Paul McCartney is dead in one of the greatest hoaxes of all-time...
8.1977] Musical Angels: Cheryl Ladd replaces Farrah Fawcett on "Charlie's Angels"...
9.1988] 40-40 Club: Jose Canseco is baseball's 1st player to steal 40 bases and hit 40 home runs while dating Madonna...
10.1991] Going to Hall: Islanders' Mike Bossy and Denis Potvin are inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame...

Music Memories:


Commentary: Make plans now to attend the Tampa Bay Radio Reunion, Saturday, November 6, 2010 by RSVPing Sandy Hall at swoodworth@embargmail.com or call 813-205-5247. Sandy needs a headcount for the reunion. Tedd Webb says "if you missed it last year, you missed a good one, so pass along the info and come swap lies and have a few brews." The reunion will start at 2 PM...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Chi McBride (49), Jason Alexander (51), Bruce Springsteen (61), Paul Petersen (65), Julio Iglesias (67) and Mickey Rooney (90)...

Timeline Countdown: 13 days until the MLB playoff opener, 35 days until the World Series begins & 39 nights until Halloween...


Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Radio Ad Spending & Revenue Show Good Movement...

Wells Fargo Securities analysts Marci Ryvicker and Timothy Schlock have some good news for radio: "From most of the conversations we have had, core advertising has been better than expected, driven by auto, retail, telco and financial. We asked operators and media buyers if this is merely a result of advertisers pulling budgets forward in advance of the political onslaught. For the most part, there has been no evidence that this is the case, although most admit it is hard to know for sure." On top of that good news comes word from analyst Jim Boyle that the radio industry just posted its best year-over-year revenue numbers in four months in August. Radio was up 7% last month compared to a year ago. This, according to data collected from a sample of markets...

Before we get ahead of ourselves, Ryvicker and Schlock remain cautiously optimistic about radio's chances in 2011. With the ad budget season approaching, the analysts say "of the various media buyers we have spoken with, preliminary rumblings are that 2011 budgets seem to be in line with 2010. Of course this can change quickly depending on consumer spending patterns in a slowing economy." The analysts say that national spending in all media is still pacing ahead of local, though the latter has shown improvement. "It sounds like local is going to tread along the bottom until unemployment and housing improves, so those companies with significant national exposure" - like CBS and Clear Channel Outdoor "have the greatest advantage." ...

Could political spending boost Q4 enough to give radio one of its best year's in the last few? While messages are mixed with political spending up is some areas but slow in others, Kantar Media says that the political season just started this week and "it's the most competitive political environment we've ever seen." Kantar's prediction is that "just about every media segment will see increases this year, led by radio, local TV and cable." ...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1957] Premiered on this date: "Maverick" starring no, not John McCain but James Garner. This was one of the first shows I mailed promotion kits to affiliates when I was a mailboy at ABC. "Maverick" would run for 5 seasons and was one of the first hit shows for this fledgling network at the time...1964] "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", the spy show that made stars of Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. It ran for four seasons...
2.1961] Peace be with you: President John F. Kennedy signs a congressional act that establishes the Peace Corps...
3.1967] On the cover of Time Magazine: The Beatles...
4.1969] Home run derby: The Giants' Willie Mays becomes the second player, behind Babe Ruth, to hit his 600th home run. Hank Aaron will pass Mays and The Babe. Barry Bonds passes them all...
5.1975] You missed: Sara Jane Moore fails in an attempt to shoot President Gerald Ford outside the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco (it's the second attempt on Ford's life in 17 days)...
6.1980] "Happy Trails": Irving Berlin dies at the age of 101. Cause of death was being 101...

7.1987] Out on strike: The second regular season strike in five years hits the NFL. This time only 1 game during the 16-game season is cancelled...
8.1995] SOLD!: Time Warner strikes a $7.5 billion deal to buy Turner Broadcasting System, Inc...
9.2004] That's a fine thing: CBS is fined $550,000 by the FCC for showing Janet Jackson's exposed right tata during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show which I witnessed in Houston. The case has finally been settled...
10.2007] New justice: John Roberts' nomination as chief justice clears the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 13-5 vote...

Music Memories:


Commentary: Microphone Technology and Multi-Dimensional Sound-A Symposium will be presented at the NYU Steinhart Center's James Dolan Recording Studio on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010. Hosts for the symposium are Agnieszka Roginska & Jim Anderson (New York University) and James G. Williamson (AES NY Section Chair). A meet & greet will begin at 8:30 am, followed by presentations at 9. For additional information contact the Audio Engineering Society...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Scott Baio (49), Joan Jett (52), Andrea Bocelli (52), Debby Boone (54), Shari Belafonte (56), David Stern (68), Joni James (80) and Tommy Lasorda (83)...

Timeline Countdown: Autumn arrives at 11:09 tonight, 14 days until the MLB playoff opener, 36 days until the World Series begins & 39 nights until Halloween...

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Terrestrial Internet Is Getting Eaten Alive...

The latest Ando Media numbers show that customized and pureplay internet services like Pandora, Slacker and the rest is eating terrestrial radio's lunch, dinner and tomorrow morning's breakfast. Pandora's fourth consecutive positive growth month (July) gives the customized music service 448,684 AAS (average number of streams of one minute or more that are active within a time period - similar to average quarter hour shares). To realize how huge that number is, second place belongs to CBS Radio with an AAS of 150,679. If that's not enough for terrestrial radio to digest, pureplay webcaster Slacker debuts at #7 in Ando with 19,586 AAS. That number doesn't include the customizable webcaster's mobile streams. The AAS numbers are from Monday-Friday, 6am-8pm dayparts. While terrestrial radio continues to stream its format on the web, customized and pureplay services are winning the web race wire-to-wire, like Secretariat in his prime...

In addition to Pandora, the growth of pureplay services gives terrestrial webcasters still more to worry about. Pandora's success produced pureplay services like Slacker. Pureplays, (defined as net-centric companies built exclusively for the internet), have grown by 10% from June to July to 496,207 while terrestrial AAS declined by 6% to 436,993, according to a Bridge Ratings analysis of Ando data. From November to July, pureplays are up 92% while terrestrial streams are down 10%. A total of 16 of the top 20 experienced a decline in sessions from June. There is one thing that terrestrial leads in though and that's in Average Time Spent Listening (TSL)...

Because an increasingly high percentage of its listening occurs on mobile devices, Pandora has the lowest Average Time Spent Listening (0.83 hours per session). Bonneville has the highest TSL (3.7 hours), followed by Salem (3.08), Greater Media (2.92), AccuRadio (2.83) and EMF (2.57). TSL as in the old radio measurement days isn't as important as AAS (Average Active Sessions) which has become the new AQH (Average Quarter Hours) in webcast measurement...


10 Timeline Memories:
1.1897] Santa who?: The New York Sun runs an editorial that answers a question from 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon: 'Is There A Santa Claus'...
2.1937] Making it a hobbit: 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien is published...
3.1938] What's your name?: An unnamed category 3 hurricane slams into Long Island and southern New England and claims as many as 600 lives...
4.1957] Premiered on this date: "Perry Mason" starring Raymond Burr starts a run of 17 seasons...1970] "Monday Night Football" with Howard Cosell, Keith Jackson who will be replaced by Frank Gifford and "Dandy" Don Meredith. The first game features a Cleveland win over the Jets 31-21...
5.1973] Confirmation day: Henry Kissinger is confirmed as Secretary of State by the Senate...1981] The Senate confirms Sandra Day O'Connor as the first female justice of the Supreme Court...
6.1983] Say watt?: Interior Secretary James G. Watt describes a special advisory panel as consisting of "a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple." Watt removes the shoe from his mouth, apologizes and then 'resigns'...
7.1998] What is "is"?: Bill Clinton is less ingenious than Jimmy Carter. This is the day that Bill answered a question about Monica Lewinsky with this question: "it depends on what the meaning of 'is' is?" It's all part of his testimony about an affair with "that woman, Miss Lewinsky." Unlike Carter -no pass for Clinton on his quote...
8.1998] "Happy Trails": Olympic gold medal track star Florence Griffith Joyner aka 'Flojo' dies in her sleep after suffering an epileptic seizure...
9.2008] Emmy Topper: "Mad Men" becomes the first basic-cable show to win a top series Emmy Award...
10.2008] Saying goodbye to the "House That Ruth Built": The Yankees beat the Orioles in the last game played at the old Yankee Stadium...

Music Memories:

Commentary...
Join host Marla Sitten and award-winning songwriters Dave Gibson, Wynn Varble and Chris Wallin for a fall songwriting seminar at Jim Oliver's Smoke House in beautiful Monteagle, Tennessee, November 5-7, 2010. Visit TheSmokeHouse.com for additional information...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Nicole Richie (29), Ricki Lake (42), Faith Hill (43), Cheryl Hines (46), Rob Morrow (48), Bill Murray (60), Stephen King (63), Bill Kurtis (70), Leonard Cohen (76) and Larry Hagman (79)...

Timeline Countdown: 2 days until autumn arrives, 15 days until the MLB playoffs begin, 37 days until the World Series opener & 40 nights until Halloween...

Monday, September 20, 2010

No Sirius Loss Should Howard Walk...

Publicly Mel Karmazin says he wants Howard Stern to stay. He says he's confident that Howard will re-up when his current contract ends at the end of the year. If it's just renegotiation smoke, it's understandable but if he really wants Howard to stay, maybe it's time to let Howard walk. Standard & Poor's analyst Tuna Amobi might have it right. This is what Amobi told Bloomberg Businessweek: "If he (Stern) leaves, it frees Sirius up, cost-wise, to add more talent. The threshold where they'd consider letting him go today is a lot lower than before. They can grow without him." While Amobi says 200,000 to 300,000 fans may drop the service if he departs, customer growth overall will continue and Sirius can build sales with the money it saves on Stern. Saving $100 to $200 million a year will do that and pay off the debt of several third-world nations as well. Stern's 5-year, $500 million contract includes his pay and his staff's pay. Stern also owns about $200 million worth of Sirius stock. Stern's contract accounts for more than a fourth of the company's total annual programming and content costs last year...

Sirius will probably add 1.1 million subscribers this year to the 18.8 million it had at the end of 2009, says Amobi. It may add another 1.4 million in 2011 and Stern no longer brings in significant numbers of new listeners Amobi adds. In a June 30 filing, Sirius said "we have no reason to believe that any such subscriber loss will be material to our business or financial condition taken as a whole." Susan Kevorkian, a program director at research firm IDC agrees with Amobi. "They'll (Sirius) have presumably more money at their disposal to experiment with new channels and see what resonates with their existing subscribers." Sirius is already working to lower programming costs as it negotiates with content providers, including Stern, the NFL and NASCAR. The costs are "expected to decrease as various agreements expire and are renewed or replaced on more cost-effective terms", the company said in their June filing...

While offering Stern lower pay and a shorter contract is an option, Howard has already said he may start a web-only program or offer one through a mobile application. While Howard has an enormous fan base, he is bleeding Sirius financially and the chances of any significant future growth in Stern listeners are not promising. If they're not listening to him now, where would a new fan base come from???

Timeline Memories:
1.1921] Premiered on this date: KDKA in Pittsburgh starts one of the first daily newscasts on U.S. radio...
2.1962] Blacked out: Black student James Meredith (a transfer student from Jackson State) is refused entrance to the University of Mississippi by Governor Ross R. Barnett. Meredith was later admitted by court order and graduated from "Ol' Miss" in 1963...
3.1972] Get a whiff of that: Police find cannabis growing on the farm of Paul and Linda McCartney. Paul says it must of been the birds that dropped the seeds. Well they were flying high...
4.1973] "Happy Trails": 30-year old singer Jim Croce is killed in a small plane crash in Louisiana. Croce was on his way to a concert in Sherman (TX)...
5.1973] The Battle of The Sexes: Billie Jean King, 30, beats Bobby Riggs, 55, in a grudge tennis match at the Houston Astrodome. King whips Riggs in straight sets...
6.1976] Just a Love Machine: Playboy releases the Jimmy Carter interview in which he's quoted as saying, "I've looked at a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times." Americans by the millions avoid the imagery...
7.1982] NFL hits the bricks: NFL players begin a 57-day strike, the first in-season strike in NFL history. Players hit the bricks tomorrow. The season is reduced to a 9-game schedule, instead of 16 and a special playoff tournament is used prior to the Super Bowl. The Schmoozer finally gets the story in...
8.1984] Beirut blowup: A suicide car bomber attacks the U.S. Embassy annex in North Beirut, killing 22 people...
9.1998] 'The Streak' (boogety boogety) ends: After playing in a record 2,632 consecutive games over 16 seasons, Cal Ripken Jr. of the Orioles sits out a game...
10.2001] Color-coded: President Bush addresses a joint session of Congress regarding the 911 attacks and names Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge to head up the new Office of Homeland Security. Ridge wears an orange tie to match his code Orange shirt but brings a red shirt and tie, just in case...

Music Memories:

  • 1964] Curtains: The Beatles wrap up their 1st U.S. tour with a date at the New York Paramount in front of 3,682 screaming 'Beatlemaniacs'...1971] Peter Frampton leaves Humble Pie to pursue a solo career...
  • 1975] Released on this date: "Born To Run" - Bruce Springsteen...

Commentary...
Make plans now for the Tampa Bay Radio Reunion, Saturday, November 6, 2010. RSVP to Sandy Hall at swoodworth@embargmail.com or call 813-205-5247. Sandy needs a headcount for the reunion. Tedd Webb promises that "if you missed it last year, you missed a good one, so pass along the info and come swap lies and have a few brews." The reunion starts at 2 pm...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Jayson Bay (32), Gunnar and Matthew Nelson (43), Kristen Johnston (43), Deborah Roberts (50), Red Sox owner John W. Henry (61), Sophia Loren (76), Anne Meara (81) and Gogi Grant (86)...

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until autumn arrives, 16 days until the MLB playoffs, 38 days until the World Series opener & 41 nights until Halloween...

Friday, September 17, 2010

More Proof That Radio Needs To Offer More...

(Weekend Edition)
A new poll conducted by Inside Radio offers evidence that terrestrial radio needs to customize its website programming. One respondent says "Digital media as it moves forward is all about the user being able to customize and control the content. Without the ability to customize, online radio will just be a red-headed stepchild to Pandora and others." Another person says "Radio has great brands and needs to get out ahead of the competition on this." There were others that agree, like this respondent: As long as it's cost effective, why not. We do need to get ahead of the tech curve and stop being the 'me too bunch'." Not everyone agrees with those wanting personalization: "We have hundreds of TV choices available, but just watch a handful of channels - same with radio. Listeners listen for a presentation, not to do the work themselves." Another respondent agrees: "Most listeners prefer to just listen rather than getting involved with the programming of their music - playing their CD or MP3 player is their choice if they choose to play specific songs." ...
Six-in-ten (60%) polled say terrestrial operators need to make the investment and offer personalized webcasts to stay competitive. There are those though that believe that radio should offer it's own content: "Programmers need the guts to stand behind their programming concepts and the courage to set trends, not follow them." Others say it will make radio sound just like an internet jukebox: "Radio is about relating with the audience via great music and brilliant personalities. Anyone can program an iPod or Pandora to just play music. Radio is interactive." ...
I tend to agree with the latter comments. In my view, it's way too late to out-Pandora Pandora and if all people want to hear is music, won't they just get an MP3 or iPod? Can terrestrial radio offer a better product? You bet, but the answer is not to imitate but to innovate. It's been a long time since radio has done that but you still have to go with what brought you here - just do it better...
10 Timeline Memories:
1.1947] Rookie Number One: Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson is named the first 'Rookie of The Year' (9/17)...
2.1960] Fidel visits the Apple: Fidel Castro stays at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem where he meets with Malcolm X. He also makes TV appearances and is generally treated like the hero he wasn't (9/18)...
3.1966] Premiered on this date: "Mission: Impossible", which will enjoy a phenomenal run until 1990 (9/17)...1972] "M*A*S*H", which airs for 11 seasons, ending in 1983 as a 2 1/2 hour special viewed by the largest TV audience to ever watch a single program (9/17). That record wasn't broken until the 2010 Super Bowl...
4.1969] No tip-toeing around: Tiny Tim announces his engagement to "Miss Vicki" on the "Tonight Show With Johnny Carson." Johnny invites the lovely couple to get married on his show, which they will do in December (9/18)...
5.1975] "Happy Trails": Jimi Hendrix dies of a drug overdose at 27 (9/18)...
6.1975] Gotcha: Patty Hearst is captured in San Mateo (CA) (9/18). She will be convicted and sentenced to 7 years in prison for her role in SLA crimes. Jimmy Carter will commute the sentence and she only serves 22-months...
7.1977] Captain Courageous: Ted Turner captains the Courageous to victory, sweeping Australia in the 24th 'America's Cup' in Newport (RI). Twenty years later on this same date (1997) Turner announces that he will donate $1 billion to the U.N. over the next 10 years (9/18)...
8.1994] There she is. Walking on air she is: Heather Whitestone, Miss Alabama becomes the first deaf Miss America (9/17)...
9.2003] AO-What?: Time Warner drops the "AOL" from its name. The merged company becomes Time Warner Inc. The company started including 'AOL' in 2000 (9/19)...
10.2004] The 700 Club: Barry Bonds hits his 700th home run for the Giants, joining Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755) as the only 700 home run hitters (9/17)...

Music Memories:

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": (9/17) Rasheed Wallace (36), John Franco (50), Phil Jackson (65), Orlando Cepeda (73), George Blanda (83)...(9/18) Jada Pinkett Smith (39), Aisha Tyler (40), James Gandolfini (49), Frankie Avalon (71), Fred Willard (71), Jimmie Rodgers (77) and Robert Blake (Mickey Gubitosi) (77)...(9/19) Alison Sweeney (34), Jimmy Fallon (36), CNN's Soledad O'Brien (44), Trisha Yearwood (46), Bob Papa (46), Joan Lunden (60), Twiggy (Lawson) (61), Jeremy Irons (62), Joe Morgan (67), Freda Payne (68), Bill Medley (70), David McCallum (77), Adam ("Batman") West (82), Duke Snider (84) and James Lipton (84)...

Timeline Countdown: Yom Kippur arrives at sundown tonight, 6 days until autumn arrives, 19 days until the MLB playoffs begin, 41 days until the World Series begins & 44 nights until Halloween...

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Digital Leads The Way in Radio's Growth...

"Almost all the (radio) growth is coming in the digital sector." Media economist Jack Myers made that evaluation at yesterday's Media Financial Management Association (MFM) Outlook 2011 conference here in New York. Myers projected traditional media advertising will be up just 0.3% to $163 billion this year or roughly where it was a decade ago. "Traditional media have been unchanged since 2000" says Myers. He also says traditional companies like radio have no choice but to quickly embrace the online world. Myers projects terrestrial radio to grow 4.4% this year but that's dwarfed by the 55% increase in online video dollars and 28% jump in mobile advertising that many stations are now seeking. "Until the traditional media companies begin moving resources from their traditional businesses, we're going to see a steadily declining percentage of revenues going into traditional media." Myers is not alone in his opinion...

Borrell Associates EVP Peter Conti believes traditional media companies can't simply put their assets onto new distribution channels and win. Conti adds that "they're (media companies) combining the traditional media, the internet and mobile and building campaigns that make use of the strengths within each of those." Myers agrees, saying broadcasters should instead look at content as the starting point. He believes the real problem is with the traditional pricing models - "The next 50 years we're going to have more supply than demand, so pricing is going to decline." Standard & Poor's senior economist Beth Ann Bovino says a "very slow and uneven" recovery will continue into 2011." S&P saw a bump in local spending as a result of the government stimulus. Even so, Bovino says "We're expecting to see continued weakness in 2011." ...

Looking ahead, the only constant there is for radio is change and whether it's more internet, mobile or social network choices, there's more on the way. Radio will never win the technology race but it can take advantage of what people are turning to, define its product, sell that product and be consistent in providing that product. It will have to offer more than providing a free and local service...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1630] What's Your Name?: The original Native American name of Shawmut is changed to Boston...
2.1949] Premiered on this date: The "Road Runner" "beep-beeps" for the 1st time in the WB cartoon "Fast and Furry-ous" (Mel Blanc does the sfx)...1972] "The Bob Newhart Show" debuts with Bob playing a shrink. It runs until 1978...1984] "Miami Vice" changes the way men dress and runs for 5 seasons...
3.1968] Curtains: One of the best comedy series of all-time, "The Andy Griffith Show" bows out after 8 seasons (but will continue in reruns forever)...
4.1968] Sock it to me: Richard Nixon makes his famous "sock it to me" walk-on appearance on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In"...
5.1973] Record-breaking: Buffalo running back O.J. Simpson becomes the first NFL player to gain 250 yards in a game with his slashing ground game against the Patriots. Simpson picks up his 2,000th yard in this clip...
6.1974] A grant from the Prez: President Gerald Ford grants a conditional amnesty program for draft evaders and deserters during the Vietnam War. In this clip he testifies about pardoning Richard Nixon...
7.1981] Sweet as sugar: Sugar Ray Leonard rallies to beat Thomas "Hitman" Hearns, winning by a TKO to win the welterweight title. It's Hearns first professional loss...
8.1988] Perfecto: Tom Browning of the Cincinnati Reds pitches a perfect game in a 1-0 shutout of the Dodgers...
9.2004] Ivan the terrible: Hurricane Ivan plows into the Gulf Coast with 130 mph winds and is blamed for at least 115 deaths, 43 in the U.S...

10.2009] Death silences a trio: Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary passes away from complications of chemotherapy treatment. In 2005 Mary was diagnosed with leukemia. She was 72 years old at the time of her death...

Music Memories:

Commentary: He was rumpled and grumpy but he was a stickler for the usage of proper English. Edwin Newman the longtime NBC newsman, died at the age of 91. Although he died from pneumonia on August 13, the announcement was delayed until yesterday so the family could spend the time grieving privately. Hired at NBC in 1952, Newman spent 32 years at the network before retiring in 1984. He and his wife had moved to England in 2007 where he died in Oxford...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Amy Poehler (39), Marc Anthony (42), David Copperfield (54), Mickey Rourke (58), Henry Louis Gates (60), Ed Begley Jr. (61), Peter Falk (83), B.B. King (85) and Lauren Bacall (86)...

Timeline Countdown: 1 night until Yom Kippur, 7 days until autumn arrives, 20 days until the MLB playoffs, 42 days until the first game of the World Series & 45 nights until Halloween...



Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Battle Over Mobile Radios Heats Up...

The wireless industry would sooner see chocolate chips in mobile radios than FM radio chips as a battle that has all the earmarks of another RIAA vs radio brawl over performance royalties has begun. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and CTIA-The Wireless Association, are not impressed by the results of that NAB poll showing that 76% of cellphone owners would pay a fee to access local radio stations. Gary Shapiro, CEA president/CEO says "that some consumers may want phones with FM receivers", pointing out that "numerous models of radio-equipped phones are already on the market." He also says "NAB forgot to ask the key question: Do Americans really want the government designing their phones and digital devices? The NAB doesn't care what consumers want." NAB instead wants "to make the consumer buy a radio whether they want one or not." While I doubt the NAB would put a gun to anyone's head, of course the NAB wants consumers to buy radios. The association represents radio broadcasters just as Shapiro reps consumer electronics. That's what they do...

CTIA VP Jot Carpenter sounds as mad as Shapiro when he says the FM chip mandate sought by NAB "would reduce innovation and limit consumer choice. FM capability is already available for consumers who want to access over-the-air radio on their mobile devices, but the majority of consumers do not want that capability, and the notion that they want to pay more for a functionality they do not want is ridiculous." Jot is not buying the results of the NAB poll. The poll, conducted by Harris Interactive, found that 66% of all adults would use a cellphone to access local radio stations, 40% would "strongly consider" paying 30 cents extra for such a cellphone and another 36% would probably consider paying extra. Also, 73% of all adults called it very or somewhat important during emergencies to have a cellphone with built-in radio. The poll also found that 76% of cellphone users would consider paying a one-time fee of 30 cents...

Somewhat lost in this whole mash-up is that the FM chip inclusion was the result of finding a solution for both the music business and radio over the paying of performance royalties. Radio says okay we'll pay royalties if we can get radios in every cellphone - the music business says hmmm, more exposure to music while the wireless people say okay let's get this straight - we become a middle man, supplying radio chips by government mandate - don't think so. In simple terms, that's what this battle is all about. With Congress back in session, it now becomes their problem...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1776] The Redcoats are coming, the Redcoats are coming: The British take over New York City, landing at Kips Bay. They will chase George Washington to New Jersey...
2.1928] Look what I found: Alexander Fleming discovers the antibiotic penicillin in the mold Penicillium notatum (verily)...
3.1948] Musical call letters: WHN changes call letters to WMGM but don't fret WHN fans, the call letters will change back in 1962...
4.1952] Turn out the lights, the party's over: The Boston Braves play their last game in Beantown at what is now Nickerson Field, below the Mass. Turnpike, the place B.U. plays their football games. The Bravos move to Milwaukee the following season...
5.1954] I see China, I see France: Filming a scene for "The Seven Year Itch", Marilyn Monroe's dress flies up as she stands on a subway grating, infuriating husband Joe DiMaggio who doesn't wait for a seven year itch. Married in January, they soon divorce in October. The marriage lasted 9 months...
6.1958] Pinstripe tragedy: A commuter train crashes through a drawbridge near Newark (NJ) killing 48 including Yankee second baseman George "Snuffy" Stirnweiss who was only 39...
7.1962] The call of the century: London Daily Mirror columnist Peter Jones calls The Beatles, "a nothing group" (nice call Peter). The Beatles circa 1962...
8.1971] Debuted on this date: The environmental organization "Greenpeace" is formed in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. An angry young person talks up G-peace...1982] The first issue of "USA Today" hits the newsstands and sells out. Here's a clip of the TV show...
9.1978] A 3-peat: 36-year old Muhammad Ali beats Leon Spinks (by decision) in a rematch, to become the first heavyweight champ to win the title 3 times...
10.2008] In the beginning: Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 resulting from the subprime mortgage crisis. The Dow Jones industrial average plunges over 500 points. You might consider this the beginning of the recession...

Music Memories:

  • 1969] Number One on this date: "Sugar, Sugar" - Archies. Ron Dante supplied most of the vocals...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Britain's Prince Harry (26), Dan Marino, Football HOFer (49), Oliver Stone (64), Tommy Lee Jones (64), Baseball HOFer Gaylord Perry (72), Norm Crosby (83) and Jackie Cooper (88)...

Timeline Countdown: 2 nights before Yom Kippur, 8 days until autumn arrives, 21 days until the MLB playoffs, 43 days until the first game of the World Series & 46 days until Halloween...



Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Radio's Ad Spending Rally Continues...

A game has 4 quarters but if radio has as strong a second half as its first half, the game has been won. Kantar Media Sr. VP Jon Swallen: "The rally in ad spending that has emerged from last year's collapse continues at a steady pace through the second quarter, even as softening economic data on retail sales, spending and employment began to raise concerns about the outlook for consumer activity. Early figures from the third quarter indicate the advertising expansion is still maintaining its momentum and that is an encouraging sign for the industry." While television media led the first half rebound, radio took a healthy bite too...

Spending in the all-important local radio sector is up 4.2% in Q2 and while all radio types saw growth rates ease slightly during the quarter, National Spot Radio went through the roof with a 16.8% gain. Network Radio took a small dip at 0.4%. Total media ad spending in Q2 was up 5.4% compared to last year. The first six months of 2010 rose 5.7% from 2009, finishing the first half at $63.57 billion according to Kantar Media...

Radio still has its work cut out for it in the second half of the year but should be boosted by back-to-school, political, auto (in a traditionally healthy season of the year) and holiday ad spending. A strong second half will put 2009 in the rear-view mirror...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1814] Jose can you see: Francis Scott Key writes the 'Star-Spangled Banner', a poem originally called 'Defense of Fort McHenry'. Key had witnessed the British bombardment of the Maryland fort during the War of 1812. The song would became our national anthem on March 3, 1931...
2.1901] "Happy Trails": President William McKinley dies of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin. McKinley is succeeded by 42-year old Theodore Roosevelt...1982] Monaco's Princess Grace aka Grace Kelly dies from injuries suffered when her car plunges off a mountain road one day earlier. The Princess was 52...
3.1940] Feeling a draft: Congress passes the Selective Training and Service Act, providing for the first peacetime draft in U.S. history...
4.1948] Breaking ground: Ground is broken in Manhattan for the United Nations' world headquarters...
5.1959] Machine on the moon: The Soviet space probe Luna 2 becomes the first man-made object to reach the moon...
6.1968] Record-breaking: Tigers pitcher Denny McLain becomes the first pitcher to win 30 games in 34 years. Denny finishes the season at 31-6. His career stats: 131-91...
7.1994] Strike Three - you're out: Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig cancels the rest of the 1994 season after a strike continues after 34 days. No World Series will be played in 1994. More recently Selig spoke about steroids on the Letterman Show...
8.2001] Ground Zero: Using a bullhorn, President George W. Bush tells those gathered at Ground Zero that we will get even for the attacks. On the same day, the FBI releases the names of the 19 suspected terrorists...
9.2005] What was he thinking?: A federal judge in San Francisco declares the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional...

10.2009] Death of a star: Actor Patrick Swayze dies at 57 after suffering from pancreatic cancer for more than a year...

Music Memories:

Commentary...
The Tampa Bay Radio Reunion is set for Saturday, November 6, 2010.If you plan on attending, RSVP Sandy Hall at swoodworth@embargmail.com or call 813-205-5247. Sandy needs a headcount for the reunion. Tedd Webb adds"that if you missed it last year, you missed a good one, so pass along the info, come swap some lies and have a few brews." The reunion will start at 2 pm...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Amy Winehouse (27), Tyler Perry (41), Faith Ford (46), Jon "Bowser" Bauman (63), Joey Heatherton (66), Larry Brown (70) & Jerry Coleman (86)...

Timeline Countdown: 3 nights until Yom Kippur, 9 days until autumn arrives, 22 days until MLB post-season, 44 days until the world series & 47 nights until Halloween...