Radio's Ad Revenue Growth To Be Modest In 2011...

A new Magna Global forecast predicts the U.S. ad economy will grow 3.1% this year or about the same as last year. This growth rate doesn't include political and Olympic revenues in 2011. While there's no estimate of what either event will bring in, they will put the revenue growth above last year's total and radio should see a slight gain too. Total ad expenditures in 2011 are estimated to come in at $173 billion, according to MediaPost. That figure is below 2003 - which pre-dates the mid-2000s boom. One reason could be that auto spending may have been much higher back in 2003, even though the category is experiencing a recovery now...

Radio's modest growth, estimated to be about 2% should bring it to slightly over $15 billion for the year. The gains for other forms of media are much healthier - TV (6.3%), digital display (11.6%), online video (26.8%) and mobile advertising (60.1%). Paid search is estimated to be up about 11%. On the negative side, newspapers, magazines and direct mail will decline 2.9%...

Magna notes that revenue growth remains hampered by "continuing weakness in unemployment, the absence of a meaningful pick-up in the overall economy and constrained deployments of capital among businesses of all kinds." The 2% gain for radio, as modest as it is, is up from a previous forecast of 1.3% made in early December...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1949] A raise to six figures: The president’s salary is increased from $75,000 to $100,000 with an additional $50,000 expense allowance for each year. In 2011 the president's salary has risen to $400,000 plus expenses...
2.1952] Signed, sealed and delivered: The NFL buys the New York Yanks, then awards the franchise to a group in Dallas. the Dallas Texans will then be awarded to Baltimore in 1953 to form the Colts, who now play in Indianapolis. Are you following all this? There will be a test…
3.1953] 'Splain it to me Lucy: A whopping 68% of all TV sets are tuned to “I Love Lucy” as Lucy Ricardo gives birth to a baby boy…
4.1957] Who hit the mute button?: Ernie Kovacs does a half-hour TV show without saying one word. Here’s Percy Dovetonsils, one of Ernie’s characters...
5.1972] Going to Hall: Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra and Early Wynn are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame…
6.1974] Irish wake: Notre Dame stops UCLA’s remarkable 88-game winning streak 71-70. The Irish move up in the polls from 2 to 1, replacing the Bruins. It marks the first time UCLA is not #1 since the 1968 NCAA Championship Tournament…
7.1998] “Happy Trails“: The legendary Carl Perkins dies at 65 from complications caused by several strokes…2006] Wilson Pickett, 64, passes away after suffering a heart attack…2008] Actress Suzanne Pleshette, 70, dies from lung cancer…8.2000] Guilty as charged: Robert F. Kennedy nephew, Michael Skakel surrenders to Greenwich (CT) police to face charges in the 1975 death of neighbor Martha Moxley. He will be convicted and is serving time in prison…
9.2002] Last call for alcohol: Schaefer Stadium hosts its final Patriots game. New England beats Oakland 16-13 in overtime in an AFC Divisional Playoff game, played in a snowstorm. The game features the infamous “tuck” rule used to protect QB Tom Brady. An Adam Vinatieri field goal wins it…
10.2004] Wacked out: John Kerry wins Iowa’s Democratic presidential caucus and Howard Dean who finishes third, delivers his famous, fist-pumping, over-the-top speech that will bury him as a serious candidate…

Music Memories:

• 1957] Network Debut: Johnny Cash makes his first network TV appearance on "The Jackie Gleason Show". Here's JC on the "Jimmy Dean Show"...
• 1976]Reunion Offer: Promoter Bill Sargent offers The Beatles $30 million to reunite but the group turns down the offer. Here's two of the Fab Four together...
• 1993] Non-Stop: Fleetwood Mac reunites to perform "Don't Stop" at Bill Clinton's inauguration...
• 1993] The Chips Are Down: Tom Waits is allowed to keep $2.5 million awarded to him after he sued Frito-Lay for using a sound-alike in a 1988 commercial...

R.I.P.: Don Kirshner...

It's sad to report that legendary music starmaker Don Kirshner died from heart failure at the age of 77 on Monday, January 17. Donny was just a guy from the Bronx who happened to host his own TV show, "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert", write and publish hit songs and help launch the careers of artists like Neil Diamond, Bobby Darin, Carole King, Neil Sedaka, the Monkees, the Archies, Kansas and many others. Don is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sheila, two children and five grandchildren. The family has asked for donations to be made to the Don Kirshner Scholarship Fund for emerging songwriters at 70 West 36th Street, Suite 701, New York, N.Y. 10018...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Olympian Shawn Johnson (19), Junior Seau (42), Katey Sagal (57), Desi Arnaz Jr (58), Dolly Parton (65), Shelley Fabares (67), Michael Crawford (69), Phil Everly (72), Robert MacNeil (80), Tippi Hedren (81), Fritz Weaver (85) and Jean Stapleton (88)...

Timeline Countdown: 4 days until NFL Conference Championships, 18 days until Super Bowl XLV, 25 days until Pitchers & Catchers report & 26 days until Valentines Day...