The Importance Of Social Nets To Radio...

The importance of using social networks has been underscored once again. Although social networks have been around for less than five years, their impact as a traffic source has become a driving force for business and entertainment. Outbrain, a recommendation engine, conducted a recent study in which they "pulled a sample data set of 100 million sessions across more than 100 web publishers - defining a session as a series of page views within a website with no more than 30 minutes between one page view and the next." The results, according to Media Post showed that the top content viewed were news stories, entertainment and lifestyle categories. All of those categories received the most traffic from social sources. Surprisingly, sports ranked last...

Far too many jaded radio people tend to forget that radio is an entertainment source, but of course it is. Falling right after web searches for news sources, web surfers consider entertainment their second choice. That means that radio has to use the leading social sites, Facebook and Twitter as a magnet not only for station websites but for listening to radio itself...

Outbrain, in their study thought it was worth comparing relative traffic quality to see what differences exist between Facebook and Twitter. They found that both sites drive "similarly engaged audiences in terms of page views per session, bounce rates (those who bounce from one to another) and hyper-engaged reader sessions. The one difference was in their relative reach (defined as the number of unique visitors per 1,000 sessions." The results showed that "a session from Facebook was 40% more likely to be from a unique visitor compared to Twitter, whose audience was more likely to be made up of repeat visitors." However you interpret those results, radio needs to do a better job of convincing social network consumers to, not only visit their websites but listen to their station...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1775] In the midnight hour: Paul Revere and William Dawes set out on their ride from Charlestown to Lexington (MA) to warn the colonists that those nasty Redcoats were coming. This is Patriot's Day in Boston which features the Boston Marathon and a morning game at Fenway Park...
2.1906] Shake and bake: San Francisco is devastated by an earthquake that takes 3,000 lives...
3.1923] Opening day: John Philip Sousa's band plays the national anthem as Yankee Stadium opens in the Bronx. The Yankees beat the Red Sox in the opener 4-1...
4.1949] Brits take note: The Irish Republic is proclaimed...
5.1956] Wedding Bells: Actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco...
6.1978] Returning the canal: The U.S. Senate votes (68-32) to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control in 1999...
7.1983] Death at the embassy: A suicide bomber kills 63, including 17 Americans, at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon...
8.1999] The Great One bows out: Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer plays his last professional game at Madison Square Garden...
9.2002] Gotcha: Police arrest actor Robert Blake in the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley one year earlier. Blake will be acquitted but is found liable in a civil case...2003] Scott Peterson is arrested in the death of his wife, Laci, who was 8 months pregnant when she vanished on Christmas Eve, 2002. Peterson was sentenced to death and is currently on death row at San Quentin...
10.2007] Supes rule: The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling,uphold a federal ban on a medical procedure that opponents call partial-birth abortion...

Music Memories:

• 1939] Cowboy Up: Gene Autry records "Back In The Saddle Again"...
• 1965] Number One on this date: "I'm Telling You Now" - Freddie & the Dreamers...1975] "Philadelphia Freedom" - Elton John...2006] "Bad Day" - Daniel Powter...

Events:
The "IBS-Spring Palooza" is coming Friday & Saturday, April 22 & 23, 2011. The weekend of local, live music on member stations of the IBS Student Radio Network, helps local college bands get airplay, creates a buzz around your station and raises some money for local charities. For additional information contact Backbone's George Capalbo, gcapalbo@backbone.com or Steve Theo, Pirate! Promotions, steve@piratepirate.com

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": America Ferrera (27), Kourtney Kardashian (32), Conan O'Brien (48), Jane ("Hot In Cleveland" & Frasier") Leeves (50), Eric Roberts (55), Rick Moranis (58), James Woods (64), Hayley Mills (65), rock critic Robert Christgau (69) & Barbara (Della Street on "Perry Mason") Hale (89)...

Timeline Countdown: Passover begins at sundown, 6 days until Easter Sunday, 10 days until the NFL draft, 19 days until the Kentucky Derby & 20 days until Mother's Day...

Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace On Merger...

(Weekend Edition)

We've reached the part of the wedding ceremony where anyone objecting to the impending union of the couple getting married, may voice their concern. This wedding happens to be the joining in holy matrimony of Cumulus Media and Citadel Broadcasting but it's not any different. So, if you have any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace. Actually you have until "no later than May 13, 2011" proclaims the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC says that "oppositions to petitions to deny must be filed no later than May 23, 2011" and "replies must be filed no later than May 31, 2011". But before you send in something silly like "are these revenue bleeding broadcast companies crazy?", think again. The Commission "reserves the right to return any application if, upon further examination, it is determined to be defective and not in conformance with the Commission's rules, regulations or policies." You wouldn't want to upset the FCC would you???

Cumulus, the groom in this wedding is conforming with the FCC's wishes by filing a plan with the agency to put 14 stations into a trust (Volt Radio, LLC) for sale in order for the company to comply with ownership rules. The total number of stations involved in the merger is close to 600 at a cost of $2.4 billion for Cumulus Media...

Those intending to file petitions to deny become parties to the proceeding, so you better have a valid reason to object and set aside some time to serve some merger duty...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1912] That sinking feeling: Four hours after hitting an iceberg, the Titanic sinks in the Northern Atlantic (4/15)...
2.1940] Bagel Bob: The linescore for the Chicago White Sox was 0-0-0 as Bob Feller of Cleveland pitches the first and only opening day no-hitter (4/16)…
3.1947] Breaking the color barrier: Jackie Robinson becomes major league baseball's first black player, making his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie, playing first base goes hitless in 3 at-bats (4/15)...
4.1955] Mickey D. arrives: Ray Kroc opens the first McDonald's fast-food restaurant (4/15)...
5.1960] Rock & Roll Wreck: 21-year old rocker Eddie Cochran dies in Bath, England from injuries sustained in a car crash that seriously wounds Gene Vincent. Vincent will recover from his injuries (4/17)...
6.1962] CBS cries ‘Uncle’: Uncle Walter Cronkite succeeds Douglas Edwards as anchor of the CBS Evening News. In 1963, this newscast is stretched to 30 minutes (4/16)...
7.1965] Making the Most of Havlicek's steal: In a call made famous by Johnny Most ("Havlicek Stole the Ball") the Celtics win the Eastern Division championship over Philadelphia when John Havlicek steals an in-bound pass as time runs out (4/15)...
8.1985] It's Marvelous: Marvelous Marvin Hagler retains his world middleweight crown in a great battle with Thomas "Hitman" Hearns that ends in a 3rd round TKO (4/15)...
9.1998] 'Happy Trails': Cancer claims the life of Linda McCartney at 56 (4/17)...
10.2007] Massacre in Blacksburg: Virginia Tech senior Seung-Hui Cho goes on a shooting rampage resulting in 32 deaths and his own in a suicide on campus in Blacksburg (VA) (4/16)...

Music Memories:

• 1965] Debuted on this date: The Hollies make their American debut on a Murray the K show at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater (4/16). The Hollies on a 1965 TV show...1965] "Help Me Rhonda" - Beach Boys (4/17)...1966] Buffalo Springfield performs for the 1st time as the opening act for The Byrds in San Bernadino (CA) (4/15). For 'what it's worth', here's a clip of Buffalo Springfield (introduced by The Monkees' Peter Tork) from the 1967 Monterey Music Festival...
• 2009] Number One on this date: "Boom Boom Pow" - Black Eyed Peas (4/15)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": (4/15) Danny ("Cold Case") Pino (37), Samantha Fox (45), Emma Thompson (52), Lois Chiles (64), Dave Edmunds (67), Roy Clark (78) & Michael Ansara (89)...(4/16) Jon Cryer (46), Martin Lawrence (46), Ellen Barkin (57), Bill Belichick (59), Kareem Abdul Jabbar (64), Jim Lonborg (now a dentist in Hanover, MA) (69), Bobby Vinton (76) & Pope Benedict XVI (LXXXIII)...(4/17) Jed Lowrie (27), Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham (37), Jennifer Garner (39) & Norman "Boomer" Esiason (50)...

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until Passover, 9 days until Easter Sunday, 13 days until the NFL draft, 22 days until the Kentucky Derby & 23 days until Mother's Day...

Radio's Conversion To Digital Shows Slow Growth...

Will radio reach a point when digital signals will be required like television? The FCC will eventually make that requirement but radio better hope it doesn't come anytime soon. Radio is simply not prepared to go digital. To date, only 1,627 radio stations have converted to digital - that represents just 16% of total stations. Radio World reports that FCC Audio Division Chief Peter Doyle made that claim at the NAB Radio Show. Doyle says the conversion to digital rate amounts to "maybe a handful" each month. Doyle believes the poor economy is likely responsible for the conversion rate. Budget cuts have taken their toll on radio in all areas of operation. Then there are those that have yet to be convinced that conversion to digital results in revenue gains ...

Asking for a power increase is tempting because there's never been an easier time to increase broadcast power than now. Notifying the FCC is about all that's required. Doyle is concerned about the stations that are simply "replicating analog coverage", which doesn't produce a digital signal. It just gives stations a better analog signal. Then there's HD, a product of iBiquity Digital. HD (which does not stand for "High Definition") proponents feel their stations would more easily qualify for a power increase should they better protect neighboring stations from potential interference. They would be correct in that assumption...

We live in a digital world where AM radio gets a pass until someone comes up with real digital AM. FM stations aren't as lucky. Not only is stereo a must for FM but so is digital. Better to do it now before the FCC mandates it. That day is coming...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1865] A bad day at the theater: President Abraham Lincoln is shot and mortally wounded by actor John Wilkes Booth while attending the comedy "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington (DC). He will die of his wounds the following day...
2.1894] Pass the popcorn: The first public showing of Edison's kinetoscope aka 'moving pictures' is held...
3.1902] The money man: James Cash Penney opens his first retail store, The Golden Rule Store in Kemmerer (WY). The name will be changed to J.C. Penney...
4.1910] Play ball: President William Howard Taft throws out the 1st ball for the Washington Senators-Philadelphia A's game in Washington (DC) and a tradition is born...1969] The first major league game is played in Canada (Montreal)...
5.1912] Down with the ship: The Titanic, on its maiden voyage, hits an iceberg and begins to sink. It will fully sink at 2:27 a.m. on April 15th. More than 700 survive but 1,517 lose their lives...
6.1939] Sour grapes: John Steinbeck publishes "The Grapes of Wrath"...
7.1956] Get out the splicing bars: Ampex Corporation demonstrates the first commercial magnetic tape recorder for sound and picture...
8.2003] Gotcha: U.S. commandos in Baghdad capture Abul Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked Achille Lauro in 1985...
9.2003] A Tikrit to ride: Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit falls to U.S. led forces with unexpectedly light resistance...
10.2008] Wedding Bells: Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp., announce they are combining...

Music Memories:

• 1955] Released on this date: "Ain't That A Shame" - Fats Domino...
• 1959] Number One on this date: "Come Softly To Me" - Fleetwoods...1974] "TSOP" - MFSB...1980] "Call Me" - Blondie...

Events:
Ensele Art Gallery presents the Gallery Collection of legendary rock photographer Richard E. Aaron, this Saturday, April 16 from 5pm to 10pm. Admission is $20 per guest with proceeds going to the National Kidney Foundation, serving Southern California & Southern Nevada. The gallery is located at 23480 Park Sorrento, Calabasas (CA)...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Adrien Brody (38), Anthony Michael Hall (43), Brad Garrett (51), Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore (66), Pete Rose (70), Julie Christie (70), Frank Serpico (75), Loretta Lynn (79) & Marvin Miller (94)...

Timeline Countdown: 4 days until Passover, 10 days until Easter, 14 days until the NFL draft, 23 days until the Kentucky Derby & 24 days until Mother's Day...

NAB's Smith Calls Performance Tax Bill Dead

All that was missing was the playing of Taps after National Association of Broadcasters President/CEO Gordon Smith proclaimed the Performance Tax Bill Dead. In his keynote address at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Smith claimed that NAB "stopped the legislation that would impose a performance tax on local radio stations." Smith called the tax movement a "freight train headed for passage" that the trade group brought under control by seeking a good faith, workable agreement with the music industry. Smith added this: "Our objective was to make certain that if something passed, it provided a bright future for radio. We offered to compensate record labels and performers if they would help us get broadcast radio on every future cell phone, which is important not only for entertainment, but more importantly to provide the public with an effective alert warning system." ...

Smith adds that the music industry turned the deal down: "In the end the record labels rejected our offer, but the performance tax bill also died. We remain open to discussions. We're still at the table, and we hope the other side comes back. By the way, the context of our approach marked a stark divergence from the past." You can be sure that the music industry will have their own version of this story coming soon. In his closing statement Smith finally yields to radio's necessary inclusion of broadband in its platform...

"The world of the future must include broadcasting and broadband without degrading either" says Smith. He won't get many arguments from that statement...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1870] Get the picture?: The Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded in New York City...
2.1940] Their cup runneth over: The New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup by beating Toronto in the NHL playoffs. They also won in 1994...
3.1943] Dedicated to the one I love: President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicates the Jefferson Memorial on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth...
4.1954] Debuted on this date: Hank Aaron makes his major league debut with Milwaukee going 0 for 5 in the Braves loss to Cincinnati...1963] Pete Rose gets his first major league hit (a double) for Cincinnati...1978] Reggie Jackson hits a home run and 'Reggie Bars' rain down at Yankee Stadium as Robert Phillips and his dad enjoy their Reggie Bars...
5.1964] Breaking the color barrier: Sidney Poitier becomes the first black performer in a leading role to win an Academy Award, for "Lilies of the Field."...
6.1970] Crippled Apollo returns safely: Apollo 13, four-fifths of the way to the moon is crippled when a tank containing liquid oxygen bursts. The astronauts aboard return safely...
7.1986] The record-breaking Master: Jack Nicklaus wins his record 6th Masters title...1997] At 21, Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters. Also the youngest person to wear the hideous green jacket...
8.1986] Mazel tov: Pope John Paul II visits a Rome synagogue in the first recorded papal visit of its kind...
9.1998] Wedding Bells: NationsBank and Bank of America announce a $62.5 billion merger...
10.1999] Guilty as charged: Jack Kevorkian is sentenced to 10 to 25 years for the second-degree murder of a man whose assisted suicide was shown on "60 Minutes" in 1998. He is released after serving a few years because of his health...2005] Eric Rudolph pleads guilty to carrying out the deadly bombing at the 1996 Olympics and 3 other attacks. He is now serving 4 consecutive life sentences...

Music Memories:

• 1965] Grammy Gold: Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto win a Grammy for 'Record of The Year' ("Girl From Ipanema"). Getz also wins for 'Album of The Year' (with Joao Gilberto) and The Beatles win for 'Best New Artist of the Year"...
• 1965] Recorded on this date: "Help" - The Beatles...
• 1971] Released on this date: "Brown Sugar" - Rolling Stones (their 1st release on their new Rolling Stones label...
• 1999] All Divas All The Time: Sir Elton John appears as a guest 'Diva' on "VH1 Divas Live" which stars Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Cher, Faith Hill, Brandy, LeAnn Rimes and Mary J. Blige...

Events:

The Worldwide Radio Summit will be held, Friday April 29 & Saturday April 30 at the W Hotel in Hollywood. Registration fee is $275. For additional information, contact All Access...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Rick Schroeder (41), Caroline Rhea (47), Chess champion Gary Kasparov (48), Peabo Bryson (60), Al Green (65), Composer Bill Conti (69), Paul Sorvino (72) & Lyle Waggoner (76)...

Timeline Countdown: 5 days until Passover, 11 days until Easter Sunday, 15 days until the NFL draft, 24 days until the Kentucky Derby & 25 days until Mother's Day...

Majority Of Internet Listening Is Done At Home...

The RAIN (The Radio And Internet Newsletter) Summit West, part of the NAB Radio Show in Las Vegas has produced some interesting information about listening habits. Yesterday, TargetSpot CEO Eyal Goldwerger announced that 79% of internet radio listening is done at home. Fifty-two percent of listening is done at work. Goldwerger believes that the traditional conception of 6am to 8pm is a lot longer than that. He also says "They're listening for hours at a time" according to Radio Info. He adds "59% of internet radio listeners spent about the same amount of time listening to broadcast radio and most importantly - broadcast radio "still owns the drive time." ...

Goldwerger also reports that adding internet radio advertising to a broadcast radio campaign increases ad response 3.5 times, while adding internet radio to other internet advertising boosts response 2 times, according to All Access. Fifty-two percent of respondents said they recalled internet radio ads from the past 30 days, and 42% said they actually responded to the ads. Eighty percent of respondents said they listen to one to three hours per day of internet radio, with 45% listening on mobile devices...

This study, commissioned by Target Spot and conducted by Park Associates consisted of 1,000 internet radio listeners in the U.S. That's a sizable number and the results of that study being presented today at the RAIN Summit West should be taken seriously by radio broadcasters if they intend to continue to compete in an ever-changing media world...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1861] Hardly civil: The Civil War begins as confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter...
2.1877] The tools of ignorance: The catcher for Harvard's baseball team, James Tyng (it should have been 'Pyng') wears a modified fencing mask behind the plate. It's believed to be the 1st catcher's mask ever used in a baseball game. The new catcher's mask looks like this...
3.1938] Blood letting: The 1st U.S. law requiring a medical test for a marriage license is enacted in New York. Drawing blood is no longer required, it's been replaced by fogging up a mirror. If you're thinking of getting married in the Bahamas, watch this...
4.1945] 'Happy Trails': President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies from a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs (GA) at 63. Harry S. Truman is sworn in as our new President...
5.1960] Veeck as in Wreck: Bill Veeck and Chicago's Comiskey Park introduce the 1st exploding scoreboard...
6.1966] Rock & Roll Wreck: Jan Barry (Jan & Dean) crashes his car at Dead Man's Curve, (good song title) is seriously injured but survives...
7.1988] Vote For Me: Sonny Bono is elected mayor of Palm Springs (CA)...
8.1995] Gitchy Gitchy yaya dada: Drew Barrymore jumps on David Letterman's desk, lifts her sweater up with her back to the audience and gives Letterman an eyeful as a birthday present...
9.2004] Concentrated juice: Barry Bonds ties Godfather Willie Mays for 3rd place with his 660th home run. Eventually Bonds sets the all-time record with 762 home runs...
10.2007] Canned Imus: Don Imus is fired for his racial references to the Rutgers' women's basketball team. On the same day New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is seriously injured in an automobile crash. Corzine was on his way to a meeting with the team and Imus...

Events:
An Evening with Irv Joel. The Man Behind The Scene, will be presented tonight by the New York Section of the Audio Engineering Society at The New School For Jazz Performance, 55 West 13th Street in Manhattan. A Meet & Greet will begin at 6:30pm, and the presentation will follow at 7...

Music Memories:

• 1954] Recorded on this date: "Rock Around The Clock" - Bill Haley & Comets. This was the quote from producer Milt Gabler: "I hope you guys don't need any rehearsal time with the 'clock song'. We've only got time for a couple of takes.". Many regard this as the first Rock & Roll song...
• 1954] Released on this date: "Shake, Rattle and Roll" - Big Joe Turner (this is the original version of a song that Bill Haley will cover)...1969] "The Boxer" - Simon & Garfunkel...1975] "When Will I Be Loved" - Linda Ronstadt...
• 1966] Number One on this date: "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" - Righteous Bros...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Jennifer ("House") Morrison (32), Claire Danes (32), Vince Gill (54), Andy Garcia (55), David Cassidy (61), author Tom Clancy (64), David Letterman (64), Ed ("Modern Family") O'Neill (65), Steppenwolf's John Kay (67), Herbie Hancock (71) and Jane Withers (85)...

Timeline Countdown: 6 days until Passover, 12 days until Easter Sunday, 16 days until the NFL draft, 25 days until the Kentucky Derby & 26 days until Mother's Day...

NPR Dodges A Bullet...

NPR fans can exhale. Their favorite radio source is safe - for now. The six-month budget deal announced at the 11th hour Friday grants public radio a reprieve but it's a short one. Programmers at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and National Public Radio would be wise to spend the next 6 months figuring out how to position their stations once the plug is finally pulled. The Daily Caller reports that "The continuation of funding for public broadcasting is one of several significant victories for Democrats regarding the policy riders in the bill still emerging hours after Democratic and Republican leaders struck a deal to avert government shutdown." ...

While neither party should be taking bows for anything regarding decisions that affect our lives, the saving of public broadcasting stands out given the heavy criticism leveled at it over the last several months, dating back to the botched firing of Juan Williams for his racial comments. NPR fired Williams over the phone after his famous "I get worried. I get nervous." Williams was referring to seeing flight passengers "dressed in muslim garb." Some defended Williams' right to offer that opinion while others criticized the way Williams was fired - over the phone. Then there was NPR's charge that the Tea Party was "racist" because it was thought that a Muslim group with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood was contemplating the donation of $5 million. That episode was caught on an undercover video in which NPR executive Ron Schiller also said that NPR would be "better off" without federal funding...

I don't believe NPR would be better off without federal funding but public broadcasters better come up with a programming plan that doesn't require that funding in the next 6 months...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1924] Debuted on this date: WLS Chicago signs on...
2.1951] MacArthur canned: President Harry S. Truman relieves General Douglas MacArthur of his Far East command...
3.1961] Dylan debut: Bob Dylan makes his professional debut at Gerde's Folk City in Greenwich Village. Dylan opens for John Lee Hooker. Prior to that Dylan lasted 3 weeks as a member of Bobby Vee's backup band, the Shadows before being fired...
4.1962] Meet the Mets: The New York Mets make their National League debut with an 11-4 loss in St. Louis. There would be 119 more losses before the end of the season.
5.1979] Amin is out: Idi Amin is deposed as president of Uganda as rebels and exiles backed by Tanzanian forces seize control of the capital, Kampala...
6.1980] Ban on sexual harassment: The Equal Opportunity Commission issued regulations prohibiting sexual harassment of workers by supervisors...
7.1981] Wedding Bells: Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli rock down the aisle. They separate in October, 2001 and Valerie drops Eddie, filing for divorce at the end of 2005...
8.1988] Oscar time: Cher wins the 'Best Actress' Oscar for her role in "Moonstruck"...
9.1996] Tragedy in the sky: 7-year old Jessica Dubroff, who was trying to become the youngest person to fly cross-country is killed with her father and flight instructor after taking off from Cheyenne (WY)...
10.2007] Charges dropped: Against 3 former Duke University lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape...

Music Memories:

• 1957] Number One on this date: "All Shook Up" - Elvis Presley...1982] "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" - Joan Jett & Blackhearts...

Events:

The IBS-Spring Palooza will be held Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23. For more information on the weekend of local, live music on member stations of the IBS Student Radio Network, contact George Capalbo (gcapalbo@backbone.com) of Backbone Networks or Steve Theo (steve@piratepirate.com), Pirate! Promotions...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Joss Stone (24), Jason Varitek (39), Bill Irwin (61), Peter Riegert (64), Louise Lasser (72), Joel Grey (79), Ethel Kennedy (83) and former NY Gov. Hugh Carey (92)...

Timeline Countdown: 7 days until Passover, 13 days until Easter Sunday, 26 days until the Kentucky Derby & 27 days until Mother's Day...

Webcast Metrics Methodology Is Hard To Beat...

(Weekend Edition)

The newly accredited Triton Digital's Webcast Metrics, formerly Ando Media, is a growing force that will be hard to match by Arbitron or any other measurement company. Webcast Metrics actually allow any broadcaster to measure its internet audience from a streaming server. It's an audience measurement service as Triton advertises, that "Does not rely on memory, opinion or input from consumers." They further add that their analytics platform is "Server-based and accessible on-demand for custom audience analysis. The customizable dashboard feature allows Triton Digital customers to analyze and compare audience metrics on many levels." Triton claims that their service is licensed by hundreds of broadcasters and pure play online services. And yesterday, their service became accredited by the Media Rating Council (MRC)...

Triton has something else going for it - the MRC audit committee which has had its battles with Arbitron, is in love with Webcast Metrics. George Ivie, MRC Executive Director and CEO says of Triton, "It's commitment to quality, as evidenced by its commitment to the MRC accreditation process, demonstrates the seriousness with which it takes its leadership role in the streaming audio measurement space." All that was missing from Ivie's statement were a few lip smacks and red roses. Triton issued a press release in which the measurement company vows to "Continue to improve and innovate our offerings, providing the marketplace with the best data possible." ...

What makes this accreditation so valuable for Triton is the growing number of internet listeners that has reached an estimated 52 million and that number is climbing...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1912] Where did you say the lifeboats are?: The Titanic sets sail on its ill-fated maiden voyage from Southampton, England (4/10)...
2.1947] Breaking the color barrier: 28-year old Jackie Robinson becomes the first black player to be signed by a major league team when Dodger President Branch Rickey signs Jackie to a contract at the team's Montague Street executive offices in Brooklyn (4/10). All Jackie will do is guide the Dodgers to 7 pennants and a World Series victory (1955) in his 10 years in Brooklyn...
3.1963] Cape Cod Tragedy: 129 die as the nuclear powered submarine USS Thresher fails to surface off Cape Cod (MA) (4/10)...
4.1974] Chicken is hatched: College student Ted Giannoulas answers a radio station ad for a mascot in San Diego and becomes the 'San Diego Chicken' (4/9)...
5.1974] A new home run king: Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth, becoming baseball's new Home Run King with his 715th home run off of Dodger pitcher Al Downing (4/8). Barry Bonds has since passed Aaron...
6.1975] Breaking the color barrier: Frank Robinson of the Cleveland Indians becomes the Major League's 1st black manager (4/8)...
7.1992] Adios: Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega is convicted in Miami of 8 drug and racketeering charges and is sentenced to 30 years in prison (4/9). After serving his U.S. sentence in Sept. 2007, Noriega was extradited to France. After a retrial, he was found guilty and sentenced to 7 years in a french prison in July, 2010...
8.1992] Sad news conference: Tennis great Arthur Ashe announces at a news conference that he has AIDS (4/8)...
9.1994] Rock star a suicide: The body of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain is found in Seattle, another apparent victim of suicide. Cobain was 27 (4/8)...
10.2003] Off his pedestal: Today was the day that the Saddam Hussein statue came down in downtown Baghdad as Iraqis celebrate the collapse of his regime (4/9)...

Music Memories:

• 1958] Recorded on this date: "Splish Splash" - Bobby Darin (4/10)...
• 1966] Released on this date: "When A Man Loves A Woman" - Percy Sledge (4/9)...1973] "My Love" - Paul McCartney (4/9)...
• 1967] Number One on this date: "Somethin' Stupid" - Frank & Nancy Sinatra (4/10)..
• 1972] Debuted on the charts: "Oh Girl" - Chi-Lites (4/8) (Their one and only chart topper)...

Events:

Legendary Rock 'n Roll photographer Richard Aaron presents Rock Pix to Benefit the National Kidney Foundation serving Southern California & Southern Nevada on Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 7PM-10PM at the Ensele Gallery, 23480 Park Sorrento in Calabasas (CA). Admission is a donation of $20 per guest. For additional information, click here...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday": (4/8) Patricia Arquette (43), Julian Lennon (48), Gary Carter (57), Grand Funk's Mel Schacher (60), Steve Howe of Yes (64), John Havlicek (71), Shecky Greene (85) and Betty Ford (93)...(4/9) "The Cosby Show"'s Keshia Knight Pulliam (32), Cynthia Nixon (45), Jeff Zucker (46), Dennis Quaid (57), Peter Gammons (66),"The Waltons" Michael Learned (72) and Playboy publisher and founder Hugh Hefner (85)...(4/10) Haley Joel Osment (23), Mandy Moore (27), Peter MacNicol (57), Steven Seagal (59), Original Spinner Bobbie Smith (75), John Madden (75), Omar Sharif (79), Max von Sydow (82) and Harry ("Dragnet" & "M*A*S*H") Morgan (96)...

Timeline Countdown: 10 days until Passover, 16 days until Easter Sunday, 29 days until The Kentucky Derby & 30 days until Mothers Day...