Radio+Television Business Report

Fueled by stronger than anticipated digital advertising results, respected Wall Street financial analysts at MoffettNathanson are raising its 2021 overall U.S. ad growth estimate.

This offset will be partially offset by lower than expected broadcast and cable advertising.

But, what do the radio advertising trends look like? Senior Analyst Michael Nathanson offers a few details.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

On September 19, 1921, one of America’s oldest radio stations will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

On Friday (6/11), the 100 day countdown to a century of serving New England began for a station currently offering an all-News format, owned today by iHeartMedia.

WBZ-AM 1030, a Class A 50kw directional facility using 2 towers on the opposite of Nantasket Beach, Mass., is the station already saluting itself. This will see on-air and online vignettes recalling the most memorable moments in the station’s history.

“For a station to broadcast for 100 years is nothing short of amazing,” said Alan
Chartrand, Market President of WBZ parent iHeartMedia/Boston. “Listeners and advertisers
consistently utilize this heritage brand as evidenced by WBZ’s continued ratings and
revenue success. People lean into objective news sources to remain informed and none
has been more dependable than WBZ NewsRadio.”

Rob Sanchez, Vice President of News, Talk & Sports for iHeartMedia in Boston, added, “WBZ NewsRadio is defined by our strong, unmistakable presence in the communities we serve. As the media landscape continues to evolve, our reach has only increased as WBZ listeners have adopted streaming on smart devices and the iHeartRadio app.”

With FM accessibility via WXKS-FM 107.9 HD2, the primary listener connectivity point for WBZ remains its booming AM signal, which covers all of eastern Massachusetts; Rhode Island; southern New Hampshire; and coastal Maine. At night, WBZ’s signal expands to much of the Northeast. While a Class A, it shares that designation with a Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, radio station.

The WBZ of today features all-news programming from midnight to 8pm weekdays, and Nightside with Dan Rea from 8pm until midnight. Saturday evenings feature talk programming, while The Ric Edelman Show holds the 10am-noon Sunday slot.

WBZ is one of the original Westinghouse radio stations, and has been at its present dial position since 1941. It was a member of the NBC Blue Network, and then switched in 1942 to the Red Network. That lasted until August 1956, when a dispute over daytime programming led WBZ to take on a “MOR” music approach. At this time, legendary hosts including Dave Maynard entered the WBZ annals of history.

In the 1960s, WBZ became a Top 40 station, competing with WMEX. But, in 1969, WRKO had emerged as the market’s hit music leader. This led WBZ, even with its much bigger regional signal, to shift toward Adult Contemporary as it adopted a more Full Service approach, incorporating Sports programming and Talk shows.

In 1985, as many AMs were doing, Full Service programming gradually faded. By the time the Persian Gulf War began in 1991, all music programming was done. This resulted in WBZ becoming “Boston’s News Station.”

Meanwhile, WBZ’s ownership was still associated with the old Westinghouse, this time as a CBS Radio property with Viacom a part of its historical ownership lineage. With CBS Radio’s merger with Entercom, now Audacy, in 2017, the company opted to swap WBZ — along with a group of other stations — to iHeartMedia.

You’ve heard the reports about the demand in the 2021 Upfront season being quite strong.

But, there’s an ugly truth that MoffettNathanson Senior Analyst Michael Nathanson can’t get past.

Starting in 2015, TV ad spend, most like due to declining cable network impressions, has “decoupled” from U.S. economic growth.

The erosion forecast isn’t pretty.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

At the end of November 2019, Urban WBLS-FM 107.5 and Hip-Hop WQHT-FM “Hot 97” in New York shifted from Emmis Communications’ full ownership to a newly created entity that saw Emmis become a 23.72% interest holder in MediaCo Holding Co.

The remaining 76.28% interest holder is Soohyung Kim-controlled Standard General, the private investment group that has stakes in TEGNA, Bally’s Corporation and Cumulus Media. 

Now, MediaCo has selected a CEO while appointing a President/COO, creating an executive team for the Gotham operation that also includes Fairway Outdoor.

Starting July 1, MediaCo’s CEO is Rahsan-Rahsan Lindsay — most recently an Urban One EVP. As CEO, Lindsay will be responsible for setting MediaCo’s overall strategic vision and expanding its radio and outdoor divisions — with an emphasis on transforming the digital business.

Lindsay spent 9 years at Urban One, where he directed advertising sales, integrated marketing and sales operations for TV One and sister network CLEO TV. In 2020, he took over the role as head of iOne Digital ad sales and One Solution, Urban One’s cross-platform marketing group, as well as One X Studios, the branded content production arm of Urban One.

Before that, Lindsay spent nearly eight years in Ad Sales for Viacom Media Networks, focused on new business development for MTV, Comedy Central, Spike, CMT, and TV Land. He also served as VP of Ad Sales for MTV2, mtvU, and Palladia.

“The opportunity to work with iconic brands like HOT 97 and WBLS is just too good to pass up,” Lindsay said. “I see a number of potential ways to further cultivate both brands, build on their well-established legacies, and drive new revenue streams. I’m also energized by the opportunity to leverage the Fairway footprint in a way that helps fulfill the MediaCo mission to connect with broader audiences.”

Does MediaCo’s desire to “expand” its radio division involve the acquisition of additional stations?

That remains to be seen, as Emmis continues to seek the right buyer for WLIB-AM 1190 in New York.

Speaking for MediaCo, board member Laura Lee said, “Rahsan-Rahsan is a talented and dedicated leader with the right strategic vision, relentless drive, and passion for media required to lead the MediaCo team at this critical time. He forged his career at the intersection of technology and media, and his vast experience and keen perspective will be invaluable in taking the company into the future.”

Joining Lindsay in the C-Suite, as President/COO, is Bradford Tobin. He joined MediaCo in August 2020 and leads the business operations, and formerly served as a general counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Standard Diversified Inc. He’s also been general counsel for RadioShack.

Today’s sale of several unbuilt LPTV stations by DTV America, controlled by HC2 Holdings, is just one of many seen over the past several weeks.

And, more could be on the way, as the Media Bureau has just issued a reminder to “certain  permittees” of new digital low power television and television translator stations that their construction deadline is fast approaching.

That date is July 13. At 11:59pm local time on that date, these permittees “must complete
construction of their facilities, begin operating, and within 10 days file a license to cover application.”

Failure to do so will result in the construction permit being automatically forfeited without any further affirmative cancellation by the Commission.

Yikes.

What if a permittee needs additional time to complete their new digital facilities? The Media Bureau says they may submit an application for extension of their digital construction permit. However, this will need to include a waiver request for the CP extension filing deadline of March 15, 2021.

“Permittees that do not plan to complete construction of their digital facilities are encouraged to submit their construction permits for cancellation as soon as possible,” the Media Bureau instructs.

Or, in the case of HC2, find a buyer at any price.

A low-powered TV station licensed to serve Las Vegas has just been sold.

The seller is a non-profit evangelical Christian broadcast ministry based in Texas that serves Spanish-speaking audiences.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

That’s how a self-described “a lapsed economist based in Canada” turned financial blogger describes the audio media company formerly known as Entercom.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

A veteran television news executive who has served in five of Hearst Television’s largest TV markets has been promoted to the corporate position of Vice President of News.

She will start in her new role on July 1, and is relocating to Hearst’s New York headquarters.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

In Reply Comments submitted to the FCC in regard to what is officially considered MB Docket No. 21-141, the nation’s biggest licensee of radio stations argued that the Commission can only consider its views in determining what level of advance approval a foreign entity may be granted.

That’s incorrect, the financial backer of one of the U.K.’s biggest audio media companies now says, pitting Heart-affiliated Global Media & Entertainment against iHeartMedia in what appears to be a growing tiff over non-voting ownership percentages.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

In a decision that could eventually extend the life of “Franken FM” facilities across the U.S., the FCC has granted Special Temporary Authority for the use of a FM radio signal alongside its ATSC 3.0 TV signal for VHF Channel 6 — thus allowing the low-power facilities to continue operation as an audio-first media entity, for now.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON TWITTER!

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

Until now, Entravision Communications Corp. has largely been known as a Hispanic-focused multimedia company with revenues fueled by strong digital growth, primarily across Spanish-speaking territories.

Not anymore, come July 1.

That’s the closing date of a business transaction that sees Entravision, traded on the NYSE, agree to purchase a digital marketing performance and branding company with operations across seven countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

That company is Singapore-based MediaDonuts, which has been in operation since 2010. It has a team of more than 80 employees located in Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and India.

Walter Ulloa, Entravision’s Chairman/CEO, calls the purchase “a natural fit with the overall digital and global transformation strategy of our business.”

He adds, “Entravision has always focused on providing advertising solutions in high growth markets and partnering with the strongest media and technology platforms in the world. We believe that the incorporation of MediaDonuts into the Entravision platform adds leadership, sales operations and digital offerings that will further propel our digital efforts.”

The company further explains that Entravision’s acquisition of MediaDonuts “is the next key step” in a plan to become a “leading marketing technology service provider in the world’s highest growth economies.”

That would certainly be the APAC region, which has more economic and political stability than Latin America.

Pieter-Jan de Kroon, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MediaDonuts, will continue as CEO. He said in a statement, “With our business positioned for success, we are excited to now have the opportunity to join the global digital platform Entravision has built over the past decade. I am confident in the many commercial, technological and product development synergies our business will achieve going forward as a combined entity.”

All MediaDonuts employees will remain with the company upon closing, Entravision says.

While its roots are in radio and TV, Entravision’s revenue is fueled today by digital.

“Expanding our digital business is core to our overall growth plans, and following our majority investment in Cisneros Interactive this past October, digital now represents over 65% of our revenue,” Juan Saldívar, Entravision’s Chief Digital, Strategy and Accountability Officer, says. “With a global digital platform now poised to reach and serve clients in 32 countries, we are confident the addition of MediaDonuts will further enhance our service offerings and help drive our continued global growth.”

Entravision shares were up 7.1% to $5.13 as of 2:50pm Eastern. It the highest price for EVC since August 2018.

Between Victoria, Tex., and the sprawling Houston metropolitan area is Bay City.

Here, a Class C1 “Hot Country” FM is getting a tweak in its ownership.

It is the result of the death of the station founder’s wife, who held 100% ownership in the station.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

As June 9 began, a five-sentence Facebook post was made by one of its users. It generated 960 comments. Why?

The post was made by Facebook’s VP of its Global Business Group, the social media Goliath’s No. 1 face on Madison Avenue.

After a decade in the role, Carolyn Everson is exiting.

Everson has been in the top advertising-facing post at Facebook since March 2011. She arrived there from Microsoft Corp., where she spent one year as a VP of global advertising sales and strategy. Prior to that, Everson spent 6 1/2 years as a EVP/COO of ad sales for MTV Networks, under the Viacom umbrella.

The 1993 Villanova graduate and 1999 Harvard MBA earner also served as a Primedia VP, and as a business development manager at The Walt Disney Imagineering, from 1996-1997.

“After 10 1/2 years, I have left Facebook,” Everson said in her Facebook post. “I am extremely proud of what we set out to accomplish but way more proud of my team and the support we showed each other, especially in difficult times. I always said no one will ever mention at my funeral the amount of revenue I oversaw. But hopefully one day someone will say my legacy at Facebook was in how I showed up for my team, for our clients and for our industry. I am very much looking forward to starting a new chapter.”

What is that new chapter? Everson isn’t saying just yet.

Facebook’s EMEA Vice President Nicola Mendelsohn will serve as the interim Global Business Group VP in the wake of Everson’s departure.

New York Festivals TV & Film Awards has announced the finalists for the 2021 competition.

The global finalists are being honored for their content in the areas of prime-time entertainment, documentaries, investigative journalism, sports coverage, promos, streaming media, and brand image films.

The 2021 TV & Film Awards Grand Jury members comprised of award-winning international broadcast and film executives selected this year’s finalists from content submitted from 40+ countries.

Rose Anderson, VP/Executive Director for New York Festivals TV & Film Awards, says this year’s finalists “used their imaginations and mastery of their craft to engage their audiences in a year like no other.”

NYF’s newly launched social justice categories celebrate storytellers using creativity to engage viewers in every genre.

Finalists moving on to the next round include First Take: George Floyd and Police Brutality Protest (ESPN), Witness – St. Louis Superman (Al Jazeera English), CBS Sports Presents: 8:46 (CBS Sports), Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning (Kreativ Inc. for Lifetime), A Most Beautiful Thing (50 Eggs Films),Antibullying (The Walt Disney Company, Europe & Africa), In Search of The Frog Boys (Make Waves Pte Ltd CNA, Mediacorp Pte Ltd), The Time is Now (The Edge Picture Company), and The Price of Poverty (DW Deutsche Welle).

“Compelling documentaries created by global storytellers” that advanced include Academy Award-winner My Octopus Teacher (Off the Fence B.V., Netflix), The Last Dance (ESPN), Love on the Spectrum (Northern Pictures Pty Ltd Australian Broadcasting Corporation Shades of America (Banijay Rights/CNN), FEDELINA: A Stolen Life (ABS-CBN Corp.), Abba Forever – The Winner Takes It All (Stanza Media Limited), Dark City Beneath The Beat (Dark City Beneath The Beat), Look Me Over – Liberace (Kinescope Film GmbH ARTE G.E.I.E.), Hot Money (Cinepartners LLC.), Being the Queen (1895 Films/NatGeo), The Real Right Stuff (1895 Films/ Disney +), Pumas – Legends of the Ice Mountains (Terra Mater Factual Studios GmbH), Why We Hate (Discovery Channel), Saving Notre-Dame (WINDFALL FILMS/NOVA), A World without Beethoven? (Deutsche Welle), Surviving Jeffrey Epstein (Bungalow Media + Entertainment and Break Thru Films, Inc for Lifetime), Stutter School (Southern Pictures/SBS), Peckinpah Suite (Turner Spain/TCM), The Vote (American Experience/PBS), 24 Hours in Wuhan: Epicenter, Quarantine & Recovery (CGTN America), and Escape from Extinction (MRB Productions).

Entertainment Finalists moving on include One World: Together at Home (Global Citizen Multiple Networks), The 2020 Innovators Awards: Wall Street Journal Magazine, (WSJ. Magazine), All Creatures Great And Small (All3Media International/Masterpiece on PBS), LEGO Masters USA (Banijay Rights/FOX), Dear Santa (UM Studios/United States Postal Service), A Capitol Fourth 2020 (Capital Concerts/PBS), Das Boot, Season 2 (Bavaria Fiction Sky Deutschland, Judy Collins & Jonas Fjeld: Winters Stories Live from the Oslo Opera House (Artist Vision), Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro (Pacific Television), En La Línea: (México Discovery Networks Latin America), Space Launch Live: America Returns to Space (Discovery Channel), MasterChef Australia (Banijay Right/ Network Ten), Staged (GCB Films/Hulu), Freud (Satel Film/Bavaria Fiction ORF / Netflix), Filthy Rich and Homeless (Blackfella Films Pty Ltd Australian Broadcasting Corporation), The Accident (All3Media International Channel 4, UK), Rock Studio (Globo Comunicações e Participações SA ), Unterleuten – A Village Torn Apart (German Television ZDF), The Sounds (South Pacific Pictures), Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show (Stanza Media Limited NRK), and A Quest for Sound (Hakka TV.)

Telenovelas advanced to the medal round including Buscando a Frida, La Suerte de Loli and 100 Días Para Enamorarnos (Telemundo) and Wild Land (SP Televisio, S.A.).

Al Jazeera, 2020’s Broadcaster of the Year, moved ahead with their documentary series focusing on world issues Al Jazeera Investigations, Fault Lines, the network’s current affairs and documentary series, and 101 East, Al Jazeera English’s investigative journalism series. Additional companies advancing include NBC News, Voice of America, MSNBC, DW, Television Broadcasts Limited, Antena3, Artear, Radio Free Asia, CGTN America, CGTN Digital, and CNA, Mediacorp Pte Ltd.

Global Sports content advancing to the medal round companies advancing include ESPN, CBS Sports, MLB Network, beIN SPORTS Asia, WWE, Globo TV, and Rueckenwindfilm GmbH Amazon Prime Video.

All content submitted into the 2021 competition were judged online and screened by NYF’s TV & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200+ producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Nominated Finalists will be judged by a panel at the United Nations for the UNDGC Awards. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the TV & Film Awards winners gallery.

2021’s NYF TV & Film Award winners will be announced on October 12 at the annual Storytellers gala taking place at NAB in Las Vegas. This year is the eleventh year of NYF’s strategic partnership with NAB Show.

Nearly one year ago, Philip Falcone exited HC2 Holdings Inc. under some not-so-favorable circumstances. There were accusations that he defaulted on loans, resulting in HC2’s next chief executive, Wayne Barr Jr., signing off on non-core asset divestments in order to raise capital.

For Falcone, HC2 is very much in his past. He’s now at the helm of Sovryn Holdings, and its just snagged its latest big-market LPTV property.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

He’s in charge of sales for a standalone station in Market No. 108, a city that is dominated by iHeartMedia, Cumulus Media and Southern Stone Communications.

How is Adult Contemporary “Mix 96.9” in Huntsville, Ala., able to survive and thrive, in particular today?

That’s just one question GM and GSM Nate Adams tackles in this new InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM — hosted by RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Nate Adams, WRSA/Huntsville” on Spreaker.

TEGNA has made a decision on what company to use to power its needs for “cross-platform, closed-loop measurement and attribution.”

That company is TVSquared, from which the broadcast TV station owner aims to achieve incremental reach and web, location and app outcomes for local data-driven linear television and CTV and OTT campaigns.

“TEGNA’s footprint of 64 stations in 51 markets, which serve 48 million TV households monthly, and Premion’s directly-sourced inventory from 125+ branded networks delivering premium CTV and OTT impressions, combined with TVSquared’s ability to process hundreds of millions of impressions monthly, make this one of the largest TV measurement and attribution initiatives for converged TV,” TVSquared claims.

“The TV ecosystem is in the midst of an evolution that demands cross-platform analytics,” said Jessica Daigle, vice president of sales intelligence at TEGNA. “TVSquared is the right partner to prove the value of our media and grow our advertiser’s local businesses.”

TVSquared President Jo Kinsella added, “TEGNA has always been a trailblazer in bringing transparent data and analytics to the TV marketplace. The scale of this cross-platform initiative is a huge signal to the market about the advancements happening to make TV more accountable. We are thrilled to partner with TEGNA and Premion on this game-changing solution and arm its diverse client base with the transparency and intel needed to leverage the power of cross-platform TV advertising.”

Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic had a big impact on local television revenues in 2020. But the 2020 elections ultimately kept the industry in a good position by year’s end.

That’s the conclusion from new data released today by BIA Advisory Services.

According to its 2021 Investing In Television Market Report, over-the-air (OTA) revenue reached $18.3 billion last year.

Add in $1.4 billion from digital revenue, and the grand total for 2020 is $19.7 billion. This reflects a rise from $18.3 billion in 2019.

Political advertising accounted for $4.4 billion in 2020 to deliver what BIA calls “a softer landing to an otherwise negatively impacted industry.”

What was the year-over-year dip for core advertising? It was bad. But, it could’ve been worse. OTA revenue minus political advertising drove industry revenues down negative 23.1%, similar to the COVID-19 impact on broadcast radio.

But, BIA predicts the rebound will “slightly begin” this year, with OTA advertising expected to rise 5.4% on revenue of $14.9 billion for 2021. In 2022 total local over the air station revenues are forecasted at $17.8 billion.

“This past year demonstrated that local television stations are doing the right thing by continuing to strengthen their digital and multi-media sales efforts,” said Dr. Mark Fratrik, SVP and chief economist at BIA Advisory Services. “They also need to continue to develop strategies that incorporate over-the-top (OTT) sales to reach specific audiences, while simultaneously reaching the broader local viewers. OTT increasingly is becoming a competitive and complementary advertising platform for local television station operators.”

While auto and general services dollars are expected to bounce back for TV, growth in core advertising this year will come from business verticals that are hyper-focused on market needs — such as consumer lending, clothiers, health insurance and auto insurers — and new entrants like Online Gambling, Fratrik added.

Here are the revenue numbers, in brief:

• OTA – $17b
• Digital – $1.3b

• OTA – $18.3b
• Digital – $1.4b

• OTA – $14.9b
• Digital – $1.5b

• OTA – $17.8b
• Digital – $1.6b

On August 17, 2017, WAY Media‘s board chairman announced that, after “an extensive national search,” it has found its new Chief Executive Officer. This individual was selected to succeed Bob Augsburg, who founded the Christian broadcast ministry in 1987 with his wife, Felice.

WAY Media today is now faced with a renewed need to find a CEO, as the person chosen to fill Augsburg’s shoes has departed.

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)

The Digital Division of Nexstar Media Group has promoted its Connecticut-based VP of Strategy and Business Intelligence to the role of Chief Strategy Officer and EVP/Strategy & Data for the digital segment of the broadcast TV station owner.

BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON FACEBOOK!

Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)