Radio+Television Business Report

SAVANNAH, GA. — Just how much did Gray Television‘s broadcast TV stations and digital platforms attracted in the form of political advertising in 2020?

It’s in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and the twin U.S. Senate runoff races in Georgia are the icing on the cake.

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Gray’s total tally for political advertising since Jan. 1, 2020, is now upward of $400 million, net of commissions and agency fees.

There’s more: Since Election Day, Gray’s local television stations and digital platforms in the Peach State have run approximately $20 million net in political campaign and political issue advertisements related to the two run-off election races for U.S. Senate seats.

With the special elections scheduled for Jan. 5, 2021, and President-Elect Biden campaigning for the Democratic candidates in Atlanta on Tuesday, Gray expects political advertisements in Georgia to continue well past New Year’s Eve and into the first days of 2021.

Gray has a presence in Augusta, Albany, Columbus and tiny Thomasville, Georgia, where WCTV-6 also serves Tallahassee, Fla. Most notably, Gray owns long-dominant CBS affiliate WTOC-11 in Savannah, Ga.

ATSC 3.0-powered next generation television signals have been launched in the biggest DMA to date: the home of Russell Wilson, and the setting for the cinematic classic “10 Things I Hate About You.”

Seven Seattle TV stations are now broadcasting with NEXTGEN TV, the new digital broadcast standard.

It makes the Seattle-Tacoma DMA the largest market where NEXTGEN signals are available, following the recent launch of Tampa-St. Petersburg.

The stations offering ATSC 3.0-powered signals are Sinclair Broadcast Group‘s ABC and Univision affiliates, KOMO-4 and KUNS-51; Cox Media Group‘s CBS affiliated KIRO-7; FOX O&Os KZJO-22 “Joe TV” and KCPQ-13; and TEGNA‘s NBC and unaffiliated KING-5 and KONG-16.

BitPath led the planning process and coordinated efforts across Seattle’s seven local television stations.

In a major about-face that signals a fresh retransmission consent deal — perhaps under pressure from key Massachusetts legislators on Capitol Hill — Comcast‘s Xfinity cable TV service will no longer be pulling the plug on stations from “neighboring DMAs” that would have seen all Hearst Television stations not bound by must-carry rules removed from its channel lineups.

It’s also signals a big victory for some small communities near Brunswick, Ga.

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Media ad sales platform Matrix has formed a group of thought leaders from across the industry, including some of its own executives, to identify outcomes and workflows that will advance how television will be bought and sold within the next three years.

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A graduate of the University of Georgia and Vanderbilt University School of Law, he’s served as an artist manager and has been a professional drummer with The Chris McCarty Band. 

Since August 2008, he’s been in the Atlanta office of legal giant Greenberg Traurig LLP.

Now, he’s leaving, as the music and entertainment industries has come calling … sort of.

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Former Senior VP and Head of Corporate Communications and PR Esther-Mireya Tejeda exited in September, later resurfacing as SoundExchange‘s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer.

Soon afterward, Jennifer Morales Mathews exited as VP/Corporate Communications and PR and shortly thereafter took the role of Public Relations Manager at Amazon Music.

The exits left a big hole at Entercom Communications. Now, it has filled it with Tejeda’s successor.

Now SVP/Head of Corporate Communication and PR at the audio media company that owns Radio.com and podcasting platforms Pineapple Street and Cadence13 is Ashok Sinha.

He will serve as a member of Entercom’s executive leadership team, reporting to Chief Marketing Officer Paul Suchman.

Who is Sinha? He has been VP of Corporate Communications at WarnerMedia since October 2016, and in that role most recently headed internal and external communications strategy for WarnerMedia’s technology organization, as well as employee communications across the company’s direct-to-consumer, sales and distribution divisions.

Before joining WarnerMedia, Ashok was SVP/Corporate Communications at Publicis Media from March 2013, VP/Corporate Communications for Current TV for 11 months, Director of Communications for Oxygen Media for 15 months, and Chief of Staff at (RED) for 20 months.

From May 2005-September 2008, he was Manager of Communications and Public Affairs for MTV Networks’ Logo, at the time a LGBTQ-focused cable TV offering.

“As a lifelong consumer of music and the spoken word, I believe in the power of audio and its ability to engage, entertain and inform the world,” Sinha said. “I’m delighted for this opportunity to join Entercom and its award-winning corporate communications team, and lead the charge as we tell the story of audio in this dynamic time for media.”

Subscription video on demand (SVOD) consumers between the ages 13 and 49 have become more culturally literate, primarily due to Netflix, YouTube creators and social media featuring increasingly diverse and global content.

In fact, more than half of Gen Zers and parents have watched a show in a language they do not speak, with Hispanics over indexing on this trend.

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MESA, ARIZ. — In June, Vic Michael’s Mountain Community Translators executed a lease-to-sale conversion for an FM translator that has been rebroadcasting a “relevant” AM’s Christian-themed programming.

Now, Michael is selling a second FM translator using the Shaw Butte antenna farm north of downtown Phoenix, and it’s going to a local Hispanic operation.

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IT’S NOT TOO LATE … BUT THE CLOCK IS TICKING!
Available on-demand until

 

• IF YOU DIDN’T ATTEND FORECAST 2021, IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO BENEFIT FROM THIS YEAR’S PREMIERE RADIO CONFERENCE
• REGISTER NOW FOR ON-DEMAND REPLAY OF EVERY FORECAST 2021 SESSION
• CLICK HERE FOR THIS YEAR’S OUTSTANDING AGENDA

 

REGISTER FOR REPLAY NOW!

Forecast LIVE is this year’s virtual version of Radio Ink’s annual Forecast conference, the radio industry’s premier financial summit, gathering the smartest minds in media and advertising to forecast revenue and analyze projections and trends for the coming year.

Don’t take it from us – here’s what attendees are saying: Caroline Beasley “From incredible speakers to real and relevant insights, Radio Ink’s annual Forecast gathering is an absolute ‘must attend’ event for forward thinking leaders, decision makers, and influencers working within and outside of the media industry! And this year’s virtual event was no exception.” – Caroline Beasley, Beasley Media Group

 

Pierre Bouvard “Radio Ink’s Forecast 2021 was spectacular: It felt like two days of knowledge and insights were compressed into a few hours. Very actionable! As Ghandi said, ‘Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.’”
-Pierre Bouvard, Cumulus Media/Westwood One

 

 

“Thank you for not letting this just not happen this year. I enjoyed it very much. Your team did an amazing job executing this event virtually. All of the sessions were very informative and helpful.”
-Ron Stone, Adams Radio Group

 

“The best online event I have attended. Just enough time, great content, well produced. Great work!”
– Jinny Laderer, vCreative

 

“Great Sessions! Eye Opening and Thought Provoking… Each session provided an honest view of where our industry is today, where it’s headed, and how we need to pivot to meet the needs of tomorrow.” – Danny Tankersley, Wide Orbit “The team did an outstanding job. I think that the program was great and went off technically well.” – Andrew Rosen, Miller Kaplan “The speaker lineup, production pieces and hosts stepped up big time in a virtual time of need for the industry. It was lively and informative while giving lots for the attendees to think about in contemplating 2021 and beyond.” – David Pearlman, Pearlman Advisors “Forecast is one-stop shopping for an overview of where the industry is and where it is going. I gain information and knowledge that I use throughout the year and find myself quoting panelists and keynotes such as Matt Britton. This year’s virtual event was spectacular.” – Heather Cohen, The Weiss Agency “Thank you for a wonderful, informative conference. Excellent!!!!”
– Jeanne-Marie Condo, Skyview Networks “This was absolutely fantastic. The education was strong, and the platform was ideal.” – Becky Brooks, Alliance for Women in Media

Broadcasting companies publicly traded on Wall Street were largely up at the Closing Bell on Tuesday. One company, however, sticks out for another dip in value.

That would be Entercom.

Shares dipped 2.2% to $2.28 in heavier-than-average trading of 2.41 million. Average trading for Entercom is 1.93 million shares.

In contrast, Cumulus Media enjoyed a 3.3% gain as shared reached $9.14, and iHeartMedia gained 5 cents, to $12.45.

On the TV side, it was another banner session for Nexstar Media Group, with gains also seen by Sinclair Broadcast Group.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In 1979, The Media Institute was established as a nonprofit foundation specializing in communications policy issues of concern to all Americans, including the promotion of Freedom of Speech and encouraging a competitive media environment.

On Tuesday, the soon-to-depart Chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai, addressed the organization in a virtual luncheon that saw him quip about a Commission predecessor before offering “some thoughts on where the federal government should go” once he departs on January 20, 2021.

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The November 2020 Nielsen Audio ratings for Colorado Springs have just been released, and guess what — the top 5 stations, 12+, are all owned by Cumulus Media.

Yes, stations owned by Bahakel and a News Press and Gazette-owned Talk station, do not appear publicly in the ratings. Nevertheless, this group of radio stations’ success is very noteworthy. What’s the No. 1 reason for this cluster-wide strength?

Scott Jones, Vice President and Market Manager for Cumulus Media’s Colorado Springs operations, shares the answer and more in this fresh RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast!

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Scott Jones, Cumulus Media” on Spreaker.

TORONTO — The President of Cogeco Media, a takeover target of Rogers Sports & Media, has exited the Montréal-based owner of 23 radio stations across the Canadian province of Québec.

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If the Radio Zindagi brand sounds familiar to you, it should. On October 2, RBR+TVBR reported on the sale of an AM radio station in Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y., with 10kw during daylight hours and 220 watts at night, using a directional two-pattern signal with 2 towers.O

The station aired the network, providing South Asians with music and entertainment tied to Indian, Sri Lankan and Pakistani culture. A format change was anticipated.

That happened. Now, Radio Zindagi is set to return, thanks to a fresh spin of the station by the entity that just bought it.

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Late Friday (12/11), the newly formed Independent Broadcasters Association (IBA) released its first Financial Benchmark Analysis, a review of the broadcast operations of non-corporate-owned AM and FM radio stations across the U.S.

IBA called on the services of media and sports specialty accounting and advisory firm dk east associates to produce the report, which is available to members only.

RBR+TVBR has an exclusive look at some of the topline results, and the performance could put publicly traded corporate entities back under Wall Street’s ever-scrutinizing magnifying glass.

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Townsquare Media on Tuesday (12/15) moved forward with initiating a $550 million bond offering — a move that prompted the local media company to pre-release its fourth quarter earnings well ahead of schedule.

What does the owner of radio stations in small and mid-sized markets, which has excelled in programmatic and local digital across its markets, have to report with two weeks remaining in 2020?

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The Nielsen Audio rankings for two top markets — one in Virginia and the other in the Lone Star state — will continue to display the stations for an entity operating under two different names in each of these locales.

A new agreement is in place that sees the dominant audience measurement company’s rankings for Norfolk and Austin now include Sinclair Telecable and Waterloo Media stations, respectively.

It’s a new multi-year for the Hampton Roads stations, comprised of News/Talk WNIS-AM, Sports Talk WTAR-AM and FM translator W243DJ, Adult Hits WNOB-FM “BOB FM,” Country WUSH-FM 106.1 and Alternative WROX-FM 96.1 “96X.”

And, it is a renewal in Austin for stations that Sinclair Telecable, which is not related to Sinclair Broadcast Group, had 49.9% controlling interest in before acquiring the remaining interest in the six station, two translator cluster from Emmis Communications for $39.3 million. That deal received FCC approval in September 2019.

The Austin radio cluster includes eight station brands: KLBJ-AM 590 (with an FM Translator at 99.7 MHz), Rock KLBJ-FM 93.7, No. 1-rated Adult Hits KBPA-FM 103.5 “Bob FM,” dominant Regional Mexican KLZT-FM 107.1 “La Zeta,” Hot Adult Contemporary KGSR-FM 93.3, Alternative KROX-FM 101.5 “101X,” “Austin City Limits Radio” on an FM translator at 97.1 MHz, and Spanish Contemporary “Latino 102.7” via a second FM translator.

Both Austin and Norfolk use the Portable People Meter (PPM) to create audience estimates based on one’s exposure to broadcast media via traditional radio and encoded audio streaming; Nielsen Audio’s PPM ratings do not measure one’s own listening, given the PPM technology and proximity to others’ listening habits, be it at a restaurant or retail establishment.

The new deal includes use of sales software provided by TAPSCAN.

Norfolk is also an Eastlan Ratings market, with surveys in the winter and spring offered through 2019 by the company.

Convergent TV advertising platform Beachfront has teamed up with a video delivery platform provider to help bring real-time, programmatic monetization of linear spot, over-the-top (OTT) and video-on-demand (VOD) ad inventory.

The deal is with SeaChange International, and the companies note the co-platform is already deployed in the U.S. — including with a global operator and regional cable company.

The partnership enables Beachfront’s demand partners to automate cable TV ad buying through SeaChange’s value-based Framework video delivery platform.

SeaChange recently signed agreements with Tier 1 TV providers. Effective immediately, agencies, brands and demand-side platforms (DSPs) who utilize Beachfront can automate their ad buying across the entire video ecosystem, including linear TV as provided by the SeaChange Framework.

These advertisers can then activate the “premium” linear TV ad inventory — along with VOD, connected TV (CTV), mobile and desktop inventory — through the use of real-time bidding (RTB).

“Linear TV inventory has long been excluded from programmatic marketplaces due to technical limitations and infrastructural challenges,” said SeaChange CEO Yossi Aloni. “In partnership with Beachfront, we’ve completed the difficult work of connecting modern, digital-oriented ad buyers to linear TV inventory.”

This partnership, the companies say, builds on Beachfront’s work developing solutions for multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) that address technical challenges surrounding set-top boxes — and solve major infrastructural problems inhibiting monetization of traditional TV viewing environments.

In 2019, Beachfront launched the first-ever set-top box VOD programmatic ad product, allowing MVPDs and media owners to expose VOD inventory to modern programmatic ad buyers and increase the average cost per thousands (CPMs) in the process. Now, Beachfront is bringing that same programmatic VOD solution to linear TV, effectively enabling demand partners to automate their ad buying across the entire video ecosystem.

Beachfront CEO Chris Maccaro commented, “When you look ahead at the next decade of TV
consumption, there will surely be a continued proliferation of cord cutting and Internet-based TV streaming, as well as a continued base of consumers who will get their content via a traditional cable box. For these reasons, we don’t over emphasize any one consumer viewing endpoint. Rather we prioritize all premium TV viewing platforms — from smart TVs to cable set-top boxes — and we’re excited to continue bringing uniformity and simplicity to the convergent TV ad marketplace, while empowering agencies and brands to automate their media buying across the video ecosystem.”

Radio imaging, voiceover, programming, podcasting and jingles producer Benztown says it has become the first imaging library company to bring the benefits of advanced Artificial
Intelligence (AI) technology to audio producers.

How so?

Benztown has launched an AI-based imaging library platform.

Benztown says its AI-powered search functionality “allows audio producers to quickly and
easily find audio in Benztown’s imaging libraries, leaving behind now-dated and more
time-consuming search methods using metadata, which is the current industry
standard. Users are able to upload any audio file (mp3 or wav) to the library, or paste a
link from YouTube, SoundCloud, or Vimeo into the search field, and find files in
Benztown’s imaging libraries that are similar to the example provided.”

The new AI platform downloads the audio file in the background and ingests it to the audio
player, allowing the user to generate similar results based on the entire audio file, or a
specific time selection of the file.

The feature uses machine learning to identify potential tracks based on an example.
Any given track will have a multitude of identifying characteristics, similar to a
fingerprint. These characteristics are compared to thousands of other tracks in the
library to determine possible matches. Recently, Google announced a “hum to search”
feature enabling people to pinpoint songs by simply humming part of a track and
Benztown’s new AI technology works in a similar way.

For more information or to subscribe to Benztown’s advanced AI-powered audio
Imaging libraries, contact Masa Patterson at mp@benztown.com and at (818) 842-4600.

MELBOURNE, FLA. — The turnkey provider of customized network, broadcast and digital signage systems and services known as USSI Global is celebrating its 35th anniversary.

As part of this commemoration, the company is helping broadcasters mitigate interference of the long-standing C-Band satellite spectrum to make room for new 5G services — among other things.

USSI Global is also providing ground station and user terminal services across the globe for LEO satellite internet providers, and offering indoor and outdoor digital signage solutions – plus a suite of repair and sparing solutions – to ensure optimum uptime.

“Our ability to adapt to technological changes and support the world’s digital transformation is really what has kept us relevant and growing over the years,” said President/CEO David S. Christiano. “Our core business is global field services, which has opened up opportunities for us to offer turnkey solutions. We start where everyone else finishes.”

USSI was established in 1985 to cater to the emerging VSAT (very-small-aperture terminal) technology, a two-way satellite system that became extremely popular when the U.S. government broke up AT&T in the 1980s. USSI Global created an installation and maintenance network, building its workforce by training satellite TV installers to be satellite data technicians and recruiting a field engineer network that today is the most experienced in the broadcast television industry.

USSI Global briefly went public in 1989. Two years later, executives returned the company to private status and business boomed. Since 1991, USSI Global has installed more than 100,000 VSAT systems, providing two-way communication for service industries throughout the world. Today, USSI Global’s most prominent business is supporting television broadcasters, providing program management, installation, maintenance, 24/7 technical support, engineering, logistics, and repair services.

For almost four decades, USSI Global has supported a major US network’s satellite distribution and affiliate network in all 50 states. Other companies such as Sinclair, Fox, Discovery Channel, and Telemundo also depend on USSI Global each day to maintain and refresh their technology.

Digital signage projects commenced in 1995, and the market has grown into a major focus for USSI Global. In fact, the company’s Digital Signage Division has completed more than 50,000 site installs, and also offers customized maintenance plans as well as content distribution services.

Recently, USSI Global completed an update of outdoor menu boards for a major quick serve restaurant (QSR) chain, providing full excavation, electrical wiring, and panel installation. Christiano expects to see most QSRs digitize their outdoor menus, as COVID-19 restrictions have increased the use of drive-thru service. ”Why have static menus when you can have dynamic content that you can control digitally?” he said. “We’re currently in the planning stages with other QSRs digitizing their drive thrus. It’s convenient and it works well. We also provide display repair services for Samsung and others.”

Beyond its established digital signage business, USSI Global is expanding to new vertical markets. For example, EV chargers are in the near future plans. An estimated 10 percent of cars in the United States will be electric by 2030, which will require more than 1 million charging stations to be added to current refueling infrastructures. Christiano sees an opportunity to integrate chargers with touchscreen kiosks to deliver advertising and other messages to consumers, similar to digital signage systems the company has already deployed at convenience stores and restaurants. Also, USSI Global is working in the lab to integrate IoT and AI into its solutions.

While COVID-19 presented a challenge for new project work this year, Christiano said service and maintenance work through USSI Global’s Electronic Business and Consumer Solutions remained strong. “We never missed a beat,” he added. “We have a great team, and I think we’re much stronger as a company. With proper precautions, we’ve been able to support our customers in the field, and we’ve identified new lines of business needed for COVID-19 and beyond.”

Over the next decade, USSI Global’s Broadcast and Network Division plans to provide LEO ground station support for satellite-based internet. The company already handles installation and maintenance for the bulk of transmission repeaters used for satellite radio, and continues to assist broadcasters with OTT technology.

During the next three years, USSI Global will also remain focused on stabilizing U.S. broadcast TV quality with 5G/C-Band Interference Mitigation services while clearing the way for 5G. “Tens of thousands of antennas across the country have to be filtered to avoid 5G interference,” Christiano said. “We’re well-positioned for this project – we’re already installing new antennas and supporting the transition that needs to take place.”

— Reporting by Brian Galante. Editing by Adam Jacobson, in Melbourne, Fla.