Industry News

U.S. financial markets moved downward on Monday, with the Dow Industrials shedding 320.04 points to finish the day at 35,650.95 and the Nasdaq index losing 217.32 points, finishing at 15,413.28.

While the general indices were down, several broadcast media industry stock prices finished the day in the green.

Sinclair Broadcasting Group gained $0.49, to finish the day at $25.92, while Saga Communications was also on the rise.

That said, many companies were down, including Cumulus Media and Beasley Media Group, which saw its shares dip below the $2 mark to $1.96.

“Conversation experience management software” that combines voice optimized content management, cross-platform deployment, and voice-specific customer insights.

Who knew that such a technological advancement would be important to an audio content and distributor with podcasting and radio stations at the core of its business?

J.D. Crowley and the C-Suite team at Audacy did.

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

It was inevitable. Years ago, ABC sold off nearly all of its radio stations and its national programming arm, now part of the Cumulus Media family. As of today, three big-market AMs tied to ESPN, ABC’s sibling within The Walt Disney Co., were all that remained of the company’s once-sizable radio broadcasting arm.

With the FCC’s blessing, ownership of those radio stations will soon end. Call it Good Karma, for Disney, ESPN and the buyer.

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

When it comes to Wall Street wizards who have an active pulse on broadcast media, there are perhaps no two more-attuned analysts than Craig Moffett and Michael Nathanson. Over the last several years, their MoffettNathanson has served as a leading voice of how media companies are performing and trending.

Soon, their equity research firm will be a sibling to Silicon Valley Bank.

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

Audacy says it is ramping up its interactive voice capabilities. The company announced a partnership with Voicify, which provides “conversation experience management software.”

“As part of the partnership, Audacy will leverage Voicify’s services to drive interactive voice capabilities across the Audacy platform and make station-branded skills more easily accessible for listeners via any voice assistant-enabled device,” the media company said.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

It said it also will license Voicify’s “Voicify Conversation Experience Platform” to create and deliver interactive voice ads and “voice commerce experiences” for advertisers. It said that platform enables marketers to deploy personalized voice experiences to consumers automatically on smart speakers and other platforms.

Audacy Chief Digital Officer J.D. Crowley was quoted saying, “As we continue to expand and enhance the Audacy direct-to-consumer platform, adding new interactive voice capabilities and enabling voice commerce experiences across a wide range of devices is an important area of future growth, especially in an age where flexibility and speed to market are a must have for our advertising partners.”

The companies cited research from Emarketer that one-third of the U.S. population are using voice to conduct searches.

They said we can expect “high-profile campaigns for several marquee brands” soon.

Submit business announcements to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Audacy to Use Voicify for Interactive Voice appeared first on Radio World.

LOS ANGELES — He’s a national icon, on a scale perhaps even bigger than that of Frank Sinatra to the U.S. or Cliff Richard to Great Britain. From classic ballads including “Volver, Volver” to “Por Tu Maldito Amor,” Vicente Fernandez is perhaps the most iconic of all Mexican recording artists, with popularity spanning generations across Latin America and in U.S. communities with Hispanics of Mexican heritage.

Fernandez died on Sunday (12/12) at 6:15am local time, at a hospital in Guadalajara. He was 81 years old. News of his passing was first shared on his Instagram account, which had previously offered health updates after a recent fall in his home, which required an operation and injured his cervical spine; some 1.93 million likes have been made to the posting.

Within minutes, radio stations in Los Angeles and across the U.S. raced to scrap programming and devote their airwaves to Fernandez — recognizable to non-Hispanics perhaps for his trademark oversized sombrero.

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

This isn’t what you want to see when you look up at a tower.

But it is what Matt Ruedlinger of Fullwave Tower & Broadcast found last Friday when his crew showed up at WMGI(FM) in Terre Haute, Ind., a 50 kW Class B station owned by Midwest Communications and operating at 100.7 MHz.

“We received a call that a tree had fallen on one of the lower guy wires and when we arrived found it like this,” he told us.

“After running a few analysis scenarios, we developed a controlled drop plan and removed the tower. Everything went as well as possible with no damage to the transmitter building or nearby power lines.”

This was not related to the recent tornadoes that made headlines. The station is operating from a backup tower and plans a new structure.

Send your interesting radio photos and stories to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Something Ain’t Quite Right With This Tower … appeared first on Radio World.

It has the ability to reach 140,000 TV households in Citrus County and portions of Hernando, Sumter, Marion and Levy Counties in Central Florida. It has coverage on Channel 16 on Comcast and Bright House Network systems in this region of the Sunshine State.

Soon, it will be the property of Christian Television Corp., bringing a new era to this hyperlocal television facility.

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

The man who once led the HC2 Station Group and is now at the helm of Sovryn Holdings has just signed off on the latest purchase of a low-power television station.

It’s a sign that Philip Falcone desires a second stab at building a group of properties that can benefit from broadcast internet and the non-broadcast rewards that come with ATSC 3.0 technology.

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

The second-deadliest tornado in history barreled through Kentucky through the wee hours of Saturday, December 11. The death toll is unconfirmed but believed to be above 100. The town of Mayfield was among the hardest hit communities.

For those seeking the most information associated with this devastating weather event, local television delivered, with “Local 6” in Paducah, Ky. — owned by Paxton Media Group LLC — and Marquee Broadcasting’s WNKY-40 in Bowling Green, Ky. among the standout media sources that have covered the tornado outbreak for the past 72 hours.

Given the importance of “Forecasting our Future,” Hearst Television on Monday said it is moving forward with a group-wide initiative “to address issues Americans face in navigating changing weather patterns and their impact on local communities and economies.”

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