The fat cats, consolidated radio groups, Wall Street venture capital and radio’s very own lobby group, the NAB wants ownership limits relaxed so badly they can taste it.

Trump is perceived as favorable to their desires and Wall Street is ready with the money.

Is this really going to happen?

• If the sub caps are removed and ownership limits are lifted, what does that look like for a radio industry that has its two biggest consolidated owners a sure bet for bankruptcy?
• Will it lead to more jobs for the radio industry?  More diversity in ownership and format diversity?
• Big question:  will relaxing ownership limits make the $17 billion radio industry a $25 billion business?
• How experts see the chances of eliminating ownership limits.

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It must be nice for iHeart to have a monopoly on rep firms.

The parent company gets the best buys and then their competitors get everything left over.

But now that advantage is not good enough for iHeart.

They’re about to shake it up.

• So why are major cutbacks coming.  It’s not like Katz isn’t sitting in the driver’s seat leaving everyone else no choice but to let their biggest competitor rep them in national sales.
• What Katz salespeople see coming that is turning them sour on the industry’s dominant radio rep firm.
• How the national revenue of Katz client stations will be affected by this shake-up.

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iHeart has been on the brink of bankruptcy for a long time.

And no one is denying it. 

In fact, Bob Pittman is embracing it publicly.

So then why are they plodding along doing everything they can to avoid it?

• It doesn’t make sense but it reportedly has nothing to do with business and everything to do with a cover-up.
• Who are they protecting and why?
• Ironically any iHeart bankruptcy now has a “drop dead” date – literally.  I’ll explain and you’ll never look at the threatened iHeart bankruptcy the same.
• If overwhelming interest rates, declining revenue and low operating cash is not enough to trigger an iHeart bankruptcy, then what is?

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INSIDE …

• It happens next week – details on how ugly it’s going to be.
• Big money is on the line – how big?
• The 3 competitors that are forming a consortium to carry out the attack.
• How this first time ever initiative turns iHeart, Premiere and Seacrest’s strengths into a major liability.
• Why iHeart’s monopolistic Katz rep firm is being caught flat footed.
• This is a national effort but the same concept would work for local stations – here’s the plan of attack.

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Newstips

INSIDE …

• Will Entercom set up a trust to hold stations awaiting further deregulation or  sell them when the merger closes for money.
• How lenders want Entercom to handle the extra stations.
• Is Lew Dickey still in as a spin-off partner?
• Which buyers does Entercom look to as safe for selling spin-offs.
• Which current Entercom stations are likely to be sold and to whom?  We name them and their markets.

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Newstips

INSIDE …

• We’ve got a report of Entercom turning down a high-priced deal for one of their currently owned radio station – here are the details including price.
• That doesn’t mean they’re not entertaining other offers – see where.
• What is the one thing on the calendar that is pushing Entercom to consider selling some stations even before the DOJ approves the CBS merger.
• Rule number one that will absolutely never be broken is that David Field will never, ever do what? Here it is and you can bet on it.
• Which potential buyers Entercom favors.
• And this! Entercom may be a buyer out of the box once the CBS merger closes – look at this station and this market first.

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Newstips

INSIDE …

• Who will run daily operations?
• Is there a place for Scott Herman post merger?
• Will Entercom start its own rep firm?
• How will Entercom fight the rate cutting that is destroying iHeart and Cumulus?
• Programmatic buying – are they on board to cut sales costs and commissions?
• Programming plans revealed.
• Future expansion possibilities.
• Debt strategy to avoid becoming buried in red ink like iHeart and Cumulus.
• Their digital plans together.
• David Field’s job security (the Fields own less than 30% of the new entity).

Read the full article now.

Newstips