New Developments In the CBS / Hubbard Sale

INSIDE …

  • A new twist that could have adverse effects on markets where competitors now enjoy an advantage.
  • When – when is this CBS / Hubbard deal going down?
  • The radio groups that are bidding against Hubbard.
  • That wouldn’t include hapless Cumulus, would it?
  • What CBS President Les Moonves really means when he says CBS will keep radio in markets where they already own local TV. Sly fox.
  • What about CBS Radio’s major markets – for sale or not.
  • Which CBS radio stations are safe from the first round of sales and which employees will kiss the ground to know Hubbard is their new boss.

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Affiliate Revolt Against the New Westwood One

INSIDE …

  • How disgruntled Westwood One format affiliates are dumping the not ready for prime time formats.
  • The best way to get out from under Westwood formats as quickly as possible.
  • The kinds of insults Westwood affiliates have to take even as the new, cheaper Westwood One feeds them programming that you wouldn’t put on the air anywhere.
  • How Cumulus is hurting its own company even more than Westwood – and that means more job insecurity.
  • What happens when a new Westwood double-duty jock gets sick, takes a day off or goes on vacation – brace for the Doomsday scenario.
  • Who is going after these unhappy Westwood affiliates.

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The Hermanator Strikes CBS LA, More Markets Coming

INSIDE …

  • Why these firings uncover Scott Herman’s plan to greatly reduce CBS staff even further – the trends are now clearly established.
  • Details on the latest brutal firings in LA Thursday.
  • The dreck that CBS Radio is prepared to put on the air instead – warning, this is headed to other CBS markets.
  • Herman’s reported plan to rethink morning shows.
  • The dayparts Herman thinks are not worth live talent or creative programming everywhere.
  • His final decision on off-air PDs and production types.
  • All stations will soon sound more east coast – here’s how.
  • One big bright spot – a Herman victim is planning to hire lots of ousted talent very soon for a huge programming startup. Details inside.

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Jeff Marcus’ Left Field Choice To Replace Lew Dickey

INSIDE …

  • There is an intriguing radio executive out there who is on nobody’s radar except maybe major Cumulus shareholder Jeff Marcus.
  • Why this would be a fabulous hire – the anti-Dickey. Employees would rejoice.
  • This man spends money to make money – not a cheap ass.
  • Three other candidates that Marcus may be looking at.
  • How Jeff Marcus will resolve getting the Dickeys and their henchmen out of operating power.

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Entercom’s Unexplainable Expansion Plans

INSIDE …

  • Entercom’s next acquisition plans that defy logic.
  • Their likely deal to expand.
  • Specifics on how the company is shooting itself in the foot waiting to get larger.
  • The big mistake Entercom makes just when it finally gets some stations to generate lots of revenue – and then caput.      
  • How David Field is moving toward the Bain playbook for Entercom – bad news for employees.
  • Entercom’s likely merger partner.

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Dave Parks

Almost every original “boss jock” from WFIL, Philadelphia is now gone.

Frank Kingston Smith is still alive and using his considerable skills announcing airshows. Old pilots never retire.

Dave Parks succumbed to a short illness at his home in San Diego a few days ago.

Parks spent many years as a jock at WFIL and then went on to be a successful program director at KS103 San Diego.

He was funny.

Consistent.

A great guy to be around.

In fact his radio station WFIL was legendary.

Consultant Mike Joseph hired all the original jocks.

But Joseph’s M.O. was to install the format, give advice for about a year and install another program director.

WFIL had no shortage of good PDs not the least of which was the master himself, Jim Hilliard.

Jim was great with people.

He understood the format of the day – Drake.

And in my view had the ability to calm the feathers of ownership when the station went further than they were comfortable with.

An early slogan for WFIL was “Tune In, Turn On” from the “Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out” LSD days of Timothy Leary.

How great was “Tune In, Turn On”?

Eventually they settled on “Tune In / Famous 56”.

But WFIL was owned by Walter Annenberg and Triangle Publications. The top management was, well – old and constipated.

I don’t know how they ever approved turning WFIL into a Top 40 station but they did it reluctantly and seemed to get bent out of shape a lot.

When Dave Parks was known for being “Dave Six Pack Parks” with a reference to a six-pack of beer (not his abs), ownership didn’t like the drinking imagery for the young target audience.

The Daver became “Dave The Rave” Parks with jock logo jingles and all.

Jimmy Hilliard found a way. Without him and the team he inherited of great radio communicators, WFIL would have just been another station.

I wished Dave happy birthday greetings recently on his last birthday, he said, “Still getting up in the morning so I guess I’m still OK”.

Jocks like Dave Parks were hard to find even back then.

Even harder to find today.

Not because they aren’t out there, but because radio is no longer about relationships.

Dave Parks and his fellow jocks spent a lot of their free time out in the community with the audience. They weren’t in a studio voice tracking or trying to do two shows simultaneously in real time the way Cumulus is doing content for Westwood One affiliates and their local stations to save money.

Dave and company took the market by storm and became a big revenue producer for Triangle and then LIN when they bought it.

They didn’t have to sell 5 second spots the way iHeart routinely does.

They limited commercials.

Charged the best rate they could get.

In other words, Jim Hilliard and his “Boss Jocks” attracted a large audience and the salespeople sold it – the old fashioned way.

If radio is ever looking for where it went wrong, yes, consolidation was one big mistake, but getting in the way of DJ/listener relationships was the other.

In fact, 95 million Millennials grew up without a relationship with radio and the industry is suffering now because of it.

Dave Parks will be missed along with what he stood for.

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Meltdown On Day One of the New Westwood One

INSIDE …

  • The documented Bush League programming screw-ups that the new Westwood passed off to format affiliates Monday.
  • The unsolvable “local” break problem.
  • The comical and sad first break for a new midday jock in one format.
  • Cumulus had trouble recruiting show hosts to do double duty with the network and their local show – here’s what they finally decided on.
  • The final blow for a lot of Westwood affiliates who have had professional talent on their air for upward of 15 years – and what they are going to do about it.
  • The first look at the Westwood severance agreement that was held out until the Eleventh Hour Friday – here’s why.
  • What to expect in the days ahead for Westwood format clients now that the wheels have come off their programming.

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Westwood One Bombshell Coming

INSIDE …

  • How Lew Dickey is being forced to stick it to Westwood One before the Cumulus board sticks it to him.
  • The new Westwood management shakeup coming.
  • How Cumulus is dealing with djs who are not volunteering to do simultaneous double duty on Westwood One formats in real time.
  • How they have reworked dj compensation.
  • The severance package fired Westwood employees will get.
  • And the conditions.
  • How Lew Dickey now plans to service thousands of Westwood client stations with no people and no shows. He’s really going to try this.
  • The kind of deal Lew Dickey could get to step down as CEO as the Westwood mishap may be the thing that brings him down. Compare it to what fired Westwood employees are getting.

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Hubbard Eying Large Purchase of CBS Radio Stations

INSIDE …

  • The scope of the pending deal between CBS and Hubbard revealed – which markets, how big a deal.
  • Will CBS retain some stations.
  • How close the parties are to finalizing an acquisition.
  • The pieces Hubbard has put into place to smooth a transition from CBS to Hubbard with as little disruption as possible.
  • The possibility of spinoffs addressed here.
  • What happens to CBS Radio now.

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Lew Dickey’s Replacement

INSIDE …

  • How about Dan Mason? Well, HOW ABOUT Dan Mason running Cumulus – what we know as of yesterday.
  • What will likely trigger the axe falling on Lew – watch this one thing and you can probably name the exact day.
  • What happens to a fired Lew Dickey – after all, Cumulus chief shareholder Jeff Marcus put him in the job. There is a plan.
  • Other Cumulus bigwigs will also go – here’s a sampling with some surprises.
  • Signs of discord between the Dickeys and their chief shareholder – it’s ugly as you’re about to find out. Can you say Scott Shannon?
  • The rock star Jeff Marcus is shooting to replace Lew Dickey.

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Westwood One To Peddle Used Programming to Affiliates

INSIDE …

  • This is Plan C – Plan A and B failed – here is the Cumulus solution for a major dumbing down of Westwood One.
  • The genius scheme John Dickey came up with when his local radio jocks balked at the $5,000 a year he was paying for them to do double duty and replace the fired Westwood hosts.
  • Why thousands of Westwood affiliates are seeing red over the new Westwood One format programming.
  • Why Lew Dickey is taking the risk of pissing off so many thousands of customers at this moment in time.
  • The unintended consequence that happened after 70 plus Westwood hosts were fired.

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What Townsquare Is Reorganizing For

INSIDE …

  • Something big is up with the Little Engine That Couldn’t Do Radio But Can Do Digital – details inside.
  • The two “odd couple” radio groups that may play a role in a Townsquare future.
  • How centralizing management will affect local Townsquare markets within the next 90 days – or less.
  • A change in the way Townsquare will be operated on the local level.
  • Townsquare is run by investors who own the majority of the company – here’s what they are thinking that could really screw things up.
  • Townsquare’s highflying digital business is going down – then what? Here’s how.

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Jeff Marcus To Take Control Of Cumulus

INSIDE …

  • The new evidence that is pointing to a meaningful shakeup ahead.
  • How Jeff Marcus, the biggest Cumulus shareholder, will deal with the removal of the Dickeys considering that he was the one who pumped them up in the first place.
  • Why the name John Hogan is relevant here.
  • Details on a reported blowup between the Dickey’s and Marcus.
  • Where Lew Dickey’s replacement would look to get new blood in the company STAT – three prime places.
  • What about speculation that Lew and family could be bought off – not with money, but with this.  

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Doomsday Scenario For Westwood One Replacements

INSIDE …

  • It’s been decided -- the cockamamie way Cumulus plans to replace the 70 plus Westwood jocks – only John Dickey can come up with this one.
  • How they will handle two shows at the same time – no one in programming thinks this has any chance of working even on a good day.
  • What happens to the thousands of Westwood format clients in a few weeks when Westwood talent leaves the building and the handoff to this replacement program is implemented.
  • Implications for Cumulus local stations.
  • The one Westwood One national format that will be spared this ill-fated plan – at least for now.
  • The biggest concern that Westwood format clients should keep an eye on.
  • The money Cumulus is offering their talent to double up – details inside.
  • This doomsday scenario for thousands of Westwood One format clients the moment this cheap talent replacement method comes crashing down.

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Cumulus Plays Dirty Pool To Halt Employee Exodus

INSIDE …

  • The patently illegal documents that Cumulus is now forcing employees to sign upon threat of legal action – details inside.
  • How it works – an actual employee account in their own words of how the Dickeys tried to screw them into staying.
  • How bad is the mass exodus of workers who have not already been fired from Cumulus?
  • An employee screwed from taking another job because it was one-tenth of a mile within the radius of her station.
  • How far away from the station they’re leaving is now out of bounds – unbelievable.
  • The radio group that Lew gets infuriated over if employees leave to go there before he fires them. So if you want to piss Lew off, go work for this company.
  • Lew Dickey’s surprising personal involvement in stopping people from leaving – shouldn’t he have something else to do with Cumulus stock melting down to $1.44 from $50.
  • The new “no negotiation” clause to beware of.
  • The ominous new non-compete that will keep employees who dare to leave on their own for up to 2 years – plus who Cumulus now considers a competitor.
  • The best defense against this latest effort by Cumulus to force unhappy workers to stay until the company fires them – details.

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Weird Management Pay Cuts Coming to Townsquare

INSIDE …

  • The strangest management pay cuts that any radio group has attempted and that’s saying a lot. The “bargain” TS managers can’t refuse and dare not coming soon to a station near them.
  • The job security picture for Townsquare managers beyond next month. Details explained.
  • Another trouble sign: a sketchy barter arrangement that just got leaked.
  • New digital demands from the company that already forces existing employees to create content for free. Here’s their next idea.
  • The company’s misguided new plan to get stations to sell more live events – or else – outlined here.

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Nielsen Set To Ban Voltair

INSIDE …

  • What happens to stations that already own Voltair boxes.
  • When Voltair will be banned from U.S. stations – Nielsen has a date in mind.
  • Nielsen’s behind the scenes strategy to repeal and replace Voltair revealed.
  • What’s fishy about the Nielsen test of their answer to Voltair getting underway in two markets soon – details.
  • How Nielsen plans to discredit Voltair beyond disagreeing that the device reports more encoded listening. Be warned in advance.
  • The reason why Nielsen didn’t outright ban Voltair sooner.
  • The test done by a prestigious research company that showed this program not getting credit for 90% of its listening when comparing Voltair with PPM – this could be any station.

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The Walking Dead Radio Groups

INSIDE …

  • The Radio Group Layoff Death Toll Countdown – 8 groups most likely to layoff people because they can’t make their revenue figures.
  • Ironically, what iHeart is doing under the radar that will drag down competitors and force them to layoff employees.
  • Details on Radio One’s coming layoffs.
  • The 3 other radio groups looking to trim staff.
  • Two groups that are likely to have only minor cutbacks by the end of the year – Happy Holidays to their employees.

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Jon Stewart

Now it can be told.

I modeled what I do after Jon Stewart.

I’m not saying I am anywhere near as talented as Jon Stewart but he inspired me to expose the jackasses in the broadcasting and music business and try to keep it real.

Stewart did his last show last week and I think it deserves mentioning as to why he was such a hit with younger audiences where television and radio are losing fans left and right.

CBS TV is losing 5% of its primetime audience every year and at that pace there will be no viable business left in television.

Stewart succeeded where others failed for reasons that could be instructive.

First, he’s from New Jersey.

You knew that was coming, didn’t you?

Seriously, he’s got what Millennials want most – authenticity.

Where TV anchors and reporters look like such clowns when they banter back and forth and hand off to each other, Stewart just lays it all out there. They become the news when they participate in puff pieces. No wonder no one under 65 watches TV news.

Jon Stewart’s favorite word is bullshit – a word you’ve seen me use again and again to describe the robber barons who run the radio industry these days.

Radio is not authentic. It’s fake, sounds fake, loaded with hyped commercials and senseless sweepers. Go ahead -- keep it up. Millennials have voted and they’ve left radio behind.

Unless you listen to Nielsen brag about 245 million radio listeners every week.

The number keeps going up as we know the audience keeps going down, but still radio is always the best.

They sound like soccer moms who tell their kids they won when they lost.

Forget that Nielsen changed the way it compiles its weekly national total of radio listeners to assure that it always goes up – not exactly apples to apples or else the decline would be evident.

And that Nielsen numbers are a fraud perpetrated by the non-authentic executives who run the radio industry.

Jon Stewart would have at these jokers and rant and rave and make them look like the clowns that they are. But that’s my job.

He had more important work.

Another advantage of Jon Stewart is that he has mentored so many people who have gone on to be successful.

Lowry Mays, who have you ever mentored?

I’m waiting.

Bob Pittman, Lew Dickey, David Field, Steven Price – how about you?

Scott Herman mentored a few in news but they may be sacrificed when his bosses say “cut”.

Stewart separated the bullshit from hype.

Fox News, Donald Trump, Republican politicians (and sometimes his own liberal buddies). Nothing was off limits if his bullshit meter sensed something smelly.

We poke fun at Lew Dickey for saying that everyone else is to blame for Cumulus’ lousy revenue record.

Bob Pittman for the absolute bullshit (see, I couldn’t help saying it) he doles out on just about every topic. He’s not to be believed.

Yet the radio trade press routinely carries the water of these abusers out of fear or just to be liked or included in an ad buy.

Someone once said to me “if you had ads in Inside Music Media, you would back off, too”. To which I replied, when I owned Inside Radio and we exposed a lot of wrongdoing and we did record advertising because you can’t NOT advertise in a publication that has all the readers.

Today, Inside Radio, which I sold to Clear Channel, carries iHeart’s water.

Donald Trump is actually leading in the polls not because he’s capable but because he doesn’t sound like a politician. Imagine Trump with his finger on our nuclear arsenal.

Young Millennials – 95 million strong and the predominant demographic in today’s work force – want straight talk not bullshit and that’s what Jon Stewart made famous.

Jobs.

Student loan aid.

Social programs.

Compromise not confrontation.

But they are more like Conservatives when it comes to fiscal matters.

Anyway, Jon Stewart hangs it up to move on to something else.

But he leaves with humility, another ingredient missing from media executives and air talent (where they are still employed).

Millennials appreciate humility.

Donald Trump won’t be elected president.

Bob Pittman won’t turn iHeart around.

The coronation of Hillary Clinton may not happen.

Rush Limbaugh is Donald Trump and he’s over.

The next president could come out of left field – and when that happens we may find out that this is the person everyone is currently missing who resonates most with the largest generation ever born.

Jon Stewart will smile.

Stewart’s Daily Show was not really a comedy show.

The media business is.

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What CBS Radio Will Look Like In 6-12 Months

INSIDE …

  • The kind of personality that they so badly want to put on in the mornings.
  • The major changes in their iconic news stations that can be expected.
  • Big changes are coming for their sports stations in terms of personnel and programming some of which is downright unprofessional.
  • The super successful classic hits stations under newsman Herman.
  • CBS has been having trouble making its sales numbers so they have a solution that will be in place in six months or less – this can’t wait a year.
  • How CBS stations will be programmed on a budget.
  • The market manager surprise that will upend local clusters well before the six-month mark.

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Out of Cash By December — iHeart’s Hail Mary

INSIDE …

  • The proof – what iHeart is saying about their cash flow is deceiving.  Here’s what analysts say is the truth.
  • What kind of cuts are coming this time and when.
  • The most endangered job at an iHeart radio station now.
  • The drastic move that is being advanced that will reduce many staffers in this critical area.
  • iHeart debt – an update on their $20 billion worth of unpayable notes.
  • What iHeart will have to sell to stay afloat.

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Alpha + CBS Radio

INSIDE …

  • More markets so small no one ever heard of them – what the hell is Alpha’s Larry Wilson thinking?
  • The likelihood that Alpha suddenly becomes a buyer for some CBS stations that Andre Fernandez can’t sell in one giant merger – details.
  • Wait – how about buying the entire group.
  • How CBS’ current firing spree in the capable hands of The Terminator Scott Herman actually helps another major group be able to afford the pricey CBS stations.
  • Why Alpha is a dream buyer for CBS Radio IF they can raise the money and they are interested – let’s look at both of those things.
  • And, can they raise that kind of financing.

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Cumulus To Punish Employees For Massive Revenue Decline

INSIDE …

Read the full article now.

  • How big the coming cuts at Cumulus will be in the wake of declining revenue and increasing debt.
  • The new draconian sales commission plan in the works.
  • How the company plans to handle routine maintenance of their stations with revenue declining as badly as it is.
  • Even their air staff is making fun of Cumulus ON-THE-AIR. Hilarious details.
  • How the Dickeys plan to artificially increase revenue in time for the next quarterly report.
  • More trouble ahead for beleaguered Westwood One employees.
  • The chilling fate of Cumulus as told by a big investment company that should get everyone’s attention.

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The Terminators Next Layoffs At CBS Radio

INSIDE …

  • If you want to be a market manager for CBS Radio now, here’s the job you need to be in for the best chance.
  • For angry CBS employees who want their old company back, the one ray of hope that could bring The Terminator, Scott Herman, down.
  • Alert for CBS programming people – especially these. Details.
  • The pattern to watch to predict the next CBS firings and even the extent to which they will continue.
  • Which CBS executives are angling to be “Survivors” as their fate hangs in the balance.

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