Angst Over Cumulus Reverse Stock Split

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  • Will an 8-to-1 reverse stock split save Cumulus which has become a 30 cent stock.
  • What if it fails.
  • What if the post-split stock price continues to drop – then what.
  • The four things that could make Cumulus a survivor.
  • How John Dickey saw this coming while he was still employed by Cumulus.

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Beasley’s Greater Media Problem

INSIDE …

  • MADATED CUTS:  How much and for how long.
  • When they will start.
  • Why Beasley is assuring everyone that the cost cuts are done even as they are getting ready for round 2.
  • How lenders are pressuring Beasley to de-lever to get the money to pay for the Greater Media acquisition.
  • The fate of WPEN “The Fanatic” sports in Philadelphia.

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Middays to Become Talent Dumping Ground

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  • Why the growing trend to target 10 to noon and midday slots.
  • SURPRISE:  Big groups are re-signing morning talent.
  • How their new contracts aren’t worth spit.
  • Owners’ obsession with disrupting middays.
  • Changing attitudes toward expensive morning personalities and sidekicks.

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How iHeart & Cumulus Devalue Everyone Else’s Ad Rates

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  • HORROR STORIES:  How low they are going.
  • SHOCKER:  Cumulus’ top rate in the entire radio group – documented.
  • How iHeart is playing dirty to starve competitors while taking record low spot rates.
  • ACTUAL SELF-DESTRUCTIVE CUMULUS PITCH
  • Remnants are coming to take radio ad rates lower

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Subscription Radio

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  • Why is everyone getting into subscription radio and music when relatively few are willing to pay for it?
  • BOB PITTMAN:  iHeart’s pay radio will help broadcast.
  • LEW DICKEY:  Radio is dead because it can’t pull off subscriptions. Is Lew right?
  • SUBSCRIPTION RADIO THAT WORKS FOR MILLENNIALS
  • What is likely to happen to iHeart’s competitors if iHeart Radio Plus succeeds in spite of everyone laughing at them.

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Sports on Radio – Future in Doubt

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  • What is actually killing off pro sports.
  • The audience demo that is starting to bail.
  • But I thought sports ratings were up, up, up – what we are now observing.
  • High schools dropping football programs.
  • SPORTS RADIO:  Still making money, but for how long?

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Townsquare Panics

INSIDE …

  • The way headquarters will now do all the thinking for managers.
  • Startling examples of the pettiest micromanaging ever ahead.
  • CORPORATE:  We will approve hiring of hourly board ops.
  • Even if Townsquare is NOT paying their salary! The true story.
  • DIGITAL DRAMA:  Unattainable digital and video goals revealed.
  • SHOWDOWN:  No buyers, no sellers – just one option.

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Creepy Townsquare Policies Exposed

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  • Revenue -- why are they having trouble writing radio business.
  • Audience – what’s wrong with their content that audiences cannot be effectively monetized.
  • Management – is this any way to run a radio group (details).
  • Circus and amusement events – why can’t they make this work the way iHeart has done.
  • MSG’s 15% stock purchase -- what they’re not telling you.

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Announcing the time, place & agenda for my next radio conference details.

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The Fate of Jeff Brown & Bob Walker at Cumulus

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  • What’s up with two of the most despised Cumulus regional managers.
  • Are they safe or bullet proof at this point?
  • How Cumulus employees accidently exposed their identities when responding to Survey Monkey questionnaires from corporate to speak out against these regional SVPs.
  • Is fired Senior VP Gary Pizzati in the wings ready to return?
  • What’s the real reason Cumulus can’t keep employees even as radio people will work for just about any group.

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Local Management Out at Alpha

INSIDE …

  • How Alpha’s recent penchant for replacing live morning show talent with cheap national syndication now affects far more than mornings.
  • Take programming – decisions are being made far differently within the past six months.
  • Local PDs left wondering what their role will be – and for good reason.
  • Who is really running Alpha – who will be making operational decisions and it’s not Larry Wilson.
  • Decisions about music, talent and programming made by bozos.
  • Coming soon: know-it-alls and the future of local decision-making.

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Shocking Announcement From Jerry

Thought you’d like to know about some improvements in Inside Music Media’s mobile and website.

Here’s how Bob Pittman would introduce it …

“I couldn’t be more thrilled and excited to make these changes to add to our multi-media platform”.

I know, I’m puking as I write this even though I’m kidding.

Actually, we have one website, one mobile product and one crazy guy cranking out deadly honest stuff about the sad state of the radio and music industries as well as some insight about what audiences want going forward.

I have written these daily pieces without missing many days for 6 years including from my bed in ICU recently where I had a facelift.

Okay, I’m lying about the facelift part, but not the ICU part. And I’m great, thank you.

My motto is: “The news watch never works” so I just keep calling out bullshit.

And it boils down to this.

We cleaned up the website and made it more intuitive. 

You can now read me on your phone with the same ease as on your computer.

Paul Stern, our amazing designer who has been with us virtually from the beginning of this journey, has outdone himself. Paul’s email is paul@wordfresh.com.

  • Faster access to stories. If you’re logged in, you go right to it so you won’t be the only person who doesn’t know that Beasley is going to fire the hell out of more people once they take over Greater Media.
  • And if you’re not logged in, now a screen comes up that lets you do that with a click.
  • I hate the paywall as much as you do.  What a pain. But it pays the bills and it works. So, if you log in on your phone and then log in again later on another device that day, you will be shut out. See, the paywall is paranoid and thinks everyone is trying to share passwords and getting around paying for a subscription.  Because we upload content generally once a day one or two stories at a time this is usually no problem.
  • If you have any subscription problems – and we hope you never do – then you already know you want my wife Cheryl and not me. Hey, I’m just a dj! But she actually has brains. So make a note of her email: cldel@earthlink.net. She’s much nicer than me. Actually would invite Bob Pittman to a church social. Ah, opposites attract.
  • My next conference has its own page – easy to scan. A lineup of topics that speak to the importance of why this is our 8th year of doing it. And yes, there is an almost 50% discount for registering early but why would you want to not pay full price later, right?  Updated Conference Page.
  • Send a newstip in confidence with my Witness Protection Program. Hey, if you win the monthly tipster award it’s more than Westwood One is paying for voice tracks so don’t knock it. Newstip Page here.
  • If I don’t do work for you privately, then you might be interested in what I do to help others. You can guess that I do media work regarding generational audiences but you may not know I also advise people on success after radio for those who actually want to give up stress and low pay. Consulting here.
  • You may wait for the daily email to arrive during the morning to access the story of the day, but if you’d like to log in sooner, the story is now usually posted no later than midnight Eastern Time. Early Story Access.
  • FREE Samples are always available if you want to give your friends examples of our work. FREE Samples here.
  • New subscription screen. We no longer offer new monthly subscriptions but don’t worry, if you are on a monthly subscription plan now and continue it without interruption you are grandfathered in for as long as you like (and your credit card works). The vast majority of our subscribers subscribe annually. You think we’d do this otherwise? The New Subscription Screen.   And you can always upgrade to annual at any time here.
  • Want to search for the day I predicted Lew Dickey and his crew would be out or that CBS Radio was for sale – and that Lew wanted it. Search over 3,400 stories here. If you’re looking for stories where I was wrong, they were deleted like Hillary Clinton’s emails. No, they are there, too but I’m not giving clues. JerryLeaks.
  • How about an Ethics Statement. Yes, this one has run since we started and it lets you know where we stand on writing, reveals potential conflicts of interest (like all that Apple stock I own) but more importantly has pictures of my beautiful bride. And you can skip the jokes about, how did you get her to marry YOU! Ethics Statement & About Jerry here.
  • My avocation is motivational psychology.  Our free DayStarters daily email has a large following of people who have it delivered to their email every morning. If you’ve never seen it, take a look. You can have it sent to you if you want to take it for a test drive.  Take a peek at DayStarters.
  • And if you like them, I wrote a book called “Out of Bad Comes Good, The Advantages of Disadvantages”. If you’re cheap, you can read a few sample chapters free. And if you’re cheap and want the book, it’s less than $10 on Amazon through our link. Jerry’s Book is right here.

If you’re still with me, thank you for your support. I take no advertising and I speak my mind. We have thousands of readers and I am proud of that.

I work for you and only you and I love it.

If you ever need me, contact me privately here.

Coming soon I will have another shocking announcement for you – something I think you’re going to like (I love writing teasers, always loved writing liners as a PD).

In the meantime, let’s return to regular programming already in progress.

Armageddon Arrives – Dollar a Holler On Annual Contracts

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  • The two major radio groups that are sinking to new lows.
  • Go inside their pitch:  “a dollar a holler” but for an entire year!
  • Three ways other radio owners are shooting themselves in the foot – yes, don’t imitate them.
  • Listener revolt:  Not only is their price rock bottom but the ad deal stinks up any radio format. 
  • Exposed:  two markets where the unthinkable happened in detail.

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Millennials Hate Radio

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  • What makes smart radio people continually bury their heads in the sand over the growing unpopularity of radio.
  • The same research that argues Millennials love radio says they also love newspapers – huh?
  • The real reasons Millennials hate radio.
  • What it would take to win them back – 6 things no radio station will ever do but they should.  
  • Why NextRadio is doomed and not because of Apple.

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iHeart Just Did Something Very Right

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  • A morning strategy so brilliant they didn’t even know how good it turned out to be.
  • Finally, a radio group that figured out how to get mornings right on less money.
  • This one move can produce a 1 share PPM increase in mornings in less than a year.
  • How much of a station’s total revenue should come from their morning show.
  • Who to fire if a morning show isn’t meeting this quota.

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The Two Most Endangered Radio Groups

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  • No, not iHeart & Cumulus, we already know about them.  Two more.
  • The two radio groups where employees shouldn’t be counting on continued employment. 
  • Revealed:  a memo from one of these two endangered radio groups that all but predicts their future moves.
  • Even Wall Street is mad at them – and that’s saying something for those slackers who throw good money after bad.
  • Why you should be looking for work at both of these companies because they’re going to trim their sails again.
  • One of these companies is eliminating air-talent. 

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iHeart Programming to a Bankruptcy Judge

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  • The changes in the way iHeart operates that indicate they are thinking ahead to post-bankruptcy.
  • What it means to current employees for the next 6 to 12 months.
  • The actual moves that iHeart is now making to impress a bankruptcy judge.
  • The big changes ahead for how iHeart sells advertising.
  • And newfound money that they don’t have to spend on programming.  Yes, believe it or not, programming.
  • While firing some of their own talent.
  • The real meaning of the many reorganizations iHeart has been conducting.
  • How far away is “B” day.

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Alpha Pivots Away From Live & Local

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  • The 7-page corporate memo that is making employees lose faith in Larry Wilson’s pledge.
  • How local programmers are being talked down to like morons.
  • 22 areas of management where Alpha no longer wants local people to think for themselves – the entire, incredible list.
  • The latest decisions that will make Alpha more like iHeart & Cumulus.
  • Managers are quitting – why.
  • How far will Alpha go to save a buck at the expense of not being live and local?

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Beasley’s Plans For Greater Media

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  1. Does Peter Smyth stay or go when the sale goes through?
  2. Their plans for Philly sports/talker WPEN “The Fanatic”.
  3. And what about The Bounce r&b throwback format that Greater Media just installed in Detroit that is already #1 in the market – the next place this format is likely to show up.
  4. Greater Media fired a lot of people ahead of the sale announcement to Beasley – was that it?
  5. The most essential Greater Media employee other than Smyth that must be retained or the whole thing turns to crap.

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iHeart Steals 45% of Cumulus Cluster

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  1. Another top salesperson poached from a competitor but this time half the billing walks with her.
  2. What whopping deal iHeart offered her to leave after 15 years.
  3. Stuff a salesperson doesn’t get anywhere.  Seriously, have you ever heard of this deal for salespeople?
  4. Cumulus – how publicly acting like a sore loser is not going over well with advertisers.
  5. How iHeart is coming after competitor’s top billers.

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CBS Radio’s Deep Morning Cutbacks

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  1. Hey this isn’t funny – how those CBS bean counters are now running roughshod over the radio division.
  2. What CBS is doing to their popular morning shows.
  3. And what they’re planning to do.
  4. Some big names are in big trouble.
  5. Examples of how the math is providing huge savings to CBS while risking ratings.
  6. How far will they go to undo Dan Mason’s previously excellent radio group. 

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