Monthly Archives: July 2021

Friday, July 30, 2021

Radio Missing Out on Vaccine Audience Bonanza

INSIDE …

  • Bad PR: The right-wing radio talker who influenced his listeners not to take the vaccine until he got sick and changed his story.
  • Vaccinations as a huge radio promotion – some ideas to hitchhike on.
  • A once-in-a-lifetime promotional plan to prove radio’s 92% reach and local relevance when it is being doubted.
  • How selling vaccines can be used to sell local advertisers.

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Thursday, July 29, 2021

Vanishing Drive-Time Threatens Radio

INSIDE …

  • The two threats bigger than shrinking drive time.
  • How commuters figure they are getting a raise by not listening in drive time – here’s their math.
  • One mistake can be fixed immediately to gain more TSL.
  • Now that drive time is eroding what radio plans to do about it.

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Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Private Equity Experiencing Radio Hesitancy

INSIDE …

  • iHeart’s Bob Pitman was the second big radio CEO to get the message from private equity – but who was the first, and why do they know best.
  • Why lenders are now pushing owners away from legacy radio.
  • Here are the groups that will be among the first to take private equity’s bait and distance themselves from radio even though it continues to generate most of their revenue.
  • The reason digital is no longer a slam-dunk for radio hesitancy.

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Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Audacy Management Turmoil Eroding Ratings

INSIDE …

  • What’s killing the ratings for many crucial Audacy stations.
  • Case studies of top-rated, big billing CBS stations being gutted and left as add-ons to local ad buys.
  • Two places where Audacy is getting it very right in spite of themselves.
  • Pat Paxton and Susan Larkin’s plans for dealing with ratings declines.

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Monday, July 26, 2021

iHeart’s Amazon Deal Is Nonsensical

INSIDE …

  • The real end game for iHeart’s new venture with Amazon’s Alexa – and it’s not listener engagement.
  • How iHeart plans to connect unwitting listeners with stations that do not have live people working on-air.
  • What young people really think of Alexa and voice activated listening may surprise you and certainly Bob Pittman.
  • True or false: “This is a direct line to allow our audience to talk back, to share their thoughts and help influence what you hear on the radio” – okay, then, the four questions listeners really want to ask iHeart.
  • How this “groundbreaking” move is all about iHeart’s competitors.

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Friday, July 23, 2021

Audacy Concerned About Revenue Shortfall

INSIDE …

  • The make it or break it revenue issue that is killing Audacy right now.
  • Two warning signals that Audacy continues to ignore – one more than the other.
  • Why the sales revolt in several major markets is the tip of the iceberg.
  • If you had to name one person not named Field or Larkin who might be leading Audacy in the wrong direction, many employees would choose this person.
  • The likely replacement for Bob Philips as Chief Revenue Officer.

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Thursday, July 22, 2021

Radio Selling Almost as Much Video As TV Does

INSIDE …

  • If you want to sell video, give it to a radio sales rep to do – here’s the research.
  • Video is a huge market that someone in radio is going to figure out and cash in on – in fact, we’ll tell you who it will be.
  • And for all you lovers of programmatic buying, wait until you see the actual research on radio vs. programmatic.
  • New evidence points to radio’s future as not being radio, not being audio and not being video – then what is it?

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Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Radio is in Perpetual Decline – How Does it End

INSIDE …

  • The missing ingredient that could change everything overnight – but will the major owners go for it.
  • Not just the end of live and local but radio stations that will be run on an iPhone – yes, an iPhone.
  • There are examples of radio groups that could be around for the long haul – here’s the best one.
  • Radio and the mobile phone – where does it stand?
  • A startling future not even imaginable a few years ago – FM, AM, digital, local, new businesses.

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Tuesday, July 20, 2021

iHeart to Copy Townsquare’s Digital First Strategy

INSIDE …

  • Deemphasizing radio is what has been driving iHeart stock – why Wall Street is excited.
  • How one major bank moved the market when it backed iHeart’s new non-radio strategy.
  • iHeart’s digital plan versus Townsquare’s Digital First which derives 52% of all its revenue from non-radio digital products.
  • The list of radio groups that are looking into digital first as a replacement for legacy radio and a potential new company name for iHeartMedia.

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Monday, July 19, 2021

Ominous Sign: Audacy Running Low on Cash

INSIDE …

  • After what they did last week, everyone including Wall Street now knows the depths of Audacy’s money problems
  • Hard put for cash – Audacy went searching for money to bolster their operational funds from a faraway source that you’ve likely never heard of.
  • Just how bad things are and the timing effect that they will have on already severe job cutbacks can now be predicted – here’s how.
  • For all the talking about how important audio and podcasting is to Audacy – here’s the remarkable story they reportedly sold lenders.

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Friday, July 16, 2021

Audacy’s Next Big Bungle

INSIDE …

  • The hidden danger directed at managers and talent in Audacy markets.
  • No format is safe from what Audacy plans next after regionalizing 3 major formats – in fact, one of them will surprise you.
  • Yesterday Audacy publicly promised not to fire CHR morning show talent – how they are most likely going to handle morning shows.
  • And the question everyone wants answered -- where is Pat Paxton?

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Thursday, July 15, 2021

What Investors Know (and Aren’t Saying) About Audacy

KEY TAKEAWAYS …

  • Why investors are bailing out of owning shares in radio’s second largest radio group.
  • What investors see as a bad sign for Audacy’s future.
  • Why cutting costs isn’t helping to increase share price.
  • Is the company’s name change a solution or a problem?

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Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Tower Deal Comes Back to Bite Cumulus

INSIDE …

  • The better tower deal that got away.
  • What’s left to sell to raise needed money to pay down debt.
  • Why they won’t sell the underperforming Westwood One.
  • One thing that would get a buyer as soon as TODAY.

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Tuesday, July 13, 2021

Management Meltdown at Audacy Corporate

INSIDE …

  • How regional VPs are feeling the heat.
  • What about COO Susan Larkin – her role in the recent exodus of key employees.
  • Their plan to hire minorities for less as a “woke” cost saving ploy.
  • The actual reason some potential hires are turning down Audacy sales positions.

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Monday, July 12, 2021

Radio’s Best & Worst Pandemic Recoveries

INSIDE …

  • The groups CEOs think will report the best pandemic recovery (and the worst) for the just completed second quarter.
  • The list of radio groups that have to cut costs and staffs to make up for losses.
  • The 3 safest places to work because their CEOs returned their groups profitability – at least for now.
  • The report card on revenue generation from podcasting, digital and a projection on selling cartop ads and radio together – which ones lived up to their hype.

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Friday, July 9, 2021

Making Sense of Walker and Milner’s Cumulus Promotions

INSIDE …

  • Cumulus just blinked -- a page out of the Townsquare playbook?
  • Milner & Walker unleashed -- the unexpected consequences for the market managers they oversee.
  • Why is the board of directors backing this move – Cumulus doesn’t do fancy titles and promotions.
  • “Why don’t I just make presidents out of these two who are never leaving even if I demote them” Mary Berner did not say – so what’s the real motivation to promote them?

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Thursday, July 8, 2021

Tightened Digital Tracking Rules Benefit Radio

INSIDE …

  • Eyepopping results of whether consumers are actually opting out of being tracked on digital devices.
  • In the last 30 days advertisers are already changing their spending habits – here’s proof.
  • The way to win back digital spend from local advertisers.
  • The best strategic move to increase revenue without having to rely on new business.

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Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Audacy Quietly Firing

INSIDE …

  • The way top talent is being targeted and removed.
  • The Audacy firing plan from sources close to the company.
  • Who is immune -- at least for the time being.
  • The dilemma of Jeff Federman.

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Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Panicked Radio Groups Planning Side Hustles

INSIDE …

  • iHeart’s surprising plan – forget that big platform of services, they’re betting the future on one project.
  • Audacy’s “go-to” rescue plan is NOT podcasting in spite of what they tell investors.
  • Cumulus is talking up Westwood One but betting on something entirely different.
  • Townsquare’s brazen new side hustle.

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