These days, the allure of a Class D daytime-only AM radio station is about as enticing as a pickle Popsicle. However, the interest level for one facilities that fits this description attracted one buyer with money to spend.
In Houston, an AM that must protect a Class A facility in Oklahoma City is just the right acquisition target for El Sembrador Ministries.
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In the waning days of 2018, a newly formed entity whose principals include the man who served as SVP of Emmis Communications’ former St. Louis radio stations had just closed on its purchase of four stations serving Northern Arizona.
While Joe Schwartz, the chief executive of Cherry Creek until February 2016, was originally an investor in the operation, Stone Canyon Radio and Marketing, its been a two-person partnership with majority interest held by that St. Louis market veteran.
This will soon change. He’s shedding his interest in the stations — now that he’s settling in as the head of iHeartMedia‘s St. Louis stations.
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The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) will present Howard University‘s commercially licensed Adult R&B station serving the Nation’s Capital with the Crystal Heritage Award as it salutes all of the finalists for the 34th annual Crystal Radio Awards.
The celebration, which this year will be a virtual affair, is scheduled for April 13.
The NAB Crystal Radio Awards date to 1987 and recognize radio stations for their year-round commitment to community service. The finalists will be celebrated and the winners announced during a special awards program available exclusively at NAB Amplify.
For WHUR-FM, the receipt of the Heritage Award comes in recognition of its receipt of five Crystal Radio Awards for exceptional year-round community service efforts. Only nine other stations have received this honor.
Finalists for the 2021 Crystal Radio Awards are:
KBFB-FM Dallas
Ten Crystal Radio Award winners will be chosen from the above finalists by a panel of judges representing the broadcast industry, community service organizations and public relations firms.
What is NAB Amplify? Designed by the creators of NAB Show, NAB Amplify is the new digital hub for the media and entertainment community. With curated content, trusted insights and new product launches, NAB Amplify is the year-round destination to connect and interact with the global NAB Show community. Learn more at www.nabamplify.com.Entercom Communications, which this week expanded its holdings in the podcast space and amended its October 2016 credit agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank, has announced that it plans to offer $500 million in aggregate principal amount of senior secured second-lien notes due in eight years.
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Entercom Media Corp., a subsidiary created by Philadelphia-based Entercom, is the issuer. And, it says it expects to use the net proceeds from this offering, due in 2029, to redeem all of its 7.25% senior notes due 2024 and to partially repay existing indebtedness under the company’s senior credit facilties.
Thus, it is a new debt for old debt swap, with the notes “fully and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior secured second-lien basis.”
The notes will be offered privately, Entercom says, to qualified institutional buyers.
Entercom shares have enjoyed strong growth over the last six months and open Thursday’s trading at $5.84.
It’s a far cry from March 9, 2020, when shares were at $2.35 just days before ETM was to see its last ex-dividend payment to shareholders. Entercom stock then slid to $0.83 as March 2020 came to a close, with much pandemic uncertainty crippling ad sales for broadcast media.
Much of Entercom’s stock growth, however, has come in Q1. On December 28, 2020, ETM was at $2.47, with little signs of a jump past $3.
As RBR+TVBR first reported on Wednesday (3/10), HyphaMetrics has just secured a U.S. patent for a cross-media measurement platform.
The co-founder and CEO of HyphaMetrics, Joanna Drews, chats with Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson to share a bit more about the patent, consumer privacy, buying in the 2021-2022 Upfront and scatter markets, and where audio media fits in to HyphaMetrics’ business in this fresh podcast presented by Dot.FM.
Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Joanna Drews, HyphaMetrics” on Spreaker.
A pair of Spanish-language television stations owned and operated by Hispanavisión Televisión will now have the benefit of local TV measurement services provided by the nation’s dominant ratings and audience consumption data provider.
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LOS ANGELES — The L.A. office of Davis Wright Tremaine has a new of counsel in its entertainment practice.
It’s someone with extensive in-house experience at NBC Entertainment, where she was most recently VP of Legal Affairs.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of bipartisan House of Representatives and Senators have reintroduced legislation allowing news publishers — including local radio and TV broadcasters — to collectively negotiate the terms on which their content may be distributed online.
It’s being billed as “a fight to save local news.” And, the NAB commends it.
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Andrew Curran, President/COO of DMR/Interactive, has penned an “open letter” to radio that takes aim at the industry’s unfulfilled opportunity to attract women between 18 and 49 years of age who are struggling to hold their families and careers together.
While there’s a need, and a call to action, what, specifically, could Radio do to achieve this goal?
Curran offers three thoughts exclusively to RBR+TVBR.
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MIAMI — It was a big gamble, one that Bill Siegel was called on to “evaluate and refine” in December 2019. A new English-language local newscast was in the works for South Florida — a 10pm newscast that would challenge Sunbeam Television’s long-dominant WSVN-7.
The E.W. Scripps Co. made the pledge in November 2019, with a spring 2020 launch date for a unique 30-minute newscast for Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and the Florida Keys.
Then came COVID-19, and another evaluation of the plan. Now, it has opted to move forward with multiple newscasts produced not by the recently acquired Scripps station’s own staff, but that by the Berkshire Hathaway-controlled ABC affiliate in Miami — its sole media property.
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LAKE WALES, FLA. — The co-founder and Chief Executive of vCreative, who established the media workflow-focused technology company with her husband, is moving to the role of President Emerita.
This gives the couple more time to devote to weddings, grandchildren, “exploring the world” and perhaps enjoying their lakeside home in Central Florida a little bit more as Susie Hedrick assumes the CEO role.
The changes for Jinny Laderer and husband John Laderer, vCreative’s Chief Technology Officer, will come April 1. At that time, Hedrick will rise from President/COO. Hedrick joined vCreative in February 2019 after serving as SVP/Sales for North America at WideOrbit, overseeing successful TV, radio, network and digital divisions.
What does this change mean for the Laderers’ involvement in the company they created in 2007?
In her new role, Jinny Laderer will attend company executive meetings and industry events, providing “guidance and historical context to ensure that the vCreative legacy continues.”
She will also remain a Broadcasters Foundation of America board member and as an Honorary Trustee for Alliance for Women in Media. Mrs. Laderer also remains on the Nominating Committee for the National Radio Hall of Fame and says she will invest more time with the Mentoring and Inspiring Women (MIW) organization to help nurture the next generation of strong female leaders.
“The timing is perfect,” said Laderer, who has been based in the small town of Babson Park, due south of Lake Wales and Orlando’s theme parks, for the last few years. “While I remain committed to our company, the industry and its people, vCreative is now perfectly positioned for its next chapter under Susie’s leadership, which allows John and I the freedom to focus on our next phase of life.”
John Laderer will continue to serve the company in a consultative technical role.
After working at a small firm offering copywriting, production and voiceovers to agencies and advertisers, Jinny Laderer in 2005 teamed with John in creating SaaS technology enabling her to work remotely as a Creative Director for 8 radio stations while she simultaneously operated her production company, TLCreative.
Two years later, vCreative was born. Today, its software is used by 19 of the top 20 broadcast radio groups, supporting more than 35,000 daily users.
In 2019, the Laderers sold vCreative to Banyan Software, an investment company with a unique buy and hold model.
Commenting on Jinny Laderer’s decision to hand chief executive duties to Hedrick, Banyan CEO David Berkal said, “Jinny and John built a strong and profitable software business with deep relationships. We have made a commitment to continue the Laderers’ people-first culture and the principle of trust that was built over many years. We 100% support Jinny and John as they step back from daily operations while retaining supportive roles in the company.”
Hedrick added, “Jinny and I share a kindred spirit. We both have a strong work ethic and passion for helping people and solving problems. Jinny will continue to have a strong influence on the company as we continue to innovate and grow.”
William W. McCutchen III a decade ago was described by the Waco Tribune-Herald as “the force behind Waco Entertainment Group LLC.
Based in the Los Angeles area, McCutchen in January 2010 acquired two Spanish-language FMs for $1.95 million from the now-defunct Border Media Partners. It was added to an FM in Sherman, Tex.
An Abilene property was also added to the mix. Now, the FCC has given its blessing on its sale.
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Vic Michael has been an active buyer of noncommercial low-powered and full-power facilities across the U.S. West, and in Hawaii, of late.
Now, he’s agreed to buy an expanded-band AM with an all-important FM translator at 94.7 MHz.
It serves much of the Cheyenne, Wyo., market.
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She’s widely known as a Partner with Wiley Rein LLP’s Washington, D.C. office, where she serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Telecom, Media & Technology group.
Now, this legal eagle is tacking on the title of Secretary and General Counsel of the Broadcasters Foundation of America.
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TORONTO — A provider of digital products to the radio industry has just added a longtime broadcast sales professional known for stops in the Big Apple as its Managing Director for Advertising and Research.
He’ll be tasked with ensuring that SoCast broadcast partners get the sales training, support and tools they need to become digital advertising experts.
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A U.S. patent has been issued to an independent media metrics technology company devoted to measuring individual media viewing behavior at “their most granular level.”
For those dissatisfied with the products offered by Nielsen, ComScore and others in the space, the patent is certainly attention-grabbing.
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They’ve long been associated with some of the nation’s leading music radio stations.
Now, they’ve been added to the programming team at Gary Spurgeon-led Clear Media Network.
The Dallas-based syndicator now counts Smokey Rivers and Tom Calococci among its programming staff.
Rivers will be consulting and programming the Adult Contemporary and Oldies formats.
He’s a former VP of AC Programming for CBS Radio, served as a VP/Programming in Phoenix for iHeartMedia and circa 1984-85 was the Program Director for WAVA-FM in Washington, D.C., a Top 40 station where he butted heads with then-nighttime air personality Don Geronimo prior to his morning pairing with Mike O’Meara.
“Clear Media Network is providing a turnkey solution for broadcasters to easily deliver a quality audio product,” Rivers said. “That’s my kind of thing.”
Meanwhile, Calococci will consult and program Clear Media Network’s Classic Hits format.
His extensive programming career includes successful programming stops at WFLC-FM in Miami, which was converted from Hot AC “Coast 97-3” to Top 40 “Hits 97-3”; crosstown WPOW-FM in Miami; Urban KKBT-FM in Los Angeles, and pioneering Rhythmic Top 40 WERQ-FM “92Q” in Baltimore some 30 years ago. He is also responsible for Content Creation for Sheet Happens Prep services.
Calococci said, “As the media landscape continues to evolve, we must adjust to the ever changing demands of listeners and find ways to provide great content for radio stations. I am looking forward to being a part of providing a great resource for our Network clients.”
Both Calococci and Rivers report to President of Programming Mark McCray.
Clear Media Network offers 11 formats to broadcast radio across the U.S.
In the radio industry, investment in eSports is nothing new. Beasley Media Group even owns a franchise in Houston.
It now appears broadcast television companies harbor a similar interest in a segment of the sporting world that continues to explode in growth and has withstood the COVID-19 pandemic with flying colors.
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Entercom (NYSE: ETM), home to premium podcast companies Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios, today announced the acquisition of Podcorn, the largest marketplace for brands to find and collaborate with the most relevant podcasters to create native advertising and branded content at scale. The transaction values Podcorn at $22.5 million today, with an upfront cash payment of $14.6 million and a performance-based earnout over the next three years.
“The acquisition of Podcorn expands Entercom’s product offering for advertisers and builds on our position as one of the country’s three largest podcast publishers and the #1 creator of original, premium audio content,” said David Field, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Entercom. “By making it easier for brands to collaborate with targeted podcast creators of all sizes, we are addressing an important market opportunity in the fastest growing segment of media.”
Podcorn’s marketplace includes nearly 40,000 creators and has facilitated thousands of podcast ad campaigns. Podcorn creates an infrastructure for enabling direct podcaster and advertiser relationships, surfacing the most relevant matches to scale native branded content, drive higher ROI for brands, and enhance how podcast creators monetize their content. Podcorn was founded by Agnes Kozera and David Kierzkowski following the successful acquisition by Google of their previous company FameBit, the leading marketplace for video influencers where brands and YouTube stars collaborated for branded content. Kozera and Kierzkowski will continue to lead Podcorn, joining Entercom’s leadership team.
“Given the success that podcasters and brands have seen on Podcorn, we’re excited to join Entercom’s growing audio platform to accelerate our vision and help brands and podcasters succeed in an even bigger way,” said Agnes Kozera, Co-Founder, Podcorn. “Together, we hope to provide the most effective podcast influencer marketing solution for brands and become the largest driver of brand deals for podcasters of all sizes.”
The acquisition fills an industry-wide gap in helping brands of all sizes tap into the hard-to-access micro-influencer community. Podcorn offers highly immersive, native formats for brands to authentically reach engaged audiences, such as host reads at scale as a way to maintain and elevate rate and ROI, and drive podcast market growth. The marketplace connects advertisers to podcast creators through workspaces where they can craft the ideal relationship and explore deeper formats including reviews, unboxings, guest interviews, panels and topical discussions, which provide true listener value. While Podcorn provides brands with a self-serve platform, it also offers a full-service option that unlocks more managed support and consultation to help them accelerate, curate and manage their podcast campaigns to exceed their KPIs.
Podcorn’s marketplace of niche creators will complement Entercom’s existing critically-acclaimed roster of the largest and most influential podcasts, while helping it identify talented new creators. With Cadence13 and Pineapple Street Studios, Entercom is one of the three largest podcast publishers with the industry’s most award-winning, critically acclaimed content, and consistently has the most shows ranked in the top 100 on Triton’s U.S. Podcast Report.
“Introducing Podcorn’s marketplace of nearly 40,000 creators to our robust podcast audience network will enable advertisers to target the right listeners with the most effective media available to brands today – custom, host-read, branded audio content at scale,” said J.D. Crowley, Chief Digital Officer, Entercom.
Podcasting has been steadily expanding and diversifying programming – and widening audiences – consistently in the past decade. There are now more than 2.5 million podcasts, 60% of which were created in the past two years.
“Remarkably, only a fraction of podcasts generate revenue. We want to change that,” said Crowley. “Bringing together independent creators, chart-topping talent and advertisers under one roof, and providing the tools to streamline collaboration, transparency and efficiency provides greater value for advertisers, creators and listeners alike.”
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