He began his career as a news anchor and director for a large group of radio stations. Then, he jumped to television, becoming a prime-time news anchor for some of North America’s biggest media companies.
This culminated in being named a lead news anchor in New York City for one of its top stations, in October 2018. Sadly, cancer has claimed Edgardo del Villar.
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The author is president of Nova Electronics in Dallas, Texas.
A serious consideration for AM revitalization is being overlooked. Rather than promoting digital, which is still not ready for prime time, how about making changes in facilities a little more friendly?
One way is to get rid of the three-channel rule, which has outlived its usefulness. Many stations are going dark, but the band is still too crowded for most stations to move within that range. In order to reduce interference and improve coverage (which the FCC claims is of high importance, but doesn’t seem to practice), a station may have a frequency available that accomplishes all the above but is outside the range; and waivers are nearly impossible to receive.
At present you have to wait for an AM filing window, which may not happen for years to decades (the last one was over 20 years ago), in order to make a move outside the three channels.
There is no good reason for this, with the number of stations recently going dark, whereby a struggling station could improve their coverage and reduce current interference if such a move were allowed.
Another factor would be to allow more stations into the expanded band. There are only 52 stations across the nation in the entire expanded band, making it an additional resource that is being vastly underutilized.
Keep adequate protections between stations so as not to overcrowd the band, and allow this underpopulated territory to be used for improving the AM band, which was the primary motivation for its creation.
These simple changes can be made with no real costs or changes in regulatory structure required. Unfortunately that seems to be the exact opposite of what government does.
The post Letter: Drop the Three-Channel Rule appeared first on Radio World.
Perhaps nothing spreads through the U.S. commercial radio industry’s C-suites faster than some juicy water cooler talk from Jerry Del Colliano.
Clippings from Del Colliano’s online newsletter often bash the corporate strategies of iHeartMedia and Entercom. But the publisher of Inside Music Media doesn’t see himself as a critic of the leadership at those companies.
“I don’t do it to be critical. I do it because I love the radio industry,” Del Colliano said.
Nevertheless he has called iHeartMedia a “zombie” company that exists simply to keep up with debt payments. He believes Entercom is on a path toward voluntary reorganization or bankruptcy in 2022 unless it quickly recovers from the economic chaos of COVID-19. He says Cumulus is living on a “hall pass” from the financial markets due to the pandemic.
Del Colliano also has been critical of the NAB, calling the group “National Assassination of Broadcasting,” and has castigated the Federal Communications Commission for radio deregulation that he feels has allowed major broadcast groups to shed countless jobs.
“Think about this: Radio broadcasters no longer need a local presence in their market of license. What a wonderful thing for radio broadcasters,” Del Colliano says sarcastically. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Making a mess of it”
It’s clear to followers that Del Colliano speaks with a passion about an industry he grew up in.
He began his broadcast career working on air for the campus radio station while a student at Temple University. He worked in radio and TV programming and management in Philadelphia for years and is the former owner and publisher of trade publication Inside Radio.
Now he is a professor at NYU Steinhardt Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions Music Business Program. He also has taught at the University of Southern California.
The New Jersey native often writes in his newsletter with a particular focus on the actions of major broadcast groups that he believes have doomed the radio business.
“iHeartMedia, Entercom and Cumulus are making a mess of it right now. This is not the radio industry we are capable of being. It’s not a radio industry that’s going to survive,” Del Colliano said.
“It’s an industry that has been hijacked by a bunch of carpetbagger private equity people who have gone in and wrecked it.”
Sweeping programming changes introduced recently by iHeartMedia and Entercom to use out-of-market voicetracking to replace local on-air talent in many markets have been a frequent target of his ire.
“It’s the assassination of live shows in just about any daypart. These groups claim they are improving the local product by using regional or national syndicated talent and centralizing operations, but being local wins every time,” he said.
He says the beginnings of the radio industry’s troubles can be traced to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which allowed for mass radio consolidation.
“I don’t think radio has been a business that has done well with consolidation,” he said. “Just look at it. Who can say that consolidation has been good for the industry?”
He feels he can point directly to why radio began to fail.
“The thing that made radio bulletproof is the exact thing these big groups have eliminated: being live and local. iHeartMedia and Entercom run up billions of dollars in debt, they cut back, they eliminate talent and they do programmatic selling. It’s as if they are looking for ways to destroy themselves.”
In fact, Del Colliano isn’t afraid to name names when it comes to the management of radio portfolios.
“David Field at Entercom is about as qualified to run a radio group as I am to be in private equity. He botched the CBS Radio merger. I mean everyone wanted CBS Radio. How do you screw that up? And that was before COVID-19 so he can’t blame that,” he said.
Going around the horn, Del Colliano says of Mary Berner at Cumulus: “She’s a very nice person, but she is from a private equity background. She is at Cumulus because she knew how to get them through bankruptcy, not operate them as a successful radio group.”
As for iHeartMedia, Del Colliano says he believes the cost-cutting by Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman only invited John Malone of Liberty Media to come in and position himself to “steal the company for pennies on the dollar. And (Malone) will run it on the cheap like we have never seen before.”
Liberty Media Corp, which already controls Sirius XM and Pandora, has a 5 percent stake in iHeartMedia, but in July the U.S. Department of Justice gave its permission for Liberty Media to increase its shares in iHeartMedia up to 50 percent.
“And you know how this is going to go. Do I have to spell this out to you? Liberty Media buys distressed properties. Pandora was distressed. Sirius XM was distressed. They get a few board seats and boom they will have their own people running iHeartMedia.
“Then he will gut it. It will operate with so few people you can’t believe. And he’ll use a lot of the programming strategies of satellite radio to program a terrestrial group of stations. No local staff and national formats piped into all the 800 and some radio stations. There will be further homogenization of radio,” he said.
“It was never personal”
Del Colliano teaches media, music discovery, streaming and immersive technologies at NYU, mostly via Zoom these days. In his class “Music in the Media Business,” he says young students tell him they have no need for radio.
“Go to any college campus. To them Spotify is the new radio. In fact, just look at people under 30 years old. Look at the next new car when you buy it. People are more worried about getting the Apple CarPlay to work than finding the radio in the dash.”
And AM radio has been left to die, Del Colliano said, despite recent “revitalization” actions by the FCC.
“(AM) is not sustainable. You have major broadcast groups now turning off their stations. I don’t think all-digital is a way forward when you render all analog radios obsolete.”
Del Colliano thinks AM could have become a podcast platform.
“Radio really missed an opportunity. All of these different shows featuring only the spoken voice. It would have been perfect for AM, but instead the big radio groups wanted Premiere’s Rush Limbaugh on their AM stations coast to coast. It’s exactly that type of programming on AM that caused podcasting.
“And I don’t buy the sound quality argument that AM just doesn’t sound good enough. Most people listen to podcasts through tiny earbuds.”
The internet pool that entertainment platforms are playing in now is so huge and so fragmented, Del Colliano says, Gen Z might not miss radio if it went away entirely.
“Young people would never trade Spotify or Apple Music for radio. They would sooner have playlists and the systems that are in place today. Over-the-air radio is still so antiquated,” he said.
Del Colliano says he often receives anonymous tips with information on the dealings of the major radio groups.
“But you might be surprised that I get a lot of the information from the people I write about. CEOs are fascinating people. They like to talk about themselves and each other. I have built a lot of trust with them. They know I will vet the information they give me,” Del Colliano said.
In fact, he calls Cumulus’ Berner “a friend” and even remains friendly with former Cumulus Media CEO Lew Dickey, who was often a target of Del Colliano’s scorn until he left the company five years ago.
“I skewered him bad, but it was never personal. Lew has spoken to my class at NYU. I use his book ‘The New Modern Media’ in my class. I just disagreed with the way he ran Cumulus.”
Del Colliano predicts radio groups that maintain a local presence will eventually enjoy better ratings and increased revenue compared to those who centralize operations. He mentioned Hubbard, Saga, Beasley and Alpha Media as examples.
“And that’s because those stations will continue to do what radio does best: be live and local. They’ll have programmers in the local markets. They’ll have sales people in the local markets.”
But he insists it will take an industrywide effort for radio to survive.
“It’s going to be a big lift. It’s going to take more than one person to turn the industry around. It’ll take a number of people who decide the right way to move forward is decentralizing the corporate structure of programming and sales and making radio local again,” Del Colliano said.
He concluded: “Then perhaps the greed of the consolidators might end and help radio save itself from private equity mismanagement.”
RW welcomes comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.
The post No Soft Edges From Jerry Del Colliano appeared first on Radio World.
Looking into 2021, the WorldDAB Automotive Working Group plans to work with vehicle manufacturers and broadcasters to help develop DAB+ guidelines using voice control as part of hybrid radio in vehicles
This is particularly important given that a new EECC Directive requires all new passenger cars in the EU be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio.
[Read: Metadata: Keeping Radio Strong in the Car]
The resultant guidelines will expand the existing WorldDAB User Experience (UX) Design Guidelines.
Expected efforts will focus on practices such as changing stations and searching for them through voice, allowing eyes to remain viewing the road.
Parties wishing to contribute to the new UX guidelines’ sections on voice control and hybrid can contact the WorldDAB Project Office.
The post WorldDAB Looking at Voice Control in the Car appeared first on Radio World.
In our latest issue, David Bialik comments on why CMAF HLS matters for radio streamers. Pam Johnston explains why WGBH in Boston dropped the “W” in its branding. David Antoine flips through the pages of “Radio’s Second Century,” a compilation of essays about radio. Jacob Daniluck offers hints on how to get the most out of your Tieline ViA codec. And group owner Gary Fisher relates how Equity Communications in New Jersey has reinvented itself thanks to the pandemic.
Prefer to do your reading offline? No problem! Simply click on the digital edition, go to the left corner and choose the download button to get a PDF version.
On the Air
What’s the Right Tone on COVID-19?
For radio programmers, understanding attitudes can be a tricky business.
News Maker
No Soft Edges From Jerry Del Colliano
The newsletter author regularly dishes scorn on the actions of big commercial U.S. radio companies.
Also in this issue:
The post Inside the Dec. 9 2020 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.
Country music is getting into the holiday spirit and CMT Radio affiliates and open markets are invited to join in.
A virtual holiday party benefiting children’s hospitals and hosted by country music personalities will be part of a four-hour radio special hosted by Seacrest Studios. The program “Home for the Holidays with CMT’s Cody Alan” can be downloaded on Dec. 14 by affiliates to air any time during the holidays.
[Read: Ryan Seacrest Foundation Opens Studio in Nashville]
Cody Alan and female country trio Runaway June participated in the benefit, which was held at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville. Young patients and their families at the hospital were treated to an interview with Runaway June, a live performance of their current single “We Were Rich” and songs from their new Christmas album.
The virtual event will also feature conversations with country music stars including Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Maren Morris and others. The program will include stories of Christmas memories, favorite gifts and family traditions, along with a mix of holiday-themed songs. Highlights will air on CMT’s “Hot 20 Countdown” on Dec. 19 and 20.
The Ryan Seacrest Foundation was founded in 2009 and its first initiative was to build broadcast media centers within pediatric hospitals around the country. Those centers are now in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Nashville, Orange County, Orlando, Philadelphia and Washington.
The post CMT Radio Virtual Holiday Party to Benefit Children’s Hospitals appeared first on Radio World.
Edita Kudláčová has been selected to be the new head of radio for the European Broadcast Union.
She is a 12-year veteran of the central European national broadcaster, having risen to chief content producer.
Kudláčová is a member of the EBU’s New Radio Group and, prior to that, the International Relations Radio Group until 2016.
She said, “I’m passionate about radio and audio and I believe strongly in the power of these mediums to create fantastic content and in their potential to innovate and develop. I’m really looking forward to working with the team at the EBU.”
Her laurels include first prize for Best European Online Project at the 2019 Prix Europa for “1968 Project,” an initiative that also won the Journalism Award in the category for best online journalism. She also claimed first prize for best public service podcast with “Turn The Lights Off!” in the 2018 Podcast of the Year awards.
She takes over from Graham Dixon, who is retiring at the end of the year.
EBU Director of Media Jean Philip De Tender said, “Edita is already well known to our community, having been highly visible in the New Radio Group and at our industry events. Her track record in innovation, inspiring creativity and delivering award-winning projects makes her a dynamic addition to the EBU Media Management team.”
Director General, Czech Radio and Vice-Chair of the EBU Radio Committee René Zavoral said, “Edita has championed change and innovation at Czech Radio and developed new ideas and concepts into concrete projects, which have been instrumental in the overall transformation of the organization. We’re delighted that her talent has been recognized with the Head of Radio role, but we’ll miss her collaborative spirit, her energy and her passion for everything audio.”
The post Kudláčová Named to Run EBU’s Radio Operation appeared first on Radio World.
From the top of Mt. Washington, a Townsquare Media FM reaches much of Maine, all of northern New Hampshire, and practically all of northern Vermont once leaving the greater Burlington area.
It’s a 48kw monster that was the late Norm Alpert’s first property, and is presently airing all-Christmas music. And, it is getting a new morning host and Brand Manager — an individual last with iHeartMedia in Tulsa.
That would be Jadd Naamani, who takes the role at WHOM-FM 94.9, which considers itself a Portland, Maine, radio station despite its huge reach.
“We couldn’t be happier to bring Jadd back to the northern New England airwaves. His energy, dedication to connecting with listeners on-air and online, and long-standing commitment to community make him an incredible addition to the team,” said Christine Sieks, Regional Market President for Townsquare Media.
Naamani took the iHeartMedia/Tulsa role in July 2018, as programmer of KTBT “92.1 The Beat.” Before that, he was Program Director at WERZ (Z107.1)/Portsmouth, N.H. He’d been there since June 2015, when he was upped from Promotions Director. He’s also done weekends at WXKS (Kiss 108)/Boston and WKSS (Kiss 95.7)/Hartford.
“I’m beyond grateful to the entire Townsquare Leadership Team,” said Naamani. “Thanks for bringing me back home to New England to what I feel is the best area in the country. The amount of localism that’s focused on by this company is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Plus, I REALLY missed Maine lobster!”
WHOM was acquired in September 2013 by Townsquare Media as part of a $238 million deal signed off by Lew Dickey Jr., then the head of Cumulus Media.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In case you missed it, the MORE Act was approved last week in the House of Representatives.
Does this mean broadcast radio and TV stations are now free to air marijuana advertisements? Not so fast, David Oxenford of Wilkinson Barker Knauer warns.
In a WBK Broadcast Law Blog post, Oxenford notes the actions taken by the lower body of Congress to decriminalize marijuana under federal law.
This, he explains, would include removing marijuana from Schedule I — a list of drugs prohibited in the United States, with very few exceptions.
“The passage of this bill through the House … should not be taken as a sign to start running marijuana advertising on your broadcast station, though there are some signs that the day on which that advertising can be run may be in sight,” he says.
First, it is important to remember that this bill passed only in the House of Representatives. “Without also being approved by the Senate and being signed by the President, the House’s action had no legal effect,” Oxenford reminds media executives. “Because of the way that Congress works, if the bill does not pass the Senate in the current legislative session, which ends in the first few days of January 2021, the whole process must start over again.”
Good luck with that. Bills do not carry over from one Congressional session to another.
“So, to become law in the new year, a new Congress would have to start with a new bill, and a new House of Representatives and a new Senate would both have to vote to adopt the legislation,” Oxenford says.
As such, the MORE Act is — more or less — toast.
Absent Senate approval, which is doubtful in this lame duck session, “broadcasters run a real risk in running marijuana advertising even if they operate in a state that has legalized its use.”
David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLPAccording to Oxenford, the Commission “could be forced to take actions against a licensee for running this advertising if a complaint is filed against a station running such ads – including during the ongoing license renewal process.”
In addition, he adds, “there are still federal criminal penalties for promoting Schedule 1 drugs, including a specific prohibition against using radio waves to promote its sale and distribution.”
But does that House action signal movement in the future?
“[W]ith a new administration and a new Congress in 2021, and a different regulatory status in many states across the country, one can see that there has been a general shift in the regulatory climate surrounding marijuana legalization,” Oxenford says. “That shift could well lead to further rule changes in the near term. Until then, broadcasters should act with caution, but should stay alert to see how future regulatory actions play out.’
Former NAB General Counsel Jack Goodman
Sean Compton, NewsNet – WGN America
Norberto Sanchez, Norsan Media
Ron Stone, Adams Radio Group/Independent Broadcasters Association
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