Volume 19, Issue 111, Your Morning Radio Industry E-Paper tm
Jim Carnegie, Publisher
Wednesday Morning, December 11th 2002
RBR Office 703.719.9500

Radio News ®

Emmis orders up Mayo for NYC cluster
RBR has confirmed what sources say Emmis Communications (O:EMMS) will announce today (12/11) that it has hired Urban programmer/consultant Barry Mayo to replace VP/GM Judy Ellis and run its NYC cluster - - Hot 97, Kiss-FM and WQCD-FM. Ellis announced in October (10/25 RBR Daily Epaper) that she would be leaving in February. RBR received the confirmation via email to RBR publisher Jim Carnegie from Emmis head Jeff Smulyan at 10:24 pm last night. | Full Story Click Here | RBR Observation |

Arbitron having trouble
finding consenting adults
Arbitron (N:ARB) is in danger of being swamped by a sea change in the ratings environment. Response to its survey in the top 12 markets has dropped almost 10% in a year, according to a study from Research Director Inc. RDI partner Rhody Bosley is particularly qualified to comment on the situation as a former employee of the ratings giant. | Full Story Click Here | RBR Observation |

Settlement found for RoNita Hawes-Saunders
The result is both WROU and WRNB will be sold. Another bit of news from the bankruptcy hearing is Larry Patrick will be the operator until a buyer can be found to satisfy creditors. Hawes-Saunders stays on as an employee.

Donaldson to head SEC
William Donaldson - - the Donaldson in Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette - - is President George W. Bush's choice to head the SEC. He'll succeed Harvey Pitt, who resigned under fire on election day. | Full Story Click Here |

Jacoby downgrades Salem
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey analyst Jonathan Jacoby has downgraded Salem Communications (O:SALM) from "equal weight" to "underweight," saying the "valuation is ahead of itself." | Full Story Click Here |

Tribune says 2002 ending strong
Tribune Co. (N:TRB) reports that revenues increased 7% in November to $446M. "Business continues to be strong in December, so we are ending 2002 on a positive note," said Chairman and CEO John Madigan. Although the year began soft, Madigan said Tribune now expects to post record earnings per share for Q4 and the full year as well. | Full Story Click Here |

Liberman sees radio/TV combos as key to growth
Think Viacom, AOL Time Warner and Clear Channel have cornered the market for cross-platform selling? Think again. Lenard Liberman proves that you don't have to be a mega-company to play the multi-media game. | Full Story Click Here |

UBS conference confirms "slow & steady"
Chris Dixon and his team of media analysts at UBS Warburg say this week's 30th annual Mediaweek conference is confirming their "slow and steady" expectations for advertising-supported media. | Full Story Click Here |

IDT Media hopes to break even
IDT Media is still a tiny division of IDT Corp. (N:IDT), but the company says its media division is moving in the right direction. For IDT's fiscal Q1, which ended 10/31, IDT Media reported an operating loss of $1.3M on revenues of $5.8M. The loss a year ago was $6.5M. IDT said it's near term financial goal is to get IDT Media to break even on an operating basis. | Full Story Click Here |

Fed stands pat
No surprise here. After last month's surprisingly large interest rate cut, the Federal Reserve made no change in rates at yesterday's (12/10) meeting. | Full Story Click Here |

George Gilder to speak
at NAB 2003 tech luncheon
George Gilder, futurist, author and chairman of Gilder Group, will address NAB2003 attendees at its Technology Luncheon, sponsored by Thales Broadcast & Multimedia, 4/9/03 in Vegas. Gilder is a senior fellow at Seattle's Discovery Institute and a contributing editor at Forbes.


Adbiz ©

TV broadcasters urged to restrict
alcohol ads seen by young
The American Medical Association, citing a recent report showing alcohol abuse can cause brain damage in youths, called on TV broadcasters 12/9 to sharply restrict alcohol advertising seen by young viewers. | Full Story Click Here | RBR Observation |

AdStar and Manheim Interactive
partner for auto dealership classifieds
AdStar, a leading software and application service provider for the classified advertising industry, has signed an agreement with Manheim Interactive, the technology services division of Cox Enterprises' Manheim Auctions. AdStar will allow Manheim to develop ad transaction services using AdStar's application programming interface to help automotive dealerships compose, schedule and pay for ads in print and online versions of newspapers. | Full Story Click Here |


Programming for Profit

P2 power: Where are my second-tier fans coming from?
Part 2: CHR
This is a companion study to the Fall 1999 study produced by Arbitron which we ran in October and November. In that study, we looked at where P1 listeners stray when not listening to their favorite station. In this study, we look at each format's P2 listeners - - the best candidates to convert into P1s - - and show where they can be found for your audience plundering and raiding purposes. | Full Story Click Here |


Radio Wars

This means war: Sinatra becomes focus of LA tussle
Saul Levine's Mt. Wilson FM Broadcasters adopted the Radio DeLuxe Standards format on its KSUR "The Surf" earlier this year. The 1260 kHz facility garnered enough notice with the music of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald to go from a no-show in the LA Arbitron to an 0.3 showing 12+ in the summer 2002 book.
| Full Story Click Here | RBR Observation |


Washington Beat

Ownership NPRM: MMTC wants to extend extension
The FCC allowed additional time for comments, and also pushed back the reply comment period, on its six-headed omnibus proceeding dealing with broadcast and newspaper ownership issues (RBR Daily Morning Epaper, 11/6). The new deadlines are 1/2/03 for comments and 2/3/03 for reply comments. | Full Story Click Here |

Newspapers urge FCC to avoid national "do-not-call" list
The Newspaper Association of America (NAA) has weighed in on the FCC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) concerning telemarketing rules. Specifically, the NAA wants to head off establishment of a national "do-not-call" list. Further, if such a list is established, newspapers would like to be exempted.
| Full Story Click Here | RBR Observation |


Media, Markets & Money tm

Grouper fishing: Latino triples its markets
It's an impressive feat when a group is able to triple its market presence in the United States radio business. It's less impressive when that puts it in a total of three markets. Nonetheless, congratulations are in order for Latino Communications Manager Zee Ferrufino, who will now have three Colorado stations to run.
| Full Story Click Here | RBR Observation |

CC Entertainment buys
Metropolitan Entertainment Group
Clear Channel Entertainment (N:CCU) has purchased NJ-based concert promoter Metropolitan Entertainment Group from owner Mitch Slater/Slater Entertainment. Terms weren't disclosed, but estimates range from $8M-$11M. CC Entertainment gets rights to two key concert facilities in Darien Lake, N.Y., and New York City. The Wall Street Journal says the majority of Metropolitan's 25-person staff will be laid off.


Sales

NTR Tip of the day
Enthusiasm is contagious. As an NTR seller, you need to be genuine, but also very enthusiastic about the campaign you are presenting. Your excitement for the campaign could help to seal the deal with the client. Source: Bill Barr, RAB, [email protected], (800)232-3131


More News Headlines

* Satellite TV merger called off
* American Tower expands in Mexico
* WI pirate station profiled
* KYW GM honored
* Portable "SKYFi" receiver to hit the shelves next week
* KRNB host Steve Woods dies of heart attack
* MN station founder Al Tedesco dies
* Traffic Pulse signs Radio Unica in Dallas
* Sirius to add ProStar's MovieShow
* Failed satellite plunges into Pacific
* KZLA's "Christmas Concert for Tilden's Children'' raises $25K
* CNN/ABC News merger talks on hold


Radio Stocks

Stock markets salute new SEC chief
Stock prices rose on William Donaldson's selection to head the SEC (see Radio News) and an upbeat outlook from a tech company - - disk-drive maker Maxtor Corp.

The Dow Industrials rose 101 points, or 1.2%, to 8,574.

The Radio Index gained 3.915, or 1.7%, to 232.313.

Radio One gained 4.6% after an upgrade by Morgan Stanley to "equal-weight" from "underweight." Morgan Stanley also downgraded Entercom to "equal-weight" from "overweight," but the stock still gained 0.3%.

Also among the big gainers were Cumulus, up 4%, SBS, up 3.9%, and Cox Radio, up 3.6%.

Only three component stocks were down: Emmis dropped 1.9%, and Salem and Saga each 1.1%.

Here's how stocks fared on Tuesday

Company Symbol Close Change Company Symbol Close Change
Arbitron

ARB

$33.62

+$0.37

Jeff-Pilot

JP

$37.14

+$0.61

Beasley

BBGI

$11.24

+$0.27

NBG Radio Nets

NSBD

$0.06

unch

Big City YFM $0.28

unch

Radio One, Cl. A

ROIA

$17.21

+$0.76

Clear Channel

CCU

$39.85

+$0.89

Radio One, Cl. D

ROIAK

$16.81

+$0.71

Cox Radio

CXR

$23.32

+$0.81

Radio Unica

UNCA

$0.45

-$0.06

Cumulus

CMLS

$15.88

+$0.61

Regent

RGCI

$6.17

+$0.17

Disney

DIS

$17.04

+$0.19

Saga Commun.

SGA

$18.40

-$0.20

Emmis

EMMS

$19.76

-$0.38

Salem Comm.

SALM

$25.25

-$0.28

Entercom

ETM

$49.86

+$0.16

Sirius Sat. Radio

SIRI

$0.73

+$0.01

Entravision

EVC

$10.25

+$0.27

Small Town

STWI

$0.17

-$0.02

Fisher

FSCI

$51.26

+$0.80

Spanish Bcg.

SBSA

$8.10

+$0.30

Gaylord

GET

$20.13

+$0.73

Viacom, Cl. A

VIA

$43.22

+$0.68

Hearst-Argyle

HTV

$23.99

+$0.41

Viacom, Cl. B

VIAb

$43.19

+$0.72

Hispanic Bcg.

HSP

$22.25

+$0.42

Westwood One

WON

$36.83

+$0.43

Interep

IREP

$2.45

-$0.04

XM Sat. Radio

XMSR

$3.22

-$0.26

Publishers Perspective

New forecasting pages beginning to arrive
Let's face it, any advertising spending touch points that the presumed ad forecasters used went out the window in March 2000. Up until then everything was based on years of history. The forecasters where basing the future on a past that was as relevant or comparable of many of us trying to recall life during the depression - - we just weren't there. | Full Story Click Here |


RBR Guest Commentary

Is the streaming law good for broadcasters?
Jennifer Lane, Director/Aritaur Communications' stations in New England, is concerned that broadcasters aren't paying enough attention to what the recent Small Webcasters Settlement Act means to the future of Internet radio and for radio broadcasters.
| Full Story Click Here
|


RBR Bounceback

We want to hear from you.
Speak out to your colleagues in radio on any subject affecting this business.

This is your column, so send your comments to [email protected]


Subscribe & Save
Subscribe today to
RBR's Morning e-paper
SAVE $318
with our GOLD pacakge Sign up here!

GM Talkback
We ask General Managers from around the country to share with us, and you, their views of the industry. This time we quizzed:

Bill Flack, Flack Broadcasting's WBRV-AM, WBRV-FM, WLLG-FM Utica-Rome, NY

RBR: Are there any major projects you are working on or planning?
Flack: I'm considering building a tower for WBRV-FM. I'm in the process of buying land right now. I'm on a telephone pole now, and I want to put a 180' tower up. Now whether or not I get that done next year is another story. But I'm buying the land now, so however long it takes for everything to go through, the financing and the whole thing. One step at a time.

Competing Media

Emmis restructures Slager FM deal
Not long after being ordered off the air (11/26 RBR Daily Epaper) because it hasn't paid its license fees for more than a year, Emmis announced 12/10 that it has reached an agreement with the Hungarian broadcasting authority, the National Radio and Television Board (ORTT), that will resolve pending issues and extend the company's national license in Hungary through 2009.
| Full Story Click Here |


Transactions

$4,655,000 KVNA-FM Flagstaff AZ from Arizona Radio Partners LLC (Edward F. Seeger, James C. Fort, Andrew J. Guest) to 3 Point Media-Arizona LLC, related to Marathon Media (Bruce Buzil et al). $100K escrow, balance in cash at closing. Deal is for amount of Yavapi agreement plus $650K; a prior deal filed with the FCC listed the Yavapi price as $3,675,000 (RBR 11/12/01); a recent press release on closing of taht deal listed the price as $4M (RBR Daily Morning Epaper, 12/4), which is the figure used for this item. Duopoly with KKLD-FM Prescott Valley. LMA until closing. Broker: American Media Services LLC (seller), Kalil & Co. (buyer).


Industry Jobs

Cumulus Media is seeking Market Manager for Southeast Coastal Market
Live at the beach, work with the best. Experienced in recruiting top notch people, driving revenue, controlling expenses and collecting your money? If you have what it takes to manage a multi-station cluster rush your resume to

Jon Pinch c/o Cumulus Media
3535 Piedmont Rd.
Building 14, Floor 14,
Atlanta, GA 30305.
[email protected]

More jobs..


Contacts
MANAGEMENT
Publisher, Jim Carnegie
[email protected]
VP/GM, Assoc. Publisher, Ken Lee
[email protected]
Admin. Assistant, April Olson
[email protected]

EDITORIAL
Executive Editor, Jack Messmer
[email protected]
Managing Editor, Dave Seyler
[email protected]
Senior Editor, Carl Marcucci
[email protected]

SALES
Account Executive, June Barnes
[email protected]

Other Links
State Associations
Issue Archives

Media Players

Get Windows Media Player Get Realplayer

Have a news story you'd like to share? [email protected]

Click here to unsubscribe to RBR's daily e-paper

Advertise with RBR | Contact RBR
© 2002 Radio Business Report. All rights reserved.