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Volume 23, Issue 12, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher
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Wednesday Morning January 18th, 2006
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Radio News ®
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 Google jumps into radio
with dMarc buy
Internet giant Google has agreed to acquire dMarc Broadcasting with plans to integrate dMarc's RevenueSuite inventory buying technology into the Google AdWords platform, "creating a new radio ad distribution channel for Google advertisers." The companies put the cost of the deal at 102 million in cash. Google says the acquisition will close in Q1. Current dMarc customers will not experience any interruption in service. dMarc connects advertisers directly to radio stations through its automated advertising platform. The platform simplifies the sales process, scheduling, delivery and reporting of radio advertising, enabling advertisers to more efficiently purchase and track their campaigns. For broadcasters, dMarc's technology automatically schedules and places advertising, helping to increase revenue and decrease the costs associated with processing ads. This may be an 800-lb. Gorilla in the making. Google sees radio as 14,000 candy stores spread out all over the country. This technology makes the buys automated for advertisers. The thinking may be there's no reason to have national sales organizations like Interep or Katz going forward. However, don't most stations have agreements in place with companies like Interep and Katz? It certainly looks like Google will bring the transactional business beyond dMarc's remnant inventory abilities with its AdWorks platform and host of online advertisers. See our AdBiz section for more on that.
 So far, radio seems happy about the move: Said Val Maki, SVP/Market Manager/Emmis LA and Emmis Radio Division VP: "Emmis Radio has signed an agreement for the automated advertising platform by dMarc, which announced earlier today it was being acquired by Google. The dMarc automated advertising platform offers Emmis the opportunity to tap into new revenue on terms that are favorable to all parties. Anytime you can further enable an advertiser to have streamlined access to 96% of the population - a population that is still spending nearly one third of its commercial media usage with radio - that's good for the advertiser. And if it's good for the advertiser, it's good for radio. Through technology, dMarc automated advertising platform allows advertisers easy access and relatively instant measurability, two big benefits to advertisers. The Google announcement to purchase dMarc shows they see the same benefits. The partnership we've formed with dMarc gives Emmis potential access to new revenue through thousands of advertisers on the Google system."
RBR observation: We've said the day and age of electronic media is here. The day and age of transmitting and hitting the audience with a fast, precise message in content presentation is the way it's going to go. And it's the way it is right now. Unfortunately many of the people in the agency world on the creative side do not know how to actually utilize the new technology to reach the consumer. They're still stuck in 1996. They haven't gotten themselves out of that environment. The industry must fully examine, for the betterment of their clients, their creative departments. If they can't understand how to utilize technology in the new world of marketing, they better find people who do. We're practicing what we preach - - RBR, TVBR, MediaMix and our print RBR/TVBR solutions magazine are all electronic (the magazine via Zinio.com and via PDFs) and presented in rich media.
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 Emmis shocker: Barry Mayo exits
Barry Mayo has informed Emmis Communications that he won't renew his contract to manage its New York cluster when it expires the end of next month. He announced his decision to the staff at WRKS/WQHT/WQCD yesterday, with Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan and Emmis Radio President Jeff Smulyan at the NYC office. Mayo will be consulting the Emmis stations and will help the company hire his successor. Smulyan told RBR late yesterday that Mayo did a "remarkable job in New York under challenging circumstances." And Smulyan added, "I am incredibly proud of him and am pleased that he will remain part of the Emmis family. Mayo was hired for the New York post in December 2002 (12/11/02 RBR #111) after Judy Ellis announced her departure - - eventually leading to her current post as COO of Citadel. Long before that he had worked his way up through the ranks to become PD and then manager of WRKS, before Emmis owned it. Mayo was co-founder of Broadcasting Partners Inc., which went public and grew to 11 stations before it was sold to Evergreen Media (now part of Clear Channel) for 243 million in 1995. Since then he has owned his own consulting firm, Mayomedia, and it looks like he's again going to have that as his main occupation after running the Emmis NYC cluster for a little over three years.
Big market winners: Univision, CBS & Clear Channel
Two analysts are out with number crunches of the Fall Arbitron ratings for the three biggest markets. While no group owner was up in all key ratings demos for all three markets, Victor Miller at Bear Stearns thinks the best performers were Univision and CBS, while Marci Ryvicker at Wachovia Securities declared Univision and Clear Channel the champs. Ryvicker applauded Clear Channel for having consistent share increases in the 25-54 demo for all three markets, while Miller said CCU was basically flat in LA and gave CBS more credit for ratings gains in New York and Chicago. Along with agreeing that Univision was a winner (up strongly in LA and Chicago), both also agreed that the loser was Emmis, down in all three markets, along with Radio One, which suffered a significant ratings decline for its only top-three market station, KKBT-FM LA.
 Internet getting regulatory attention
Major broadcasting issues remain to be resolved in Washington, in particular ongoing battles related to the DTV transition and the FCC's anticipated do-over of the 6/2/03 media ownership rulemaking. However, big Internet issues will be competing for the attention of bureaucrats and legislators alike. The Consumer Federation of America's Mark Cooper is already calling for citizens to get involved, particularly over the issue of network neutrality. He's even done a study on it, to be released today, along with commentary from FCC Commissioner Michael Copps. "To inform the debate, leading consumer groups will release the results of a recent national random sample survey of consumer sentiment. The results will show high levels of consumer concern about the potential for discriminatory practices of broadband network owners, and support for legislation ensuring open access to the high-speed Internet. Both houses of Congress are expected to address the issue as they delve into other equally contentious issues, such as the entry of telcos into the video distribution business, with its even more contentious issue of local franchising. Meanwhile, Ted Stevens (R-AK) is set to take up the issue of Internet pornography tomorrow, providing a guaranteed respite from the indecent bashing of broadcast and cable which will take place the same morning (sometimes sharing the spotlight is a good thing).
RBR observation: If anything is going to happen, it'll have to happen relatively quickly - - a fairly unlikely scenario given the complexity of the issues involved. That's because it's going to be very difficult to find a quorum on Capitol Hill this summer - - everyone except for 67 of the senators is going to be working on getting re-elected.
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 FCC lets merger spinner
do the waive
The instant incident before us involves television, but it could equally apply to a radio group, so buckle up and read on. Raycom has its work cut out as a result of its engulfment of the Liberty television station portfolio. Since both groups plied their trade in smaller markets, it was almost inevitable that there would be overlap here and there which wouldn't pass regulatory muster. Raycom had its application for a six-month waiver to market the stations approved. Part of the reason is that Raycom has been aggressively marketing the stations. Further, it entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice under which it will make sure that stations in four markets are operated separately and competitively, and if it fails to spin them by then, the DOJ will be able to force a consent decree under which Raycom will have only 90 more days to complete a deal, after which they will give way to a trustee who will continue to market the station. It's already struck an agreement to sell WWAY-TV in Wilmington NC. It's trying to spin its own WNWO-TV Toledo in order to keep Liberty's WTOL-TV, and has taken 12 bids. It's selling its own WACH-TV in Columbia SC to keep Liberty's WIS-TV, resulting in 14 bids. And in Albany GA, it's spinning its WFXL-TV in order to keep Liberty's WALB-TV and has accepted 11 bids.
RBR observation: See - - the FCC is a completely reasonable entity as long is you are playing things on the up and up, as Raycom clearly is. With a seemingly ample supply of bidders, it looks like the group should be able to recoup some value for its over-the-limit stations.
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Ad Business Report TM
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Death of the rep business as we know it?
Indeed, as we mentioned in Radio News, the deal with Google may be an 800-lb. Gorilla in the making - - Google sees radio as 14,000 candy stores spread out all over the country. The thinking may be there is no reason to have a national sales organization like Interep or Katz. And this can all be automated. Advertisers/agencies may go direct for their buys. You go onto Google, you find WRQX midday. How much can I buy it for? Here's your audience delivery. All automated. So a buyer in NYC wants to make an 18-34 Women buy. Show me all the stations that have a 1 rtg. or better throughout the 300 counties surrounding Washington, DC. However, don't most stations have agreements in place with companies like Interep and Katz for much of their inventory? It certainly looks like Google will bring the transactional business beyond dMarc's remnant inventory abilities with its AdWorks platform and host of online advertisers.
| Read More... |
 Crawford's view on Google/dMarc
Kathy Crawford, MindShare President/Local Broadcast, says she understands why one might think this might curtail the need for the reps, however, "I'm not convinced we're going down an inevitable path today. I think we all have to take a deep breath and say, 'Where are we really going?' Google has jumped into a bunch of things lately. Google does one thing very well. Are they going to do six things very well? This dMarc platform has only been for certain types of inventory for certain types of clients. I had a conversation with them after looking at their site. I said I wanted very specific rating points and dayparts and they couldn't offer it. Based on that, I would call it remnant. They say this software package will eventually allow me to buy exactly the same as I would through a rep. Let's crawl before we walk and find out what this is really is before we pronounce death to the rep." She adds, "This has to be in conjunction with the stations, so the real determiner will be with the sellers, not the buyer. Will they embrace it? What do stations use the rep for? I can tell you they have done a terrific job of supplying the buyer with things we need-for instance they have solved electronic invoicing problems. They have given us buying abilities that we didn't have before. It is quite clear that many people who build software packages who don't understand the business that I'm in and the business that the rep is in, and it takes a very long time for them to actually come up with a product that speaks to our needs. So I'm not so quick to say that it's death to the rep. On the other hand, if this evolves, which it could very easily do, then we're talking another subject. Either way, this is probably a wake-up call to everybody."
Be sure to catch the rest of the story in February RBR/TVBR Solutions Magazine's AdBiz feature on "The new generation of radio revenue specialists." Issued in print and in electronic Digital format.
RBR observation: The radio inventory management space is moving quite quickly and starting to attract new advertisers. Agencies and advertisers have been pushing vendors to get more electronic and accountable for years with some success. While some of these strides have been made from the springboard of remnant inventory, the entire process of buying and selling all inventory is evolving beyond. We're not sure Google/dMarc will change the game completely, but the dam is breaking. Technology waits for no one. The hope is these systems can make it easier and more desirable for new advertisers to buy radio, bringing in more dollars to the medium. Some reps could end up losing their jobs. But as Crawford said, it's really all in the hands of those who own and control the inventory - - the stations themselves. So far, Emmis is praising the deal (see Radio News).
 Trade groups call for
end of invoice notarization
The American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association (BCFM), and the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) called for an end to the practice of notarizing invoices. The trade groups further called on the industry to fully embrace all of the advantages of e-Business, including electronic invoicing and electronic ordering of television time. The practice of notarizing invoices for local television stations dates back to a time when stations were small, invoices were created manually, and the station manager had personal knowledge and responsibility for the contents of invoices. As television broadcasting grew and station operations became increasingly complex, electronic systems have been developed and installed to handle the increase flow of information and business. A notarized signature on an invoice confirms only the authenticity of the signature; it does not validate the content of that document. In most states, according to a survey done by the Broadcast Cable Credit Association (BCCA), a subsidiary of the Broadcast Cable Financial Management Association (BCFM), notarization does not contribute to the validity or legality of the document. With the move toward electronic documents as valid and legal documents in today's business world, any need for notarization has been eliminated. Documents such as invoices that are submitted electronically are valid legal representations and are admissible in court. Notarizing such a document would add nothing to the process and would in fact create expensive and unnecessary delays.
Apollo hits 5K target
Arbitron says its Project Apollo pilot panel is now at full strength - - with more than 5,000 households installed and reporting data for the marketing research test. According to Linda Dupree, Sr. VP of Portable People Meter New Product Development at Arbitron, more than 10,000 individuals are now carrying PPM devices to gather data for Project Apollo, which is a joint project of Arbitron and VNU. Six major advertisers have signed on for the pilot project.
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| Media Markets & Money TM |
Clear Channel spins out of NE Georgia
With a pair of deals, radio giant Clear Channel is sending five stations to companies in which Paul Fink has a major interest. One of the stations, WTUN-FM Ringgold GA, makes inroads into the Chattanooga market. Fink's partnerships are East Tennessee Radio Group, which is getting WTUN-FM, and North Georgia Radio Group, which is getting a four pack of stations in or near Dalton GA. American Media Services, which represented the buyer, said the total tranasction value is 6M. According to FCC documents, 2.15M is allocated to WTUN and 3.85M to the Dalton quartet, which includes WBLJ-AM, WDAL-AM, WYYU-FM and the lone out-of-town station, WQMT-FM, licensed to Chatsworth GA. WTUN-FM will be in a daisychain with the Dalton properties, and will also overlap Fink's WNOO-AM Chattanooga and WOCE-FM Benton TN. An LMA began on Monday.
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| Washington Media Business Report TM |
Witnessing about what
 we see on the Internet
Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Dan Inouye (D-HI) will be convening their Senate Commerce Committee in the morning to discuss indecency with numerous representatives of the broadcast, cable and watchdog community (1/10/06 TVBR #6). Broadcast interests will be in the hands of Bonneville's Bruce Reese, whose second hat is that of the Joint Board Chairman of the NAB. After lunch, broadcasters will find themselves blessedly absent from proceedings entitled "Protecting Children on the Internet."
RBR observation: And how hot will the seats be at the afternoon session? We don't know - - but broadcasters don't have to share the long witness table with the likes of the FBI like the Internet folks...
Witness List
* James H. Burrus, Jr., Deputy Assistant Director, Criminal Investigative Division,
Federal Bureau of Investigation
* Laura Parsky, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, United States Department of Justice
* Dr. James B. Weaver, III, Professor of Communication and Psychology,
Department of Communication, Virginia Tech
* Tim Lordan, Executive Director, Internet Education Foundation
* Tatiana S. Platt, Chief Trust Officer and Senior Vice President, America Online, Inc.
* Paul Cambria, General Counsel, Adult Freedom Foundation
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| Entertainment Media Business Report TM |
 CC Radio launches Spanish net
La Preciosa is the latest launch under Clear Channel Radio's Spanish language initiative, led by Sr. VP of Hispanic Radio Alfredo Alonso. The network featuring Spanish hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s has launched on more than a dozen stations, including KPRC-FM Monterey-Salinas; KSJO-FM San Francisco-San Jose; XOCL-FM San Diego; KSMY-FM Santa Maria; KKDJ-FM Bakersfield; KSPE-FM Santa Barbara; KDIF-FM Riverside; KFSO-FM Fresno; KMRQ-FM Modesto; KIZS-FM Tulsa; KEGL-FM Dallas; KWSL-AM Sioux City; KNFX-AM Rochester; and KWID-FM Las Vegas. As CC Radio announced the formal launch of La Preciosa, it also announced that radio and TV personality Victor Manuel Lujan has been signed as an on-air personality for the new network. In addition to Lujan, the network also features Brand Manager and morning show host Alex Lucas' "El Genio Lucas Show," Rosemar Vega, Pepe Reyes, Jose Valenzuela and Guille Perez.
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| Internet Media Business Report TM |
 There's a Buzz at Nielsen
Measuring a radio or television audience is one thing, but can you measure online buzz? Two companies which try to do just that - - BuzzMetrics and Intelliseek - - have been brought together by VNU and relaunched as Nielsen BuzzMetrics. VNU will own a 50.1% stake in the new venture. The plan is to bring together the advanced technologies and client relationships of Intelliseek, acquired over the past nine years, with the linguistic technologies and client-service expertise of BuzzMetrics. The idea is to give marketers quick feedback from consumer-generated media, including such things as blogs, public message boards and product feedback sites. "The key is understanding all of the factors that influence consumer purchasing, including word-of-mouth dialogue among consumers. Nielsen BuzzMetrics will give VNU a new way to measure and analyze this increasingly powerful force in consumer decision-making," said Steven Schmidt, President and CEO of the VNU Marketing Information group and ACNielsen.
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| Ratings & Research |
 MRC renews Univision.com accreditation
Getting an accreditation renewal from the Media Rating Council may be old hat to Nielsen, Arbitron and others, but it's a big deal in the new media world. Univision Online is trumpeting that not only was Univision.com the first Spanish-language website to win MRC accreditation for its audience and advertising measures back in March 2005, but it has now become the first website - - in any language - - to successfully complete its second year audit. "Univision continues to be committed to the highest standards of media measurement. Univision.com is the first online publisher to renew its MRC Accreditation. Univision.com's successful and comprehensive MRC Accreditation demonstrates Univision Online's leadership in developing and promoting accurate Internet measurement and accountability to advertisers, while continuing to provide the Internet's most innovative cross-platform programming and services," said Javier Saralegui, President, Univision Online.
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| Transactions |
155M KTVD-TV Denver from Twenver Broadcast Inc./Channel 20 TV Co. (Charles F. Gross) to Multimedia Holding Corp., a subsidiary of Gannett Co. Inc. (Douglas H. McCorkindale et al). 20M escrow, balance in cash at closing. Duopoly with KUSA. KTVD-TV is UPN affiliate on Channel 20; KUSA is NBC affiliate on Channel 9. KTVD will enter into Simulcast Services Agreement with seller's KUPN-TV Cheyenne WY-Scottsbluff NE (Sterling CO) under which it will allow KUPN to simulcast portions of KTVD's schedule. [File date 12/27/05.]
N/A KXDC-FM Denver (Estes Park CO) from Superior Broadcasting of Denver LLC (Christopher Devine, Bruce Buzil) to NRC Broadcasting Co., a subsidiary of Anschutz Co. (Timothy Brown). Swap for KSKE-FM Vail CO. Duopoly with KCUV-AM Littleton, KCUV-FM Strasburg & KJAC-FM Tinmnath CO. Calls letters retained by parties (i.e. KXCC-FM letters move to Vail facility, KSKE-FM call letters move to Estes Park facility). NRC has option to LMA Vail station. [File date 12/28/05.]
N/A KSKE-FM Vail CO from NRC Broadcasting Co., a subsidiary of Anschutz Co. (Timothy Brown) to Superior Broadcasting of Denver LLC (Christopher Devine, Bruce Buzil). Swap for KXDC-FM Denver (Estes Park CO). Calls letters retained by parties (i.e. KXCC-FM letters move to Vail facility, KSKE-FM call letters move to Estes Park facility). NRC has option to LMA Vail station. [File date 12/28/05.]
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| Stock Talk |
It's simple: Oil up, stocks down
A rise in oil prices pressured stock prices on Tuesday. The Dow Industrials declined 64 points, or 0.6%, to end at 10,896.
Radio stocks also fell. The Radio Index fell 1.008, or 0.6%, to 179.394. Journal Communications plunged 4.7% after being downgraded by Goldman Sachs. Only two radio stocks were up for the day. SBS gained 1.9% and Entercom rose 0.4%.
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| Radio Stocks |
Here's how stocks fared on Tuesday
| Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
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Arbitron
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ARB
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39.18
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-0.07
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Hearst-Argyle
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HTV
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23.64
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-0.12
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Beasley
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BBGI
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13.80
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-0.17
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Interep
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IREP
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0.39
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unch
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| CBS CI. B |
CBS |
 |
25.06
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-0.42
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Jeff-Pilot
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JP
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57.74
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-0.50
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| CBS CI. A |
CBSa |
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25.09
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-0.44
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Journal Comm.
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JRN
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13.07
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-0.64
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| Citadel |
CDL |
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12.98 |
-0.15 |
Radio One, Cl. A
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ROIA
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10.22
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-0.05
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Clear Channel
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CCU
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31.49
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-0.24
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Radio One, Cl. D
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ROIAK
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10.27
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-0.04
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Cox Radio
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CXR
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14.06
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unch
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Regent
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RGCI
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4.67
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-0.05
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Cumulus
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CMLS
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13.27
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-0.13
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Saga Commun.
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SGA
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9.93
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-0.09
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Disney
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DIS
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25.38
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-0.32
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Salem Comm.
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SALM
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15.73
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-0.17
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Emmis
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EMMS
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17.65
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-0.28
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Sirius Sat. Radio
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SIRI
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6.20
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-0.08
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| Entercom |
ETM
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30.13
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+0.12
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Spanish Bcg.
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SBSA
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5.47
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+0.10
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Entravision
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EVC
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7.06
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-0.08
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Univision
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UVN
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31.45
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-0.14
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Fisher
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FSCI
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42.10
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-0.33
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Westwood One
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WON
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16.03
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-0.03
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Gaylord
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GET
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42.00
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-0.93
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XM Sat. Radio
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XMSR
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28.50
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-0.42
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Bounceback
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 We want to
hear from you.
This is your column, so send your comments and
a photo to [email protected]
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Below the Fold
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Ad Business Report
Death of the rep business
Ad agencies sound off on the Google 800-lb...
Internet Media Business Report
VNU is out to measure buzz
Put together two companies which try to do just that...
Media, Markets & Money
Clear Channel spins out
Of NE Georgia sending five stations to Paul Fink...
Washington Media Business Report
Witnessing about what we see
On the Internet is on tap today and RBR will be there...
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Radio Media Moves
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 New GM
in Miami
Carole Bowen has been promoted to General Manager of Beasley's WKIS-FM "99.9 Kiss Country" Miami. She had been the station's General Sales Manager since 1996.
Reagan renewed
Michael Reagan has signed a three-year renewal with Radio America. "The Michael Reagan Show," which has been in syndication for 13 years, will anchor the 6-9 pm slot for the network through 2008
Michaels to exit
Arbitron's Vice President of PPM Programming Services Bob Michaels has announced that he's leaving the company in March after 17 years. He plans to become a consultant.
SBS gets a CCO
That's Chief Creative Officer, the newly created post for Cynthia Hudson-Fernandez. The Emmy Award-winning TV producer has joined Spanish Broadcasting System to oversee its new TV venture as well as upgrading and rebranding its New Media Unit, including the LaMusica.com bilingual Internet portal.
 Simpson to Bonneville
Bonneville International announced that Sammy Simpson has been named National Promotion Director. He'll also be Marketing Director for its St. Louis radio stations. Simpson most recently handled promotions for Bonneville's Z104 simulcast in Washington, DC, prior to the company's format shakeup in the market.
Net Radio Sales
opens Chicago office,
hires Tom Perry
Now we know where Premiere Radio Networks Chicago Sales office chief bolted to so abruptly (1/9/06 RBR #5): Net Radio Sales appointed Tom Perry to fill a newly created position to head sales for its network of online stations. Tom Perry joins Net Radio Sales as VP/Sales.
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Stations for Sale
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Houston 50 kW AM
New transmitter site
& transmitting equipment
John W. Saunders
(713) 789-4222 or e-mail
[email protected]
Suburban NYC AM
Time Leased, profitable.
Comes w. 14 acre T/studio
site. 1.6M firm.
[email protected] or
lv msg @ 781-848-4201
NYC Prime Radio
Time for Lease
7 days a week available p/t-f/t Business, Foreign language, religious, Health, Infomercials accepted. 212-769-1925 [email protected]
TV & Satellite time also available. Station Inquiries welcome
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More News Headlines
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Beasley renews
Metro in Miami
Westwood One's Metro Networks announced a multi-year renewal agreement with Beasley Broadcast Group for Beasley's Miami radio stations, WPOW-FM, WQAM-AM and WKIS-FM. Metro Networks will continue to provide traffic and news information to the Beasley listening audience, as well as Metro Source, its wire service.
JRN handling "Something You
Should Know"
Jones Radio Networks is now handling affiliate sales for the short-form radio feature "Something You Should Know," which has been in syndication for 27 years. The program, which features interviews with authors and newsmakers, is heard on more than 160 stations. It is hosted by its creator, Mike Carruthers. JMA has handled advertising sales for "Something You Should Know" since 1994.
Emmis renews Speedway deal
In Indianapolis, racing is king. Emmis announced that it has extended its exclusive radio partnership with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for five more years through 2010. That means that WIBC-AM and WLHK-FM will continue to simulcast the Indianapolis 500 and the Allstate 400 and the other stations of Emmis' Indianapolis cluster will continue to spotlight all activities surrounding the two annual auto races. The partnership also includes WIBC's coverage of the United States Grand Prix and all IRL IndyCar Series events.
BIA fund
loaded with cash
BIA Digital partners has closed its second private equity fund to do mezzanine financing in radio, TV, other media and telecommunications. BIA Digital Partners II LP closed on 27 million of commitments and the goal is to raise a total of 150 million, including leverage. Lloyd Sams and Gregg Johnson are serving as managing Principals, with Scott Chappell, Tom Buono and Chuck Wiebe serving as Principals. The fund will make subordinated debt and equity investments of 4-10 million per transaction, up to 25 million with co-investment from its limited partners.
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RBR Radar 2005
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Radio News you won't read any where else. RBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.
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ABC Radio still waiting
for sale decision
Disney CEO Bob Iger had originally promised investors a decision by Thanksgiving whether or now ABC Radio would be sold. We've now also gone past Christmas, New Year's and Martin Luther King Day as well - - still without a decision. But that doesn't mean a sale is less likely, or more likely, to happen.
RBR observation: For months now, the grapevine has been saying that the bidding for ABC Radio is down to two suitors - - Entercom and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (which doesn't seem to have aligned with an operator, but has former Jeff-Pilot radio head Clarke Brown as a consultant). Bidding has apparently gone beyond the 12 times cash flow multiple of Susquehanna Radio. More details see
01/17/06 RBR #11
VNU negotiating with suitor
About a month after announcing that it had received multiple buyout offers, VNU announced that it is negotiating exclusively with one equity buyout consortium which has made a non-binding proposal to buy the company for 28.00-28.50 euros per share. At the top end that's a bit shy of nine billion US bucks. The price range disappointed European investors.
RBR observation: Investors obviously didn't like the bid price. Is that just a starting point? A columnist in the Financial Times suggested that if the group raises its bid to 30 euros it will seal the deal. The fate or outlook is VNU's B2B division with trades of Billboard, Media Week, Hollywood Report will be sold off but the key is whomever the buyer best know something about the broadcast and media business and be prepared for a shock as it is not a license to print cash. The ratings and marketing side could get a face lift and resold or hit the stock market as an independent company but if that is the case and Arbitron as an example who wants to buy an interest in a just ratings company. Hard broker sell to a consumer.
01/17/06 RBR #11
PPM with agencies are
Rock'n & Roll'n
IPG, which announced its agreement to use the PPM service when it becomes available WPP, Publicis Groupe and Aegis have also signed similar intent-to-use agreements with Arbitron. Note the observation from our story last week: "This is a great vote of confidence from IPG. When more agencies make similar proclamations of intent-to-use, the case should become easier to make with broadcasters and Nielsen. Bottom line, agencies want reliable data to make their clients the most ROI.
RBR observation: This will become one of the main marching tunes to down load for '06 - Technology waits for no one. It will be interesting to listen what key ad agency executives have to discuss in coming weeks at the annual 4A's conference, which RBR will be there to give you the full and complete RBR observation. Only words of encouragement - move forward with technology and do not wait for anyone or company for a second or alternative ratings services to displace Arbitron - It will not or can not happen.
01/16/06 RBR #10
IPG signs for PPM
The Interpublic Group (IPG), which represents more than 30% of all of radio's national spot dollars, has committed to using the ratings provided by the PPM to plan and buy radio once Arbitron deploys its electronic measurement service. However, this does not commit Arbitron to a specific timetable for PPM deployment. Jean Pool, EVP/Director of North American Operations, Universal McCann "Wonderful. It's simply better research. And God only knows we are so far behind Europe and much of the rest of the world in the research product that we value our inventory on."
RBR observation: This is a great vote of confidence from IPG. When more agencies make similar proclamations of intent-to-use, the case should become easier to make with broadcasters - - and Nielsen. Bottom line - - agencies want reliable data to make their clients the most ROI. PPM may not be proven as perfect yet, but it's much, much more accurate than diaries.
01/12/06 RBR #8
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