In Saturday's issue of RBR/TVBR's Weekend Report, we look at:
1) More battleground districts to watch in 2010;
2) While in-store sales decline, multichannel sales grow;
3) What mystery car shoppers can tell us about sales success; and
4) More lessons for making money from news web content

Arbitron claims lead in identifying CPOs
That's cell-phone-only households. Arbitron announced that, for the first time, it has compiled population estimates for CPO households down to the local market level. "We believe Arbitron is the first market researcher to track market-level cell-phone-only penetration," said Bob Henrick, Executive Vice President Customer Solutions at Arbitron. Click the headline to see Arbitron's US map showing the degree of CPO penetration in each rated market.

Three more lawmakers oppose performance fees
The NAB is still a long way from amassing a majority in the Senate, but the count is now 20 for co-sponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act, which opposes imposition of any performance royalty payments to record labels and artists. The majority support for the House version has also grown again.

RBR observation: Little by little the list grows. The problem is that the RIAA will be back each session of Congress to try again to push through performance royalties. They thought 2009 was going to be the year they got the legislation through, with a Democratic Congress and President. What they hadn't counted on was African-American radio station owners stepping to the forefront of the fight. Hopefully this year will be the high-water mark for RIAA, but don't count on them giving up.

Two charged in radio scam
Two people living in the Buffalo, New York area have been charged with diverting money to themselves that they were supposed to use to establish a radio station in Iraq. They're now facing possible prison sentences for defrauding a United Nations agency.

Wide Orbit to buy Google Radio
Well, the rumors everyone has been hearing are pretty much true: Revenue Management systems provider Wide Orbit has all but purchased Google Radio Automation, after a lengthy due diligence process that began not long after Google made the announcement to drop the radio division in February. There were other suitors that kicked the tires, of course, but Wide Orbit emerged as the buyer. From an RBR source that received the following email from Google Radio:

Ideas Working Now ™
Richmond's New Rock Alternative moving to 100.9
-- by Dennis L Sloatman, Market Director of Engineering
WDYL is Richmond's rock alternative with true personality programming. WDYL operated as a "Class A" facility licensed to Chester, Virginia and had been operating at 101.1 MHz from a tower on the south side of Richmond. Cox set out to improve the facility in order to better serve the Richmond area but as is often the case, several obstacles prevented an immediate upgrade solution.

77 WABC Knows That Real Estate
Brings New Ad Buyers
Advertisement - July 17th: 25% of 25-54's plan on buying or selling real estate in the next 12 months. Real Estate Today is the national two-hour show, now on WABC New York, that will help you build weekend revenue. Read more>>

Winn-Dixie rebrands 51 stores with campaign
Winn-Dixie Stores has completed remodels and upgrades on 51 of its Winn-Dixie stores in the Jacksonville area. To mark this achievement, the Jacksonville-based grocer is launching a new brand position: "Fresh Checked Every Day." The multimedia campaign that accompanies the new brand positioning features television, radio, outdoor and a specially created microsite.

Radio station price drops in San Francisco
Back in 2004 Flying Bear Media bought what's now KNGY-FM for $33.7 million, which seemed like a pretty normal price at the time. It's now being sold to Ed Stolz for $6.5 million.

RBR observation: It seems some of the private equity investors are prepared to take their lumps and move on. That's good news for bargain shoppers like Stolz. The problem is, there aren't a lot of would-be buyers who have the financial resources he has to take advantage of this buyers market.

TRANSACTIONS
$100K KCLS-FM Pioche NV from College Creek Media LLC (Christopher F. Devine) to Canyon Media Group LLC (M. Kent Frandsen, Patricia A. Frandsen). Cash. [FCC file date 6/18/09]

$15K WYBN-LP Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY (Cobleskill NY) from Adullam Gospel Church (Richard Smith) to Cable Ad Net New York Inc. (Daniel F. Viles Jr.) $500 escrow, $4.5K cash at closing, $7.5K note, $7.5K credit for us of "buyer's TV advertising pool" for two years to advertise church. [FCC file date 6/18/09]

Pandora raises new funds
CNet reports shortly after announcing a favorable new royalty payment deal with the music industry, the Internet music-streaming start-up Pandora confirmed it has raised new funding from Greylock Partners. The size of the round is $35 million, according to a Friday report at PE Hub, a forum for private equity discussion. Pandora confirmed that Greylock Partners led the investment and said David Sze from the venture capital firm has joined its board.

Cox finds buyers for two newspapers
Cox Enterprises announced deals to sell two of the newspapers it put up for sale nearly a year ago. Prices weren't announced, but the latest papers to find buyers are the Waco (TX) Tribune-Herald and The Daily Sentinel in Grand Junction, CO.

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Only On RBR.com
Richmond's New Rock Alternative moving to 100.9
Cox set out to improve the facility in order to better serve the Richmond

Ad Business Report
Winn-Dixie rebrands
51 stores with campaign

Media, Markets & Money
Radio station price
Drops in San Francisco, private equity investors are prepared to take their lumps

Audio Business Report
Pandora raises new funds
The size of the round is $35 million

Your Online Community Boards now live at RBR.com
Voice your opinions, share information and ask questions of fellow broadcasters on the new RBR/TVBR Community Forums. Get interactive today - Go HERE to register and participate. Everyone is invited to speak out and mix it up and share in the voice.

Nielsen bragging
about sample size
Says the sample sizes for its "sticker diary" radio ratings service in 51 markets averaged 39% above target for 12+. And, it claims, "Sample sizes were particularly high among 18-24 and 25-34 year olds.
07/16/09 RBR #136

RAB suspends Radio
2020 participation
What can we say? Dues are down for RAB, they are cutting everywhere possible. They recently announced plans to attach their own 2010 conference to the NAB Radio Show. It seems there may not be much left of The RAB if the radio industry doesn't start improving soon.
07/16/09 RBR #136

Extend your life
What is one of the biggest problems currently facing media sellers, buyers, and planners? I think most would agree it is that as digital media grows, people stuck in traditional media are becoming less relevant and indeed run the risk of being expendable. More at RBR.com and learn from it.
07/16/09 RBR #136

Broadcasters outgunned
on Capitol Hill
Members of the Fox Television Affiliates Association are hoping to get some rule changes put in place that would put some restraints on the pricing power of cable programmers.
07/16/09 RBR #136

Morris gets forbearance
on top of forbearance
Morris Publishing Group says its bond holders have agreed once again to extend the deadline for a $9.7 million interest payment
07/16/09 RBR #136

Hispanic consumers weather economic storm differently
New information from market research firm Mintel shows US Hispanics skirting some of the major lifestyle shifts being endured by non-Hispanics. Details at RBR.com
07/16/09 RBR #136

Clear sailing for
FCC nominees
We particularly liked Clyburn's willingness to give straight answers to most of the questions. We hope that becoming part of the Washington scene won't curb that inclination.
07/16/09 RBR #136