Clear Channel turns in respectable Q3

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Clear ChannelThe slowly recovering economy and lack of political income has been dampening Q3 results at most media companies this year, but radio giant Clear Channel was able to dip into the black inkwell when recording its results.


Revenues increased to $1.6B, with a 3% rise credited to the Media & Entertainment side while Outdoor lost 1%. OIBDAN came home at $442M, including a 5% gain for M&E and a 5% loss for Outdoor.

Chairman/CEO went on at length about the company’s performance and plans for the immediate future.

“Strategically and financially,” he said, “our third quarter results reflect the growing strength of our Media + Entertainment business, while we continue to make meaningful progress in moving Outdoor forward internationally and in the Americas. At Media+Entertainment, we outperformed the entire radio sector in revenue growth, including in our major markets. Increasingly, our radio business is benefiting from our strategic approach to advertising that sets us apart in the marketplace.”

Pittman continued, “Thanks to our integrated media assets and unmatched reach, we can develop custom multi-platform market solutions that nobody else can,” Pittman added. “This year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival generated unmatched benefits for our advertising partners across multiple platforms – including live broadcasts over our radio stations nationwide, live streaming on Yahoo!, exciting outdoor promotions, a two-night primetime TV special on The CW Network and record-breaking listener engagement across all social media platforms. So our investment in building our national advertising platform pays off nationally and has benefits locally as well.”

He concluded, “Radio was the first true mobile and social medium, and we continue to see radio’s powerful social impact as mobile emerges as the most important platform for interacting with consumers,” Pittman concluded. “Audio and social media are two of the most critical pillars of mobile, and we saw this firsthand when the 2013 iHeartRadio Music Festival generated 2.3 billion social impressions, doubling the 2012 total and even surpassing the social media buzz from the 2013 Super Bowl halftime show. Looking ahead, we will stay focused on creating one-of-a-kind marketing campaigns – like our recent launches of albums for Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Paul McCartney, and our innovative programs with Warner Music Group artists to break new music and market established artists – while also accelerating the pace of our outdoor digital investments. Combining our broadcast radio reach of 243 million monthly listeners with outdoor’s unskippable brand messages, digital’s developing platforms and our fast-expanding events business also allows us to take full advantage of the out-of-home trend worldwide.”