We want to
hear from you.
This is your column, so send your comments and
a photo to [email protected]

"Much ado about nothing" was immortalized by William Shakespeare but it seems a host of public servants inside the DC Beltway have 'nothing' better to do than challenge Will's claim to fame.

Properly preparing most Americans for the February 2009 analog cut-off of their favorite television broadcasts should be as easy as the time-honored techniques of local editorials and locally-produced programming. Be it a station general manager or top news anchor, their market presence can carry credibility in assuring viewers, through strategically plotted editorials, that remedies are readily available to convert them from analog to digital distribution. They can promote half-hour programs aired conveniently and repeatedly that walk viewers step-by-step through the options available for a smooth conversion. After all, what institution other than the local station "brand" has more clout and vested interest in helping viewers across the threshold? Can any national initiative offer the grass roots capabilities WAAA or KBBB can muster with minimal effort? Is it naive to believe many local television stations are planning creative campaigns to not only keep current viewers but woo new ones with innovative digital services?

Or, as Will put it in All's Well That Ends Well, "our remedies oft in ourselves do lie."

Thomas VanBenschoten
VP Broadcast Station Services
Telecorps Leasing powered by Wexler Video

Market your Stations For Sale
in our daily epapers.

Contact
June Barnes
[email protected]

Del Core joins BMP
Border Media Partners announced that Jerry Del Core has been named Vice President/Market Manager for its seven-station Austin, TX cluster. With more than 20 years of broadcasting experience in radio and television, Del Core worked for the past seven years as Regional Vice President and Market Manager for Clear Channel in Atlanta, GA and Sacramento, CA.

Tierney switches coasts
Mike Tierney has been named Assistant Program Director and Music Director of CBS Radio's "92.3 K-Rock" WXRK-FM New York. Tierney has most recently been PD of sister station KUFO-FM Portland, OR and has had a long and varied career in radio and records including stints as Sr. VP of Epic Records, VP of music programming for VH1, label manager of ATO Records, and at radio stations KUBE-FM and KPLZ-FM in Seattle. Tierney started at WQHT-FM New York, where he worked alongside current K-Rock PD Tracy Cloherty.

Vacancy in Philly
Veteran PD Chris Conley has resigned from WBEB-FM Philadelphia to start his own consultancy, with WBEB as his first client.

Bob Sievers dead at 90
For nearly 50 years, Bob Sievers was the host of "The Little Red Barn" morning show on WOWO-AM Ft. Wayne, IN, a 50kw flamethrower with an audience spread across the Midwestern and Eastern US. He retired from daily work in 1987, but remained a legend in the market. Online tributes are piling up at the WOWO website, following Sievers' death Monday at age 90.

Brothel now advertising on billboards in Vegas
KVBC.com reports that the Chicken Ranch, a well-known brothel in Pahrump, NV, began advertising its services on a mobile billboard. Billboards advertising brothels are now legal in Clark County. That's because a federal judge struck down a state law that once prohibited the racy ads. Some supporters say the r ad has been done tastefully, considering the sensitive nature of the message. Others told the TV station the ads are too suggestive and harmful for young minds. The Chicken Ranch says it wants to identify itself as a safe, legal, licensed brothel and not shove explicit photos in your face, said the report.

GMA adds 3rd hour...but not on TV
As the battle for morning dominance continues, ABC has countered NBC's launch next week of a 4th hour of "Today" (8/15/07 TVBR #159) with a 3rd hour of "Good Morning America." The additional hour launched yesterday, with Chris Cuomo as lead anchor. But there will be no broadcast. The additional hour will be available only from ABC News NOW, the network's broadband, mobile and cable network. In addition to extended and additional interviews from GMA, the new hour of fresh content, dubbed "Good Morning America NOW," will feature segments from GMA's" XM Satellite Radio show that launched in 2005, something Cuomo says will add more spontaneity to the program. Viewers will also be encouraged to send in their own videos commenting on stories and those "Talk Back" segments will be an integral part of GMA NOW. Jessica Stedman Guff is the executive producer of ABC News NOW and teams up with GMA NOW senior executive producer Jim Murphy and executive producer Tom Cibrowski to launch the new 3rd hour online.

Regent and Riley continue sparing
Riley Investment Management has continued to buy stock in Regent Communications, even as it battles in two courts to try to force Regent to hold a special shareholders meeting at which Riley hopes to place its own representatives on the board of directors.

RBR observation: The dissident shareholders had demanded that a special shareholders meeting be held on September 3rd. That deadline has now passed without any such meeting. It now appears to be up to the courts whether there will be such a meeting - and when. (There are more details in RBR)
09/04/07 RBR #172

Newspaper advertising
down again in Q2
Total ad expenditures at newspaper companies were 11.3 billion for Q2, an 8.6% decrease from the same period a year earlier, according to preliminary estimates from the Newspaper Association of America (NAA). Spending for print ads in newspapers totaled 10.5 billion, down 10.2%. Ad expenditures for newspaper Web sites, however, increased by 19.3% to 796 million in the second quarter versus the same period a year ago.

RBR observation: Newspaper ad revenues were down 8.6% in Q2, but the NAA headlined its release with ads for newspaper websites being up 19%. Online is the growth area, but still not able to overcome the sharp decline for the larger traditional business.
09/04/07 RBR #172

AM auction set for
Arbitron market #1
The FCC has set a window of October 1-5 for applicants to file for a new AM station in the New York market, specifically for Rockland County at 1700 kHz in the expanded AM band. The filing window is the result of a successful effort by Alexander Broadcasting, licensee of WRCR-AM Spring Valley, NY, to get the FCC freeze on expanded band applications thawed slightly to allow for this one AM auction. Alexander wants to move WRCR from its current 1300 position, with only 500 watts day/83 watts night, to the proposed 10kw day/1kw night on 1700. That, of course, would give it pretty good coverage of the New York Metro, while its signal now is limited to the far suburbs.

RBR observation: It was just a little over a year ago that we reported the success of Alexander Broadcasting in getting the FCC to grant an exception to the freeze. It took support from lots of folks with political clout to push the exception through, after it was first turned down by the Commission. Now it has taken another 12 months just to get to the point of scheduling the auction. The wheels turn slowly, but at least they are turning.
08/31/07 RBR #171

Morning shows
accused of liberal bias
The right-leaning Media Research Center (MRC) is out with a report complaining that the morning news shows on NBC, ABC and CBS devote far more coverage to Democratic candidates for President than to the Republicans. Is it bias, a "liberal agenda" or just following the news? MRC charged. "Our results show pure partisanship on the part of ABC, CBS and NBC. Not only are the network morning shows over whelmingly focused on Democrats, they are actively promoting the Democrats' liberal agenda." declared MRC President L. Brent Bozell III. The networks deny any bias.

TVBR observation: This is the first time since the introduction of television that we have had a US presidential election without either a sitting President or his Vice President in the running, creating a real horse race in both major parties. Let's face it, there is more drama in the Democratic race at this point. That will change once the nominees are selected and it becomes a two-person competition for the White House.
08/31/07 TVBR #171

XM director puts his
money on the line
Jeffrey Zients, who has served on the board of directors at XM Satellite Radio since May 2006, has demonstrated his confidence in the company’s future, buying 270,000 shares of stock.

RBR observation: Unless XM and Sirius are lucky enough to draw Judge Paul Friedman, if and when the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division files suit to block an XM-Sirius merger, getting the same outcome is a long-shot. Friedman’s decision in the organic grocery merger is at odds with decades of antitrust law precedents and is likely to be overturned on appeal. An off-beat ruling by a single judge isn’t going to change how they look at antitrust cases.
08/30/07 RBR #170

Clear Channel sues over disintegrating deal
Clear Channel has now sued in a Texas state court to try to hold American Securities Capital Partners (ASCP) to its 452.1 million bucks deal to buy 187 radio stations. ASCP has fired back with its own lawsuit filed in a New York state court, so look for lots of legal wrangling ahead.

RBR observation: With this deal now in doubt Mark and Randall Mays could have avoided all of this divestiture drama, of course, if they had accepted a preemptive bid from former Clear Channel Radio CEO Randy Michaels for the entire block of stations. You may have read elsewhere that he and Oak Hill Capital Partners offered around 800 million. We have it on good authority, though, that the actual bid was over 900 million, but that the Mayses held out for 1.1 billion. When all is said and done, will Clear Channel now even come close to that mark?
08/29/07 RBR #169

HD Radio rules take effect
The FCC's HD radio rules are to take effect September 14, 2007. Subject to the limitations noted below, AM stations will be able to broadcast HD at night and FM stations can operate HD2 and HD3 streams without a need for special authorization. At this point, HD radio remains a "hybrid" IBOC (in-band, on-channel) system that permits the transmission of both analog and digital signals within the spectrum occupied by a single AM or FM channel. Among the benefits..

New Listing
General Sales Manager
One of America's Legendary CHR stations, KDWB, looking for a world class GSM to lead a talented sales team! We have 5 questions for our next GSM to answer. If you can say Yes to some or all then lets talk. A college degree is preferred with two years related experience and/or training, or equivalent combination of education/experience. Clear Channel's KDWB, EEO - Hey, it doesn't get any better than this. Complete requirements and where to apply See Radio Careers

Hard finding that key person
to fill the important position at your organization? Media HeadHunters is the place that key media firms use to get results. See Media HeadHunters and get results with service.

State Associations
Contact Us
Advertising Opportunities
Submit a news story

__EMAIL__ :
Having problems with our epapers?
Please send Questions/Concerns to:
[email protected]

If you wish to remove your name completely from our database use this link __UNSUB__

RBR Epaper -- 108 annual
or just 9 a month