RBR's Daily Morning Epaper

Follow the money trail as 3rd qtr. Conference Calls begin, the Road map to 4th qtr. Help your Staff stay ahead of the game.
Encourage them to Sign Up today for a Trial RBR Read.
Trial Subscription Sign Up

Volume 23, Issue 198, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher

Wednesday Morning October 11th, 2006

Radio News ®

Interep shocker:
George Pine says goodbye
To cut overhead, Interep made an early retirement offer in August to all employees over 50 years of age. The surprise is that the President and COO, George Pine, decided to take the company up on the deal. Interep announced yesterday that Pine was leaving, effective immediately. An executive search firm has been retained and Interep said it hoped to fill the position, either with an internal or external candidate, by the end of this year. "My decision to leave Interep after 33 years was very difficult. I have lived every day at Interep full of passion for the company, our clients, our customers and my co-workers. But I am truly looking forward to taking this next step in my life," said Pine in a statement announcing his exit. "George has been an asset to our company for over 30 years. He led our company at a time of tremendous change within our medium and should be commended for resilience in the face of challenge. George is truly one of the top executives in our industry. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors and are grateful to him for his leadership, dedication and service through the years," said Interep CEO Ralph Guild. During the long time Pine has been at Interep, the company has reconfigured its radio rep firms numerous times and, more recently, moved into television and Internet ad sales. Interep is currently the parent company to the following radio representation firms: ABC Radio Sales, D&R Radio, CBS Radio Sales, Cumulus Major Market Sales, McGavren Guild Radio and SBS/Interep. It is also parent to Azteca America Spot Television Sales and Interep Interactive, including Winstar Interactive.

RBR observation: Another big change is yet to come. Ralph Guild, who is 78 years old, tells RBR/TVBR Publisher Jim Carnegie that the executive search firm will be trying to recruit a President and CEO to run Interep going forward. Yes, if the right person is found, Ralph will relinquish the CEO position and continue only as Chairman of the Board. The times they are a changin'...

Emmis sees current quarter as bottom
Fiscal Q2 results were below even muted expectations for Emmis Communications, but CEO Jeff Smulyan says the current quarter should be the trough, with brighter days ahead as the New York and LA markets rebound. "I think the thing that encourages me most is that there is not only a sign of a rebound for our properties in those markets, but also what we see is the beginning of an uptrend for the radio industry," Smulyan said. And while New York and LA have had tough times, and those markets account for about half of Emmis' revenues, Smulyan said it was actually a pretty good quarter for the other Emmis radio markets and its publishing operation. After seeing radio revenues decline 5.6% in fiscal Q2 (June-August) to 79.1 million, Emmis is projecting that fiscal Q3 (September-November) will be down in the low single digits. Providing details on Q2, new CFO Pat Walsh said local was down 11% for Emmis, while its markets were down 6%. National was down 1% for Emmis stations, while their markets gained 2%. Pressed by analysts for details on when New York and LA will turn positive, Emmis Radio President Rick Cummings said New York is still down double digits for October and November. "I think it will turn around, but I don't know that it is going to turn around this calendar year. I think we're probably talking early next year, he said. Cummings was bullish on newly reformatted KMVN-FM (formerly KZLA) LA, saying it will have cash flow next year equal to what had been projected this year for KZLA and then past the best performance KZLA ever posted in the following year.

RBR observation: Those of us not living in LA may be surprised to learn that putting Rick Dees on KMVN in morning drive is a play for Hispanic females. According to Cummings, Dees is extremely popular with Hispanic women and that is why Emmis put him back on the air in LA.

Emmis bellwether negative for radio
As the first radio group to report results in each quarterly cycle, analysts and investors often look to Emmis for indications of what is to come from other radio companies. The tea leaves they are reading at Emmis don't look good, but what does that mean for the rest of radio? "Emmis' Q2 results and soft Q3 outlook for revenue down low double digits against another low single digit rise in operating expenses sets the tone for the other operators, which are set to report Q3 results in late October/early November. Radio continues to see a challenging environment, with indications that growth and profitability will be pressured into 2007," said Goldman Sachs analyst Mark Wienkes in a note to investors after Emmis issued its numbers. At Bear Stears, though, Victor Miller disagreed with the idea that Emmis was a negative indicator for the rest of radio. "We believe the weakness in Emmis' guidance is related to company specific issues. In addition to weakness in the New York and Los Angeles markets (markets which account for 50% of Emmis' radio revenues), Emmis is facing competitive issues at its urban formatted radio stations in both markets, and recently reformatted its country station in Los Angeles. We do not believe that other radio companies are experiencing the same type of operating weakness," Miller said.

Publisher note: It is always good to see and hear health discussion from Wall Street. Wienkes and Miller agree to disagree as RBR mentions another analyst disagrees with one of RBR readers below. Just does my 57 year old heart good to know all can speak and be heard. RBR always has the room for broadcasters to interact. Comments can be sent to [email protected]

Radio gig sends TV newser packing
The 5PM/7PM news anchor at Detroit's ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV 7 is exiting to pursue other interests. Frank Turner's decision comes after he was barred from pursuing a side gig as a religious radio host and was unable to get immediate relief from the courts. The Scripps-Howard station had enforced a exclusivity clause in Turner's contract to prevent his continuation of a radio show on Crawford Broadcasting's WEXL-AM. Turner explained, "While it is a bittersweet moment to see my tenure at Channel 7 come to an end, I am excited and thrilled to answer my call to ministry which can no longer be resisted or denied. I am, therefore, assuming the leadership of God's Amazing Grace Ministries as a full-time Pastor, Evangelist and Bible teacher." According to reports, Turner's contract was nearing its end, but a joint release from Turner and station executives offered no indication that this was a factor in the decision. A chronology from The Detroit News shows that Turner signed on with WXYZ back in 1998, left following phone sex/drug problems in 1998, joined the Christian faith in earnest in 1999 and came back to the station in 2000.

RBR observation: Their are enough subplots and possible motivations bubbling away here to fuel a Shakespeare play. Since the station and the anchor have come to a mutual decision to part ways, neither side has any particular reason to shed any more light. The bottom line, to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, is this: A contract is a contract is a contract.

How about two Clear Channels?
Bear Stearns analyst Victor Miller is pitching the idea of a total split, with the Clear Channel radio/TV operation taken private under Randall Mays, while Mark Mays heads publicly traded Clear Channel Outdoor. Miller also wants to see over two billion in station sales to take advantage of tax loss carry-overs that expire in four years. No, he is not kidding. Miller sent clients a detailed scenario yesterday spelling out how this could all take place in a three step process which would create value for shareholders. In Miller's view, Clear Channel Communications (CCU), primarily a broadcaster, and Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO), a billboard company, don't really have much in common. CCU controls CCO, but sold 10% to the public in an IPO to create a second stock. But Miller says CCU's stock price hasn't benefited from its CCO holdings, so he wants a complete separation - step one of his three steps. Under his proposal, CCU shareholders would be given the option to exchange CCU shares for CCO shares (with a discount as incentive). Step two is to take full advantage of 1.5 billion in accumulated net capital loss carry-forwards at CCU which expire in just over four years. CCU has already been selling some non-core radio stations and Miller says management has indicated it is working to take full advantage of those expiring tax breaks. He foresees selling 200 million of EBITDA for up to 2.5 billion bucks, which would greatly reduce leverage. At this point the Mays family would own 35 million of the remaining 310 million shares of CCU. Step three would be to re-lever with a 200 million plus share buyback, making it very easy then for the Mays family to buy out the few remaining shareholders with either an equity partner, more borrowing or eventually from FCF. Eventually, then, under Miller's scenario, Mark Mays would run the public billboard company and brother Randall the privately held broadcasting company.

RBR observation: Vic Miller has a habit of giving companies advice they haven't asked for. Sometimes he gets their attention and sometimes he is ignored. CCU is already pursuing step two of his scenario and we expect to see the constant flow of non-core station sales in mostly smaller markets continue until CCU has used up all of that tax benefit. As for the other parts of this scenario, we reserve judgment. Mark Mays has previously noted in Wall Street conference calls that if CCU continues to use its substantial FCF for stock buybacks - which it is likely to do so long as management thinks its stock is undervalued - the company could eventually go private. Before the float gets to zero, though, the family would likely move to speed up the process and buy out remaining shareholders. It is not out of the question.

NRCC carpet bombs America
Almost 8M dollars were committed last Friday by the National Republican Congressional Committee in a one day attempt to sway a number of tight races throughout the nation their way. According to CQ Politics.com, the vast majority of it went not to boost Republican candidates but rather to push down Democrats. Mailings and phone banks accounted for some of the spending, but most of it went into television in the form of "issue ad" placements. CQ itemized the hot spots. Districts receiving both broadcast and mail/phone efforts were: CT2, CT4, FL22, IL6, IN9, KY4, NC11, OH1, OH18, PA6, PA8, PA10 and VA2. Districts getting broadcast only included: AZ5, GA8, IA1, MN6, NM1, NY24, OH15, PA7, VT at large and WI8. Districts limited to a mail/phone banks were: CA11, CA50, CO4 and WA 8. Finally, in TX22, where Tom DeLay is on the ballot but not running, a get-out-the-vote effort was funded on behalf of Republican write-in favorite Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.

Wall Street Media Business Report TM

Fiscal Q2 Conference Call
Smulyan says he is
comfortable being public
Despite calls for him to mount another buyout bid to take Emmis Communications private, CEO Jeff Smulyan insisted in his quarterly conference call that he is "comfortable" with how the process played out, with independent directors rejecting his final offer of 16.80 per share and ultimately agreeing to pay out a four bucks special dividend to all shareholders. "We're comfortable where it landed. We're capable of being a public company. We're capable of being a private company. We're just going to run the company the same way we've always run it for the last almost 26 years," Smulyan said. Fiscal Q2 (June-August) was a tough one for Emmis. Radio net revenues down about 6% to 79.1 million and publishing revenues were flat at 20.8 million. Station operating income fell 16% to 34.4 million. The two remaining TV stations are being counted as discontinued operations, so Emmis did not provide any details on their operations. The company reported that income from discontinued operations, net of tax, was 108 million. Emmis closed three station sales during the quarter.

Executive Comment

Dear Sirs & Mr. Weiss:
In response to Mr. Weiss' letter in today's issue of TVBR (10/10/06 TVBR #197), he seems to miss the overall point and makes a few mistaken assumptions, as it pertains to analysts and also to my circumstances.

1.] Currently, among our CL King radio stock recommendations we have only a single Under Perform rating. Mr. Weiss complained of "...he issues downgrades for every company...". Perhaps he is thinking of another analyst.

2.] I thank Mr. Weiss for being kind enough to worry about my employment when he points out "...but isn't he driving himself out of work if the eventuality is that no one is recommending radio...". Presently, we cover for CL King and its institutional clients two other non-Radio sectors and plan on adding another two non-Radio industries as well. More to the point of the analyst's job is that the public radio groups' average stock price decline YTD is off more than 20% whereas the S&P 500 is up over 8%. Would radio analysts be thought of as helpful and value-added for investors if they had recommended radio stocks over the last nine-plus months? Please be aware Mr. Weiss that analyst clients are investors, as they do not work for the Radio industry. That's the RAB job.
| Read More... |

Jim Boyle
Senior Analyst
CL King & Associates

Ad Business Report TM

Bear Stearns looks at latest RAEL study
Bear Stearns' Victor Miller held a conference call yesterday discussing the Radio Ad Effectiveness Lab's (RAEL) recently-released fourth major study (" Personal Relevance Two: Radio's Receptive Ad Environment") on radio advertising effectiveness. Also present were Jeff Haley, new RAB CEO; Mary Bennett, RAB EVP/Marketing; and Jim Peacock, President, Peacock Research (consultant to RAEL). Much of the presentation included a review from Peacock of the study released late last month.
| Victor Miller then asked a series of valid questions |

RBR observation: A bit of a Catch 22 here. Indeed, radio has a broad spectrum between what is considered the best and worst of ad quality. And yes, creative can really be beefed up to make better creative. The problem is radio is often chosen above television because of its lower cost and higher frequency. Lower cost often means lower quality creative. Many of radio's ad dollars come from advertisers with low budget creative. Bottom line, there is a movement to improve creative - groups like Clear Channel are working on it internally with training and seminars. The key is to improve the creative in-house. If it comes from an agency, it will likely be somewhat impressive (certainly not across the board). We want to keep radio affordable, but enhance the creative process and resources in-house for the low-budget advertisers.

Army to rolls out new slogan, creative
The Army has unveiled its first new slogan in six years. "Army Strong" replaces "An Army of One" in a campaign slated for launch 11/9. The effort, via a two year contract with McCann Worldgroup is the first since the account was wrested from Leo Burnett in December. The ad effort is supposed to tout the benefits and advantages of being a soldier. To prepare, McCann conducted more than 20 focus groups with young people, aspiring recruits and soldiers, Paul Boyce, an Army spokesman, told The Wall Street Journal. The campaign will air on television, radio and online. Print starts in January. The Army spends an estimated 200 million a year on advertising. The contract with McCann includes the possibility of three one-year renewals and could hit 1 billion in ad spending, according to WSJ.

The Original SoupMan
teams with Opie & Anthony
The Original SoupMan, the makers of the Zagat-rated soups of Al Yeganeh, the legendary soup man who inspired the "Soup Episode" on Seinfeld, announced thev've launched a major radio campaign on 92.3 Free FM (WFNY). The campaign will include a four month flight of 60-second, pre-recorded and live reads on Free FM's popular morning drive show with "Opie & Anthony", to promote their soup franchises and retail partners throughout the Metro-NYC area. "We feel O&A and The Original SoupMan brand are a natural fit. Al's soups are all about attitude and the New York City experience - just like Opie and Anthony," said Original SoupMan's SVP/Brand Marketing, Bruce Burke. "Our goal is to expand on Al's tremendous success and popularity and share his magical soups with new soup fans, 365 days a year". The often-controversial radio duo's morning-drive show is currently syndicated in over 20 U.S. markets. Al Yeganeh, founder of the "Soup Kitchen International," located at Eighth Avenue and 55th Street in NYC, has been producing premium, gourmet soups for a loyal following of devotees since 1984. Last year, the company launched an international franchise of The Original SoupMan stores, in major metro areas, regional shopping malls, airports, and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada. There are plans to open 1,000 units over the next seven years. Currently there are 20 locations, with approximately 15 more scheduled to open this fall.

Washington Media Business Report TM

RTNDA, watchdog lock horns over VNRs
The Radio Television News Directors Association has called on the FCC to back off on its investigation of 77 stations concerning their use of unattributed video news releases, citing a chilling effect on dissemination of the news. The Center for Media Democracy has issued a rebuttal questioning what exactly is chilling about sourcing such material. RTNDA's first shot was fired right over CMD's bow. It said, "The letters of inquiry appear to have been prompted by a biased and inaccurate study regarding VNR use." In addition to the "chilling effect" point, RTNDA says that it's not necessary to source a VNR if no consideration changes hands, and that the inquiry is premature as an FCC proceeding studying VNR use is still pending. CMD's Diane Farsetta responded, "TV stations willing to disclose where the video in their newscast comes from should feel no chill at all. As the FCC stated in its April 2005 Public Notice on VNRs, news audiences have the right to know 'who seeks to influence them.'" RTNDA quotes its own Code of Ethics, which state "Professional electronic journalists must clearly disclose the origin of information and label all material provided by outsiders," but argues, "...while it is perfectly permissible for private sector organizations to adopt guidelines for constitutionally protected communications, the First Amendment clearly restricts governmental constraints aimed at the same or similar objectives." CMD also quotes the RTNDA Code of Ethics, preceding it by saying, "No matter how they spin it, every VNR broadcast that we documented is a blatant violation not only of FCC regulations, but also RTNDA's own code of ethics..."

RBR observation: There is nothing inherently wrong with a press release, whether it be disseminated via print, audio, video, the Internet or what have you. However, any good reporter knows that the fact that something was put in a press release does not automatically make it news. Sometimes it is, like when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, or when someone in the public eye issues a statement concerning a specific event. A lot of the time, however, a press release boils down to an attempt from a PR professional to slip what amounts to a free advertisement into the news. This very article is the product of a pair of press releases designed to influence policy-making in Washington. However, instead of letting some outsider write RBR and getting one side of the argument, we are writing our own original material and presenting the arguments of both sides. We will note that we identified both of our sources. Just like RTNDA's Code of Ethics says we should.

Nashville TV tees up TN debate
Landmark Communications' CBS WTVF-TV 5 in Nashville will give the voters of Tennessee an eleventh hour head-to-head confrontation between the two politicians seeking the Senate seat of exiting Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). House of Representatives member Harold Ford (D-TN) will face off with Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker (R) in a 10/28/06 debate co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters and Vanderbilt University. The latter will also supply the venue. Landmark is offering to simulcast the debate to all Tennessee CBS affiliates. Other TV markets include Memphis, Jackson, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Tri-Cities (Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol). Other stations will be free to record video off air.

RBR observation: The greatest public interest calling for broadcasters is to provide critical communications and information dissemination services in times of crisis. But second to that is providing voters with the information they need to make an informed decision when they head to the polls, and we can think of no better way to do this than a head-to-head debate. We know, you hear that from us all the time. But it's true, and it is the best possible ammunition we can provide to our friends on Capitol Hill who constantly have to stave off attempts for free air time for the worst form of political communication: the self-serving, one-sided, misleading political ad.

Media Markets & Money TM

A-oooooooh, Wolf deal in Wolf Point
One good Wolf deserves another, or so it would appear. Wolf Town Wireless is selling the Wolf Point MT radio combo, KVCK AM & FM, to Wolftrax Broadcasting. In humanistic terms, Marvin Presser is selling to Larry Corns and Susan Allmer. The price for the pair, located in the northeast corner of the state miles away from rated territory, is 280K, 260K of which will be paid over time pursuant to a promissory note.

Ratings & Research

Affluent working women
increasing in number
Affluent working women with family incomes of 75,000 or more are growing in number and 94.3% access the Internet during an average month, according to new research by The Media Audit. Among all adults per month usage of the Internet stands at 71.4%. "From 2004 to 2005 affluent working women increased from 8.7% to 9.2% of the 137 million adults in the 80 plus markets we survey," says Bob Jordan, president of International Demographics, Inc. which produces The Media Audit. The Media Audit survey only adults 18 plus. "Affluent working women have also made some rather dramatic changes in their media habits," adds Jordan. "The percentage of working women that spent at least 430 minutes a week on the Internet (heavy users) jumped from 48.6% in 2004 to 50.8% in 2005." From 2004 to 2005 the percent of affluent working women making five or more purchases on the Internet increased from 54.1% to 56.6%. The% making 12 or more purchases in the same years increased from 30.0% to 32.2. Among all adults, just 35.2% have homes valued at more than $200,000. Among affluent working women the percentage is 63.9; 31.0% have homes valued at $400,000 or more. "These are mostly college educated (58.1%) two income (69.0%) families," says Jordan. The 10 markets with the highest percentages of affluent working women are: Washington, DC, 14.7; Southern New Hampshire, 13.0; San Jose, 12.5; Hartford, 12.3; Minneapolis-St Paul, 11.9; Little Rock, 11.7; Omaha-Council Bluffs - 11.7 San Francisco, 11.6; Baltimore, 11.4; and, Madison, 11.3. The markets, says Jordan, must be evaluated individually. "Because a metro area has a very low percentage of affluent working women doesn't mean that community is poor," says Jordan, "it's simply one demographic characteristics of the community." As an example, Jordan pointed out, Daytona Beach which has the lowest percent of affluent working women (3.6%) of the markets surveyed "but is ninth among the 87 markets in percentages (13.9%) of affluent empty nesters with household incomes of 50,000 or more."

Transactions

2M WFNO-AM New Orleans (Norco LA) from WFNO LLC (William M. Metcalf Jr.) to Davidson Media Station WFNO Licensee a subsidiary of Davidson Media Group LLC (Peter Davidson). 100JK escrow, balance in cash at closing. [File date 9/25/06.]

1.5M WDMG-AM, WDMG-FM, WKZZ-FM & WBHB-AM/WRDO-FM Douglas GA (Douglas, Ambrose, Tifton, Fitzgerald GA) from RTG Radio LLC/Black Crow Media of Valdosta LLC (J. Michael Linn, James L. Devis) to Broadcast South LLC (John O. Higgs, Kerry Van Moore). 25k deposit, balance in cash at closing. Includes non-compete. LMA until closing. [File date 9/21/06.]

Stock Talk

Radio stocks lower on Emmis results
Radio stocks were dragged lower on Tuesday as Emmis came up short on its quarterly results and gave soft guidance. The Radio Index fell 0.744, or 0.5%, to 140.428. Emmis fell the most, down 2.1%. Citadel was off 1.4% and Cumulus declined 1.2%.

Meanwhile, the broader market was up slightly. The Dow Industrials set a new record, rising nine points to 11,867. There wasn't really much news, though, to move the market.

Radio Stocks

**Here's how stocks fared on Tuesday**
Company	Symbol	Close		Change	Company	Symbol	Close		Change
Arbitron	ARB		38.22	+0.04	Hearst-Argyle	HTV		23.33	+0.03
Beasley	BBGI		6.85	-0.06	Journal Comm.	JRN		11.35	+0.10
CBS CI. B	CBS		28.37	-0.19	Lincoln Natl.	LNC		63.03	-0.52
CBS CI. A	CBSa		28.40	-0.15	Radio One, Cl. A	ROIA		6.20	+0.02
Citadel	CDL		9.60	-0.14	Radio One, Cl. D	ROIAK		6.19	+0.01
Clear Channel	CCU		30.38	-0.27	Regent	RGCI		3.89	+0.29
Cox Radio	CXR		15.47	-0.16	Saga Commun.	SGA		7.65	+0.03
Cumulus	CMLS		9.74	-0.12	Salem Comm.	SALM		11.11	-0.08
Disney	DIS		31.25	-0.14	Sirius Sat. Radio	SIRI		3.86	-0.01
Emmis	EMMS		11.65	-0.25	Spanish Bcg.	SBSA		4.98	+0.12
Entercom	ETM		25.84	-0.03	Univision	UVN		34.85	+0.03
Entravision	EVC		7.39	unch	Westwood One	WON		7.32	+0.05
Fisher	FSCI		40.51	+0.16	XM Sat. Radio	XMSR		11.74	-0.08
Gaylord	GET		46.35	-0.25	-	-	-	-	-

Bounceback

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

Am I missing something in the story of NABOB this morning? (10/10/06 RBR #197) The association decries the deregulation of radio by telling us that the 1996 act led to fewer radio station owned by black Americans. Were these stations confiscated or were they sold by the black Americans who owned them? While I am no fan of further deregulation and agree that the 1996 act was a negative influence and not a positive one for the industry as a whole I would suggest that minorities were not the only ones affected. I too have fewer stations today because I chose to sell the stations that I owned to buyers who apparently wanted them more than I did. It appears from the NABOB story that some minority owners chose the same route. Had they not sold their stations then the number of minority owners would be unchanged. To quote a learned philosopher, "heal thyself."

Tom Joyner
President
Joyner Radio, Inc.

Below the Fold

Executive Comment
Response to Mr. Weiss'
He seems to miss the overall point...

Ad Business Report
Latest RAEL study
Bear Stearns takes a look...

Media Markets & Money
A-oooooooh, Wolf deal
In Wolf Point...

Ratings & Research
Affluent working women
Increasing in number...

Stations for Sale

Central Coast
FM Rated Market
Power Increase Approved.
Asking $1.5M
Call Brett Miller @ 805.237-0952
www.mchentinc.com

WANTED! FM CP's
(commercial or noncommercial)
John W. Saunders, Media Broker
713.789.4222
[email protected]

Radio Media Moves

Promotions
at Beasley
Danny Highsmith, Market Manager for Beasley Broadcast Group in Fayetteville, NC since 2001, has been promoted to the newly created position of Regional Vice President. As Regional VP, Highsmith will continue to serve on several Fayetteville community boards, work on recruitment programs with area colleges, assist with projects on the corporate level as necessary and assume the seat on the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters now held by VP of Operations Brian Beasley. Succeeding Highsmith as Market Manager in Fayetteville is Mac Edwards, formerly VP of Operations for the market.

Salem shuffles GMs
M. Susan Lucchesi, formerly GM of the Cumulus cluster in Lake Charles, LA, is joining Salem Communications as GM of its New York duo, WMCA-AM and WWDJ-AM, effective November 1st. She succeeds Dave Armstrong, who is returning to California to be GM of Salem's KPRZ-AM and KCBQ-AM.

New board member
The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) has added Joseph Ahern to its board of directors. Ahern is President and General Manager of WBBM-TV (Ch. 2), the CBS O&O in Chicago.

More News Headlines

WIBC anchor dies
after telling his story
WIBC-AM Indianapolis anchor/reporter Curt Miller died Monday at age 52, nearly 10 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Miller shared his cancer battle with listeners, conducting a series of interviews with WIBC News Director Sharon Alseth about his cancer, his faith and preparing for death, all of which are still available for downloading on the Emmis station's website.

Correction: Freedom
of Speech week
We wrote Monday 10/9/06 that Freedom of Speech Week was in progress. In fact, it runs from 10/16/06 to 10/20/06, better known as next week. The NAB Education Foundation has PSAs available for radio and television stations to mark the occasion, along with suggestions on how to get the most out of them. "Freedom of speech is fundamental to American democracy and a gift from our Founding Fathers," said NAB President/CEO David K. Rehr. "NAB is proud to sponsor this annual campaign and urges local stations to air these PSAs."

September RBR/TVBR
Digital Magazine

In September's RBR/TVBR Solutions Magazine:
Executive Comment: What are three things top radio execs say should be done to be competitive in this new media environment?

AdBiz: Our annual network radio upfront special: In this two-parter, we ask top media agency buyers and network radio sellers for their take on the 2007 network radio upfront, along with the big issues driving the dollars. Also, EMCI's Jay Coleman on taking WFNX-FM Boston commercial free for weeks this summer, with Snapple as sole sponsor.

Media Markets and Money: How good is the financing market right now for broadcast transactions?

OneonOne:
CBS Radio CEO Joel Hollander

News/Talk:
Fox News' Shepard Smith

Read RBR/TVBR in 2 simple steps:
1.Create a simple account with Zinio and download the Zinio Reader.
2. You can then download the
September Issue of RBR/TVBR

RBR Radar 2006

Radio News you won't read any where else. RBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.

Internet advertising
continuing to gain
The Interactive Advertising Bureau, along with Price Waterhouse, is claiming 7.9B in first half revenues, over half of which it pulled in during Q2. The Q2 total of 4.1B was a 5.5% pick-up over Q1, and the medium is 37% ahead of where it was at the halfway point of 2005.

RBR observation: All hot new ad categories follow the same arc. They can't help it. If it is a viable medium at all, its early growth is exponential as income has minimal comps in prior measuring periods to deal with. If it is a viable medium, its bottom line will continue to grow even as the once-gaudy comparison percentages start to level off. However, online is likely to face the same problem facing all media at this point: The increasing difficulty of getting the attention of a large audience in an increasingly fragmented world. Now the real work for all begins.

Publisher note: This year we have witnessed a number of companies buying just for the sake of buying. But experience says 2007 the playing field will be level because the buyers will now have to figure out how to manage their purchases. Key for 2007 Content Is King and Brand Recognition Queen with Technology and Presentation the Ace up the sleeve. Got it then you Win.
10/10/06 RBR #197

VNU wants all of NetRatings
New CEO David Calhoun is moving quickly to put his stamp on VNU. The latest major step is to make a bid to buy out the public shareholders of NetRatings and make the Internet ratings company, now owned 60.5% by VNU, a wholly owned subsidiary. VNU also noted that it is not interested in selling any of its stake - only buying out the other shareholders, so there will be no auction of the company. NetRatings acknowledged that it had received the offer and was calling a special meeting of its board to decide what course to take.

RBR observation: As yet there is no indication of any dramatic course change by VNU since Calhoun came aboard. The purchase of R&R for 18.5 million was already underway before he was named to the top job, so his first significant move - and one which had already been widely expected - was to put the European computer magazine operation up for sale. VNU also did a little housekeeping last month, agreeing to sell its 34.3% stake in Solucient, an information products company in the healthcare industry, to its partner, Thomson Corporation. We wait to see if Calhoun has any Really Big Plays up his Sleeve.
10/10/06 RBR #197

XM reports terrestrial repeater violations to Commission
XM has explained to the FCC in a filing that several of its terrestrial repeaters were operating at power levels over their authorized power but is asking for time to fix the problem.

RBR observation: Funny how it took so long to admit. Whitney Radio President Bill O'Shaughnessy years ago pounded the drums on this issue for all the trade press-and NAB-to hear: The repeaters were being operated illegally all over the place in his territory of Westchester County, NY as well as plenty of other areas. Good news is they've admitted to the problem and are asking for time to fix it. Yet another problem XM will have to throw money at.
10/09/06 RBR #196

NBA Minute

Marketing Director
WFAN is looking for an experienced Marketing Director. Experience in NY Metro area a plus. CBS owned station and is an EOE.
See Radio Careers

Local Sales Manager
KPLX 99.5 The WOLF, Texas Country in Dallas. Minimum 3 years large market Sales/Management, NTR, Interactive Media experience. Cumulus Radio Dallas is EOE.
See Radio Careers

Talk Radio Network
First: Executive Producer on topical subjects, Second: Board Operator with 2 years experience and Third: Staff Engineer. EOE. For complete details on all three positions
See Radio Careers

Editorial & Sales Reps
Working for a print trade with no growth? RBR and TVBR looking for experienced pro's. Capitalize on your experience, contacts, relationships, and secure your future growth. NO Relocation necessary. Contact Jim Carnegie in confidence at [email protected]

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--Period.

Other Links

State Associations

Contact Us

Help Desk

__FIRST__ __SECOND__ :
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