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Volume 22, Issue 203, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher
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Monday Morning October 17th, 2005
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Radio News®
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 CC Outdoor IPO
set to go at 350M
That price tag could still change, but that's the number Clear Channel is sticking with in its latest filing at the SEC for the IPO of 10% of its billboard company. Clear Channel Outdoor will trade on the NYSE with the symbol "CCO." The IPO update filed Friday is part of the restructuring of Clear Channel Communications announced at the end of April (5/2/05 RBR #86), with the other big move being the complete spin-off of Clear Channel Entertainment into an independent company. There wasn't much new in Friday's filing from the first filing made in August (8/11/05 RBR #157), but we now know who's going to be picking up fees on Wall Street for shepherding the IPO to completion. Goldman Sachs is global coordinator and sr. bookrunner. Joint bookrunners are Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch, UBS, Bank of America Securities, Bear Stearns, CSFB, Allen & Co., Barrington Research, Harris Nesbitt, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and Wachovia Securities.
RBR observation: A slice of the pie for everyone. Might we suggest that SunTrust Robinson Humphrey consider using a portion of its fees from this IPO to again assign an analyst to coverage of the radio/outdoor sector?
 Infinity update: research and Stern
An industry source tells RBR Infinity is in the midst of replacing the three "corporate research" folks that were let go (10/12 RBR #200)--Tony Jarvis, EVP/Research; Cindy Rosenblum, Research Director/Programming and Marketing; and Pixie Seth, Research Analyst. Some broadcast trades singled the move as a very bad day for the radio medium and that the entire research department had been shuttered. Said the source: "We are going to be replacing all three of them soon. We are very much dedicated to research here and continue with Roy Shapiro leading that mission. He's been deeply involved with Arbitron issues and is our main point man on the PPM. The reports got much of that issue wrong-we don't even have a standalone corporate research department for starters." In addition: "All of the official announcements about Stern replacements will come mid-November. There are a lot more people involved than anyone knows."
RBR observation: There is no Mr. Smile face you can put on the cutting of the research executives and with saying we will be replacing them soon. Retired Roy Shapiro is a top line broadcaster and has seen it all going back to his days at Westinghouse Broadcasting then renamed Group W Radio and Group W Radio Rep firm and all know the end to the story - Westinghouse sold out. As for Shapiro he has seen all forms of audience measurement over the last 30 some years and if he is giving 100 percent to improve Infinity's research department we say good. But the man is retired and early this year RBR spoke with Mr. Shapiro at the RAB and he was enjoying retirement.
On Stern - face it there is only one Stern and we doubt there could be any one talent or talents who could replace him as a whole. It might be a prudent move to develop local talent to fit the market and build with the markets over time. Developing a local morning program that will build the rest of each stations day parts instead of an entire station's ratings and revenues are hooked to just one person like Stern. Those days are gone and so is the revenue.
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Draft bill pegs DTV-Day during spring 2009
The Senate Commerce Committee will mark-up a bill Wednesday 10/19/05 which will establish 4/7/09 as the hard date for broadcasters to return analog spectrum to the government. Much of that spectrum will go into an auction which will have to bring in no less than 4.81B for the US Treasury. The auction, which will attract telecom companies looking to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime gold rush for a beachfront segment of the aural spectrum, is expected to fetch more along the lines of 10B when the final gavel stroke is sounded. The Associated Press, reporting on Microsoft honcho Bill Gates urging for a transition speed-up, said that number could go as high as 30B. Getting spectrum to emergency first-responders is also a priority, and is perhaps even more politically charged in the wake of the recent double-hurricane hit on the Gulf Coast states. The mark-up is expected to earmark some of the auction proceeds to subsidies for set-top digital-to-analog down converters for the mostly poorer households which do not receive MVPD service and cannot afford digital off-air receivers. It is also expected to duck, for now, sticky details of the DTV conversion, most particularly the thorny issue of whether or not to mandate multicast must-carry, and whether or not to attach stronger public interest requirements along with multicast.
RBR observation: This date should not come as a surprise to anyone. Commerce Committee chair Ted Stevens (R-AK) has said that December 31/January 1 changeover days are structurally unsound for an issue of this magnitude, if only because everybody in Congress in out of town - - meaning it would be extremely difficult to deal with any last-minute snags requiring congressional intervention. Some may argue to move the date forward a year or two, but Stevens has urged patience. On the one hand, first responders need time themselves to take advantage of the new spectrum, and on the other, speeding up the auction could actually decrease the government's take. However, do not look for anybody on either side of the aisle calling for further delay.
 MTV buys IFILM
MTV Networks has paid 49 million to buy IFILM, the biggest online collection of short form entertainment video including user submissions and Hollywood trailers. IFILM.com delivers more than 30 million streams to 10 million users per month. IFILM is one of the top 10 streaming media sites in the world. Delivering video online profitably with ad dollars and subscriptions is now within reach due to increased broadband penetration and improved rich media formats. But it's been held up by slow-moving negotiations for studio content. "IFILM has been a major catalyst of online viral video and allows consumers to become publishers," said Judy McGrath, CEO of MTV Networks. "With IFILM's strong business profile and growing traffic, we see significant opportunities for us to increase our online advertising revenue." Seven-year-old IFILM will continue to be run by CEO Blair Harrison.
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CA issue ads crowding out regular media buyers
The supposed windfall of political advertising cash is a double-edged sword for broadcasters. Cash is cash, but the timing is concentrated, and the presence of a hot ballot can put the squeeze on the regular clients upon whom broadcasters rely year-round and year-in, year-out. Such is the case in California right now. According to Adweek.com, an astounding 200M has already been pumped into advertising trying to motivate voters in what is expected to be a low-turnout referendum on eight separate ballot initiatives. And that's with a month still to go. The money spigot is turned on full blast in a way that it cannot be during a normal even-year election featuring races for the US Congress. Elections for candidates to federal office are the object of most campaign finance laws. With the absence of such restrictions, the cash is flowing. Another absent restriction actually benefits stations - - lowest-unit-charge is turned off, meaning issue ads are on the same rate card as all others. Adweek.com found media buyers for automotive and motion picture concerns who expressed frustration at the challenge of getting their own piece of station inventory.
RBR observation: Political money is especially important to television, although in California right now it appears that quite a bit of business is spilling over to the radio side. Political has gotten so big for TV that it has to be broken out of the quarterly financials so investors can see how regular business is going. It tends to pump up even years and deflate odd years. Maybe two year comps would make more sense, but even there it can get crazy - - last year inventory was squeezed in battleground states, while solidly blue or red state stations had to actually watch their news content to know there was a presidential election on, since there was no sign of it whatsoever over in the sales department. Anyway, Q3 2005 and especially Q4 2005 comps for stations with a big California presence will need to be taken with a shaker of salt (or two). And don't forget to keep your regular accounts as happy as possible - - they do not figure to disappear from your broadcast area after 11/8/05, but they may disappear from your traffic ledger if you're not careful.
 Ad flyers:
A dearth of Miers buyers
The air war over the nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court did not generate nearly as much issue advertising as had been expected. Although many were braced for a highly-charged environment in advance of any openings on the bench, a number of factors tended to cool the waters. Among them were Roberts' calm demeanor and his skill at verbally sanding the tips of pointed questions. Another factor was the Gang of Fourteen in the Senate, and their avoidance of the nuclear option before confirmation hearings began. The nomination of Harriet Miers, on the other hand, has attracted howls of protest, but from an entirely unexpected direction - - the right. This has, somewhat surprisingly, led to an even chillier advertising result. According to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law and the Justice at Stake Campaign, the only group purchasing advertising at all in the first week after the Miers nomination was announced was the group Progress for America. It spent about 107K - - after spending about 286K during Roberts' first week in the spotlight. The aggrieved right has stayed out of it, and left wing groups which were at least somewhat active during the Roberts case have also chosen to watch from the sidelines thus far. Stay tuned.
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| RBR Observation |
TV Now feeling the Pain
It is not like TV has anything to brag about as for all of this year as many have been trying to use and pick their words very carefully on how this year will end up. Advice: Wait until next year. The biggie is getting into 2006 without losing their shirts. The 2005 upfront was flat and now the TV giants must face the same issues that radio faced - Clutter and even more heavy competition from cable and now the Apple iPod (video) 10/13/05 RBR #201 which will have an impression on content being viewed with hand held devices that will go unmeasured. Radio's big edge against local TV: Radio can produce higher quality audio content for the advertiser or clients products than local TV. Radio delivers higher frequency with cost and remember the live remotes as TV just does not cut it in this arena. No matter the spin factor coming out of the Q3 calls local live radio still has an edge.
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| Conference Calls 2005 |
 Revenues down, profits up
at NBC Uni; GE sees Q4 growth
Q4 of 2005 may still be tough for NBC Universal against last year's tough comps, but parent company General Electric has other businesses to fill the gap. "We raised the lower end of our full year 2005 guidance from 1.80 to 1.81, for a full year EPS outlook range of 1.81-1.83, an increase of 12-14%. We see 56-58 cents EPS in 4Q '05, up 10-14% (excluding the previously announced SFAS 133-related correction to the 4Q 2004), and up 6-9% as reported. And we expect organic revenue growth to hit our target of 8% for the full year. With our stable asset quality and continued strong orders, we are well positioned for a strong finish to the year and solid double-digit growth into 2006," said CEO Jeff Immelt.
TV profits plunge at Scripps
More double-digit growth for Scripps Networks
As the cable TV network division continues to be the growth driver at Scripps, the company is telling Wall Street to expect ad revenue growth at Scripps Networks to be up around 25% in Q4. That will far outpace newspapers, where ad revenues are expected to rise 4-6%, and broadcast TV, where a drop of 12-14% is forecast. Excluding political advertising, Scripps says Q4 TV revenues would be up 6-8%. Political advertising in Q4 of 2004 totaled 21 million bucks.
Will we hear more pain this week?
You have been hearing and reading the pain and shape the TV biz is in and not pretty. Coming up this week in Radio is Arbitron and in TV are Journal Communications, New York Times Co., McGraw-Hill, and Belo. RBR will cover, report and observe.
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Adbiz©
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 Sirius' fuzzy math makes
no difference to Mandel
While Sirius added 359,000 new users in Q3, nearly doubling its year-ago increase, news had it that not all of those new Sirius subscribers are actual people. Where XM waits until a car buyer activates the service to add to its new-user tally, Sirius sometimes starts counting as soon as a car with a factory OEM radio arrives at the dealership. So a number of those new Sirius subscribers could actually be unsold Chrysler 300s sitting on a dealer's lot somewhere. Sirius has said they count the newly-manufactured cars as a "subscriber" because the car company pays Sirius for the radio subscription and overall the number represents less than 10% of total subscribers. How could this potential exaggeration affect ad buys? We asked Jon Mandel, Chairman/MediaCom US and Chief Global Buying Officer MediaCom Worldwide about it:
 "I'd like to point out that when Mel was at CBS, and I followed him because I used to have an analyst job, we always made sure we checked Mel's data points...Some us are used to a variety of sellers tending to cook numbers, and someone else's numbers, so what else is new? We saw it for a few years at CBS. It's not like they're selling, or will be selling a whole bunch of advertising anyway on Sirius. Most of the channels-the music channels-that people listen to are commercial free. 10% of nothing is still nothing." He adds, "It does affect advertising in a sense that they may be overstating numbers by 10%, but I think it's more of an effect on overstating for Wall Street. When you buy a new car, with either Sirius or XM, if you buy it with that option, they give you three months free. So he doesn't have that revenue for three months and you're making the assumption that everybody that does it is going to pay the 10 or 12 bucks a month."
RBR observation: Agree with Mandel and RBR is finally glad someone else views satellites' churn without wearing rose colored glasses. But one thing is for sure - next to Apple's iPods this Christmas ad season, the satellite ads that will be pumping the TV, Cable and Print will be XM vs. Sirius of Biblical Proportion. Christmas is when people buy crazy things. Radio you have a shot next year but you all are going to have to work harder and get the audience measurement to prove your weight as technology waits for no one especially the younger generation.
Morgan Stanley moves to Ogilvy & Mather
Awarded its 75 million account to Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide NY, according to the company. Incumbent Leo Burnett, Chicago, declined to participate in the review that began in August. Planning & buying remains at Starcom USA. Leo Burnett handled the account since 1988, when it picked up Dean Witter. Morgan Stanley acquired Dean Witter in 1997.
WPP shutting down Red Cell
Is reportedly in the process of unbundling Red Cell, the collection of agencies it hoped to turn into a worldwide network. Red Cell, formed n 2001, included 65 agencies there that didn't fit elsewhere in the company. In the past year, WPP has closed or consolidated 15 agencies. Another nine shops (including Berlin Cameron, the former nucleus of Red Cell) were picked up to form a new venture called "United," a leaner agency group.
 Baby Bob & Quiznos Sub
The kid that will never be older than eight months and cute as a button has Baby Bob talking he could be out of a job for the sub sandwich maker. Ogilvy & Mather is to conduct a focus group or a strategy head session on Baby Bob. Number one sub is Subway and Quiznos is said wanting more and Baby Bob may not be enough draw to get more customers in the door. By the way, Baby Bob is really a girl baby.
Publicis says No to Aegis buy
Withdrew from the heated contest to buy Aegis on Friday, putting WPP and its private equity partner Hellman & Friedman in prime position to buy the UK media buyer. Publicis said "it is not in the best interest of its shareholders to make an offer" for Aegis. Doubts about Publicis' interest in Aegis have been mounting as French financier Vincent Bollore--chairman of Publicis' smaller rival Havas--has steadily built up a stake of more than 15% in Aegis shares.
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| Washington Beat |
 Broadcasters celebrate First Amendment, minority issues
This week will be the official beginning of the first National Freedom of Speech Week, sponsored by the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation (NABEF) and The Media Institute. A Tuesday luncheon/panel discussion should prove particularly interesting. It will feature, among others, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who is a co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation which would provide a federal shield for reporters protecting the identity of anonymous sources. Also on hand will be Jim Taricani, who was jailed earlier this year for doing just that. The event runs all week, 10-17-23. Meanwhile, Rainbow/Push Coalition is holding an event called "Inclusion, Equity and Parity in the Media and Telecom Industries" on Wednesday, 10/18/05. Jesse Jackson will host with an assist from NPR's Ed Gordon. Minority Media & Telecommunications Council veteran David Honig will be among those weighing in on topics such as getting new tech to moderate and low income households, and increasing opportunities for minorities in the media and telecom fields.
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| Media Markets & MoneyTM |
Sound move for NC noncom
Pathway Christian Academy has a buy-to-build deal for a new FM earmarked for the town of Aurora NC, just beneath the Pamlico Sound in the far-flung Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville NC market. The group, headed by T.D. Worthington, will pay a total of 757K to Eastern Carolina Public Radio for the station. The compensation, some of it on paper, will be headed in various directions. 80K is going to the firm constructing the station, a pair of promissory notes valued at 520K will be struck, and other existing notes will be paid off. The Class C2 station is going on 91.1 mHz with 40 kw @ 351'. The group already owns WAGO-FM Snow Hill, located further inland about halfway between Greenville and Goldsboro.
Close encounter in York
York PA's been around for awhile, right? Maybe the town elders should give it its own special cachet, and pump up the image of elders, by calling it Old York. Good idea? The city is cleared to use it free of charge. Anyway, Bob Wilkins will be the newest radio owner there, according to broker John Pierce. The religious specialist has closed on its 250K acquisition of WQXA from Citadel Broadcasting. The move allows Citadel to keep its attention focused squarely on its cluster in nearby Harrisburg.
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| Programming |
WQXR, WFMT Radio Network form pact
WQXR, The New York Times' legacy classical station, and The WFMT Radio Network, a service of Chicago's Classical WFMT-FM, have joined collaborate on production, promotion, and national distribution of classical radio programming. WQXR will primarily contribute production and promotion resources, and the WFMT Network will primarily contribute syndication and distribution services. Both will be involved in seeking funding for the projects. This effort is separate from, but complements, WQXR's role as manager of the Concert Music Network, an unwired network of commercial classical music radio stations. The WFMT Radio Network provides services to those stations in addition to public radio stations around the country. Both WQXR and the WFMT Network also provide programming to XM Satellite Radio.
 Sharpton to debut this month
Rev. Al Sharpton is no stranger to appearing on television, but his own show is set to make its debut next week on TV One. "Sharp Talk with Al Sharpton" premieres Friday, October 28th (8:30 pm ET). The new half-hour talk show takes place in Levels barbershop in Brooklyn, where policymakers, journalists, authors, sports figures, celebrities, policy experts and others, including patrons of the barbershop, will join the outspoken political activist in tackling a wide range of cultural, political and economic topics. The debut show will focus on the role of African-American fatheres in raising their children. "Sharp Talk with Al Sharpton" is sponsored in part by Southwest airlines and produced for TV One by The House Inc. Executive producer is Diane Houslin and TV One executive in charge of production is Sitarah Pendelton.
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| Monday Morning Makers & Shakers |
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Transactions: 9/5/05-9/9/05
We weren't aware that the greater bulk of the broadcast transaction community was given the week off. However, that seems to be the case. Only three stations changed hand via two transactions, and one of them - - a like kind exchange which you would think would at least up the total moving merchandise to four - - didn't, because the principals filed one half of the deal 9/9/05, and waited five days to get the other app in to the FCC.
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Total
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Total Deals
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2
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AMs
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1
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FMs
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2
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TVs
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0
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| Value |
20.5M
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| Complete Charts |
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Radio Transactions of the Week
Hall expands along VT-NY border
| More... |
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TV Transactions of the Week
Not this time
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| Transactions |
22M KAUT-TV Oklahoma City. 100% of Viacom Stations of Oklahoma City LLC from Viacom Inc. (Sumner Redstone) to New York Times Broadcast Holdings (Robert H. Eoff), a subsidiary of New York Times Company. Cash. Station is a UPN affiliate on Channel 43 (DTV 40). [File date 9/19/05.]
2.55M WACF-FM/WPRS-AM Terre Haute IN (Paris IL) from P.R.S. Broadcasting Inc. (Terry E. Forcht) to Midwest Communications Inc. (Duey E. Wright). 100K escrow, 50K non-compete, balance in cash at closing. Superduopoly with WMGI-FM Terre Haute, WWSY-FM Seelyville IN. [File date 9/19/05.]
500K WDDM-FM Monmouth-Ocean NJ (Hazlet NJ) from WVRM Inc. (Jaspal Singh Suri) to Domestic Church Media Foundation (James Manfredonia, Cheryl Manfredonia, Brian Middleton, Charles Lewis, Christopher Michalski, Sal Caimano). Cash less LMA payments. LMA until closing @ 7K/month. Station is noncommercial. [File date 9/19/05.]
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| Stock Talk |
Inflation fears abate...a bit
A government report on inflation was a bit better than expected, so fears on Wall Street eased a bit. The Dow Industrials rose 71 points, or 0.7%, to 10,287.
Radio stocks rose a bit as well. The Radio Index gained 1.603, or 0.9%, to 191.027. SBS led the way, up 2.7%. Beasley, Clear Channel, Emmis, Journal and Regent were also up 2% or more.
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| Radio Stocks |
Here's how stocks fared on Friday
| Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
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Arbitron
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ARB
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38.00
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-0.20
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Jeff-Pilot
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JP
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52.91
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+0.41
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Beasley
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BBGI
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14.25
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+0.31
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Journal Comm.
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JRN
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13.76
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+0.32
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| Citadel |
CDL |
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13.86 |
+0.03 |
Radio One, Cl. A
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ROIA
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11.94
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-0.12
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Clear Channel
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CCU
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31.57
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+0.62
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Radio One, Cl. D
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ROIAK
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11.94
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-0.12
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Cox Radio
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CXR
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14.52
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+0.08
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Regent
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RGCI
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5.07
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+0.11
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Cumulus
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CMLS
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11.30
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+0.21
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Saga Commun.
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SGA
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12.45
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+0.06
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Disney
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DIS
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23.39
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-0.04
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Salem Comm.
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SALM
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18.14
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+0.24
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Emmis
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EMMS
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20.05
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+0.45
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Sirius Sat. Radio
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SIRI
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6.17
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+0.06
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| Entercom |
ETM
|
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29.02
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-0.12
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Spanish Bcg.
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SBSA
|
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6.78
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+0.18
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Entravision
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EVC
|
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7.45
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-0.06
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Univision
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UVN
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25.08
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+0.05
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Fisher
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FSCI
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46.44
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+0.24
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Viacom, Cl. A
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VIA
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31.27
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+0.30
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Gaylord
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GET
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44.59
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+0.20
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Viacom, Cl. B
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VIAb
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31.23
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-0.10
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Hearst-Argyle
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HTV
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24.37
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+0.08
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Westwood One
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WON
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18.62
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-0.10
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Interep
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IREP
|
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0.52
|
unch
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XM Sat. Radio
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XMSR
|
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31.40
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+0.46
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International Bcg.
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IBCS
|
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0.01
|
unch
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-
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-
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- |
-
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-
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Bounceback
|
 We want to
hear from you.
This is your column, so send your comments to [email protected]
Yippie Kai Aye!!!! (And certainly not the first time we've heard sentiments like this.)
Take a good look at radio today and the picture is crystal clear. Dull, average and uninspiring are the three words that come to mind. What has become of radio is not a mystery. The new platform is to shut up and follow the orders of the Corporate office and anything to the contrary will result in the instant label as troublemaker and old school. Radio stations are living and breathing entities not unlike children that need individual attention. What works for one station may or may not work for the other. If you look at some of the great stations like WBEB, WGN, KGO and WTOP you will notice how well they serve the local listeners, clients and community. When I was given my first GM job, the owner called me on my first day and told me to "never do what you think I want" and always do" what I think the listeners want." Does anyone out there really believe that the "Less is More" strategy is going to save radio? We need the new Howard Sterns and new Rush Limbaughs. That is what makes radio great. In addition, we need the new Mel, Jimmy D, Randy and Fig. They were all controversial figures in our industry but at the end of the day they were all great for radio. Dull, average and uninspiring were not part of those vocabularies. They all took chances to win big. They didn't win them all but at least they tried and radio was very much alive. Bring back the cowboys, trouble makers and rebels. Name withheld, because I have children to put through college.
Anonymous
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Share The Voice
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'Today's Perspective'
Christmas Marketing of Biblical Proportion -
iPod now with Video.
www.jimcarnegie.com
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Radio Media Moves
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Raybourne moves north
Let's hope Ron Rayburne has something besides beachwear for his new job as Vice President/Market Manager for Entercom's Madison, Wisconsin stations - - WOLX-FM, WCHY-FM & WMMM-FM. He has worked for Cumulus Media since 2001, most recently as Market Manager in Fort Walton Beach/Destin, Florida.
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Stations for Sale
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Western Colorado Powerhouse
100,000 watt C1, Scenic high growth area, new RF plant & coverage, Positive CF, big upside potential, $1.5m -- Call 970 250 9611
[email protected]
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International
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Australia unveils world's first picture digital radio
The Australian commercial radio industry unveiled the world's first digital radio capable of displaying pictures. The prototype, called the DAB Picture Radio, will allow consumers to hear radio programs in CD-quality sound, while seeing images of their favorite artists, album covers, news reports or weather maps being broadcast on a color screen. The development of the radio is a world first, with the receiver going on display for the first time at the Commercial Radio National Conference in Sydney. The radio was developed with Malaysian-based Inventec Electronics.
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October RBR/TVBR Digital Magazine
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GM Talkback
TV and Radio GM's talk about Local auto dealer ad dollars and what trends they see.
One on One with Julie Roehm,
Chrylser Group's Director of Marketing Communications
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
October Issue of RBR/TVBR
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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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TV continues getting
Hammered with excuses - Tribune
And another one coming as CEO Dennis FitzSimons says TV revenues are pacing down in the low double digits for Q4 after dropping 6% in Q3 to 307 million bucks. That was blamed on a generally soft ad market, the impact of Hurricane Katrina on its New Orleans stations and the continued impact of Nielsen's Local People Meters. RBR observation: The same complaints over and over this year with TV, so radio do not feel bad as the Television business is now catching up with one heck of a bad year. What TV needs to learn from radio is that programming content is king and without quality programming one does not get ratings and in return no ad dollars, as there are just too many places for advertisers to place those bucks. Publisher note: Maybe it is time for a joint RAB and TVB management sales marketing conference to compare notes and work together. Both boards and executive committees' best give this strong consideration and work together. United you stand for Free divided you fall. Just my 40 years experience speaking.
10/14/05 RBR #202
Apple unveils Video iPod
Big radio Problem
Capable of playing videos, evolving the ubiquitous music player into a multimedia platform for everything from TV shows to music videos. Videos will now be sold alongside songs on Apple's iTunes Music Store - - including ABC-TV and Disney Channel shows.
RBR observation: First the iPod was a threat to radio listening. Now it's a threat to TV viewing. At least Disney/ABC had the foresight to step up and grab a financial stake in this new challenger to its own video programming delivery system. Publisher note: For how the iPod Grinch is about to steal more than this years TV Christmas read today's perspective at 'Carnegie Cuz Network'
10/13/05 RBR #201
The Wall Street view on PPM
It appears Wall Street investors have pretty much the same questions as broadcasters about Arbitron's Portable People Meters (PPM) - - how much will it change ratings, who gains, who loses, and when might it be implemented? Stearns hosted Arbitron Sr. VP Jay Guyther on a conference call to discuss the data obtained thus far from the ongoing PPM test in Houston. With radio ratings down in morning drive and TV viewership up, in part because PPM measures out-of-home viewing as well as in-home, one investor wanted to know whether Arbitron would pursue using PPM only for TV if radio broadcasters resist.
RBR observation: Nielsen may be hesitant about PPM, but some of its clients are pushing hard for it to adopt Arbitron's passive measurement system. Even some of the most vehement critics of Nielsen's Local People Meters (LPM) have told us good things about what they've seen in the PPM data for TV in the Philadelphia and Houston tests. We still say Arbitron and Nielsen do a power lunch and move forward into 2006.
10/13/05 RBR #201
Who got the boot at Clear Channel?
Corporate headquarters is keeping mum about who were the two employees fired. RBR/TVBR sources confirm that Michael Saunders is out the door at WWPR-FM New York, where he had been Program Director. KHTS-FM San Diego Program Director Diana Laird and Donnie Anderson, known on the air as Donnie Michaels also named. Sony BMG's settlement with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer outlines the payola goods.
RBR observation: Surprise nobody at Clear Channel wants to talk or return phone calls which is a bad move. Best way to clean the slat is to come clean and be a leader in this mess. RBR hunch is that if payola goods are floating around bet more eyes are looking deeper. Face it RBR could gather numbers of people that will go off the record sighting of payola cases of decades. The big issues were back in the mid 1980's when organized crime was involved and that ended up on the scrap pile.
10/13/05 RBR #201
Learn from Gannett's admission
Double digit quarter for Gannett that's not a positive. We're talking TV division revenues down 19.3% to 166.4 million and operating cash flow down 35.2% to 69 million. There was no positive movement in the vital auto sector for either TV or newspapers. Gannett is in the hunt for any TV and newspaper properties that come on the market. However, he said paying 16 times broadcast cash flow for a well run TV station just doesn't make sense.
RBR observation: While Gannett doesn't own radio stations any more, folks in radio should also be concerned about Dubow's comments on the lack of momentum in the auto sector. Until auto gets back in gear, it's going to be tough to grow core revenues significantly in radio or TV. We would note that one group owner recently noted that dealers' used car lots are overflowing as a result of trade-ins from the automaker's employee-pricing campaigns. If your station isn't working the "pre-owned" sector, that's one area worth looking into.
10/12/05 RBR #200
Infinity cans corporate
research staffers
Infinity Broadcasting has fired its corporate research department, including Tony Jarvis, EVP/Research; Cindy Rosenblum, Research Director/Programming and Marketing; and Pixie Seth, Research Analyst. No comment from Infinity on why. RBR observation: Can only speculate - Money and Margins.
We all knew what to expect after reading Gannett's monthly reports. What's of most concern, though, were Dubow's comments on the lack of momentum in the auto sector. Until auto gets back in gear, it's going to be tough to grow core revenues significantly in TV. We would note that one group owner recently noted that dealers' used car lots are overflowing as a result of trade-ins from the automaker's employee-pricing campaigns. If your station isn't working the "pre-owned" sector, that's one area worth looking into. We have seen two TV Presidents out of work due to what we assume similar problems - and TVBR sees more heads rolling because someone has to take the bullet.
10/12/05 RBR #200
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