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Volume 21, Issue 212, Jim Carnegie, Editor & Publisher
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Friday Morning October 29th, 2004
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Radio News®
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 Viacom begins "mega-buyback" of stock
Demonstrating just how deeply he's dissatisfied with how Wall Street values his company's stock, Sumner Redstone announced that Viacom's board of directors had authorized an unprecedented eight billion dollar stock buyback plan - - and at the same time increased the company's quarterly cash dividend by 16.7%, a one penny increase to seven cents per share. Although Viacom posted a loss for Q3 due to a 1.5 billion dollar charge for its recent spin-off of Blockbuster Entertainment, earnings per share without that charge were 42 cents - - beating the Thomson First Call consensus by a penny. Also, total revenues were up 4% to 5.5 billion, with radio the only real laggard, so Redstone was a happy camper in his conference call with Wall Street analysts. He hailed the dividend increase and massive stock buyback as  proof of management's confidence in Viacom and its businesses. Redstone vowed that the company would be aggressive in buying back its own stock at current price levels. He said the buybacks would begin yesterday after 1:30 pm, giving the markets time to disseminate the news before the buying began.Viacom's star performers in Q3 were its cable networks, with revenues up 14% to 1.7 billion and operating income up 13% to 691 million, and outdoor, with revenues up 10% to 479 million and operating income up 29% to 58 million. TV revenues were up 5% to two billion and operating income gained 7% to 389 million. CBS and UPN ad revenues were up 4% and the O&O stations 3%. Infinity Radio again disappointed, with revenues down 4% to 529 million and operating income off 17% to 222 million. Looking ahead, Viacom told Wall Street to expect revenue growth for all of 2004 to be 8%, with earnings per share up 16%.
Redstone says Viacom investing in radio stations
Mel Karmazin's name wasn't mentioned in yesterday's Viacom conference call, but it sounds like management is now blaming the company's former President and COO for creating some of the problems now plaguing Infinity Radio by being too cheap. After praising new Co-President/COO Les Moonves, who now has all broadcast operations in his portfolio, for his work to consolidate the CBS and Paramount TV production operations, Chairman and CEO Sumner Redstone said Moonves is also working to fix problems with Infinity Radio, were Redstone said stations had been "starved" for investment. Echoing the statement that radio stations had been "starved" - - saying that some weren't even able to buy bumper stickers - - Moonves said Infinity is increasing programming and marketing outlays at nine stations as "pilot programs" to measure the payback from such investments. He downplayed the coming loss of Howard Stern to Sirius Satellite Radio, saying that Stern had gotten so expensive that his next contract renewal might not have been profitable for Infinity. "Who could turn down a half billion dollars?" he said of Stern's decision to move to satellite. As for potential radio station sales, Moonves repeated what we'd heard before - - that Viacom is looking at divesting some stations below the top 20 markets, but he offered no specifics.
RBR observation: True with the word cheap and pointing the finger at the Zen Master. RBR/TVBR heard that word mentioned more than once over the past 24 months from both radio and television. The Joke was Mel said No to MM meaning No Marketing Money. We trust Moonves will put the green MM's back in the bag and soon. Affiliates and ad agencies like to know what all the companies are doing besides lip service. We at RBR/TVBR are from Missouri, show me.
 September radio revenues beat expectations
The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) delivered a pleasant surprise late yesterday. Its latest monthly radio revenue report showed that revenues were up 4% in September, which a about a percentage point better than Wall Street had been expecting. Local was up 5% for the month and national squeezed out a 1% gain. That brought the third quarter in flat overall, with local up 2% and national down 5%. Year-to-date, radio revenues are up 2%, with local up 3% and national down 2%. For the first time, the RAB also added a non-spot revenue line to its monthly report, which is not included in the figures above. Non-spot was up 6% in September, 8% for Q3 and 11% YTD. Commenting on the September figures, RAB President and CEO Gary Fries said, "The mid-size markets seem to be leading the way in radio's return to robust sales results, and pave the way for an industry-wide upturn that is expected by 1st quarter of next year."
RBR observation: So why the new data line? Is RAB trying to pump up the sad numbers radio has been posting this year? Fries gave us his response last night from his Blackberry: "This is not a move to make us look good. It is becoming a larger number and radio deserves to get credit for it. It will get bigger as groups cut inventory to keep revenue up. The timing is in line with approval of including it as voted on by the RAB Board at its September meeting. Other media include other revenue. Spot will still be listed separately, but companies report REVENUE - - not spot only. We have been auditing the number for 2 years and have faith in its accuracy by Miller Kaplan."
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Mr. Christian is not down on radio
Things may be tough, but Saga Communications CEO Ed Christian told Wall Street analysts that he's not as pessimistic about the radio business. "I'm cautiously optimistic on our business. I'm not as glum as a lot of other people," he said. Saying the radio industry has been "slammed unmercifully by the press," Christian said the industry needs to do more to toot its own horn. Always sought out for his sage advice, Christian said the radio industry is always developing new talent, so it will likely come up with new talent to replace Howard Stern as the "King of All Media" heads to satellite radio - - "Hopefully, not a lot of new talent like Howard," Christian added. Asked about Clear Channel's "Less is More" initiative, Christian agreed that "less is good" and he also took a bit of a shot at the Wall Street analysts themselves, saying that some of the problems with radio had come from having to focus so much on hitting quarterly financial targets.
 Neil predicts low single digits Q4
Cox Radio President and CEO Bob Neil says it's difficult to predict Q4 and beyond, but he still sees growth ahead. Looking to Q4 visibility, Neil told analysts it is very difficult, given "the recent trend that we've seen in the strengthening of business as each month comes to a close. That strengthening is something we love to see, but we can't really predict, given our lack of a crystal ball. As a result, we remain cautious in our guidance and expect revenue growth for Q4 to be in the low single digits."
| More... |
No matter who gets elected,
broadcasters win big bucks, Part 3
Harris Nesbitt Gerard analyst Lee Westerfield is now projecting that political ad spending this year will total 1.5-1.8 billion dollars. That's pretty much all being racked up by television. So we asked, is there evidence of trickle down to radio? | More... |
At deadline: O'Reilly case settled
No one is saying how much money is changing hands - - although we expect the leaks to begin soon - - but the lawyer for Fox News/Westwood One star Bill O'Reilly announced last night that he has settled with former producer Andrea Mackris, who had accused him of sexual harassment. Here's the statement from lawyer Ronald Green: "The Parties regret that this matter has caused tremendous pain, and they have agreed to settle. All cases and claims have been withdrawn and all Parties have agreed that there was no wrongdoing whatsoever by Mr. O'Reilly, Ms. Mackris, or Ms. Mackris' counsel, Benedict P. Morelli & Associates. We now withdraw any assertion that any extortion by Ms. Mackris, Mr. Morelli, or Morelli & Associates occurred. Out of respect for their families and privacy, all Parties and their representatives have agreed that all information relating to the cases shall remain confidential." (Editor's note: What we want to know is who gets the phone call tapes?)
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| Conference Calls Q3 2004 |
Cox Radio Q3 revenues up 4.2%
Cox Radio's Q3 net revenues for Q3 were 117.0 million, up 4.2% from Q3 '03. Local revenues increased 3% and national revenues increased 6%, as compared to Q3 '03. President/CEO Bob Neil said eight of Cox's 18 markets showed double-digit revenue growth for the quarter and seven showed revenues down. For Atlanta specifically, revenue for both the market and Cox stations were down in the low single digits, reflecting continued overall sluggishness. | More... |
Beasley Q3 revenue up 8.2%
Beasley Broadcast Group reported an upbeat Q3 with net revenues up 8.2% to 31.8 million from 29.4 million in Q3 '03. The net revenue increase reflects gains at eight of the group's 10 market clusters, including Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Ft. Myers-Naples, and Miami-Ft. Lauderdale. Operating income from continuing operations for the period rose 14.7% to 8.4 million from 7.3 million in the third quarter of 2003, while Station Operating Income (SOI) grew 13.2% to 10.8 million, compared to 9.5 million in the year-ago period.
| More... |
 Saga reports growth that's all local
Saga Communications reported that Q3 revenues were up 12.6% to 34.3 million dollars, with station operating income up only 0.2% to 8.1 million. Same station revenues were up 6.7%. CFO Sam Bush told analysts that the company's revenue strength was "completely local" - - local was up 13.7% for the quarter, while national fell 8%. As for Q4 pacings, he reported that radio is tracing up 3% and TV 15%, including a healthy dose of political, which works out to a consolidated 3-5% gain for the radio-heavy company. CEO Ed Christian noted that some of that political spending is spilling over into radio in certain markets as the tight election draws close. He said TV is "jammed up" in Ohio, so Saga's Columbus stations are getting political buys - - and at very high rates.
Double-digit growth for Regent
Regent Communications reported that Q3 revenues were up 14.7% to 22.5 million dollars and that net income nearly quadrupled to 8.1 million, or 18 cents per share. On a same stations basis, revenue was up 4.4% and station operating income increased 23.3%, the company said. "Our positive momentum is continuing into the fourth quarter. Given the proven value proposition of our assets, the operating leverage of our business model and our healthy mix of start-up, developing and mature stations, we remain well positioned to continue to outpace the growth of the industry," said Chairman and CEO Terry Jacobs.
Jeff-Pilot broadcast revenues up double digits
Jefferson-Pilot Communications, the radio and TV broadcast arm of the Jefferson Pilot Corp. insurance company, reported that Q3 revenues were up 12.4% to 58.1 million dollars and broadcast cash flow rose 15.7% to 27.3 million. For the entire company, earnings per share were up nine cents to 88 cents.
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Adbiz©
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 New citrus ads tout health benefits of OJ
Despite a hurricane-tossed citrus crop, the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) plans a multi-faceted marketing campaign to encourage consumers to drink more Florida orange juice for its many health benefits. The first of six new TV spots are slated to debut 11/2, in time to take advantage of Election Day viewer ratings. The spots, which will appear on major television networks and cable stations, build on the momentum created by FDOC's earlier "Blender" ad showcasing OJ as a simple, tasty route to good nutrition and health. One new ad, "Island," features a main character taking extreme measures to avoid sickness this winter. Other ads in the campaign will promote general nutrition including how to lessen the severity of cold and flu and tips on maintaining good heart health. All ads present a simple solution at the end: drink a daily glass of Florida orange juice. They close with a new tag, "Florida Orange Juice: Healthy. Pure & Simple."
Meijer launches new ads for holiday season
Grocery and general merchandise retailer Meijer is launching a range of new advertising in support of the upcoming holiday season. The new work includes a special campaign supporting store-wide low prices as well as spots focused on holiday sales events, holiday gift-giving and enhanced electronics offerings. | More... |
 Cingular to launch effort to stem defections
Reuters reports Cingular Wireless, newly merged with rival AT&T Wireless, will become an advertising juggernaut in the wireless telecommunications sector as it steels the new entity against customer defections. A relatively high percentage of customers have canceled service at both Cingular and AT&T Wireless in the run up to the 41 billion transaction which closed on Tuesday. Cingular said it would launch a new campaign within the week via print and TV and a direct mail marketing push. The company expects to brand all its services with the Cingular name by the end of next month. "Initially after the merger we'll be going out with a significant branding message that'll be more than what either we or AT&T Wireless combined are spending today," Cingular CFO Peter Ritcher told Reuters in an interview.
Novartis picks three for 350 million account
AdAge reports Novartis has selected three pairs of agencies to handle its estimated 350 million prescription drug business, according to executives close to the decision. The marketer has chosen IPG's Deutsch and Integrated Communications of Parsippany and Lawrenceville, NY; and Omnicom' DDB Worldwide NY and Cline Davis & Mann NY. The third pairing is not known. Brand assignments were also undetermined. Deutsch is already a Novartis roster shop and handles direct-to-consumer advertising for Zelnorm and Lamisil. DDB will be joining the pharmaceutical company's roster.
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| Media Markets & MoneyTM |
Simmons doubles up in St. Louis
The Boston Red Sox aren't the only entity to take two in St. Louis. Simmons Media Group has a 1.15M dollar deal to add a second AM station there, according to broker John Pierce. Seller Mozella Riggins and her M & R Enterprises is spinning WESL-AM, licensed across the river in East St. Louis IL, to Utah-based Simmons in a cash deal. The Urban Gospel outlet will form an AM duopoly with Simmon's Sports KSLG, which Simmons bought earlier this year for 2.05M (4/22/04 RBR Daily Epaper #79).
Someone's in the kitchen with Banjo
That someone would be Double O Radio, headed by Terry Bond, which has closed on its acquisition of a number of upstate New York radio stations from Jim Baldo's Banjo. According to Bob Mahlman Jr. and W.B. Grimes and Company, the keys to WIYN-FM Deposit, WZOZ-FM Oneonta, WKXZ-FM Norwich, WCHN-AM/WDLA-FM Waltona and WDHI-AM Delhi have now officially changed hands. The deal was valued at just under 10M (8/12/04 RBR Daily Epaper #157).
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October Solutions
Digital Magazine
Complimentary Report
Who Will Sit
on the Throne?
The election -What is in it for Broacasters?
One On One
with PHD's Patrick McNew - The man that over sees spot for Chrysler Group.
Engineered For Profit
'05 budgets and capital expenditures, our close up look at who's planning to buy what next year.
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Read RBR in 2 simple steps:
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2. You can then download the free
October Issue of RBR.
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| Washington Beat |
Colin Powell defends son against Stern charges
Howard Stern's recent lashing of FCC Chairman Michael Powell (10/27 RBR Daily Epaper #210) got a response from Secretary of State Colin Powell, who came to the defense of his son after Stern charged the younger Powell only got the job because of his family name. Powell Sr. labeled the accusation "just so much nonsense...My son is an enormously qualified individual, and I think he has served - - if I may so as a father and as a not so distant observer - - with great distinction," Powell said 10/27 in an interview with CNBC. Colin Powell noted his son became a commissioner of the FCC "long before I became Secretary of State. For all I know, he might have had some influence in getting me to become secretary of state." Though Stern's show has produced more FCC fines than any other, Powell told Stern, "I don't think that, you know, we have made any particular crusade of the Howard Stern show or you."
The copy-Wright stuff
NBC Universal Chairman/CEO Bob Wright took advantage of the bully pulpit provided on the occasion of his receiving The Media Institute's Freedom of Speech Award to discuss journalistic freedom, content regulation and copyright issues. | More... |
 Panhandle pirate FM traced to Burning Tree
Authorities have apprehended yet another member of the Florida pirate armada, this time in the backwater airspace of Pensacola, which is the first panhandle pirate to walk the plank, if memory serves. Of the top of our heads, we'd say most of the action has been in and around Miami, Orlando and Ft. Myers, with a smattering of activity in the Jacksonville area. This time, Ward F. Dean of Burning Tree Road in Pensacola was nabbed while operating on 103.7 mHz, from a tower mounted on his own residence. He has been charged with 17K, for operating the station without a license and for refusing to allow FCC agents to inspect it after they traced it to his house via direction-finding techniques. Dean tried to wriggle out of the assessment, saying the FCC exceeded its authority and was operating on private property without a warrant. The FCC said nonsense - - they had every right to try to inspect the station, and made no attempt to enter Dean's house once he denied them permission. This was followed by the standard request that Dean pay up.
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| Engineering |
Entercom orders BE transmitters for more HD Radio
BE announced Entercom has ordered 14 HD Radio transmitter systems for five more markets. The roster includes five stations in Portland; five in Kansas City; two in Indianapolis and two in Denver. Transmitters include seven high-power FMi 703 models and seven of the lower-powered FMi 402, FMi 301, FMi 106 and FMi 73.
 ENCO Systems announces
support for 5.1 and 7.1 Surround
Digital audio delivery systems provider ENCO Systems announced integrated support for multichannel sound, configured as either 5.1 or 7.1 in their leading DADpro32 and DADtv systems. A preview of ENCO's multichannel sound support was displayed at the SMPTE Technical Conference and Exhibition last week in Pasadena. Eugene Novacek, P.E., President of ENCO Systems said, "Surround sound is here in the television space and it's coming for HD Radio. We're proud to be the first digital audio automation and playout system to support multichannel 5.1 and 7.1 sound. Our DADtv clients have been asking for it, and we believe our radio clients will be asking for it soon." Support for multichannel sound within DADpro32 and DADtv will be included in the products at no additional charge.
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| Transactions |
KTPK-FM Topeka KS from Kansas Capital Broadcasting Inc. to JMJ Broadcasting Company Inc.
WNBP-AM Boston (Newburyport MA) from Radio Newburyport LLC to Westport Communications LP.
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| Stock Talk |
Stocks barely higher
Stock prices edged up on Thursday, with a slight drop in oil prices somewhat offset by China's central bank raising its base rate. The Dow Industrials were up three points to 10,004.
Radio stocks were a smidgen lower. The Radio Index slipped 0.174 to 218.423. Viacom, which is not an index component, saw its Class A stock rise 3.4% and Class B 2.9% after it announced a massive eight billion dollars stock buyback. For companies which reported earnings, Beasley was up 3%, Cox Radio up 2.3%, Saga down 0.5% and Regent down 3.6%.
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| Radio Stocks |
Here's how stocks fared on Thursday
| Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
Company |
Symbol |
Close |
Change |
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Arbitron
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ARB
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36.15
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-0.18
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Jeff-Pilot
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JP
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48.28
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-0.06
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Beasley
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BBGI
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15.77
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+0.47
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Journal Comm.
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JRN
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16.02
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-0.08
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| Citadel |
CDL |
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14.43 |
-0.06 |
Radio One, Cl. A
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ROIA
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14.46
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+0.10
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Clear Channel
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CCU
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33.15
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+0.33
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Radio One, Cl. D
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ROIAK
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14.38
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+0.05
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Cox Radio
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CXR
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15.79
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+0.34
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Regent
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RGCI
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5.40
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-0.20
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Cumulus
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CMLS
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15.76
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unch
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Saga Commun.
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SGA
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16.65
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-0.09
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Disney
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DIS
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25.07
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+0.10
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Salem Comm.
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SALM
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24.84
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-0.60
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Emmis
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EMMS
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19.01
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-0.44
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Sirius Sat. Radio
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SIRI
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3.93
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+0.04
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| Entercom |
ETM
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32.95
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+0.26
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Spanish Bcg.
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SBSA
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9.86
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-0.12
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Entravision
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EVC
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7.95
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+0.03
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Univision
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UVN
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31.07
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-0.06
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Fisher
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FSCI
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47.75
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-0.54
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Viacom, Cl. A
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VIA
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36.53
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+1.18
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Gaylord
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GET
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32.80
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-0.03
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Viacom, Cl. B
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VIAb
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36.00
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+1.02
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Hearst-Argyle
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HTV
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26.23
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+0.45
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Westwood One
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WON
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22.33
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+0.33
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Interep
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IREP
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0.71
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unch
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XM Sat. Radio
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XMSR
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32.60
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-0.29
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International Bcg.
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IBCS
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0.01
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unch
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-
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-
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- |
-
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-
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__UNSUB__ to this email service.
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Bounceback
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 We want to
hear from you.
This is your column, so send your comments to [email protected]
This reader gives his two cents worth on "Less is More."
A lot has been written recently about Clear Channel's new "Less Is More" policy. Other big groups are also jumping on the bandwagon. While the big groups deserve praise for decreasing commercial loads, is anyone really doing anything to insure that our advertisers are getting their moneys worth?...
Larry Fuss, President
South Seas Broadcasting, Inc.
KKHJ-FM, KHJ-TV10 & WVUV-AM
Pago Pago, American Samoa
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Stations For Sale
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AM Opportunities
Great AM's in Wyoming,
Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia,
Idaho and New Mexico
Cliff at Clifton Gardiner & Co (303)758-6900
[email protected]
Opportunities in the West for Groups or Owner Operators. Profitable combos. Major market move-ins (FM and LPTV). AM's, both Rated and Unrated. The Exline Team, Andy McClure, Dean LeGras, 415-479-3484, [email protected]
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Competing Media
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TV flat at Tribune
Tribune Company took a 55 million dollar charge in Q3 for the circulation inflation scandal at its Newsday and Hoy New York newspapers, so earnings were down significantly for the quarter - - earnings per share of 37 cents vs. 53 a year ago. Total revenues rose 2% to 1.4 billion. "This was a challenging quarter for the company, due to an uneven economy and soft advertising environment," said President and CEO Dennis FitzSimons. Broadcasting and Entertainment division revenues were up 3% to 432 million, but all of the gain appeared to be in the entertainment component. TV revenues were flat at 327 million, although cash flow rose 2% to 133 million. WGN-AM Chicago is only a small part of the 210 million in Radio/Entertainment revenues, up 4% from a year ago. Cash flow for that sector gained 12% to 20 million.
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RBR Radar 2004
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Click on these issues for Radio News you won't read any where else. RBR--First, Accurate, and Independently Owned.
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Analyst & Disappointing go together
Wachovia Securities analyst Jim Boyle is telling clients that September radio revenues will likely be up only 1% not the 3% that he and other analysts had been expecting. So, he has also lowered his Q3 estimate slightly to a decline of 1%.
10/28/04 RBR #211
Meredith sees post-election
ad demand
What will happen to advertising after next week's election? In his quarterly conference call, Meredith Corporation Chairman and CEO William Kerr expects to see the release of pent up demand from non-political advertisers, at least, that's what's happened in the past.
10/28/04 RBR #211
Activists mobilizing
to influence FCC
The FCC has been getting an unprecedented earful from the public on both the media consolidation and indecency fronts, a tidal wave of opinion which shows no sign of abating. And the increasingly imminent DTV transition figures to add a third stream of comment. The Public Interest, Public Awirwaves Coalition wants the FCC to make sure that commercial broadcasters up their commitment to serving the public interest when using new digital capabilities, in particular multicasting. 10/26/04 RBR #209
Taxing proposition from
the Bush administration
No less a White House player than Condi Rice is rejecting proposed legislation from John McCain (R-AZ) which would provide up to $1B in subsidies to make sure that owners of unmodified analog TV sets aren't cut off the day analog broadcasts go away. RBR observation: We know what it's like when we threaten to deprive our children of TV. Does the Bush administration really understand what it's advocating here? 10/26/04 RBR #209
More worries about "Less is More"
Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Paul Sweeney is the latest to express concerns that Clear Channel's "Less is More" initiative to reduce commercial clutter on its radio stations could not work out financially as the company hopes. He's removed Clear Channel from CSFB's Focus List.
10/26/04 RBR #209
TVB tracks LPM rollout
The Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) continues to track the impact of Nielsen's Local People Meters (LPM) on local TV ratings. As Nielsen works on deploying LPM in all top 10 markets, the newest market, San Francisco, has now been added to TVB's broadcast vs. cable comparison, joining Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. For the week ended Oct. 17.
10/26/04 TVBR #209
New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer launches payola probe
Keeping his political profile high as a crusader against corporate corruption has turned to the record industry and the independent promoters who work to win radio airplay. EMI, the only standalone publicly traded major label, confirmed Friday that it has been hit with a subpoena - - and says it is "cooperating fully" in the probe. RBR observation: Spitzer's timing is strange, since the independent promotion business has been drying up since major radio groups, led by Clear Channel, decided last year to quit doing business with them to avoid any hint of payola-like practices. If your radio station is still accepting payments from the indies, or allows your employees to do so, this should be a wake-up call. Stop it now. 10/25/04 RBR #208
Forrester Research picked
for PPM economic study
elected to conduct a study into how switching to Arbiton's Portable People Meter (PPM) would impact the radio business economically. The research study is being funded by Arbitron, but Forrester's bid was selected by a special committee of the Radio Advertising Bureau's PPM Task Force. RBR observation: If PPM is implemented for US media ratings, it won't be nearly as big an adjustment for TV and cable as for radio, which is still using paper diaries for ratings - - even in the largest markets. Radio guys are worried about how electronic measurement will change their ratings and how much more it's going to cost. 10/25/04 RBR #208
Eisner called Ovitz
"psychopath" in memo
Lots of embarrassing material is coming out in a trial in Delaware where some disgruntled Disney shareholders are seeking compensation for what they claim was management's squandering of company assets to pay Michael Ovitz 140 million dollars to get rid of him after 14 months of employment back in 1996. The company's position is that it had no grounds to fire Ovitz for cause, so it had to buy out his entire contract. Witnesses that the plaintiffs put on the stand last week contended that there was plenty of cause to fire Ovitz.
10/25/04 TVBR #208
Spotload excess not
child's play for Viacom, ABC
The FCC is getting tough on children's programming. It has entered into consent decrees with, in one case, Viacom and Coxcom Inc., and in another, with ABC's International Family Entertainment, Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications. The issue is commercial overages on children's programming, and the biggest upshot is a total of 1.5M going into the US Treasury. FCC Chairman Michael Powell. "All cable operators, DBS providers, commercial television broadcasters, and companies that provide children's programming should know that we will vigorously enforce our children's advertising limits. We will continue to take swift and appropriate enforcement to protect the interests of children." RBR observation: This is a biggie for all media to learn a lesson, don't mess with the kids. 10/22/04 RBR #207
Trump tops TiVo again
Owners love that boardroom! Donald Trump's "The Apprentice 2" on NBC is again the most-watched program among people with TiVo digital video recorders. Chart tells the winners. 10/22/04 TVBR #207
Major League Baseball partners with XM Satellite - TA DUM
An 11-year, 650 million agreement enabling XM to broadcast games of every MLB team nationwide beginning with the 2005 regular season. XM will also be the official satellite radio network of MLB and have rights to use the MLB silhouetted batter logo and the marks of the 30 MLB Clubs.
RBR observation: It seems that every time we turn around, one of the satellite guys or the other is spending a half-billion or more on something. Sirius is spending hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on Howard Stern and the NFL; XM is spending hundreds and hundreds of millions on Opie & Anthony and Major League Baseball. All the while, both companies are losing hundreds of millions of dollars per year and they'll soon have to figure out how to raise hundreds of millions to pay for their second generation of satellites. What a business plan! And yet their stocks are darlings of Wall Street, while terrestrial radio stocks, companies which actually have positive cash flow, and plenty of it - - see their stocks in the crapper. Don't ya love it? And by the way, how smart is it of Major League Baseball to spit on its radio partners of many, many decades to team up with a new rival that, even under the best case scenario, will still have only a miniscule fraction of broadcast radio's audience for many years to come? 10/21/04 RBR #206
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Account Manager Arbitron Outdoor
Selling and servicing the Arbitron Outdoor products to outdoor media companies. 3-4 years media sales experience, Outdoor industry sales preferred. Offering medical, dental and vision, stock purchase, tuition assistance, 401(k)
General Sales Manager
Los Angeles need with 5 years radio sales management experience. EEO. Reply to: [email protected]
See Radio Careers for more info.
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