Nielsen radio ratings service begins test next month
The first sweep of all 50 markets won't come until the spring of 2009, but The Nielsen Company is jumping right into the US radio ratings business with a test next month in one of those markets. Lorraine Hadfield, who'll be heading the new venture, won't identify the market because she doesn't want any stations to try any tricks to skew the ratings. Nielsen already measures radio in 11 other countries and Hadfield, pictured, had plenty to say about how her company's service is going to be different from the "status quo" - which we all refer to as Arbitron.

RBR observation: Neither we nor anyone else thinks Nielsen will be content with a service for 50 smaller markets. This is the starting point of a head-to-head competition with Arbitron. In our view, that's good for radio. It should make Arbitron better and provide broadcasters with something they've been seeking for decades - more choice.

Dickey hails ratings competition as "excellent development"
Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey isn't worried about having radio ratings only once a year in his company's 50 smaller markets. He told RBR/TVBR that advertisers are concerned about the quality of data and he said it was value, not price, that drove the Cumulus effort to find a new ratings vendor. With its reputation established in television, Dickey calls Nielsen the "gold standard" for media measurement and says its launch of a new radio ratings service is an "excellent development for radio."

Arbitron vows to fight Nielsen head-to-head
Despite the loss of nearly all revenue from the 50 markets where Nielsen plans to launch its new radio ratings service next year, Arbitron says it will continue to measure all 50 of those markets and defend its turf. "Once a year measurement is a step backward," said Arbitron CEO Steve Morris. And now that the battle has begun, he's not ruling out an attack on Nielsen's turf - using PPM to measure television.

RBR observation: It will be interesting to see how many years Arbitron will be willing to keep generating ratings in markets where it is getting little or no revenue. Both Cumulus and Clear Channel have signed multi-year contracts, so they're not likely to be won back soon. Meanwhile, the smaller players in those markets won't provide nearly enough revenue to begin to cover Arbitron's costs - and some of them might switch over to Nielsen as well. A long and bitter fight has been launched in the radio ratings business.

Eastlan weighs in on Nielsen's
proposed ratings service
In response to Nielsen's proposed entry into the radio ratings business announced yesterday, Eastlan Ratings President/CEO Mike Gould tells RBR he thinks the methodology that's being proposed in the Nielsen-Cumulus solution is expensive. "And that's just not consistent with what we hear is going on in broadcasting" he said. And referring to PPM, he asks, "Why is part of the industry going to be measured daily/hourly and the other part is going to go to being measured half as frequently? That doesn't make a lot of sense."

RBR observation: Remember, just because they are going to one book doesn't mean it will be less expensive. It will be a larger sample size. Cumulus had asked for no diaries in its RFP, as well. So that is a bit confusing. But bottom line, look for Arbitron and Nielsen to begin to wage a battle royale in many markets-and a potential purchase is not out of the question. Where Eastlan will land in that process should be interesting because as of right now they are smack in the middle of this fight.

Ideas Working Now ™
It's The Great Depression Charlie Brown!
By Chuck Francis
Put on a happy face! Not so easy when we see the government bailing out American industry, Wall Street making wild swings, jobs being cut, bottom lines being slashed, businesses closing their doors, and economic forecasts predicting nothing but steep declines well over the horizon. But hey! At least the election is behind us...!

Viewpoints
On Nielsen Radio...
By Bob Michaels, former VP of Programming services for both diary and PPM for Arbitron.
I've been getting calls and e-mails about my thoughts on the Nielsen/Cumulus sticker diary service, just announced yesterday. Here is my initial assessment of the plans....

Buyers comment on Nielsen-Cumulus deal
Cumulus Media and Clear Channel Radio have agreed to switch to Nielsen Media Research's reborn-ratings service from Arbitron in 50 and 17 markets, respectively, beginning in Q3 2009 (see Radio News). We asked buyers a few questions about their interest in having this new option to buy off of. Click on the headline to read.

RBR observation: Remember, Nielsen is a research company first. It will offer up a ton of consumer-centric data in these markets to supplement the radio ratings. Also, remember Nielsen is an expert in electronic measurement on the TV side (although they don't offer electronic ratings of radio in any of their overseas markets). We assume this may be an inexpensive entrée (again) into the radio ratings biz, with electronic measurement offerings to come. But what will really make or break Nielsen here is customer service for its station clients.

NAC partners with Doug Stephan's Good Day
NAC, a spoken word sales organization which specializes in new business development strategies for talk media, announced its new partnership with Stephan Multimedia and nationally syndicated Doug Stephan's Good Day. NAC will be supplementing the show's existing sales force in a way that complements their efforts. NAC has revolutionized national radio advertising to create new business development that increases revenues for years to come.

NC AM goes on the Lamm
Or, to put it more accurately, the station is going to the Lamms - Mickey Lamm, Carl Lamb and Lynda Lamm Carroll. Their acquisition of WMPM-AM in Smithfield NC will form a new AM duopoly in the Raleigh-Durham market. They already own WTSB-AM Selma NC. The buyers are acquiring the station under licensee name Family Media Group LLC, and are getting it from Ellis Barbour Jr.'s Carolina Broadcasting Services Inc. The $175K pricetag will be paid in cash. An LMA was scheduled to kick off late last week.

$800K KGDP-FM Santa Maria-Lompoc CA (Santa Maria CA) from Radio Representatives Inc. (Norwood J. Patterson et al) to University of Southern California (Brenda Barnes et al). $40K escrow, balance in cash at closing. Buyer will apply for main studio waiver. Chapter 87 proceeding. [FCC file date 10/27/08]

BCS moves to ESPN
Fox failed to match the ESPN bid by Monday's deadline, so the official announcement came yesterday: The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to determine the US college football champion will move to ESPN after the current Fox deal runs out next season. Radio is also included, so the games will be carried on ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio. The four year deal for a reported $500 million will put the BCS on ESPN from January 2011 through 2014.

Election stories still on top
According to the latest Project for Excellence in Journalism report for the week of 11/10/08-11/16/08, making sense of the 2008 elections was still the top priority for the media. Coverage was scattered though a number of general categories, claiming over a third of the newshole. That of course is a marked decrease from the level of coverage in the months leading up to Election Day. Despite the new freedom to explore other topics, the combined media settled on a relatively tight playlist, with focus on economic matters, the Middle East and the California wildfires providing focus that held though all five media categories.

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On Nielsen Radio
Here is my initial
assessment of the plans

Ad Business Report
Buyers comment
On Nielsen-Cumulus deal

Media, Markets & Money
NC AM goes on the Lamm
Acquisition of WMPM-AM forms new AM duopoly in Raleigh-Durham

Jeff Steele joins Bob Kingsley's KCCS Productions
KCCS Productions announced former SVP of national music syndication for Premiere Radio Networks, Jeff Steele, has joined the company as VP of business development. KCCS Productions is the producer of Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40. Steele's many years of network radio experience will also allow CT40 to continue providing a high level of support to its 400+ worldwide affiliates and U.S. network distributor, Dial-Global.

Matt Feinberg
leaves Zenith Media
After some 11 years, Matt Feinberg, SVP/National Radio; SVP/Director, Interactive Broadcast; Director/Radio, Zenith Media Services, has left the building in that company's latest round of layoffs. In an interview with RBR, Feinberg says he's going to throw his hat in the ring as a freelance media consultant with an eye toward going full-time again. Click on the headline to read.

NABOB dinner scheduled
If you're bringing a gift, it should be silver, as the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters holds its 25th Annual Communications Award Dinner next year. The annual event will be held 3/19/09 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington.

Rock Jam announces KSTR as new sponsor
MBC Grand Broadcasting announced it is working with Rock Jam USA as the exclusive radio sponsor on the Western Slope. One of the largest concert events in Western Colorado, second only to Country Jam, Rock Jam provides quality rock entertainment. MBC acquired KSTR in 2005 and returned the station to its original rock format with the goal of growing the station to become the exclusive home of Rock Jam.

NYMRAD to honor top 25 advertisers at holiday party
New York Market Radio Association (NYMRAD) celebrates 25 years of serving the needs of radio stations, representatives and the advertising community. This year the party will kick off the holiday season at the Marriott Marquis, Friday, December 5th, honoring the Top 25 Advertisers.

Arbitron cuts its phone bill
No more will Arbitron have to install and pay for a conventional land line when a cell phone-only household joins a PPM panel.
11/18/08 RBR #226

Consumers anxiously
await Black Friday deals
Though the majority of consumers have not even put a dent in their shopping list, traditional winter apparel and personal, inexpensive items like DVDs, CDs and books will be the first things they stock up on as they begin their holiday shopping. Ideas for your Sales department.
11/18/08 RBR #226

Local Internet Radio
is the New FM!
Interesting things are happening. NAB does not feel that Internet Radio is worthy of membership, nor does my state organization PAB. This is amusing to me because I remember well when the NAB didn't consider FM "Real" radio and as a result the NAFMB was founded. Local Internet Radio is the future. XM, Sirius and even the vaulted HD-Radio are toast.
11/18/08 RBR #226

What cookies can teach us about news branding
Don't mistake a product feature for a brand...breaking news, weather and consumer stories are not your brand. Your newscast may have lots of breaking news, but your brand is about excitement, adventure and chaos. If you're the breaking news station and you want to live your brand, stop showing so many shots of your live trucks racing down the street. Start showcasing the Indiana Jones adventure ride
11/18/08 RBR #226