PART TWO OF TWO. FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE
By Adam R Jacobson
RBR + TVBR
‘DIFFERENT IS GOOD’
Colonial Media + Entertainment now finds itself in a market where it competes against Cumulus’ five rated stations; Alpha Media, which owns five rated stations; and iHeartMedia, which has four rated stations.
With national attention from advertisers of Myrtle Beach, Colonial is banking on one key philosophy Chairman/CEO Jeff Andrulonis holds.
“Different is good,” he says. “Being a local player in a market with national players makes us, if you will, ‘the noise around here you can’t ignore.'”
Andrulonis says this philosophy was gained while working for Dame Media in Harrisburg in the early 1990s, prior to the company’s station sales to what is now iHeartMedia.
It’s why he’s “truly excited” about the placement of an Urban Gospel format on his Class A FM serving Georgetown County.
Asked why he’s full of positive vibes about the debut of a station carrying a format that historically has had the lowest Power Ratios, Andrulonis explains, “It’s not necessarily been included in the selection of formats targeting African American listeners, and with three FM frequencies this is a solution. This is also a format that is moving from an AM, and we believe the 20-year relationships with advertisers will only grow.”
He continues, “What happens in a lot of operations is that Gospel becomes an afterthought. It’s not as big as the Country station in a cluster, for example. But here is the thing: Some twenty-plus years ago, this was the case with the Country audience. And, Country listeners buy homes, buy cars, and ultimately their money is green, just like everyone else’s.”
While Country stations exploded in growth in the early 1990s as a result of newly popular content and the demise of mainstream Top 40 stations, similar growth was seen in Spanish-language radio in markets across the U.S. and in Puerto Rico, where a salsa revival led to the rise of Marc Anthony and Elvis Crespo.
Gospel may not see a growth spurt thanks to new acts propelling ratings forward. But, Andrulonis has a point — its listeners are loyal, and they spend money just like everyone else.
With lots of national revenue in Myrtle Beach, some of those dollars could trickle down to “Rejoice FM.” Andrulonis isn’t hot on that idea, though.
“I love national business, but you end up commoditizing your product,” he fears. “At Colonial. we have a lot of local advertisers that have been on the radio for a long time. Rates here are healthy, and a lot of that is due to growth in the market. With new home construction, sales are through the roof. We have a great car market.”
MORE THAN AM & FM
Beyond Colonial’s radio stations, which can also be found in Olean, N.Y., and nearby Bradford, Penn., is a sports marketing division.
“In 2014 we purchased a racetrack in Bradford to do live events,” Andrulonis adds, with Olean’s Independence Day fireworks and Bridal Expo among its key occurrences across the calendar year.
Another division, Colonial Media Strategies, is a full-service ad agency providing services to clients in the medical/dental, power equipment, and home improvement categories, among others.
“We have great potential for live events here,” Andrulonis says as he nears Conway, home of Coastal Carolina University and the county seat for Horry County, S.C. It’s the hometown of Vanna White, of Wheel of Fortune fame.
In fact, Andrulonis sees greater long-term growth from live events, combined with his AM and FM stations, than digital growth. He’s pleased with data that show a new penetration milestone for FM chips in Android-powered smartphones. He’s also encouraged by widespread Congressional support of a “Local Radio Freedom Act,” which is designed to protect radio broadcasting companies from new royalty payments to the recording industry.
Andrulonis’ passion for radio broadcasting, and lack of gusto for digital, is unique, given his age. Andrulonis is 44 years old.
Asked why he was driving on a lonely two-lane stretch of road through such towns as Plantersville and Yauhannah, rather than sharing a coffee on Abbott Kinney Blvd. in Venice Beach discussing Snap Inc.’s Initial Public Offering, ZEFR’s video technology or the latest in Augmented Reality with other early 40s professionals, Andrulonis’ answer was simple.
“I love the business,” he says of radio. “I started in radio as a high schooler. I was bagging groceries, and working a local radio station. I guess I was unqualified for bagging groceries, and the radio station saw a future in me.”
His passion for AM and FM broadcasting explains why, at 42 years old, he took a two-year term as Joint Board Chairman for the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (PAB), which just ended.
Yet, Andrulonis realizes he’s an anomaly, with perhaps too many of his contemporaries in Silicon Valley, Silicon Beach or other hot tech markets of the U.S.
“Man, it is a lot of old white guys,” he jests of the PAB. “What can we do? It starts with recruitment. The statute of limitations on, ‘It’s just a matter of time,’ for women and minorities has run out. It’s a great equal employment opportunity, and it’s also a great opportunity for young people.”
He notes that Vince Benedetto, President/CEO of Scranton, Penna.-based Bold Gold Media Group, speaks regularly at Michigan-based Hillsdale College, while Forever Communications partner Kerby Confer does the same at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Andrulonis speaks at the University of Pittsburgh and Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.
“This is a great way to build a farm team of talent,” he says, with weekends and late-nights a good breeding ground for the talent of tomorrow.
With Colonial ready for action in the Carolinas, perhaps Myrtle Beach will become a vital part of that farm system, with a 44-year-old lifetime lover of the industry as its head coach.
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