Radio+Television Business Report

She gave a big New York radio station a rebirth that directly brought it back to its roots as a top CHR/Pop station serving the Big Apple. Earlier, she played a key role in giving Houston a CHR/Pop outlet following the demise of two competitors at a volatile time for the format.

Now, after exiting the radio business for a record label role, this veteran talent is combining her skill set for at Global Media & Entertainment — the London-based entity that wants nearly 50% interest in iHeartMedia.

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Since the start of 2018, he’s been the VP of Broadcast Digital for Salem Media Group. 

Now, this former USA Today Network/LOCALiQ Group Sales Director is adding SVP stripes.

Now SVP/Broadcast Digital is Jamie Cohen. He will now be called on to oversee all aspects of the digital operations for Salem’s local and National/Network digital efforts.

He reports to Salem Broadcast Media President Dave Santrella, who said, “Jamie has done a tremendous job building Salem’s digital enterprise for our local stations. Overseeing all aspects of our digital operations, both locally and nationally, will open more channels of opportunity and unify our efforts in reaching our audiences through digital avenues and monetizing our digital assets.”

Cohen added, “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and am bullish on our future. With the emergence of platforms like Salem Now, the Salem Podcast Network and other innovations, our audience has never been bigger. We have an amazing opportunity ahead of us and I can’t think of a better place to be.”

Cohen started his career at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, as an account executive for its STLToday.com operation.

Last week, the FCC concluded “Auction 109,” a bidding contest that saw the government offer construction permits for 135 new FM stations and four AMs in St. Louis. As previously reported by RBR+TVBR the AMs attracted not even one single bid.

That said, some 38 FMs went unsold in the auction. For Wilkinson Barker Knauer attorney David Oxenford, this presents one big question: Does this result say something about the FCC’s local ownership rules?

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As Oxenford points out, the FCC will have raised $12,344,110 from Auction 109. However, the bulk of the dollars are attributed to two properties. More than $6 million will go for a new Sacramento FM at 107.9 MHz, with iHeartMedia the company getting the chance to bring a station back on a signal once home to KDND-FM. The other big-dollar FM deal is one for just over $3 million, and involves a signal covering the northern portion of the Dallas metropolitan area.

Thus, the $12.34 million total could have been higher — if only those AMs in St. Louis and the 38 FMs were sold by the Commission.

What happened? Oxenford says, “The 42 channels that were unsold range from channels allotted to small communities in states like Wyoming or Alaska that were predicted to serve very few people, thus having opening bids as low as $750 that no one was willing to meet, to channels in somewhat bigger communities including channels in New York state and Colorado that had opening bids of $75,000, indicating that they would serve a substantial number of people.”

Why did the FMs in New York and Colorado fail to get a bid? “[T]he prices were apparently deemed too high to justify for companies looking for a business return,” Oxenford says.

But, he also ties the lack of bids for the FMs and the zero interest in the St. Louis-area AMs, to the FCC’s local radio ownership rules.

“Many of the unsold channels are in communities where there are already local broadcasters,” he says. “In some cases, I have been told that parties would have been interested in bidding on channels that went unsold but, because of the FCC’s ownership limitations, they were precluded from owning those stations.  So instead of providing new service to the public, these channels will lie fallow providing service to no one.”

Thus, the argument that deregulation can help the broadcast media industry along with the brokerage community and, most importantly, local listeners appears bolstered by Oxenford’s reasoning.

The timing could not be better for the broadcast industry, even though current FCC leadership is hardly open to further deregulation of AM and FM station ownership.

Oxenford points out that comments on whether changes should be made to the FCC’s radio ownership rules are due to be filed at the FCC on September 2. “The results of this auction may well be instructive on the issues that the FCC will be considering,” he says. “In comments filed in 2019, parties talked about stations in their smaller radio markets that are essentially nothing but a transmitter and a computer – providing no real local service – when local owners who do cover the issues of importance to local communities are precluded from using these channels to provide new services, as the ownership rules do not permit such ownership. The radio industry has significantly changed since the 1996 Telecommunications Act which set the current radio ownership limits. No longer is owning a local radio station the dream of every amateur DJ or kid with an interest in electronics – many of those dreams are now fulfilled by digital channels.  But there are still broadcasters who want to serve local communities.  Perhaps the result of this auction and the other comments filed on September 2 will inform the Commission on the realities of the current audio marketplace – realities that can impact their assessment of whether the current radio ownership limitations remain in the public interest.”

On Thursday (8/12), global advertising company dentsu announced that it has adopted a new policy in which it will pay all minority-owned media within 30 days.

This includes Black-owned radio and television stations, and is a decision that the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) calls “a game-changing commitment.”

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Here Comes TikTok.

That’s the declaration from Gordon Borrell, whose Borrell Associates has released another nugget from its April to late June 2021 Local Ad Agency Survey.

Here’s what broadcast media executives and sales associates need to know about how this rise could impact their chances of a buy — or not.

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A small broadcaster with TV stations in its home market of Salisbury-Ocean City, Md.; adjacent city Dover, Del.; Bowling Green, Ky.; Glenwood Springs, Colo.; and two Georgia markets in June 2020 agreed to a transaction involving Jeff and Janet Winemiller.

Now, the Winemillers are selling another property to this company — this time a LPTV facility serving Music City USA.

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In a major development heralding the possibilities for all broadcasters with the new ATSC 3.0 digital television broadcast standard, the first Broadcast Internet remote learning service has been deployed.

It is now up and running in the Nation’s Capital, and its over-the-air launch is thanks in part to a partnership with ONE Media 3.0 and Sinclair Broadcast Group.

The EduCast service’s deployment is a victory for Chantilly, Va.-based SpectraRep, and is utilizing the NEXTGENTV signal powering Sinclair’s WIAV-CD 44 in Washington, D.C.

The facility’s signal contour covers the entire National Capital Region and the Baltimore suburbs.

The deployment is the first Broadcast Internet remote learning service in the nation to utilize NextGen TV to deliver educational services that are designed to mitigate broadband access issues for students and teachers around the country.

In short, EduCast allows educators to immediately evaluate and deploy Broadcast Internet in the region for remote learning.

Broadcast Internet, also known as datacasting, uses digital television transmission infrastructure to deliver IP-based content to users within a broadcaster’s transmission footprint.

“When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country and students and teachers were sent home, we saw the negative impacts on remote learners without access to adequate broadband,” said Mark O’Brien, President and Chief Technology Officer of SpectraRep. “Issues like homework gaps and equity in education became even more acute, and we quickly realized we could help to bridge the digital divide through our technology and the enhanced advances offered by ATSC 3.0, in the same way we’ve supported public safety and law enforcement customers.”

EduCast uses a portion of the digital television capacity to deliver a secure, wireless data network that safely delivers targeted assignments, course materials and classroom
videos to students.

O’Brien says EduCast is operational and available in 12 states using the ATSC 1.0 transmission standard.

With ATSC 3.0, “we can directly support even more students faster and in a timeframe and manner that keeps them learning no matter what the new school year brings,” O’Brien says.

John McCoskey, SpectraRep’s COO, adds, “When the ATSC 3.0 standard was ratified, we knew it could dramatically improve our service offerings due to its native IP architecture, increased data capacity, and better reception characteristics. Our goal was to enhance our services to operate using both ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 transmission systems and to provide stations and end users a simple, no-cost transition from one to the other. At the station that means just configuration changes and moving a few cables. The in-home receiver we chose and have deployed already supports both transmission standards.”

In anticipation of the staggered and voluntary transition of stations from the current standard to NextGen TV ATSC 3.0, SpectraRep partnered with DigiCAP to develop an advanced in-home receiver capable of simultaneous operation using both ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 transmission.

Educators access the EduCast service using their existing Learning Management System (LMS) and tools. In a student’s home, the DigiCAP receiver connects to a simple TV antenna that is used to receive the broadcast signal and the IP content it carries.  The receiver establishes a Wi-Fi hotspot in the home that students connect to with their Chromebook, tablet, laptop, or smartphone.  The receiver stores up to 128 GBytes of educator-curated content.  This can include videos, presentation slides, worksheets, interactive documents, and images. Anything that can be saved as a file can be delivered.

On June 30, 2017, Continental Broadcasting Corp. sold a Class B AM in Phoenix to an entity controlled by Vic Michael Jr.

Now, less than two years after asking the FCC for a Construction Permit allowing him to “diplex” the AM with another property he owned, Michael is spinning this kHz-band facility along with its FM translator.

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If the audio media company formerly known as Entercom ever needed a shot in the arm from a Wall Street analyst, it arrived over the weekend.

The Insiders Forum, which reviews “attractive small- and mid-cap” stock insiders are buying, says now is the time to purchase Audacy shares. Why?

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For more than 10 years, New York Spectrum Holding Company — controlled by Chau-Chi “Charles” Wong — has engaged in the acquisition of low-power broadcast TV stations. Among the licensee’s leaders across its history is Vern Fotheringham, CEO of ARK Multicasting.

In recent weeks, Wong has emerged as a seller, and has agreed to spin LPTVs in Florida to Ravi Kapur. Now, Wong is exiting Houston.

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One month ago, a licensee led by Will Hill agreed to purchase an AM/FM combo, along with an FM translator, in a deal brokered by two individuals who know the lay of the land — Cody, Wyo.-based Larry and Susan Patrick.

Now, it is known that Hill is adding another Wyoming FM, this time in the municipality of Hudson.

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A Hubbard Broadcasting Country station’s morning show has a feature devoted to it. Memes and internet stories refer to it regularly, too.

The “Florida Man” and its regular use in stories highlighting some of the Sunshine State’s random acts of stupidity led John Caracciolo and his JVC Media to brand his company’s Hot Talk stations targeting male listeners “Florida Man Radio.”

Now, JVC is spinning one of these stations — an FM serving the market that’s home to the University of Florida.

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Salem Media Group’s podcast network on Thursday revealed that it will add former Trump Campaign Attorney Jenna Ellis to the lineup, starting January 13.

It seems that has some merit among investors as Salem’s stock was on the rise across Friday’s trading session.

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As the competition for consumer attention heats up with traditional, big-tent broadcasters continuing to launch their own streaming services — i.e. Peacock, Paramount+, and Discovery+ — one big question arises. How can local TV broadcast networks stay competitive with streaming apps of their own?

JW Player, the platform used to play videos by the likes of Fox, Univision and Vice, recently conducted a survey across their network of broadcasters to reveal opportunities for them to capitalize on the continuous growth in digital video.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The NAB; Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC); and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) have filed a petition for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit challenging a FCC order mandating disclosures for foreign government-sponsored programming.

In the petition, the organizations argue that the FCC adopted unnecessary and overly burdensome rules that impose on every broadcaster onerous requirements to make specified inquiries of, and conduct independent research on, all the entities with whom broadcasters currently or will in the future have lease agreements. The requirements would be particularly burdensome for smaller broadcasters, including stations owned by women and people of color and new entrants seeking to gain experience through leasing arrangements.

In the FCC order, broadcasters — which collectively have many thousands of contracts for the lease of time to air programming — would need to determine and announce whether the sponsor of programming is a foreign governmental entity or its agent. These determinations would be required even if the leased programming (such as an infomercial or local religious broadcast) poses no colorable risk of foreign sponsorship.

Broadcasters would also need to conduct inquiries and investigations at the time any lease is initially entered into and repeat them every time that same lease (with the same, already-investigated party) is renewed. Stations also must memorialize those inquiries and investigations and maintain that documentation.

The new regulations authorized by the FCC’s order are imposed only upon broadcasters, even though the problem that the Commission purports to address — the failure to identify a foreign government entity that is the source of the programming — is almost entirely associated with satellite and cable channels and, above all, with social media and the Internet.

In a joint statement, the NAB, MMTC and NABOB said they are “deeply concerned with the FCC’s misguided attempt to develop uniform rules for disclosing foreign government-sponsored programming. The Commission’s decision to require broadcasters in all circumstances to investigate the source of leased programming exceeds its statutory authority, is arbitrary and capricious and violates the First Amendment. Broadcasters strongly oppose foreign interference in American elections, but the Commission’s order fails to even address this core objective. We look forward to presenting our case in court.”

Among the big gainers on the NYSE in Friday’s trading is Audacy Inc., the audio content and distribution company formerly known as Entercom. As of 12:48pm Eastern, AUD was trading at $3.40, up 13.3% after sequential dips came following the result of a lackluster Q2 2021 earnings report.

While that’s good for shareholders, a high-profile departure from the company’s executive leadership team is generating greater industry chatter.

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ORLANDO — With a tag line straight out of Procter & Gamble Co. Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard‘s much-repeated presentations of late, the 2021 ANA Masters of Marketing conference is moving forward with a four-day affair at its favored locale of choice — the Rosen Shingle Creek.

The event, which immediately precedes the NAB Show and co-located Radio Show in Las Vegas, has one key differentiator with respect to attendance.

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It’s a key position that involves the retransmission consent agreement reached with DBS providers DirecTV and DISH, and with every MVPD across the U.S.

And, Sinclair Broadcast Group — presently gearing up for a war with DISH — has given it to a Senior Corporate Counsel in that role for six years.

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It owns and operates the “River Radio Network,” comprised of a Weirton, W. Va.-based AM/FM combo and an FM translator.

Now, its owner has signed off on an asset purchase agreement giving it three FMs, and an AM with an FM translator, in the nearby Wheeling market.

With Tim Ohalek and Cindy Taylor the driving forces of River Radio Network, parent company Ohio Midland Newsgroup is growing beyond WEIR-AM & WCDK-FM in Weirton by agreeing to acquire the following properties from Forever Media:

• WLIE-AM 1290, licensed to Bellaire, Ohio, on the left bank of the Ohio River. It is a 1kw Class D with 30 watts at night and associated with FM translator W261DH at 100.1 MHz in Wheeling. It airs a Classic Country format as “Willie,” a homage to Willie Nelson.
• WBGI-FM 100.5, also licensed to Bellaire. It is a Class B 48kw facility branded as “Biggie 100.5,” airing a contemporary Country format.
• WUKL-FM 105.5, in Bethlehem, W. Va. It is a Class B1 13.5kw facility known as “Kool 105.5.” It is an Adult Hits station with a playlist ranging from Haddaway to England Dan and John Ford Coley.
• WRQY-FM 96.5, in Moundsville, W. Va. The Class A is a Classic Rocker, branded as “Rocky 96.5.”

Ohio Midland Newsgroup, a subsidiary of Cody Barack-led Morning Star Media, is paying $885,000 for the properties, with Lynn Deppen signing off on the agreement for Forever Media. A $50,000 escrow deposit has been made to Forever by Ohio Midland.

In return, Ohio Midland is spinning silent FM translator W235BX at 93.9 MHz in Colliers, W.Va. to Forever Media for a token price of $10.

The translator will be used to rebroadcast what WOHI-AM 1490, licensed to East Liverpool, Ohio.

Forever Media is owned by Kirby Confer and Donald Alt.

Given what MoffettNathanson Senior Analyst Michael Nathanson calls The Walt Disney Co.‘s “relatively flat share price performance” through the first 8 1/2 months of 2021, his Wall Street financial house believes there is “ongoing tension” in the market between those that look at the drivers of Disney’s Earnings Per Share and those that look at the drivers of Disney’s valuation multiple.

What is the main driver right now? Theme parks are driving the U.S., not Disney+. The latter is fueled by international growth.

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