Radio+Television Business Report

It is far and away the most valuable content company in the world. And, its executive team led by Reed Hastings has decided to drop its fourth quarter 2021 fiscal report card on the same day as the Matrix Solutions Media Ad Sales Summit — also the concluding day of NATPE Miami at the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach.

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The NTA is no longer the National Translator Association. But, it is very much devoted to serving low-power broadcast TV stations as its largest advocacy group.

And, not much has changed in its mission as Jack Mills has been elected to replace the retiring John Terrill as NTA President.

As such, Mills will assume the leadership of an organization devoted to serving its members in the same way it always had. Only, it has a new name.

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NEW YORK — The co-CEO and Chairman of the Board of one of the fastest-growing broadcast television station ownership groups in the U.S. has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Golden Mike Award.

Hilton Howell Jr. will be presented with the honor at a black-tie gala on Monday, March 14, 2022, at the Plaza Hotel, adjacent to Central Park.

This year’s event marks the return of the Broadcasters Foundation of America’s biggest fundraiser, which did not take place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Howell, who leads Gray Television, began his career practicing law and spent several years in the insurance industry. He serves on the Broadcasters Foundation’s Board of Directors, and is a former member of the board of directors for the NAB, the Advisory Council of the Center for Leadership and Ethics for the University of Texas at Austin, and the Advisory Board of Curant Health Care. He is also a former member on the NBC Affiliate Board.

The Broadcasters Foundation of America Golden Mike Award dinner attracts a who’s who of broadcast media executives and celebrities. The presenters and performers for this year’s event will be announced shortly. Previous recipients include Dave Lougee, Perry Sook, Emily Barr, David Barrett, Michael Bloomberg, Bob Pittman, Gordon Smith, and Jeff Smulyan.

The Broadcasters Foundation is the only charity devoted exclusively to providing financial assistance to colleagues in broadcasting who are in dire need. Even with the loss of major fundraising events during COVID, more than $1.8 million in monthly and one-time emergency grants will be awarded this year.

“It’s been a challenging year-and-a-half, and we are thrilled to honor Hilton and once again present the Golden Mike Award live and in-person,” said Scott Herman, Chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation. “Looking ahead, our goal remains to provide financial aid for every broadcaster who qualifies.”

Howell added, “I am honored to be recognized by the Broadcasters Foundation and ask everyone in our business who has made a good living from broadcasting, to consider donating any amount to help our colleagues who have been hit by shattering circumstances.”

Video SaaS platform Stringr has brought to market a new creator-focused video sourcing and production platform.

In the company’s view, marketers, brands, creatives, and entertainment companies can now source and produce original video content “with the same speed and ease” previously only available to broadcast news organizations.

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LOS ANGELES — A 26-year veteran of iHeartMedia who has most recently served as SVP of Programming for FOX Sports Radio and in the concurrent role of SVP of KLAC-AM 570 has been elevated to EVP/Programming for what is now being called “iHeartMedia Sports.”

Earning the promotion is Don Martin.

According to iHeartMedia, its sports audio network is among the largest in the U.S., with products across broadcast, streaming, digital, podcast and experiential. The portfolio includes the iHeartSports Network, which provides customized local, regional and national sports content and updates across more than 490 stations; the Fox Sports Network, home to veteran hosts Dan Patrick and Colin Cowherd; and 78 dedicated sports radio stations.

Additionally, it features the iHeartPodcast Network, with more than 40 national and 100 local sports podcasts plus exclusive podcast agreements with the NFL and NBA.

In his new role, Martin will lead Sports radio operations and oversee recruiting for on-air talent, program directors and board operators for the iHeartMedia Markets Group and Premiere Networks. In addition, Martin will identify opportunities to expand iHeartMedia Sports partnerships – including leagues, teams, podcasting and broadcast. He will continue to oversee the programming, promotions, operations and sales for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Kings, Los Angeles Chargers, UCLA and others.

Martin will also continue his operational, programming and sales responsibilities for KLAC, the AM sports station serving Southern California that competes against KSPN-AM 710, which Good Karma Brands is agreeing to purchase from The Walt Disney Company.

 “The iHeartMedia Sports Network would not be what it is today without Don’s years of experience and innovation,” said Kevin LeGrett, President of iHeartMedia Sports and iHeartMedia Los Angeles. “He is the perfect choice to lead our ever-expanding network, bringing us the most exciting new partnerships and team members.” 

Martin added, “In life, you are only as good as the family around you. I have had the privilege of working with three of the most incredible families in the business – from KOA in Denver to AM 570 and FOX Sports Radio in LA, and now the family just gets bigger! Thank you, Greg Ashlock, Kevin LeGrett, Julie Talbott, and Tom Poleman for your belief and trust in me. I am a blessed man!”

Before trekking up Interstate 5, straight in a line, Martin oversaw the 2013 merger of XTRA Sports (XETRA-AM 690 in San Diego and KXTA-AM 1150 in Los Angeles) and was responsible for moving XTRA Sports to KLAC. Martin has also served as Program Director of KOA-AM 850 in Denver.

As of today, real-time cross-platform TV ad measurement company iSpot has a 54-month licensing deal in hand for all smart TV data from the advertising and data platform from LG Electronics.

The deal gives iSpot access to LG on-the-glass program and ad data from more than 20 million opted-in smart TVs from a broad range of TV makers in addition to LG.

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One year ago, Beasley Media shares were priced at $1.45, and were on the rise from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic-fueled lows seen across Wall Street.

For Audacy Inc., its stock was at $2.24, and also on the rise.

Today, the stock for each of these radio station owners who seek to describe themselves as audio media content and distribution companies has retreated to prices that aren’t much better than they were in mid-December 2020.

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That’s what some began asking upon reading a filing with a Nevada Federal bankruptcy court overseeing the fate of three FM radio stations once licensed to Royce International Broadcasting, the company led by embattled radio station owner Ed Stolz.

The filing, made Monday (12/13) by the attorney for U.S. Trustee Tracy Hope Davis, contains language suggesting Stolz be given back control of three stations stripped from him by California Central District Court Judge Jesus Bernal.

The legal counsel representing the receiver Bernal handed control of the three FM properties to, Larry Patrick, says otherwise.

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In late November, RBR+TVBR reported about a group of plaintiffs that has sued four audio media companies in a Dallas Federal District Court, arguing that they should be held liable, in some way, for airing programming tied to “a known fraud recidivist.”

It turns out that RBR+TVBR‘s belief that one of the companies named in the suit shouldn’t have been there was accurate.

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He’s been an active buyer and seller of media properties across Texas for more than a decade. Now, Gerald Benavides has signed off on a deal giving him ownership of a FM station licensed to the city of Stanton.

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Since July 2020 he has served as President/GM of WGAL-8, the NBC affiliate serving the Lancaster-Harrisburg-Lebanon-York, Pa., market owned by Hearst Television.

Now, he’s likely singing the lyrics to a classic rock and roll tune by Wilbert Harrison as Sarah Smith readies for retirement.

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Broadcast media executives are well appraised of the mega magnets embedded in advertising-supported video on demand (AVOD) platforms serving U.S. consumers. But, just how many dollars have been generated in the 12-month period ending September 2021?

Kantar has the answer, and the figure is in the $3 billion range. One AVOD platform gets the majority of those dollars.

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On September 20, 1995, CBS officially completed its acquisition of what until December 11, 1994 was Detroit’s FOX affiliate, WGPR-TV. The transaction was messy, and saw the city’s African American leaders seek to block the sale of WGPR by the Masons, which made the station the first in the U.S. to be wholly owned by Blacks. Lansing-based real estate investor and broadcaster Joel Ferguson stepped in, ultimately failing in an attempt to buy it or at least form a partnership with CBS.

Twenty-six years later, what would become “CBS62” under the WWJ-TV call sign is a unique O&O for ViacomCBS. It hasn’t ever had its own local news department, with Graham Media’s NBC-affiliated WDIV-4 left to compete against The E.W. Scripps Co.’s ABC-affiliated WXYZ-7 and WJBK-2 — that former CBS affiliate which today is a FOX O&O that remains a key viewer magnet.

Thanks to Wendy McMahon and Adrienne Roark, this will soon change, finally making Detroit a local news hub for CBS.

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One month ago, a Fresno FM branded as “New Rock 104.1” briefly ceased transmissions due to complications tied to the long-running KNP Complex wildfire; Lotus Communications loaned the licensee a lower-power transmitter to resume on-air broadcasts.

Now, the licensee is seeing a change in interest, with a 8 1/2-year partnership between two local radio broadcasters headed for dissolution.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — PILOT, the NAB‘s innovation initiative, has launched the PILOT NEXTGEN TV Fellowship program with support from Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Structured like an early-stage start-up, the fellowship will focus on exploring capabilities of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard and developing a concept for a NEXTGEN TV product or service.

Alongside industry experts, fellows will gain “practical, first-hand experience” with NEXTGEN TV technology. The eight-month program will include product training, seminars and one-on-one coaching with NEXTGEN TV standard experts and AWS representatives. The fellowship will conclude with fellows presenting their projects at the 2022 NAB Show in April in Las Vegas.

The 2021 fellows are current Howard University students Mikaela Mosley and Sulaiman Bastien.

Mosley is a senior television and film production major and political science minor and serves as the GM and producer for Howard University’s Spotlight Network/WHUT-TV. Mosley recently completed an internship with Amazon Studios as a Drama Development intern.

Bastien is a senior television and film production major and computer science minor, with a concentration on directing and software engineering. He recently completed an internship with NEXTGEN TV promotional and rollout entity Pearl TV as an application developer.

Howard University is partnering with local broadcast television stations to bring NEXTGEN TV to local stations in Washington, D.C., with Howard University’s WHUT serving as the host station. Other participating stations include WJLA-7, WUSA-9, WTTG-5 and WRC-4.

Fellows will also participate in NAB Leadership’s Technology Apprenticeship Program (TAP). TAP is a complimentary career development program that is designed to train, inform and recruit the next generation of leaders in the broadcasting industry. Between these two innovative programs, fellows will be poised to launch a cutting-edge career as an engineer or technology professional in the broadcasting industry.

In November, Gray Television revealed its new local leadership slate, which outlined who would be leading a host of stations it was acquiring from Meredith Local Media. Among those changes was the move from Southern Arizona to Mobile, Alabama of Eric Duncan to take the GM position of FOX affiliate WALA-10.

Now, Gray has decided who will succeed Duncan in Tucson. It’s a market veteran with years of experience at the former Cordillera Communications.

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NEW YORK — The TV and cross-platform measurement and analytics firm founded by CEO Kristin Dolan has launched an independent media trading currency that the company believes offers an alternative to … you guessed it … Nielsen.

As 605 sees it, it is designed “to underpin advertising transactions between partners on the buy-side and the sell-side.”

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True partnership requires constant dialogue, says Laura Molen, the President of Advertising Sales and Partnerships at NBCUniversal. That’s why, every day, Molen consults with NBCU’s marketing partners, listening to their business challenges and sharing the media company’s insights. The goal: collaboration on new ways to achieve their business goals.

Recently, Molen has noticed a recurring theme – advertisers are working to adapt to new audience behaviors and questioning whether they should place the same premium on digital, social, and streaming video as they do on linear. “This question alone is understandable, but to answer it, we need to remember our most important partners—our viewers—who we can learn from and grow with, if we pay close enough attention,” Molen writes in a thought piece.

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USSI Global, the provider of customized broadcast, network, and digital signage services worldwide, is supporting global content connectivity solutions provider SES in successfully completing all Phase I accelerated C-band clearing and relocation activities.

SES is seeking to clear 280 MHz of the C-band spectrum to help meet the FCC’s objective to quickly roll out 5G services across the United States. Phase I required SES to relocate all of its existing services that are received by Incumbent Earth Stations out of the 3700-3820 MHz band. USSI Global made the necessary equipment changes on all associated Incumbent Earth Stations.

SES selected USSI Global as the primary vendor to help manage and execute the transition of Incumbent Earth Station filtering to mitigate risks of 5G interference. USSI Global served as the lead project management firm and was responsible for outreach, IT systems integration, field support management and status reporting. The initial outreach phase was especially valuable, requiring intensive advance research to gather and ascertain site-specific details of the Incumbent Earth Stations. USSI Global field technicians later provided turnkey systems design, procurement, installation and commissioning of 5G filters and antennas, among other key hardware components.

To meet the FCC’s ambitious Phase I accelerated relocation deadline of Dec. 5, 2021, SES established a goal of clearing greater than 700 Phase I sites by Aug. 31, 2021. USSI Global helped SES successfully meet that goal by supporting approximately 600 Phase 1 Incumbent Earth Station site transitions. The FCC validated SES’s Phase I certification on Nov. 24, 2021. By meeting this critical deadline, USSI Global ensured SES was eligible for the first accelerated relocation payment.

USSI Global’s more than 35-year history of experience supporting broadcast, network and digital signage services uniquely positions the company as a turnkey service provider for challenging, mandate-driven transitions such as the FCC’s C-Band spectrum transition. The company also provides customized post-installation and commissioning managed services, including preventative maintenance and remote monitoring, allowing customers to focus on their business.

“This was an unprecedented endeavor that was conceived prior to the pandemic yet executed during its apex,” said USSI Global COO Anthony Morelli. “USSI Global has an extensive history of developing customized customer solutions to yield effective results no matter what challenges arise. Our dedicated team worked closely and diligently with our partners at SES to adapt to a very challenging environment and achieve our shared goals, with flawless execution overseen by USSI Global’s field service leadership.”

SES Program Management Director Bronnie Fisher Fiely said, “USSI Global has extensive experience, which made our partnership for this project a natural fit. As a core part of their service plan for this project, USSI Global has accomplished a truly superior outreach effort for Phase I and is already hard at work on Phase II.”

USSI Global has already supported the clearing of more than 100 Phase II sites, and will continue to support SES through the remainder of Phase II clearing and transition activities.

“As the primary vendor supporting SES, there was a tremendous level of work that had to be completed under tight deadlines,” said Dave Christiano, CEO of USSI Global. “The USSI Global team’s exceptional work went a long way toward ensuring a successful transition for SES, and we are particularly proud of our technicians and field service engineers that implemented the work. We thank SES for trusting USSI Global to get the job done.”

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has opened the nomination period for the 2022 NAB Technology Awards. The four awards highlight significant achievements in broadcast engineering, digital leadership and technology innovation. The awards will be presented at the 2022 NAB Show, held April 23-27 in Las Vegas.

The Radio and Television Engineering Achievement Awards are presented to individuals for their outstanding accomplishments in the broadcast radio or television industry, respectively.

The Digital Leadership Award honors an individual at a broadcast station, group or network who has transformed a traditional broadcast business to succeed on digital media platforms in a measurable way.

The Technology Innovation Award honors an organization that brings advanced technology exhibits and demonstrations of significant merit to the NAB Show. The nominated exhibit should present advanced research and development projects in communications technologies that have not yet been commercialized.

Finally, the Best Paper Award honors the author(s) of a paper of exceptional merit that is published in the Proceedings of the 2022 Broadcast Engineering and Information Technology (BEIT) Conference, held each year as part of the NAB Show.

“These awards celebrate the individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves by transforming our industry,” said NAB’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Sam Matheny. “We are delighted to honor the industry’s technical and engineering achievements at NAB Show.”

The deadline for nominations is January 11, 2022. Nomination forms and detailed award rules are available at nab.org/events/awards, along with a list of past recipients.