Radio+Television Business Report

Know someone worthy of being honored with a prestigious Medallas de Cortez award for excellence in U.S. Hispanic radio?

Now’s your time to make your nomination for a 2021 honor.

The Medallas de Cortez awards, sponsored by vCreative, will be presented at the annual Hispanic Radio Conference, set for Sept. 22-23.

The awards have become a highly coveted symbol of excellence in Hispanic radio. In its twelfth year, these exclusive radio awards will shine a spotlight on the top talent in Spanish-language radio and at radio stations superserving Hispanic audiences — including noncommercial stations in key U.S. Hispanic markets.

Nominations can be made in seven categories:

• Marketer (may be someone from a station, an agency, or a client)
• National/Syndicated Personality
• Local Personality
• Program Director
• Sales Manager
• General/Market Manager
• Station of the Year

The nominations deadline is July 12, so please make your selection today.

The Medallas de Cortez awards are named in honor of Raoul Cortez, who founded KCOR-AM in San Antonio — the first full-time Spanish-language station in the United States — in 1946. Nominations are open to anyone, Hispanic and not, who is involved in Hispanic broadcasting. The goal is to make sure everyone dedicated to this segment of the industry has an opportunity to be recognized for their contributions to excellence in radio.

 

Click here to register for the Hispanic Radio Conference today!

Sales teams have endured many changes over the past year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many broadcast stations have downsized. More companies are using part-time sellers and are embracing remote work.

The result: compensation has been all over the place.

Now, as pandemic restrictions are set to outright disappear on Tuesday (6/15) in the state of California as another sign that the worst of COVID-19 is behind us, companies are rebuilding.

The biggest challenge: hiring in an extremely competitive job market.

How can you best compete to hire the top sellers?

The first step is to share your information in our second annual RBR+TVBR/Media Staffing Network Sales Compensation Study.

With your input, valuable insights into emerging and changing trends can help station owners and managers plan budgets and goals while remaining competitive in hiring.

“For example, we have seen that many television stations are now offering longer security periods than in the past,” says Laurie Kahn, President/CEO of Media Staffing Network. “We have learned that a large percentage of sellers are coming up on retirement in the next few years. We have also learned more about how the selling of products and services is being handled by sales departments.”

This year’s survey includes additional questions designed to provide an understanding of the television industry’s efforts in building diverse teams, selling podcasts, how their sales teams fared during the pandemic.

The same sales survey is being offered to newspaper and radio industry sales positions. This will paint a portrait as to how the television business compensates their sales associates, compared to competing local media.

Ideal respondents include owners, managers, sellers, and human resource professionals. All survey participants and their responses are confidential.

Each person who fills out the survey will earn a chance to win a $100 American Express Gift Card in a random drawing. 

The survey will be live for five weeks, starting Monday, June 14. The survey closes at the end of Friday, July 16.

Findings from the study will be released in conjunction with the Small Market Television Show. The event will be held in conjunction with the 2021 NAB Show in Las Vegas. Respondents will receive an early overview of the study. 

“This information from the RBR+TVBR/Media Staffing Network Sales Compensation Study is helpful to all television broadcasters, and the more responses we receive, the more accurate and insightful the study results will be,” Kahn says. “Please share this survey with your staff and peers so we can get you the most information available.”

Click here to take the survey:  http://bit.ly/TVCompStudy21

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has confirmed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Commission, has selected the day it will conduct a nationwide test of the EAS and Wireless Emergency Alerts.

The date chosen: Wednesday, Aug. 11.

The time: 11:20am Pacific, or 2:20pm Eastern.

There is a backup date of August 25, should there be an unforeseen glitch that prevents the test from occurring on August 11.

All EAS Participants must renew their identifying information in ETRS Form One on or before July 6; the ETRS is now available for the acceptance of 2021 filings.

During the event, a test message will clearly state that the alert is only a test.

FEMA will transmit the EAS portion of the nationwide test through a hierarchical, broadcast-based distribution system, otherwise known as the “daisy chain.” Because the test will be disseminated in this manner, FEMA indicates that “full message text and multilingual messaging will not be available.”

FEMA explains, “[T]he intent of conducting the test in this fashion is to determine the
capability of the [EAS] to deliver messages to the public in the event that dissemination via internet is not available.”

The Media Bureau adds that testing the daisy chain will allow the FCC and FEMA to assess whether the national EAS would perform as designed, if activated, and help to ensure the reliability and effectiveness of broadcast-based alerting as part of our national emergency communications infrastructure.

For further information regarding the nationwide EAS test, contact Maureen Bizhko, Attorney Advisor, Policy and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, at 202-418-0011 or maureen.bizhko@fcc.gov; Rosemary Cabral, Attorney Advisor, Policy and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, at rosemary.cabral@fcc.gov; or Christina Clearwater, Deputy Chief, Policy and Licensing Division, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau at christina.clearwater@fcc.gov. 

It signed on the air in 2009 as a Class A FM serving the Adirondack Mountains town of Saranac Lake, N.Y. Since January, it has been one-half of a Variety Hits operation branded as “Lake FM,” with coverage of nearby Tupper Lake provided by that second FM.

Now, a deal is in the works sending the Class A to a new licensee.

It sees noted longtime media executive turned licensee Randy Michaels agreeing to its sale.

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DTV America Corp. has of late been an entity fully controlled by HC2 Holdings, today led by Wayne Barr and until nearly a year ago by Philip Falcone.

As part of a capital-raising campaign led by HC2’s current leadership, DTV is spinning a group of low-powered TV stations in various locales.

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“Every presentation is a performance,” says veteran public relations executive Rosemary Ravinal, who has emerged from the pandemic as a Zoom etiquette expert for the professional work force.

“It is a performance with a specific audience in mind, concise content, delivered with energy and authority,” she writes in this new column. “Whether you are doing a virtual presentation or in-person, there are common best practices that will ease your discomfort and greatly improve your impact.”

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Fueled by stronger than anticipated digital advertising results, respected Wall Street financial analysts at MoffettNathanson are raising its 2021 overall U.S. ad growth estimate.

This offset will be partially offset by lower than expected broadcast and cable advertising.

But, what do the radio advertising trends look like? Senior Analyst Michael Nathanson offers a few details.

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On September 19, 1921, one of America’s oldest radio stations will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

On Friday (6/11), the 100 day countdown to a century of serving New England began for a station currently offering an all-News format, owned today by iHeartMedia.

WBZ-AM 1030, a Class A 50kw directional facility using 2 towers on the opposite of Nantasket Beach, Mass., is the station already saluting itself. This will see on-air and online vignettes recalling the most memorable moments in the station’s history.

“For a station to broadcast for 100 years is nothing short of amazing,” said Alan
Chartrand, Market President of WBZ parent iHeartMedia/Boston. “Listeners and advertisers
consistently utilize this heritage brand as evidenced by WBZ’s continued ratings and
revenue success. People lean into objective news sources to remain informed and none
has been more dependable than WBZ NewsRadio.”

Rob Sanchez, Vice President of News, Talk & Sports for iHeartMedia in Boston, added, “WBZ NewsRadio is defined by our strong, unmistakable presence in the communities we serve. As the media landscape continues to evolve, our reach has only increased as WBZ listeners have adopted streaming on smart devices and the iHeartRadio app.”

With FM accessibility via WXKS-FM 107.9 HD2, the primary listener connectivity point for WBZ remains its booming AM signal, which covers all of eastern Massachusetts; Rhode Island; southern New Hampshire; and coastal Maine. At night, WBZ’s signal expands to much of the Northeast. While a Class A, it shares that designation with a Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, radio station.

The WBZ of today features all-news programming from midnight to 8pm weekdays, and Nightside with Dan Rea from 8pm until midnight. Saturday evenings feature talk programming, while The Ric Edelman Show holds the 10am-noon Sunday slot.

WBZ is one of the original Westinghouse radio stations, and has been at its present dial position since 1941. It was a member of the NBC Blue Network, and then switched in 1942 to the Red Network. That lasted until August 1956, when a dispute over daytime programming led WBZ to take on a “MOR” music approach. At this time, legendary hosts including Dave Maynard entered the WBZ annals of history.

In the 1960s, WBZ became a Top 40 station, competing with WMEX. But, in 1969, WRKO had emerged as the market’s hit music leader. This led WBZ, even with its much bigger regional signal, to shift toward Adult Contemporary as it adopted a more Full Service approach, incorporating Sports programming and Talk shows.

In 1985, as many AMs were doing, Full Service programming gradually faded. By the time the Persian Gulf War began in 1991, all music programming was done. This resulted in WBZ becoming “Boston’s News Station.”

Meanwhile, WBZ’s ownership was still associated with the old Westinghouse, this time as a CBS Radio property with Viacom a part of its historical ownership lineage. With CBS Radio’s merger with Entercom, now Audacy, in 2017, the company opted to swap WBZ — along with a group of other stations — to iHeartMedia.

You’ve heard the reports about the demand in the 2021 Upfront season being quite strong.

But, there’s an ugly truth that MoffettNathanson Senior Analyst Michael Nathanson can’t get past.

Starting in 2015, TV ad spend, most like due to declining cable network impressions, has “decoupled” from U.S. economic growth.

The erosion forecast isn’t pretty.

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At the end of November 2019, Urban WBLS-FM 107.5 and Hip-Hop WQHT-FM “Hot 97” in New York shifted from Emmis Communications’ full ownership to a newly created entity that saw Emmis become a 23.72% interest holder in MediaCo Holding Co.

The remaining 76.28% interest holder is Soohyung Kim-controlled Standard General, the private investment group that has stakes in TEGNA, Bally’s Corporation and Cumulus Media. 

Now, MediaCo has selected a CEO while appointing a President/COO, creating an executive team for the Gotham operation that also includes Fairway Outdoor.

Starting July 1, MediaCo’s CEO is Rahsan-Rahsan Lindsay — most recently an Urban One EVP. As CEO, Lindsay will be responsible for setting MediaCo’s overall strategic vision and expanding its radio and outdoor divisions — with an emphasis on transforming the digital business.

Lindsay spent 9 years at Urban One, where he directed advertising sales, integrated marketing and sales operations for TV One and sister network CLEO TV. In 2020, he took over the role as head of iOne Digital ad sales and One Solution, Urban One’s cross-platform marketing group, as well as One X Studios, the branded content production arm of Urban One.

Before that, Lindsay spent nearly eight years in Ad Sales for Viacom Media Networks, focused on new business development for MTV, Comedy Central, Spike, CMT, and TV Land. He also served as VP of Ad Sales for MTV2, mtvU, and Palladia.

“The opportunity to work with iconic brands like HOT 97 and WBLS is just too good to pass up,” Lindsay said. “I see a number of potential ways to further cultivate both brands, build on their well-established legacies, and drive new revenue streams. I’m also energized by the opportunity to leverage the Fairway footprint in a way that helps fulfill the MediaCo mission to connect with broader audiences.”

Does MediaCo’s desire to “expand” its radio division involve the acquisition of additional stations?

That remains to be seen, as Emmis continues to seek the right buyer for WLIB-AM 1190 in New York.

Speaking for MediaCo, board member Laura Lee said, “Rahsan-Rahsan is a talented and dedicated leader with the right strategic vision, relentless drive, and passion for media required to lead the MediaCo team at this critical time. He forged his career at the intersection of technology and media, and his vast experience and keen perspective will be invaluable in taking the company into the future.”

Joining Lindsay in the C-Suite, as President/COO, is Bradford Tobin. He joined MediaCo in August 2020 and leads the business operations, and formerly served as a general counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Standard Diversified Inc. He’s also been general counsel for RadioShack.

Today’s sale of several unbuilt LPTV stations by DTV America, controlled by HC2 Holdings, is just one of many seen over the past several weeks.

And, more could be on the way, as the Media Bureau has just issued a reminder to “certain  permittees” of new digital low power television and television translator stations that their construction deadline is fast approaching.

That date is July 13. At 11:59pm local time on that date, these permittees “must complete
construction of their facilities, begin operating, and within 10 days file a license to cover application.”

Failure to do so will result in the construction permit being automatically forfeited without any further affirmative cancellation by the Commission.

Yikes.

What if a permittee needs additional time to complete their new digital facilities? The Media Bureau says they may submit an application for extension of their digital construction permit. However, this will need to include a waiver request for the CP extension filing deadline of March 15, 2021.

“Permittees that do not plan to complete construction of their digital facilities are encouraged to submit their construction permits for cancellation as soon as possible,” the Media Bureau instructs.

Or, in the case of HC2, find a buyer at any price.

A low-powered TV station licensed to serve Las Vegas has just been sold.

The seller is a non-profit evangelical Christian broadcast ministry based in Texas that serves Spanish-speaking audiences.

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That’s how a self-described “a lapsed economist based in Canada” turned financial blogger describes the audio media company formerly known as Entercom.

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A veteran television news executive who has served in five of Hearst Television’s largest TV markets has been promoted to the corporate position of Vice President of News.

She will start in her new role on July 1, and is relocating to Hearst’s New York headquarters.

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In Reply Comments submitted to the FCC in regard to what is officially considered MB Docket No. 21-141, the nation’s biggest licensee of radio stations argued that the Commission can only consider its views in determining what level of advance approval a foreign entity may be granted.

That’s incorrect, the financial backer of one of the U.K.’s biggest audio media companies now says, pitting Heart-affiliated Global Media & Entertainment against iHeartMedia in what appears to be a growing tiff over non-voting ownership percentages.

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In a decision that could eventually extend the life of “Franken FM” facilities across the U.S., the FCC has granted Special Temporary Authority for the use of a FM radio signal alongside its ATSC 3.0 TV signal for VHF Channel 6 — thus allowing the low-power facilities to continue operation as an audio-first media entity, for now.

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Until now, Entravision Communications Corp. has largely been known as a Hispanic-focused multimedia company with revenues fueled by strong digital growth, primarily across Spanish-speaking territories.

Not anymore, come July 1.

That’s the closing date of a business transaction that sees Entravision, traded on the NYSE, agree to purchase a digital marketing performance and branding company with operations across seven countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

That company is Singapore-based MediaDonuts, which has been in operation since 2010. It has a team of more than 80 employees located in Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and India.

Walter Ulloa, Entravision’s Chairman/CEO, calls the purchase “a natural fit with the overall digital and global transformation strategy of our business.”

He adds, “Entravision has always focused on providing advertising solutions in high growth markets and partnering with the strongest media and technology platforms in the world. We believe that the incorporation of MediaDonuts into the Entravision platform adds leadership, sales operations and digital offerings that will further propel our digital efforts.”

The company further explains that Entravision’s acquisition of MediaDonuts “is the next key step” in a plan to become a “leading marketing technology service provider in the world’s highest growth economies.”

That would certainly be the APAC region, which has more economic and political stability than Latin America.

Pieter-Jan de Kroon, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MediaDonuts, will continue as CEO. He said in a statement, “With our business positioned for success, we are excited to now have the opportunity to join the global digital platform Entravision has built over the past decade. I am confident in the many commercial, technological and product development synergies our business will achieve going forward as a combined entity.”

All MediaDonuts employees will remain with the company upon closing, Entravision says.

While its roots are in radio and TV, Entravision’s revenue is fueled today by digital.

“Expanding our digital business is core to our overall growth plans, and following our majority investment in Cisneros Interactive this past October, digital now represents over 65% of our revenue,” Juan Saldívar, Entravision’s Chief Digital, Strategy and Accountability Officer, says. “With a global digital platform now poised to reach and serve clients in 32 countries, we are confident the addition of MediaDonuts will further enhance our service offerings and help drive our continued global growth.”

Entravision shares were up 7.1% to $5.13 as of 2:50pm Eastern. It the highest price for EVC since August 2018.

Between Victoria, Tex., and the sprawling Houston metropolitan area is Bay City.

Here, a Class C1 “Hot Country” FM is getting a tweak in its ownership.

It is the result of the death of the station founder’s wife, who held 100% ownership in the station.

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As June 9 began, a five-sentence Facebook post was made by one of its users. It generated 960 comments. Why?

The post was made by Facebook’s VP of its Global Business Group, the social media Goliath’s No. 1 face on Madison Avenue.

After a decade in the role, Carolyn Everson is exiting.

Everson has been in the top advertising-facing post at Facebook since March 2011. She arrived there from Microsoft Corp., where she spent one year as a VP of global advertising sales and strategy. Prior to that, Everson spent 6 1/2 years as a EVP/COO of ad sales for MTV Networks, under the Viacom umbrella.

The 1993 Villanova graduate and 1999 Harvard MBA earner also served as a Primedia VP, and as a business development manager at The Walt Disney Imagineering, from 1996-1997.

“After 10 1/2 years, I have left Facebook,” Everson said in her Facebook post. “I am extremely proud of what we set out to accomplish but way more proud of my team and the support we showed each other, especially in difficult times. I always said no one will ever mention at my funeral the amount of revenue I oversaw. But hopefully one day someone will say my legacy at Facebook was in how I showed up for my team, for our clients and for our industry. I am very much looking forward to starting a new chapter.”

What is that new chapter? Everson isn’t saying just yet.

Facebook’s EMEA Vice President Nicola Mendelsohn will serve as the interim Global Business Group VP in the wake of Everson’s departure.

New York Festivals TV & Film Awards has announced the finalists for the 2021 competition.

The global finalists are being honored for their content in the areas of prime-time entertainment, documentaries, investigative journalism, sports coverage, promos, streaming media, and brand image films.

The 2021 TV & Film Awards Grand Jury members comprised of award-winning international broadcast and film executives selected this year’s finalists from content submitted from 40+ countries.

Rose Anderson, VP/Executive Director for New York Festivals TV & Film Awards, says this year’s finalists “used their imaginations and mastery of their craft to engage their audiences in a year like no other.”

NYF’s newly launched social justice categories celebrate storytellers using creativity to engage viewers in every genre.

Finalists moving on to the next round include First Take: George Floyd and Police Brutality Protest (ESPN), Witness – St. Louis Superman (Al Jazeera English), CBS Sports Presents: 8:46 (CBS Sports), Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning (Kreativ Inc. for Lifetime), A Most Beautiful Thing (50 Eggs Films),Antibullying (The Walt Disney Company, Europe & Africa), In Search of The Frog Boys (Make Waves Pte Ltd CNA, Mediacorp Pte Ltd), The Time is Now (The Edge Picture Company), and The Price of Poverty (DW Deutsche Welle).

“Compelling documentaries created by global storytellers” that advanced include Academy Award-winner My Octopus Teacher (Off the Fence B.V., Netflix), The Last Dance (ESPN), Love on the Spectrum (Northern Pictures Pty Ltd Australian Broadcasting Corporation Shades of America (Banijay Rights/CNN), FEDELINA: A Stolen Life (ABS-CBN Corp.), Abba Forever – The Winner Takes It All (Stanza Media Limited), Dark City Beneath The Beat (Dark City Beneath The Beat), Look Me Over – Liberace (Kinescope Film GmbH ARTE G.E.I.E.), Hot Money (Cinepartners LLC.), Being the Queen (1895 Films/NatGeo), The Real Right Stuff (1895 Films/ Disney +), Pumas – Legends of the Ice Mountains (Terra Mater Factual Studios GmbH), Why We Hate (Discovery Channel), Saving Notre-Dame (WINDFALL FILMS/NOVA), A World without Beethoven? (Deutsche Welle), Surviving Jeffrey Epstein (Bungalow Media + Entertainment and Break Thru Films, Inc for Lifetime), Stutter School (Southern Pictures/SBS), Peckinpah Suite (Turner Spain/TCM), The Vote (American Experience/PBS), 24 Hours in Wuhan: Epicenter, Quarantine & Recovery (CGTN America), and Escape from Extinction (MRB Productions).

Entertainment Finalists moving on include One World: Together at Home (Global Citizen Multiple Networks), The 2020 Innovators Awards: Wall Street Journal Magazine, (WSJ. Magazine), All Creatures Great And Small (All3Media International/Masterpiece on PBS), LEGO Masters USA (Banijay Rights/FOX), Dear Santa (UM Studios/United States Postal Service), A Capitol Fourth 2020 (Capital Concerts/PBS), Das Boot, Season 2 (Bavaria Fiction Sky Deutschland, Judy Collins & Jonas Fjeld: Winters Stories Live from the Oslo Opera House (Artist Vision), Barefoot Contessa: Cook Like a Pro (Pacific Television), En La Línea: (México Discovery Networks Latin America), Space Launch Live: America Returns to Space (Discovery Channel), MasterChef Australia (Banijay Right/ Network Ten), Staged (GCB Films/Hulu), Freud (Satel Film/Bavaria Fiction ORF / Netflix), Filthy Rich and Homeless (Blackfella Films Pty Ltd Australian Broadcasting Corporation), The Accident (All3Media International Channel 4, UK), Rock Studio (Globo Comunicações e Participações SA ), Unterleuten – A Village Torn Apart (German Television ZDF), The Sounds (South Pacific Pictures), Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show (Stanza Media Limited NRK), and A Quest for Sound (Hakka TV.)

Telenovelas advanced to the medal round including Buscando a Frida, La Suerte de Loli and 100 Días Para Enamorarnos (Telemundo) and Wild Land (SP Televisio, S.A.).

Al Jazeera, 2020’s Broadcaster of the Year, moved ahead with their documentary series focusing on world issues Al Jazeera Investigations, Fault Lines, the network’s current affairs and documentary series, and 101 East, Al Jazeera English’s investigative journalism series. Additional companies advancing include NBC News, Voice of America, MSNBC, DW, Television Broadcasts Limited, Antena3, Artear, Radio Free Asia, CGTN America, CGTN Digital, and CNA, Mediacorp Pte Ltd.

Global Sports content advancing to the medal round companies advancing include ESPN, CBS Sports, MLB Network, beIN SPORTS Asia, WWE, Globo TV, and Rueckenwindfilm GmbH Amazon Prime Video.

All content submitted into the 2021 competition were judged online and screened by NYF’s TV & Film Awards Grand Jury of 200+ producers, directors, writers, and other creative media professionals from around the globe. Nominated Finalists will be judged by a panel at the United Nations for the UNDGC Awards. Award-winning entries will be showcased on the TV & Film Awards winners gallery.

2021’s NYF TV & Film Award winners will be announced on October 12 at the annual Storytellers gala taking place at NAB in Las Vegas. This year is the eleventh year of NYF’s strategic partnership with NAB Show.