He was honored by the readers of the Radio + Television Business Report as one of Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders. As he looks back on the last year, what’s the biggest sense of pride Mike Meara, President of NPG Broadcasting, has across the company’s TV stations?
Meara joins RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson in this new InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, to discuss the continued rollout of NextGen TV and the big advantages that come with ATSC 3.0.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The nation’s chief lobbying voice Inside the Beltway for radio and television broadcasters has slammed the FCC for suggested regulatory fees for fiscal year 2021 it calls “unsustainable.”
Why? The Commission has decided to make broadcasters pay for a significant portion of the $33 million in additional funding that was appropriated by Congress to implement the Broadband DATA Act, the NAB assails.
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Jeff Winemiller‘s Lowcountry 34 Media has decided to part ways with a low-power TV quartet in the Keystone State.
He’s earning a handsome sum from the divestment.
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An announcement distributed by the broker in this transaction confirms a deal has been reached to sell KOMO News Radio, KVI and KPLZ.
Further details will appear after 6am PT today.
By Justin Fromm
Special to RBR+TVBR
“Gradually, then suddenly.”
It’s how Hemingway describes bankruptcy in The Sun Also Rises, but it rings true in so much of our existence. Change very often happens slowly all around us, only for us to recognize the effect all at once. Over the past decade TV has been changing gradually, but it’s truly in the past year that it has suddenly transformed.
In 2021, nearly 100 years after its invention, and more than a decade after Netflix, Hulu, and Roku made it possible to stream video to our sets, TV has all at once evolved from a one-to-many, live broadcast medium into an IP-delivered, one-to-one, on-demand digital medium.
To keep up with how consumers use their TVs, advertisers must shift how they think, plan, and buy TV.
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Global media advertising research firm Standard Media Index (SMI) is welcoming a new Head of Insights & Analytics.
It’s an individual with more than 20 years of experience leading top research and product teams, and he will oversee SMI’s Insights & Analytics division.
Being named to the post is Rick Bruner.
SMI President Ben Tatta calls Bruner “a leader in his field,” who brings “a wealth of knowledge, his impressive network, and extensive leadership experience running advanced research and analytics teams to the SMI family.”
Bruner will play an instrumental role in the continued growth and development of SMI’s Insights & Analytics practice.”
Bruner previously ran research and product teams at DoubleClick, Google, MTV Networks, Marketing Evolution and Viant Technology. He is also the founder and CEO of Central Control, an advanced media analytics firm that he will serve as Chairman for going forward. Bruner currently serves as Vice Chair for the U.S. of I-COM, a global forum for marketing science, and a Research Affiliate of the Advertising Research Foundation.
Bruner is also founder and moderator of the influential Research Wonks industry discussion community. A former Ad Age reporter and author, he is a recipient of the Advertising Research Foundation’s David Ogilvy Award.
James Fennessy is Standard Media Index’s CEO.
When Esther-Mireya Tejeda and Jen Morales each exited the company formerly known as Entercom Communications, the audio media company hit the reset button on its corporate communications and public relations efforts.
Today, that company bears the name Audacy. And, it now has a three-person PR department.
It lured a Tiger to make it happen. Seriously.
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It covers stories of Black people “from Kampala to Atlanta,” and spurred the recent launch of a television network featuring African American-focused content.
Now, the owner of The Grio — Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group (AMG) — has named a SVP of News and Entertainment for the unit.
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George G. Beasley, who purchased WPYB-AM in Benson, N.C., in December 1961 and would go on to build what is today Beasley Media Group, died Wednesday morning at the age of 89.
“While best known for his many trailblazing achievements in the radio broadcasting industry, George will be most remembered for his humility, kindness, integrity, work-ethic and love of family and friends,” the Naples, Fla.-based company that recently expanded beyond radio and podcasting with investments in eSports said in a statement.
Mr. Beasley was born on April 9, 1932. He grew up working in the tobacco fields in his hometown of Ararat, Va., a tiny town to the north of Winston Salem, N.C.
“His drive and determination led him to enlist in the army to pursue a degree in Education through the G.I. Bill,” Beasley Media said.
Upon completing his B.A. and M.A. from Appalachian State University, he taught in Virginia before moving to North Carolina in the late 1950s to become a high school principal and coach.
His career then took a pivot into radio broadcasting, and ownership. Mr. Beasley built WPYB-AM in Benson from scratch.
It provided the spark for what today is a publicly traded company led by his daughter, CEO Caroline Beasley, comprised of 62 radio stations across 15 markets.
Mr. Beasley stepped back from his role as Chief Executive Officer in 2016. However, he continued to serve as Executive Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors.
An avid philanthropist, George served on the board of the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters (NCAB) for eight years as President, Vice President and as a member of the Board of Directors. In 1996, he received the NCAB’s organization’s Distinguished Service Award and was inducted into NCAB’s Hall of Fame in 1998 upon accepting the prestigious “Distinguished Broadcaster of North Carolina” Award.
In November 2016, George Beasley was inducted to the 28th annual National Radio Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
George Beasley received numerous awards and accolades throughout his life. In 2020, he was inducted into the Country Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame and received the Broadcasters Foundation of America Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, George Beasley was recognized as a “Giant” by the Library of American Broadcasting in 2012. The Florida Association of Broadcasters named him “Broadcaster of the Year” in 2011 and the Country Radio Broadcasters presented him with the distinguished “Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award” in 2010. The Nevada Broadcasters Association also inducted George into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 2008.
In 1990 his alma mater, Appalachian State University, designated George Beasley as one of the institution’s Distinguished Alumni. “Among his proudest professional accomplishments was receiving an honorary doctorate and the unveiling of the George G. Beasley Media Complex on campus to provide future generations of students with the opportunity pursue their entrepreneurial dreams in broadcasting,” the company said.
In prepared remarks, Caroline Beasley said, “George’s unconditional love for our mother, Ann, and our family, along with his passion for the radio industry, helped to guide him throughout his lifetime. A loving father, mentor, and friend, I will especially miss his incredible wisdom, keen insight and gentle smile.”
NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith also offered his sympathies to all at Beasley Media and to the Beasley family.
“[The] NAB is deeply saddened by the passing of George Beasley,” Smith said. “George was a pioneer in broadcasting and a giant in his field, building Beasley into one of the premier radio station groups over the course of 60 years and serving the radio industry with distinction. We join with the entire broadcasting community in mourning our friend, and extend our thoughts and prayers to the Beasley family on their loss.”
A memorial service will take place for family and friends in Naples, Florida. Details will be forthcoming. A private burial service will be held for the family in Ararat, Virginia.
FROM THE ARCHIVES:George Beasley is survived by his wife of 67 years Ann; five children; 16 grandchildren; and 12 great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the Beasley family requests donations be made in his name to The Broadcasters Foundation of America, 125 West 55th Street, 4th Floor New York, New York 10019. Online donations may also be made at www.broadcastersfoundation.org.
In February, RBR+TVBR first reported on the sale of nine radio stations owned by Sound Communications in the Twin Tiers of Northern Pennsylvania and Western New York.
The deal, brokered by Michael J. Bergner, has now closed — making the company led by Kristin Cantrell a dominant player in the region.
It didn’t even own stations here in 2017.
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The Triangle region of North Carolina has long been known as a technology innovation center. For the television industry, this has seen Capitol Broadcasting Corp. become a NextGen TV pioneer, with its WRAL-5 and WRAZ-TV at the forefront of the new broadcast TV standard based on ATSC 3.0.
Now, the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill market is the latest to gain access to new technology that the NAB and the nation’s Big Four networks have tried to exterminate.
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The Board of Directors for broadcast television company Gray Television has signed off on a quarterly cash dividend.
The announcement could only further fuel Gray’s stock price, which hit a five-year high on Tuesday (6/1).
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There’s a new Market President for the iHeartMedia radio stations serving Salt Lake City.
At the same time, a member of the sales team has been elevated to a Sr. VP position in that department.
Why are the changes being made? Stu Stanek, who has been with iHeartMedia for more than 20 years, on Monday retired.
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The woman who has served as President/CEO of the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) is no longer in the role.
Effective today, Maurita Coley has retired from the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group.
Her replacement is immediately taking over her position.
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With the Memorial Day holiday weekend leading one department store chain to bump up its ad spend, one health and beauty brand greatly accelerated its spending at spot TV to finish at No. 3 in the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten TV report.
At the same time, a big Procter & Gamble Co. brand is back on the weekly report.
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By Rosemary Ravinal
Masks off! … If you are fully vaccinated. Yet, some people may opt to continue to WFH, at least part of the time. Knowledge workers have become accustomed to working remotely, and splitting time between the office and home is expected to become the new normal, according to a PwC’s Remote Work Survey 2021.
How should businesses combine the flexibility of remote work with the opportunities of in-office interactions? Hybrid solutions provide the best of both worlds with employees rotating in and out of offices configured for the virtual world.
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When it comes to retransmission consent fees, there’s perhaps no more touchier subject for both broadcast TV station owners and for MVPDs that earn revenue for bringing crystal-clear signals of these stations to their customers.
For companies such as Gray Television, Nexstar Media Group, TEGNA and The E.W. Scripps Co., retrans consent revenue is more important than ever, as broadcast TV’s core advertising trends remain hazy against local digital growth and evolving viewer habits.
Then, there are the “cable” and satellite TV providers, who consistently finger-point at broadcast TV owners for demanding more and more from them, even with substantial investments in local news departments and ATSC 3.0 NEXTGEN TV transitions.
The MVPDs have lamented that they have no choice but to pass the increased cost in carrying local TV stations on to customers. That’s exactly what is now happening for those who rely on Charter Communications’ Spectrum services. Higher bills are on the way.
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HOBE SOUND, FLA. — Until now, a licensee of radio stations in Upstate New York and the South has seen the involvement of two principal owner-operators and the investment of a Palm Beach County-based private equity and growth-oriented entity “that provides patient capital to exceptional management teams.”
It seems this investment has proven to be a smart one, and puts Jim Leven and Bruce Mittman in a positive light. They have filed paperwork to buy out this equity investor’s stake in their company, Community Broadcasters.
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On October 19, 2020, a broker release obtained by RBR+TVBR revealed that Ramar Communications had agreed to sell The CW Network affiliate in Lubbock, along with two low-power facilities, to Gray Television.
The FCC eventually approved the deal, consummated by Ramar following the February 11, 2018, death of its founder, Ray Moran, at the age of 82.
Now, Moran’s legacy will live on as Ramar is purchasing a low-power TV station in Colorado.
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Many know him as the face of Wedel Software. Now, he’s the CEO of a brand-new ad sales platform for radio advertising called Adthos.
Raoul Wedel joins RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson from the Dutch city of The Hague to share more about the new product release.
How does Adthos from what is presently available in the marketplace? The Adthos Ad-Server is free … so how does Wedel make money?
Get the no-nonsense answers to these questions in this fresh podcast, presented by dot.FM!
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