Headlines

We interview John Tesh and Connie Sellecca about how they've built a media empire out of an idea they drew up one late night in their home. We also highlight many Fantastic Facilities from around the country. Many of you spent time and treasure to construct these outstanding new studios and we are proud to show them off for you. Randy Michaels reminisces about the Telecom Act of 20 years ago. "It was either eat or be eaten." And wait until you read this salute to Bob Fuller. Did you know Doc has been in radio for 60 years? And he's still going strong. Want a digital copy of this issue - and an entire year delivered to your device - for only $49 - pull out your plastic and CLICK HERE.

According to Spanish Broadcasting System, Nielsen notified the company earlier this week that big changes were being made regarding the weighting of Hispanic listeners in the Los Angeles market. The company says the changes - the removal of 4 panelists - will have a drastic impact on its ratings. SBS General Counsel Richard Lara called Nielsen's changes "unfair and discriminatory," and said the ratings firm was attacking U.S.- based Hispanics.

It should come as no surprise that with the kind of election year we've been having that News/Talk stations are experiencing increased listening. Nielsen says PPM ratings for October show News/Talk stations are growing audience, which is a trend Nielsen says has been happening over the past year.

(By Bob McCurdy) To some the following might come off as heresy. Let’s peel back the onion on an ad metric that flows off our tongues daily. It’s an important metric in our industry as it guides commercial scheduling, as well as the way we position our medium to advertisers and agencies.

Advertisers just want their advertising to work. They judge those results by how much sales increase. Advertisers sort of believe radio works, but without the kind of instant ratings they get with TV, and instant data they get with digital, radio can be kind of a crap shoot for them. Is Westwood One about to start a trend to change all that? Will this lead to more revenue for radio? We asked the person who introduced the new program, EVP of Corporate Marketing for Cumulus Media and President of Westwood One Suzanne Grimes.

The Saga Communications Board of Directors approved the dividend for its Class A and Class B shares which will be paid on April 15 to shareholders of record on March 28.

Loud Media is purchasing WJRV-FM in Oliver Springs, TN and WTNQ-FM in La Follette, also in Tennessee, from Momentum Broadcasting. Loud Media will LMA the stations July 1.

Envision Networks is getting in the holiday spirit this year with the 2017 updated edition of their award-winning 100 Greatest Christmas Hits of All Time, the 10-hour radio countdown special hosted by TV icon Wink Martindale.

(By Gary Berkowitz) Let me start by saying I am not a radio sales expert. As a long-time programmer, I like commercials. But let me share a story that sums up radio's “elephant in the room.”

BLU Products is an American mobile phone manufacturer founded in 2009 that offers affordable pre-paid devices. The company sent out software updates on two legacy smartphones making NextRadio the native FM tuner in the Vivo 5 and Vivo XL.