Headlines

Jeff Warshaw's company has expanded its digital business by purchasing assets from digital marketing company Scorpion. The purchase includes the staff, a portfolio of accounts and management platforms. The new operations will be called Ferocious Media.

The entry window for the 2020 NAB Leadership Foundation's Service to America Awards closes March 6. The awards honor radio and TV stations for their commitment to keeping local communities informed and safe, and their exceptional public service efforts.

Paul "PT" Thomas, Co-host of "The Wolf Wake Up Crew", KMNB-FM 102.9 Minneapolis, continues his effort to spread awareness about suicide prevention. Thomas is teaming up with Brighter Days Grief Center in Minneapolis to help families affected by suicide.

iHeart executives have not said much publicly since announcing a "technology transformation and new organizational structure" last month that also included hundreds of programming layoffs. On the iHeartMedia Q4 earnings call Thursday night, CEO Bob Pittman and CFO Rich Bressler detailed exactly how the company plans to implement its strategy.

The iHeart CEO was asked a question about localism during the Thursday night earnings call. Pittman frequently talks about radio as the listener's companion. An analyst asked if companionship meant being local, and did iHeart's emphasis on technology get away from being local, harming audience levels. 

Broadcast revenue declined 2.7%, network revenue was up 2.2%, and digital revenue, including podcasting, was up 33.6% for iHeart in the quarter. Excluding political revenue, overall revenue grew 4.3% compared to Q4 2018.

On March 25-26, Hispanic radio broadcasters, along with experts from everything from political revenue to podcasting, will gather in Miami for the 11th Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference.

It would be interesting to see national Entercom numbers for this category. On Thursday, ESPN Audio circulated a press release that stated its network accounted for 54% of all sports listening.

Entercom is making some changes to management in its Los Angeles Cluster. Two SVPs, along with several Brand Managers, are part of the changes announced Thursday.

In addition to welcoming its 300th station, Today's Homeowner Radio is celebrating its 10th year on the air under the direction of host and national home improvement expert Danny Lipford.