Headlines

(By Bob McCurdy) There were two important studies published the past several weeks that are worth further comment. The first study, conducted by Alan Burns and Associates titled, “What Women Want 2017,” involved 2,000 15-54-year-old AC and CHR female listeners. Burns has been a well-respected and successful programming consultant for decades.

(By Ronald Robinson) Because I have noticed how only some attention has been paid to a phenomenon of radio of which I have been aware for decades, I offer it up again – as a bonus that can be an extra asset to radio reps. Radio, lucky for all concerned, is considered a “passive” medium.

Four markets will receive their inaugural audience estimates from Eastlan Ratings this Spring. Those markets are Beckley WV, Bluefield WV, Cedar City UT and Marion VA. Eastlan is also returning to Wenatchee WA.

(By Ken Dardis) In 2013 Larry Rosin, President of Edison Research, said: "It’s not that long ago, when there was a Code of Omerta in the radio industry, where if you point out a problem, you are the problem." I was a problem for almost twenty years prior to retiring in 2014. Before that, nearly 30 years were spent working with knowledgeable broadcasters.

(By K.M. Richards) As we all know by now, the latest Nielsen PPM fiasco turns out to be a single family with multiple meters which were exposed long-term to an online stream. And Nielsen's "fix" is to remove that household from the process. I do not believe that's going to restore the growing suspicions by the radio industry that PPM is not an accurate method of determining the listenership numbers.

This week, Spanish-language broadcaster LBI Media launched a community affairs campaign called "We Are One With You" to address the Latino community’s concern over immigration issues. With Radio Ink's Hispanic Radio Conference set to begin March 28 in Fort Lauderdale, we wanted to know exactly why LBI launched this campaign.

Revenue at Cumulus' radio stations was up 1.6% in Q4 of 2016. Cumulus radio stations took in $209.8 million in revenue in Q4, compared to $206.5 million a year earlier. That increase was driven by political, digital, and national spot revenue.

Despite revenue at Cumulus' radio stations being up a tick, Westwood One revenue, which is 30% of the company's business, took a big hit, dropping 12.3% to $89.1 million. As a result, overall revenue for Cumulus in Q4 of 2016 was down 3% to $299.5 million.

It's always been a question of time. Will Cumulus CEO Mary Berner have enough time to turn around a company burdened with $2 Billion in debt. She's never tried to sugar coat the problems Cumulus has been facing since she took over 18 months ago. She's consistently said they are real and significant.

It's official and on file with the FCC. Effective April 10, an FM translator carrying an AM station can be located so that the translator’s 60 dBμ contour is contained within either the AM station’s 2 mV/m contour or a 25-mile radius from the FM transmitter site giving, in particular, AM stations with highly directional patterns or small service areas greater flexibility, and often greater coverage, from an FM translator.