Is Joyner Really Retiring?
That's the question Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins left everyone pondering yesterday. At the end of 2017, when Tom Joyner signed his last 2-year deal with Reach Media, he announced he'd be retiring at the end of 2019. Liggins isn't so sure about that.
Auto Sales Weaken in April
It's been an up and down year so far for radio's largest advertising category. Auto sales were slow in February, up in March, and now weal in April. GM was off by about 8%, Ford posted a 4.7% decline in sales for the month, Nissan dropped a whopping 28% in April and Toyota reported it was down 4.7%.
What Do Advertisers Think Of Radio?
Isaac Mizrahi, co-president and COO of Miami-based multicultural advertising agency Alma, discusses the important role both Spanish-language radio and English-language radio targeted to Hispanics has for the marketers and advertisers he works with on a daily basis in the latest Hispanic Radio Podcast from Radio Ink.
Liggins To Employees: Stay Calm, Perform
After fielding a question about the possibility of more stations being sold, following the $12.2 million sale of WPZR-FM in Detroit, Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins wanted his employees to listen to what he had to say and not pay attention to rumors.
Westwood Brings Back Opie
He was fired from SiriusXM in July of 2017, three years after his former radio partner Anthony Cumia was fired from the satellite company after going on a racist tirade on Twitter. On Wednesday, Westwood One announced it is launching a new podcast With Gregg "Opie" Hughes, one half of the former syndicated radio team, "Opie and Anthony." The first podcast will be May 7.
Sun, Envision to Weather All Storms
Beginning in June, Sun Broadcast Group will offer national ad sales support for the Envision's 24/7 Weather Network. Sun Broadcast Group CEO Jason Bailey said, “We know how important staying local and relevant is to our advertisers and we strive to deliver quality content to them—it’s great to have a partner like Envision Networks, who share that sentiment.”
WBGL Joins The Fight Against Human Trafficking
For the fifth year in a row, WBGL/Champaign, IL, formed a team to participate in the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon to raise awareness about human trafficking. Together, WBGL listeners and those in the races raised over $83,000.
The Bankruptcy Finish Line is Close For Cumulus
Cumulus Media has announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has confirmed the Company’s Plan of Reorganization. The Company expects to emerge from Chapter 11 before the end of the quarter, after the conditions to the Plan are satisfied.
SCBA Boss Takes Swipe at Spotify
Southern California Broadcasters Association President Thom Callahan is not a big fan of Spotify and he's put out an 'alert' to members as ammo to use with their advertisers. Callahan says, The PR spin machine for Spotify has been in overdrive this week after releasing its quarterly earnings. "We’ve seen this movie before and it was called “Pandora”. Remember them?"
EMF Enters Detroit Thanks To Urban One
Urban One is selling WPZR-FM (Praise 102.7) in Detroit to Educational Media Foundation for $12.7 million. EMF CEO Mike Novak tells Radio Ink the company will put its K-LOVE format on that frequency.















