Headlines

We haven't written much about Irving Azoff's Global Music Rights Organization, lately, nor have we really heard how much radio companies were paying under agreements they work out with the new PRO. Until Thursday.

CEO Alfred Liggins says Urban One was not in on the Entercom/CBS divestitures. "We saw the lineup, we did not participate." Liggins said only two stations were urban focused and there were a number of markets in play where Urban One doesn't own stations. The company typically looks for stations where it already has clusters that can help it de-lever.

For the third quarter of 2017, the pure-play streaming company lost $66.2 million compared to a net loss of $61.5 million in the same quarter last year. Overall revenue for Q3 was $378.6 million, an 8% increase over 2016. Advertising revenue of $275.7 million was a 1% increase over 2016.

Educational Media Foundation paid $5.63 million for Brown University's WLVO-FM (formerly WBRU-FM) in Providence. The deal was first announced on August 29. The student-run station moved to an all-digital platform. Robert Maccini of Media Services Group was the broker for Brown Broadcasting in the deal.

Mr. Master and Premiere Networks have reached an agreement for Premiere to become the exclusive sales rep for Mr. Master’s AIM software. AIM (Automation Import Manager) allows stations to automatically process their audio, place it into automation systems, and post the exact time of airing back to the content provider.

Lazer Broadcasting’s listeners have donated close to $1 million for Mexico’s earthquake victims, relief for Sonoma County residents affected by wildfires, and support for the hospitals of the Children’s Miracle Network. The company's 9th annual 3-day CMN Radiothon raised $752,228.84.

The Hermitage, TN outfit won the final competition event at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville. Radio Romance will receive national radio airplay on Cumulus Media radio stations, and a recording contract under the Big Machine Label Group umbrella.

Is this the start of the end for Cumulus or the first step to a refinance and manageable debt load? Cumulus was scheduled to make an interest payment of $23.6 million on 7.75% senior notes due 2019. In an SEC filing Wednesday, Cumulus' board of directors authorized the company to forgo that interest payment and a 30-day clock is ticking.

The radio landscape across the country will look a whole lot different when the Entercom/CBS merger closes in mid-November. On Wednesday, Entercom announced a series of deals to satisfy a civil antitrust lawsuit filed by The Department of Justice and move the CBS merger ball closer to crossing the goal line.

iHeartMedia already had six stations in Boston and six stations in Seattle before picking up four Boston stations (two from Entercom and two from CBS) and adding three CBS stations in Seattle in this massive transaction to help Entercom close its merger with CBS.