News

No tours for the kids, no picking up prizes, no listeners dropping by to say hi to their favorite DJ's. Those are the new rules implemented by Midwest Communications in Sioux Falls, and most likely radio stations all across the country as they do their part to flatten the coronavirus curve. Midwest has even posted the new rules on their website.

Sun Broadcast Group has implemented a plan to protect its workforce across the country through what it's calling a Smart-Work initiative. Employees across SBG’s five locations began a phased transfer into a telework scenario until at least April.

(By Gary Berkowitz) We've been brainstorming ideas broadcasters could quickly implement to help deal with this coronavirus outbreak. Here's a list to help keep on message and listeners engaged.

The Los Angeles Times has launched Asian Enough, a podcast about being Asian American. Hosted by Times staff writer Jen Yamato and columnist Frank Shyong, the 13-episode series will feature interviews with celebrity guests who share personal stories.

On Tuesday, iHeartRadio launched Food Court with Richard Blais. Celebrity chef and host Richard Blais presides over his guests – comedians, writers, chefs – to debate opposing food-related viewpoints in a humorous way.

ABC Audio is offering a COVID-19 digital text feed to interested radio stations as a public service. Stations -- regardless of their current affiliation with ABC Audio or ABC News Radio -- can utilize the new RSS feed to auto-populate their websites and apps with stories related to COVID-19 without a fee.

Townsquare's 2019 pro-forma net revenue increased 4.7% over 2018. Excluding political revenue, which declined $6.9 million from $10 million in 2018 to $3.1 million in 2019, pro forma net revenue increased 6.6%.

Monday was the first opportunity to hear from a public radio company since the coronavirus situation ramped up into a serious crisis late last week. Townsquaare CEO Bill Wilson said the impact in the month of March has been significant.

The coronavirus does not pay attention to market size or market share. With COVID-19 starting to impact how the radio industry operates, Radio Ink reached out to some independent and small-group managers to see how they are adapting.

Beasley Media Group's Boston cluster has unveiled "Operation Gift Card: New England" to support local restaurants and businesses located in the Greater Boston area, who have been hit by coronavirus restrictions, and who offer gift cards for purchase.