News

Sports gambling info outfit VSiN have announced a partnership with KNBR 680/1050 that taps VSiN to deliver daily Bay Area-focused updates for the sports station. Beginning August 6, the station will run VSiN Action Updates covering how the sports betting markets are reacting to Bay Area sports teams, with one report in the 9 a.m. PT hour and another in the 5 p.m. PT hour each weekday.

The net revenue increase was $600K (1%) in Q2 for Beasley Media Group. Wilmington, Philadelphia, Augusta, Boca, and Boston were all called out as high-performing markets. Consumer services was Beasley's number one category in the quarter, followed by retail (which was down) and automotive (which was up). What about Beasley's digital revenue?

Milwaukee and Tulsa have been sold, netting the company $28 million so far and more announcements are coming soon, according to Scripps executives. Scripps has 27 more radio stations it plans to unload, and during a conference call Friday Local Media President Brian Lawlor said, "We are well on our way to divesting our radio group."

Scripps uses both Midroll and Stitcher to push out podcasting programming and the company says revenue is up 50% over last year in that division, including money from Proctor & Gamble in Q2. Podcast subscription revenue is also growing with dozens of original shows driving the growth.

Our thanks to JazzRadio CEO Julian Allitt in Germany for sending in this international advertiser success story. JazzRadio Berlin has a bi-weekly cume of 528,000 listeners and, because the station is blockaded by bigger radio groups to stop them from getting national advertising, local and regional advertising clients are very important. Check out what they've done with The Ellington Hotel. (Our weekly Advertiser Success Stories are sponsored by Sun & Fun Media).

Digital Audio Ad Platform DAX (which stands for Digital Audio Exchange) has launched a sales division in the US. Ryan Rose will lead the new U.S. office. As Director of Sales & Partnership Development, Rose focus on the on-demand and podcast spaces.

Perry Stone has been appointed the new Operations Manager for Talk Station WMAY-AM/FM and Rock Station, WQLZ-FM in Springfield Illinois. He'll also host afternoons on WQLZ-FM. Perry comes to Mid-West from Charlottesville Virginia where he was the Operations Manager for Saga's WWWV-FM an WINA-AM/FM.

Michelle Moore is the new VP of Sales for iHeart Minneapolis. That cluster includes nine stations as well as franchise partnerships with the Minnesota Vikings, the Minnesota Wild of the NHL, and University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Football, Basketball, and Hockey.

Beasley Media Group has promoted Lamar Smith to VP of Engineering. Smith has been with the company for the past seven years, most recently as Regional Engineering Director & Corporate Project Manager. He'll be based in Charlotte and manage large corporate projects throughout the country, as well as assist in overseeing the company’s engineering staff.

Former leading NFL tight-end Martellus Bennett is a lot more than a retired footballer, and we learn that from his new podcast, Revenge of the Jocks, which launched August 2 on PodcastOne Sportsnet. The weekly program goes beyond Bennett the athlete, as the Super Bowl champion explores the world of creativity.