News

(Bob McCurdy) As the advertising landscape becomes increasingly complex, it is critical that we elevate our marketing acumen. Here are three articles we all should be familiar with which reinforce the importance of reach and the idea of there being no such thing as a “wasted” ad impression.

(By Jeff McHugh) U.S. radio ad revenue is flat at best, some companies are losing money, and 2018 could be another tough year. Today’s successful on-air talent is stepping up the initiative in assisting the sales team in securing advertising sponsorships.  

This is the 16th consecutive year that KOST-FM has provided holiday music to Southern California. KOST Program Director John Peake said, “During the 2016 Holiday Season, KOST 103.5 averaged more than 5.2 million listeners weekly, making KOST one of the most listened to radio stations in the country during that period.”

Christmas Music in now playing on MAJIC 95.1 (WAJI-FM) in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The station also sponsors the city’s Holiday Fest, featuring the “Night of Lights” where the community lights up Downtown Fort Wayne with the Santa and his reindeer. 2017 is the 30th Anniversary of the event.

Rick Crandall, Program Director and morning show host of KEZW/Denver (Cruisin’ 1430) has a new deal taking him through 2020. Crandall has been a staple of Denver’s broadcast community since he joined KEZW in 1991. Along the way he has earned numerous awards

Total Traffic & Weather Network has hired broadcasting and traffic veteran Jim Battagliese as Regional Director of Operations for the New York market. Battagliese joins TTWN from Hubbard Radio’s WTOP in Washington, DC where he served as Director of Traffic and Weather Operations since 2010.

CBS Radio Las Vegas and The Chet Buchanan Show have a new multi-year deal that will keep the morning show waking up Vegas on 98.5 KLUC. The show has been heard on 98.5 KLUC since its debut in 1999. In conjunction with the new deal, the show will also be rebranded from Chet Buchanan & the Morning Zoo to The Chet Buchanan Show.

Those are words we haven't heard up until now, from Cumulus CEO Mary Berner and CFO John Abbot, but they are hardly unexpected, as the company negotiates with lenders to try pull the company out from under $2 Billion of debt.

The decline in Q3 revenue is being blamed on a soft advertising environment and political comps. Over 70% of Cumulus' revenue comes from its radio stations which saw revenue drop from $206.1 million in Q3 2016 to $202.9 million in Q3 this year. Excluding political, radio was down 1.2%. Cumulus took in $9 million of political advertising in 2016.

CMA Major Market “Station of the Year” 2017 Award Winners New Country 92.3 (WIL, St. Louis), welcomes Stacey and Jonah to the Afternoon Drive timeslot, beginning January 2018. The pair have been hosting mornings on KHTH “Hot 101.7” in Santa Rosa, CA for the past six years.