News

At the Radio Ink Hispanic Conference, Wednesday, Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan told the sold-out crowd in Miami that the car of the future will have an embedded tuner that may appear to the driver as a simple screen of apps. His question is: Will radio be there?

Can a radio station, or a group of stations, in an emerging Hispanic market succeed? How does one attract listeners? What about bringing in the necessary ad dollars to keep the operation going? What about local talent versus a full schedule of syndicated shows?

As it reported its Q4 and full-year 2017 earnings, Entravision cited digital, and in particular the acquisition of Headway, a data and digital marketing provider, for a net revenue increase of 5 percent in the fourth quarter, to $73.4 million from $70.3 million in Q4 2016.

United States Traffic Network President Ivan Schulman led the effort to buy out the broadcast-traffic provider, whose products are used by more than 1,100 TV and radio stations, and which has 260 full- and part-time employees. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A fourth extension to the negotiations was announced Wednesday morning, as iHeart and lenders continue day-to-day negotiations to restructure iHeart's $20 billion of debt. This latest extension was the second 24-hour extension. It expires at 11:59 tonight. (This story was updated at 7:35 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Michelle Miguelez joins Cox Media Group as VP/Communications and Public Affairs. CMG SVP and Chief HR Officer Mary Ellen Marcilliat-Falkner says Miguelez "brings a wealth of experience and has a genuine passion for aligning employees with a company's vision." Miguelez arrives at CMG from Georgia Power, where she was Director of Corporate Communication.

Miles Anzaldo is the new Music Director for its Los Angeles Entercom station KROQ 106.7 FM, effective March 26. Anzaldo arrives from KQGO-FM in Minneapolis where he was the Assistant Program and Music Director since 2015.

Saying he is coming out of retirement to “save Chicago radio,” Citizen Kelly will return to evenings on AM 1590 WCGO with The Citizen Kelly Show, beginning on March 19, airing daily from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Audio content creator YEA Networks has announced it has launched the national syndication of Tino Cochino Radio to radio stations across the U.S. Cochino and co-host Milli Rodriguez will broadcast on Rhythmic and CHR stations.

Local was strong in Q4 of 2017 for the small- and medium-market broadcaster, however tough political comps, a decline in the event business, and a drop in national digital revenue all helped push the company down in Q4. Including all divisions, Townsquare’s Q4 revenue was off by 3.7 percent ($4.4 million) to $114.4 million.