News

ABC Radio and Skyview Networks have agreed to an early extension of their content, ad sales, affiliate sales, and audio distribution agreement. This renewal runs through 2026.

Travis Moon is the new PD for Country station KUBL-FM/K-Bull 93 in Salt Lake. It's a return to KUBL for Moon, who was afternoon host, APD, and Music Director for the station earlier in his career. Moon joins the Cumulus station from KAJA-FM (San Antonio), KASE-FM and KVET-FM (Austin), where he was Director of Country Operations/Afternoon Drive for iHeart.

iHeartMedia Phoenix announced today that Vinnie Del Rosso has joined 99.9 KEZ’s Beth and Friends morning show as a new on-air talent and executive producer. Del Rosso will serve as an on-air counterpart to the longest-running morning show host in the Phoenix market, Beth McDonald. He will also be the show’s executive producer.

Futuri Media has announced three key additions to its team: Chris Huneke, Alison Stubbendieck, and James Hunziker. All three new hires are based in the company’s new Cleveland-area headquarters.

Radio's big merger is still on track to close later this year. That's according to Entercom CEO David Field, and despite the fact that it appears the CBS stations are "trending lower than the Entercom stations," according to one analyst on the Entercom earnings call Friday morning. Field was asked about that trend. He says he's visited every CBS market, in some cases more than once. He was asked if he noticed anything significant. Here's what he had to say.

Overall Entercom revenue was $125 million in the quarter, compared to $121.6 million in 2016. That number includes the new Charlotte stations Entercom picked up from Beasley late last year. Field said both local and national performed "comparable." The automotive category was flat. Entercom's top performing categories for the quarter were professional services, home improvement and cable/entertainment.

In a report sent to investors on Saturday, 24 hours after the Entercom earnings call, Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker wrote a report headlined: "ETM is unfortunately messy." She notes that the Entercom stock price has dropped 35% year-to-date and says the market "clearly has concerns" about the merger with CBS. She gives three reasons for those concerns.

There should be some new owners of a few soon-to-be former Entercom radio stations announced soon. Entercom CEO David Field says his divesture plan to move stations in order to meet ownership regulations to close the CBS deal is making "good progress."

Students from nine Missouri universities will converge on the campus of the Northwest Missouri State University campus, Monday, for 10 intense days of immersion in radio broadcasting. They will learn from 30 radio pros teaching in their areas of expertise. The MBA Radio Talent Institute is the first radio talent institute in the Midwest.