12 More Lawmakers Back Tax-Free Radio
According to the NAB, eight more members of the House and four additional Senators have joined as cosponsors of a resolution that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on radio stations. The Local Radio Freedom Act now has 123 cosponsors in the House and six in the Senate. Here's who just signed on.
Emmis Closes On Terre Haute Deals
Emmis has closed on the sale of all of its radio stations in Terre Haute, Indiana. There were two sales, with Emmis grossing $5.2 million. Emmis will use the proceeds from the deal to pay down debt. Kalil and Company was the exclusive broker.
Westwood Audio Excellence Awards Are Back
It's the fourth year for the Westwood One Sports Sound Awards, which highlight the best audio commercials during Super Bowl LI broadcast. Westwood One will be driving listeners to TheSoundAwards.com to vote for their favorite ads. The top five ads will be announced the day after the game. Voting is open NOW and runs through Monday, February 6.
Entravision to Broadcast Big Game In Spanish
It's part of a three-year deal with the NFL that started with the 2015 season. Entravision will broadcast Super Bowl LI between the Patriots and the Falcons on Sunday. Entravision will air coverage of the event across its NFL radio network which includes 15 stations in 13 markets, and 13 affiliate radio properties.
iHeart Adds An HD2 Country Outlet In Des Moines
It's called "96.9 The Bull, Des Moines’ No. 1 for New Country," and Market President Joel McCrea says the station provides an amazing opportunity for Des Moines by offering a wider variety of music and entertainment. "We couldn't be more excited to connect Des Moines Country music fans with the hottest Country artists." The station will broadcast on KDRB-HD2.
Monk To Michigan For Cumulus
Chris Monk is the new Regional VP for Cumulus' nine radio stations in Saginaw and Flint. He'll also take over as Market Manager for the Saginaw cluster. It's a newly created position; Saginaw had been without a Market Manager. Ed Leick remains Market Manager in Flint.
Connoisseur Selects Triton For All 39 Stations
The company will use Triton Digital to stream its stations and use its Webcast Metrics services to measure listeners. Connoisseur owns 39 radio stations in 11 markets – Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven and Stamford, CT, Long Island, Trenton, Allentown, Erie and Stroudsburg, PA, Wichita, and Billings, MT.
2017: The Year The Cumulus Rubber Hits The Road
That's the message in a company-wide video by Cumulus CEO Mary Berner posted to Vimeo. It was called the "Be a LEADer Town Hall. The goal of the video is to get every Cumulus employee to play a role in lifting sales at every radio station across the country.
The Days Of Giving Digital A Pass Are Over
That's something radio executives will be happy to hear, because it's coming from a major advertiser. Procter and Gamble's Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard said it on Sunday. Radio executives have long been concerned that advertisers were throwing buckets of money at all forms of digital and social, mostly because it's the shiny new thing, not necessarily because it's increasing business.
The Money Is In The Sponsorships
Radio managers know when large crowds gather, they want their call letters and vans and hosts and mascots anywhere and everywhere in those crowds. Craft beer festivals, concerts, and sports are just a few major event categories that radio has jumped on to stand before the people.















