News

Advertising spending among top retailers is off to a slow start this holiday season, according to a new report from Kantar Media.

CNBC reported on Friday that the music streaming service is now open to being sold and is willing to have discussions with SiriusXM. CNBC reported that SiriusXM is expected to pursue a deal.

Starting today, former Chicago radio star Mike North begins hosting a new podcast called "Mike North: Sticks and Stones." Chicagoland Radio and Media has the details about the podcast which North will host from his Chicago home studio and will run 30 minutes long.

(Bob McCurdy) This week I worked on several pieces of key long-term businesses that were targeting W25-54, one of which was a nationally known grocery chain. The challenge in this particular market with this specific station was twofold: to overcome “rank” and a heavy male skew. This required building a case for the importance of the total audience -- women and men.

Glenn Curry is the new market manager for the Stephens Media Group in upstate New York.

(By Ronald Robinson) While swapping some emails discussing the business of copywriting, my friend – he of the “Old School” – and I, of the, shall we say, “Whizzy, New, Advanced and Superior School,” were promoting very different approaches. Cranking out listenable and more effective scripts for our trusting advertisers was the stated, desired outcome.

It’s the giving season, and radio just keeps on giving. This time it’s Alpha Media Mason City, Iowa, raising $32,000 for Children’s Miracle Network with a radiothon, November 16-17. Mason City’s Kids Helping Kids campaign played a big role =.

CBS RADIO has upped Tracy Brandys to Senior Vice President, Market Manager and Director of Sales for its Baltimore market, effective immediately. She will oversee a four-station cluster that includes WJZ-AM-FM, WLIF-FM, WWMX-FM, and the CBS RADIO Up Close Performance Studio. Brandys will report to Scott Herman, Chief Operating Officer, CBS RADIO.

The stations – WXMA, WDJX, WGZB, WMJM, and WGHL – raised an incredible $890,000 from the marathon, November 17-18. They broadcast live from Norton Children’s Hospital, which was also the beneficiary of the radiothon. In a nice touch, each station took the name of a child treated by the hospital.

Radio's number one advertising category had a pretty good month thanks to deep discounts and Black Friday. The 3.7% increase in sales over November 2015 translates to a rate of 17.87 million vehicles on an annualized basis. The strong month puts the auto industry on track to break an all time record for sales.