Facebook Is The New Nielsen Family

Since the first banner ad alighted on top of a web page sometime around the end of last century, online advertising has been the Rodney Dangerfield of the media world. It gets no respect.

But, according to a posting by E. B. Boyd at fastcompany.com, that might soon change, thanks to a new service from the Nielsen Company. The Online Campaign Ratings system, which rolls out later this month, promises to measure brand advertising online more like the way it measures brand advertising on television--by identifying which demographics actually see each ad.

This will allow advertisers to make apple-to-apple comparisons between the new medium, whose impact on brand advertising has remained elusive, and the old medium, in whose powers brands have complete confidence. As a result, advertisers may finally be willing to invest more online, and possibly even pay more for the privilege.

"A number of impediments have prevented brand advertisers from getting into the deep end with online," Charles Buchwalter, Nielsen’s senior vice president of Online Campaign Ratings tells Fast Company. "If those impediments weren’t there, you could make a very strong case that brand advertisers would have spent much more money online."

Television has historically tapped its panels (often referred to as "Nielsen families"), which record exactly who watched any particular episode of television that went out over the airwaves. Online, there simply hasn’t been an efficient way to create such panels.

Enter Facebook. The social network is partnering with Nielsen to provide the demographic data on who sees ads placed around the Internet--even if those ads aren’t placed on Facebook itself--sort of like a real-time, always-on Nielsen family.

To find out how it works, click here.

WKZF Moves From 'Smooth Jazz' To 'Heritage Rock'

From David N. Dunkley, The Patriot-News

When the Harrisburg market's 92.7 WKZF decided to abandon its money-losing smooth jazz format after seven years, station operators launched their new format at midnight Monday with — wait for it — the Led Zeppelin classic, “Stairway to Heaven.”

Talk about declaring your intentions. But hey, it probably was either that or “Freebird,” man.

More and more in music radio, the way forward is to look back, especially to classic rock, that darling of the baby boomers and their progeny.

But the “classic rock” bag has swollen to epic proportions after several decades, so stations are becoming ever more specific about how they parse their music before sending it out over he airwaves.

WKZF is calling its new format “heritage rock,” according to program director Paul Scott, by which he means rock songs — including long version album cuts of “Layla” and the like — from the late 1960s through the early 1980s. Scott promises a steady stream of Rolling Stones, Who, Foreigner, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top, Journey, Aerosmith and many others from the station’s newly acquired library of 3,500 tunes.

That’s the music favored by the demographic the station covets: males 35 to 54. These are guys, Scott said, who tend to have steady jobs, good income and children who are out of the house. “It’s what they grew up listening to,” Scott said. “In York and Lancaster [counties], there are 365,000 men in that category.”

And appealing to advertisers.

WKZF’s new musical breakdown can get pretty specific, even in terms of a particular band’s music. Older Beatles tunes like “Let It Be” make the playlist, but not the early hit “She Loves You.” Songs from early U2 albums like “The Joshua Tree” will get played, but don’t expect to hear the Irish band’s more recent hit, “Beautiful Day.”

So-called “heritage rock” is part of an expanding format list that includes active rock, album-oriented rock, oldies, mainstream rock, modern rock and progressive rock in addition to the standard classic rock.

Read More.

Listen Here.

RIP: Dr. Bruce Elving, FMAtlas Publisher

Dr. Bruce Elving, publisher of the FMAtlas has passed away.

His daughter Kristin Stuart posted the following message on Elving's wall Wednesday:

"We are very sad to inform all of Bruce's friends that he passed away in California on July 24, 2011. His memorial service will be on Monday, August 8, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. in Duluth, Minnesota".

According to a Wikiepedia posting, Bruce F. Elving was an author and DXer from Duluth, Minnesota. His interest in FM radio began while the technology was still in its infancy.

Elving related his memories of the early days of FM in the June, 2007 Monitoring Times.

He was twice given the DXer of the year award by The Association of North American Radio Clubs, first in 1973 and later in 1986.

He had a desire to introduce others to the world of FM DXing, and the Worldwide TV FM DX Association has included an article by him explaining the process on their website. Another introductory article which was originally published on his now offline FM Atlas site can be found on the FMedia website.

He was the author of the FM Atlas, a directory of FM radio stations and translators throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The FM Atlas has been published approximately every 18 months since 1972, and is currently in its 21st edition.

Elving also publishes FMedia, a monthly set of updates for the FM Atlas, compiled from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) data along with information contributed by subscribers.

Publishing of FMedia began in 1987, continuing until mid-2007 when Elving announced he was looking for a hobbyist who would take over the newsletter under new ownership. The publication remained out of print for some months, eventually creating a multi-month issue to catch readers up with the changes in station data.

Elving's eldest daughter, Kristine, took over FMedia in January 2008, with Bruce taking on a new role of mentor and contributing editor. In March 2010 Kristine published the last issue of the newsletter, when it again went out of print.

Elving was also noted for his mail order sales of radios modified to receive subcarrier signals emanating from FM radio stations. These little-known signals, which require special receiving equipment to hear, often consist of background music for retail establishments, newsfeeds, and reading services for the blind. Elving has advocated these services as superior to newer technology such as HD Radio.

Clear Channel Sez Radio Revenue Up 4% In Q2

UPDATE: Wednesday 3:45p

Radio and billboard giant CC Media Holdings Inc. on Wednesday reported higher second-quarter revenues and cash-flow levels for the sixth consecutive quarter while recording a narrower loss from the second quarter of 2010.

According to a story at mysanantonio.com, the company also announced Wednesday that Clear Chanel Outdoor Holdings Inc., which is about 90 percent owned by CC Media Holdings, is accelerating installations of new digital billboards, boosting the goal to 160 or more this year. The previous goal was 120.

San Antonio-based CC Media Holdings said it lost $38 million in the quarter ending June 30, compared to a $77 million net loss for the same quarter in 2010.
Revenues grew to $1.6 billion because of improved advertising demand. Radio revenues increased $32 million, or 4 percent, compared with 2010's second quarter, mostly because of the company's acquisition of Westwood One's traffic business in April.

Cash flow of $503 million during the second quarter was up 10 percent, compared with $457 million in the second quarter of 2010.

“Our results reflect a gradually improving global advertising marketplace and the benefits of our globally diversified platform. Our top line growth combined with our focus on cost management has resulted in consistent improvement in our overall operating profit margin. At the same time, we have continued to strategically invest in our digital platform, including the development of the next generation of iHeartRadio.com and the ongoing deployment of our digital outdoor displays,” Tom Casey, executive vice president and chief financial officer, said in a prepared statement.

The company was taken private in 2008 by Boston private equity firms Bain Capital Partners LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a $17.9 billion acquisition. Thirty percent of CC Media Holdings shares remain publicly traded.

Read More.

Study: More Women Listen To Streams Than Men

Nielsen recently presented a white paper study of streaming audio usage rates in several European countries and the USA.

According to a posting at audio4cast.com, the study shows that streaming audio usage is growing at different rates in France, Spain, the UK, Germany, Italy and the US. Licensing issues and other factors such as awareness and understanding of streaming audio were some reasons for the discrepancies.

The USA has the widest offering of streaming audio services of all the countries. In the US, Nielsen watched behavior with an extensive list of sites – Pandora, Last.fm, Rhapsody, Jango, Napster, Project Playlist, Slacker, Mog, ReverbNation, Scour, TuneGenie, AudioRealm, iHeartRadio, Goom Radio, Mixcloud, Blip.fm and LiveMixtapes.com and notes that Pandora is undisputedly the dominant streaming service in the States.

Streaming music audio services’ active reach in the USA was 10.2%.

The services reach mainly younger consumers with the largest group of consumers females 18-24 at 18% reach in that demographic. Nielsen also notes that overall streaming audio is more popular with women than men.

Read More.

Debt Drama Driving News, Talk

The economy was pervasive in every media sector last week, ranging from filling 39% of the newshole in online news to 75% in cable news. On the cable and radio talk shows, where ideology and debate take center stage, the economy accounted for 90% of the airtime studied by Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism.

That coverage was overwhelmingly fueled by the debt debate, accounting for almost 90% of the economic storylines last week.

Several different but related subplots emerged. At the outset, the media narrative focused on the hardening battle lines between Democrats and Republicans. “President Obama and House Speaker John A. Boehner escalated their battle over the national debt on Monday pressing their arguments in a pair of prime-time television addresses…” stated a July 26 Washington Post story.

“Obama used his 15-minute address from the White House to urge ‘shared sacrifice’ in tackling the debt, calling for deep cuts in federal spending to be coupled with higher taxes on the wealthy and on large corporations,” the story said.  “Boehner countered with a shorter speech from the Capitol, in which he blamed the fiscal crisis on Washington's spending and urged deep cuts to cure it.”

As deadlock appeared to deepen, some coverage began homing in on public anger. Introducing the lead story on ABC’s July 26 evening newscast, anchor Diane Sawyer talked of “Americans up in arms” with “frustration boiling over, fed up messages pouring into Congress…flooding the phone lines, crushing the websites.”

Added correspondent Jim Avila: “The masses [are] telling Washington deadlock on the nation’s debt is not acceptable.”

A second significant storyline involved turmoil in the Republican ranks as Speaker Boehner scrambled to convince his conservative colleagues of the virtues of a debt ceiling deal.

An editorial from the conservative opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal noted that “the Speaker has made mistakes in his debt negotiations.” But it added, “If conservatives defeat the Boehner plan, they'll not only undermine their House majority. They'll go far to re-electing Mr. Obama and making the entitlement state that much harder to reform.”

As the week wore on, the media also began reporting on the problems Obama was having with unhappy liberals in his party.

On the morning of July 31, just hours before the agreement, the New York Times reported that “however the debt limit showdown ends…President Obama has moved rightward on budget policy, deepening a rift within his party heading into the next election… Mr. Obama, seeking to appeal to the broad swath of independent voters, has adopted the Republicans' language and in some cases their policies, while signaling a willingness to break with liberals on some issues.”

In the aftermath of the deal between Obama and the GOP, that narrative is likely to continue for a while.

Read More.

SiriusXM Ready to Up Yours

Sirius XM to hike subscription fees in 2012

Business Week photo

Sirius XM Radio Inc. said it expects to raise its prices next year, now that a federal mandate to freeze subscriber fees has been lifted, according to a posting by Alex Pham, Company Town blog at latimes.com.

"We continue to believe it would be appropriate for us to increase our pricing to be able to continue investing in and delivering the best audio content in the world," said Sirius XM Chief Executive Mel Karmazin during a conference call with analysts to discuss the New York company's second-quarter earnings.

Karmazin did not say how much the increases will be, noting that the company has not changed its monthly base fee of $12.95 since the merger of Sirius and XM in 2008. As a condition of approving the merger, regulators at the Federal Communications Commission barred the combined company from raising its prices.

The FCC lifted that restriction last Thursday. [See original posting]

David Frear, Sirius XM's chief financial officer, acknowledged that higher prices could decrease the service's number of paying subscribers, which surpassed 21 million in the quarter ended June 30.

Read More.

Opinion: People Program Better Than Computers

Sirius Still Has Big Fans But Pandora And Spotify Are Wildly Cheaper

Report: Major Wireless Technology Breakthrough

From Tom Wolverton, mercurynews.com

Dropped calls, unsent texts, painfully slow Internet connections and overcrowded Wi-Fi hot spots have become a bane of modern life.

But veteran [Silicon] valley entrepreneur Steve Perlman may have a solution to those problems. Perlman and a team of engineers and scientists at Rearden, his business incubator in San Francisco, have come up with an innovative technique for transmitting and receiving radio signals that he says will result in fewer dropped calls and much faster wireless Internet connections.

The technology, some 10 years in the making and the subject of dozens of patents that Perlman says he has either applied for or received, is a breakthrough on par with the invention of the laser, said Richard Doherty, research director of the Envisioneering Group, a market research firm that focuses on wireless technologies.

"This is a whole new science of radio," said Doherty, who has been briefed on the technology. "It's a game changer. It's as clear as that. I don't know if I'll run into another one in my lifetime like this."

Perlman, 50, has a history of creating disruptive technologies. He helped develop the QuickTime video player while serving as chief scientist of Apple; cofounded WebTV, an early effort to marry the television and the Web; and, more recently, cofounded OnLive, an online gaming service that allows users to play console-quality video games without an expensive game machine.

But some critics are skeptical about his latest technology. Perlman has released few of the technical details, so it's hard to say how well the technology will work, said Philip Solis, a research director who focuses on mobile networks for ABI Research, a technology consultancy.

"It's something that's more theoretical than practical at this point," Solis said.

Perlman disputes that notion, saying that the technology -- dubbed DIDO for "distributed-input-distributed output" -- has been proven in the lab and could be ready for commercial use as early as late next year. He says he's already talking with potential partners and investors ranging from wireless carriers and equipment makers to venture capital firms and even national governments.

Read More.

Clear Channel Cuts Chris Tyler In Harrisburg

Long-time OM and PD/AM Host  of rock/AC 97.3 FM WRVV Harrisburg, Pa, Chris Tyler, has left Corporate Circle building in Harrisburg Pa.

Tyler is apparently the latest victim of corporate-mandated cuts.  Tyler has been at "The River" since 1992.  97.3 FM was the first station in the country to be brand "The River".

For now, Glenn Hamilton will fill-in mornings. JT Bosch PD of Country WRBT (BOB949) and CHR KISS-FM 99.3 WHKF will take on OM duties in Harrisburg.  Bosch will also continue as PM Drive host on BOB.

Is Philly's WIP To Get A Simulcast?

Reportedly, there are stong rumors that Philadelphia's CBS Radio cluster is about to start simulcasting Sportsradio 610 AM WIP on 94.1 FM, currently the home for Rock WYSP.

Dan Goss at philly.com hears the simulcast could start around Labor Day.  According To Goss, WIP program director Andy Bloom said that he could neither confirm nor deny the rumor but that there were rumors about the stations all the time. CBS Radio market manager Marc Rayfield said essentially the same thing.

When WIP's rival sports-talk station, ESPN 950 AM, began to be simulcast on 97.5 The Fanatic in 2009, it made a tremendous increase in listenership - especially young listeners who are targeted by advertisers.

One possible sign of 'YSP's future could be Danny Bonaduce, the biggest name and salary at the station. His most recent contract was renewed for only one year, according to  Goss.

Something New In WBBM Chicago Studios....

New mic flags

The 780 AM WBBM simulcast with 105.9 FM began Monday morning as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel was on hand.

The mayor helped morning co-anchors Felicia Middlebrooks and Pat Cassidy make the switch-over shortly after 8am.  Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn also made an in-studio visit.

Via formatchange.com, listen to switchover by clicking here.

CBS Radio started the simulcast in order to protect it from Merlin Media's FM News 101.1 FM which officially launched on Sunday. 

WBBM is Chicago's #1 rated station and #1 billing radio station.

For now, the WCFS call letters remain for the 105.9 FM frequency,  "WBBM-FM" calls are still assigned to the sister-station CHR.

Governor Quinn participates in the launch party for WBBM Newsradio's first broadcast on 105.9 FM

WMFQ Ocala, FL Drops Classic Hits For Hot AC

After seven years of giving a home to oldies rock ‘n’ roll, WMFQ 92.9-FM in Ocala has discarded the format and on Monday started broadcasting hot adult contemporary music.

According to a story by Fred Hiers at ocala.com, the decision was made three months ago as part of the radio’s station’s effort to expand its audience, especially women listeners, said the station’s operations director, Shane Finch.

Although the previous format, Big Oldies 92.9, had a loyal audience, the station was competing with other area stations for essentially the same demographic group: predominately men ages 40 and older.
“It was a bunch of people fighting for the same slice of pie,” Finch said.

While the station’s previous format of 1960s-1980s rock and pop was enough to continue to pay the bills, Finch said hot adult contemporary music offered financial opportunities because it gives the station the potential to grow its audience. As for the station’s previous format, Finch said, “if we just kind of freeze dried where we were, we would (have) seen diminishing returns,” citing the audience’s increasing age.

Finch said the decision to change formats was made after discussions amongst the station’s staff and did not originate from the station’s owner, Asterisk Communications, Inc., based in Fort Lauderdale.

WMFQ’s hot adult contemporary music will be similar to top 40, but slightly easier listening and will include such artists as Daughtry, Maroon 5, Katy Perry and John Mayer.  LISTEN HERE

Finch said that if the format change attracts an additional 5 percent market share, the switch would have proved itself a financially wise one.

Read More.

Cumulus Acquires Cumulus Media Partners

Cumulus Media Inc. CMLS Monday announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the remaining equity interests of Cumulus Media Partners, LLC ("CMP") that it did not already own.

CMP owns 32 radio stations in nine markets, including San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Kansas City. Cumulus has operated CMP's business pursuant to a management agreement since CMP acquired the radio broadcasting business of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co.

In connection with the acquisition, Cumulus issued 9,945,714 shares of its common stock to affiliates of the three private equity firms that had collectively owned 75% of CMP ---- Bain Capital Partners, LLC ("Bain"), The Blackstone Group L.P. ("Blackstone") and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. ("THL"). Blackstone received shares of Cumulus' Class A common stock and, in accordance with Federal Communications Commission broadcast ownership rules, Bain and THL each received shares of a new authorized Class D non-voting common stock. Cumulus has owned the remaining 25% of CMP's equity interests since Cumulus, together with Bain, Blackstone and THL, formed CMP in 2005.

Also in connection with the acquisition, currently outstanding warrants to purchase common stock of a subsidiary of CMP were amended to instead become exercisable for up to 8,267,968 shares of common stock of Cumulus.

The acquisition of CMP was completed earlier Monday, following receipt of approval by Cumulus' stockholders at its annual meeting of stockholders on Friday, July 29, 2011.

Cumulus' Chairman and CEO, Lew Dickey, commented: "We are pleased to have completed this important step with our acquisition of CMP. The combination of Cumulus and CMP is a strategic transaction that simplifies our operational structure and positions us to complete our pending transformational deal with Citadel Broadcasting. Following the completion of the Citadel acquisition, we plan to capitalize on the scale of the resulting pro forma platform of approximately 570 stations in 120 markets, and a radio network serving approximately 4000 station affiliates, to compete aggressively with our content and distribution capabilities in broadcast and new media. We are also excited about the opportunity to offer investors what we expect will be the largest pure play radio company, with a large and liquid market capitalization as well as a strong and flexible balance sheet that is well-positioned for continued growth."

Cumulus currently expects that, subject to receiving final regulatory approvals and approval by the stockholders of Citadel Broadcasting Corporation, the Citadel acquisition will be completed prior to the end of 2011.

HFS Radio Returns to Baltimore Airwaves

CBS Radio brands it as "the alternative rock music Baltimore grew up and the personalities who made it popular" returned to the air at noon Monday with the debut of HFS at 97.5 FM translator W248AO on the local radio dial.

From Formatchange.com, click here as HFS Returns.

The station can also be heard on 106.5 FM HD2. Listen here.

Featured artists on the playlist will include:  Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, Incubus, and Green Day, according to the station's release.

Station personalities will include: Tim Virgin, Gina Crash, Jenn Marino,Chris Emery, and Neci.

Here's the CBS news release:

The alternative rock music Baltimore grew up with and the personalities who made it popular return to the local airwaves when “HFS” debuts on Monday, August 1.  The station will feature tracks from artists such as Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, Incubus, and Green Day, along with live and local hosts presenting the music.  Listeners can tune-in to the station beginning at 12 Noon on WWMX 106.5 HD2 or 97.5 FM.  The station will continue to be streamed online at www.hfs975.com or via the Radio.com app for a variety of mobile devices.

Bob Philips, Senior Vice President and Market Manager of CBS RADIO Baltimore said, “The music made popular by HFS has lived on long after the station went off the air.  HFS has built a loyal following online and now those listeners can have more access than ever before as we bring back one of Baltimore’s well-known brands to radio stations across the dial.

“HD Radio Technology allows us to offer additional channels of programming alongside our over the air stations, and through a relationship with the owners of 97.5 we have this unique opportunity to expand the reach of the HFS programming. “

Personalities familiar to the “HFS” audience return to anchor the station’s programming, including Tim Virgin, who was first heard on the station in 2000, Gina Crash, a well-know HFS personality from the late 90’s, Jenn Marino, longtime radio personality Chris Emery, and Neci. Neci has the notoriety of being the only DJ who has hosted every HFStival—all nineteen of them.

HFS listeners will also hear “Loveline with Mike & Dr. Drew,” an entertaining and informative show offering advice to callers about relationships and addiction, weeknights  from 10:00PM to Midnight.