San Diego Radio: Moonves Says CBS Is Moving On To Digital

Sport talker Dan Sileo took an opportunity Wednesday to Ask CBS Chairman/CEP Les Moonves about the future of CBS Radio.

On XEPRS 1090 AM, Sileo commented that "CBS was built on radio..dating back to the William Paley days. So why the transition away from radio?

Mooves replied, “As the world has progressed, and as we've moved into much more digital - and much more streaming, and it is a world for us that is keyed on video. Radio is still a wonderful, wonderful business. Our intent is to spin off radio so it is its own self-standing company, which will fit better than being part of a big conglomerate like ours, which is keyed more on television."

"By no means do we think radio's not a great business," Moonves continued, "it's a slower growth business than the video business is, but we have 117 radio stations and we think that will be a great standalone company. So by no means are we deserting the radio business"

Radio, according to Moonves, doesn’t fit with where the company is heading. “But we have 117 radio stations and we think that will be a great standalone company,” Moonves said. “As a standalone high-cash, relatively low-growth business, it will do really really well and it’ll do better as a standalone than part of the other divisions of CBS.”

He further commented, “Video is where CBS is heading, with CBS Television Network, and Showtime, and what we’re doing digitally. So radio became a different sort of business that really doesn’t fit with where we’re going.”

Click Here to listen to the entire Moonves interview

Moonves didn’t mention selling or swapping the radio group as possibilities, as he had during his bombshell announcement during a CBS Investor Day presentation one month ago in New York. Since then, the company has clarified that making the division its owned separate entity is the primary route being pursued. And while radio may not fit the company’s video-centric focus, Moonves hasn’t been shy about making appearances on the medium.

Report: Broadcaster, DJ, Reporter Among Worst Jobs

There has always been controversy about who has the worst job. Is it the person who drives a garbage truck or the waiter in a busy restaurant? While neither or those professions made CareerCast.com’s 28th annual Jobs Rated report’s 10 worst jobs list, Newspaper Reporter, Broadcaster and Pest Control Worker are ranked among the worst jobs of 2016.

The Jobs Rated report’s methodology analyzes each job’s environment (emotional, physical and hours worked), income (growth potential and salary), outlook (employment growth, income growth potential and unemployment), and 11 stress factors to determine which professions are among the least desirable.

Declining employment opportunities contribute to the inclusion of many of the 10 worst careers in the 2016 Jobs Rated report. Traditional news media is particularly hard hit.

Newspaper Reporter checks in at No. 200 for a third straight year, but Broadcaster isn’t far behind at No. 198.

Ann Baldwin

“The news business has changed drastically over the years, and not in a good way,” says former Broadcaster Ann Baldwin, president of Baldwin Media PR in New Britain, Connecticut. “When people ask me if I miss it, I tell them ‘I feel as if I jumped off of a sinking ship.’”

Baldwin’s time in the media, working at TV stations in Rocky Mountains as well as Hartford, Connecticut, helped prepare her for her new career -- providing public relations solutions and crisis management for businesses.

Being able to parlay the skills you gained from a profession losing jobs is important, and broadcasting is one of the hardest hit in the 2016 Jobs Rated report. Employment of broadcasters is expected to decline by 9%, or 4,800 total positions, by 2024. Broadcasters seeking a career transition might want to consider becoming a podcaster, online news producer or data journalist.

One factor directly contributing to the shrinking of media outlets, reflected in the Jobs Rated report’s worst jobs, is the decline of advertising revenue. And, a drop in advertising sales translates to a decline in positions for advertising sales people. Advertising Sales Person appears on the 10 worst jobs list for the first time (#193), after finishing just outside the bottom 10 a year ago.

Declining prospects tied to the stability – or instability – of media impact the outlook for the profession. Add high stress from the growing pressure to drive profits for increasingly less profitable outlets, and advertising sales person’s place in the worst jobs of 2016 makes sense.

SF Radio: iHM Flips KISQ-FM To SoftAC

iHeartMedia Wednesday flipped Oldies KISQ 98.1 FM in San Francisco to Soft AC as “98.1 The Breeze.”

"Easy" by The Commodores launched the new format at 2pm Wednesday with 10,000 songs commercial-free. The new outlet will feature a blend of favorite music from artists like Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston, Michael Bolton, Vanessa Williams and more. The full on-air talent line-up for 98.1 The Breeze will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The Bay Area has tremendous heritage with Adult Contemporary hits, however as various stations evolved over time, almost all of them have vanished from the radio,” said iHeartMedia San Francisco Senior VP/Programming Don Parker. “I’m happy to say that is no longer the case. 98.1 The Breeze delivers relaxing favorites that are perfect while you work, help you unwind after a long day, or take it easy on the weekend. The Breeze is the most refreshing station in the Bay.”

KISQ 98.1 FM (75 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

“There has been an open lane, musically, to satiate a market appetite for familiar favorites that would appeal to modern listeners. 98.1 The Breeze is a great addition to our San Francisco iHeartMedia cluster — allowing us to continue to deliver the largest audience of any radio or TV outlet in the Bay Area,” added HeartMedia San Francisco Region President Kathryn Wilcox.

Day 3 Of PPMs From Nielsen

Nielsen on Wednesday 04/13/16 Released March PPM Data for the following markets:

   23  Portland OR

   24  Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill NC 

   26  Pittsburgh

   27  San Antonio

   28  Sacramento

   29  Salt Lake City-Ogden-Provo

   30  Cincinnati

   31  Las Vegas

   32  Cleveland

   33  Orlando

   34  Kansas City

   37  Columbus OH

To view Topline Numbers for Nielsen Subscribing Stations, Click Here

Cleveland Radio: Spooner Indicted In Charity Scam

Spooner (right) with attorney

A Cuyahoga County Grand Jury has indicted former WKRK 92.3 FM The Fan executive producer J.G. Spooner on seven charges including money laundering. Spooner is currently out of jail on a $10,000 bond.

Spooner is also the in-arena host for both the Cleveland Gladiators and Lake Erie Monsters at Quicken Loans Arena.

He was initially charged with money laundering in Parma Municipal Court and was bound over to the Grand Jury in Cleveland.

Cleveland19News reports the grand jury handed down additional charges including money laundering and aggravated theft.

The nine-page police report claims Spooner had more than $7,000 of a GoFundMe account belonging to Allyson Zappe deposited in his personal bank account.

Zappe's friends claim Spooner approached them in February of last year to relaunch a GoFundMe account to help raise additional money for Allyson, who had Cystic Fibrosis.

They handed control of the account over to Spooner and allege he kept the donations.

Allyson died in July of last year.

He is back in court on April 27th.

Sumner Redstone To Testify In Competency Trial Filings

Herza, Redstone

(Reuters) -- Attorneys for Sumner Redstone's ex-girlfriend say they should be allowed to depose the 92-year-old media mogul because Redstone plans to testify at an upcoming trial over his mental capacity, according to court filings made on Wednesday.

Settlement talks between lawyers representing Redstone and former girlfriend Manuela Herzer, who filed the lawsuit last November, have broken down over the past 48 hours and litigation has "resumed," according to the Herzer court filing.

Trial is scheduled to begin on May 6.

Redstone's lawyers argued in a separate filing that he should not have to endure an invasive deposition in order to preserve his right to be heard at trial. A serious speech impediment limits Redstone's ability to testify orally, but he could present testimony "in another form," they said.

A trial could cause further embarrassment for the ailing Redstone and his family, and act as a continued distraction for media company Viacom Inc, which is majority-owned by the 92-year-old multi-billionaire.

In her lawsuit, Herzer is challenging her removal last year as Redstone's healthcare agent in favor of Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman, saying Redstone was not mentally competent to make that decision.

She declared in the suit that Redstone was a "living ghost." Redstone's attorneys argued he was fully aware of his actions. Herzer had been set to inherit $70 million before Redstone changed his estate plan in October, according to court documents.

A Los Angeles judge previously rejected Herzer's request to depose Redstone, and instead allowed a psychiatrist she hired to conduct a brief examination.

Redstone's lawyers have told Herzer's side that Redstone plans to testify, said Herzer's attorneys, who added that should clear the way for his deposition. Redstone's lawyers have said they may ask that Redstone have his testimony taken at home instead of in open court, Herzer's lawyers said in the filing.

Donald Trump, Megyn Kelly Meet In Private

(Reuters) -- Republican front-runner Donald Trump took fresh steps to reset his campaign on Wednesday, hiring a top Republican operative and scheduling a meeting between aides and U.S. lawmakers as he girds for a new phase in his White House bid.

Trump is under pressure to professionalize his campaign beyond a close-knit group of advisers and expand the appeal of his anti-establishment candidacy in the face of fierce opposition from rival U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and a well-funded anti-Trump operation run by establishment Republicans.

Corey Lewandowski

The Trump campaign received some good news when Politico reported that campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was charged last month in Florida with battery on a reporter Michelle Fields, will not be prosecuted.

Palm Beach County State Attorney David Aronberg is scheduled to announce the decision not to press charges on Thursday afternoon, Politico reported, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.

Ex-Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields said Wednesday night that she plans to pursue civil action against Donald Trump and campaign manager Corey Lewandowski over an incident that occurred last month.

Fields told TheBlaze that she is looking into bringing legal action against both Trump and Lewandowski for defamation of her character.

In another development, Trump met privately at Trump Tower in New York with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly after months of attacking her for the tough questions she asked him at a Republican debate last August about his treatment of women.

Michelle Fields

Tensions between Trump and Kelly, and controversial remarks he has made about abortion, have contributed to Trump's negative image with women. Opinion polls show the New York billionaire is viewed unfavorably by women by a wide margin.

Kelly said on her Fox News show she had asked for the meeting and used it to request an interview. "We met for about an hour just the two of us and had a chance to clear the air," she said.

In recent days Trump has attempted to soften his image with important constituencies such as female voters.

A group interview on CNN on Tuesday night featured Trump, his wife, Melania, daughter Ivanka and sons Eric and Donald Jr., and showed a more personal side to the often-brusque businessman.

Melania Trump said she had fussed at Trump to stop tweeting at night. "If he would only listen," she said, chuckling.

CBS Hires Chris Licht To Help Colbert's 'Late Show'

CBS has decided Stephen Colbert needs more help.

Ratings for the show still trail NBC’s “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” In some weeks, ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” trumps Colbert’s efforts, though Colbert has  won more viewers season to date.  So CBS is betting on an unorthodox maneuver: taking the executive, Chris Licht, who gave the network a boost in TV’s competitive morning-news arena and setting him out to help steady Colbert’s late-night ship as showrunner.

The move speaks to the intense competition in TV’s late-night arena, according to Variety. In a different era, say  one dominated by Johnny Carson, Jay Leno or David Letterman, a show could find a groove and stick with it. Viewers had limited options. In 2016, they have a near-endless torrent of late-night chatter that continues to swell. Comedy Central is trying to boost its hosts Trevor Noah and Larry Wilmore in its 11 p.m. hour, and cable outlets ranging from National Geographic Channel to Freeform are trying their hand at bespoke wee-hours entries. Netflix will join the fray with its launch of a new three-day-a-week talk show starring Chelsea Handler (though viewers could certainly watch it at times of their own choosing).

Little wonder, then, that the mainstay programs of the timeslot are ready to make big tweaks on the fly.

In Licht, who will become executive producer and showrunner of “Late Show,” CBS has a feisty — and ambitious — innovator. Licht, a former radio disc jockey who helped create “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, has been instrumental in helping CBS mount a strong morning show competitor for the first time, more or less, since it canceled “Captain Kangaroo” and sent Bob Keeshan packing in 1982.

Licht’s “CBS This Morning” trick could be one that serves Colbert well: peeling away some of the genre’s frillier elements in favor of a focus on hard news, breaking events and access to newsmakers.

CBS has consistently said that Colbert’s charter is to improve on the viewership of his predecessor, David Letterman, rather than beating NBC’s “Tonight Show.” For the season to date, “Tonight Show” is averaging 3.8 million viewers in the 18-49 demo, compared to 2.94 million for Colbert and 2.43 million for Kimmel. For CBS, the transition from Letterman to Colbert was also a financial boon because the Eye now owns “Late Show” entirely, unlike its arrangement with Letterman.

Nielsen Unveils Marketing Cloud for Cross Platform Advertising

Nielsen Holdings publicly  rolled out Nielsen Marketing Cloud, the company’s first cloud based tool.
It combines data from Nielsen with marketing activation and analytics applications into a single destination for marketers.

The new solution will empower marketers to perform cross-channel media planning, connect to multiple media and marketing platforms in real-time, understand advertising and content driven changes in consumer perception and assess efficacy of marketing spend.

It will enable clients to manage their marketing spending across multiple media and marketing platforms that include online, mobile, over-the-top TV, video, email, social media and content management.

Mark Zagorski, EVP, Nielsen Marketing Cloud stated, "Never before has data played a more important role in driving marketing efficiency, but the complexity of centrally managing and employing this data has grown as well.”

He further added, "The Nielsen Marketing Cloud is the only solution to provide highly accurate and scalable data for marketers to plan and activate campaigns across platforms and devices - and analyze their impact through one integrated easy-to-use system."

The Nielsen Marketing Cloud incorporates several application components such as Nielsen Data Management Platform (DMP) and DaaS, In-Flight Analytics for Automotive, CPG and Retail, Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA) and about 150 third-party media and content activation and optimization applications. Another Nielson application, Nielsen Media Impact for cross-platform media planning, will be incorporated soon.

The platform provides all that is required for effective decision making and successful cross-channel customer engagement.

Currently the platform is being beta tested with clients from digital media, broadcast, cinema, retail, wine and spirits, food and beverage, pet care and personal care industries.

NYC Radio: MSG Net To Simulcast Hahn & Humpty Show

MSG Networks announced Wednesday that ESPN Radio’s popular program “Hahn & Humpty” will join MSG’s weeknight summer programing lineup.

Every Monday through Thursday, from Monday, May 23 through September 8 MSG Network’s Knicks studio analyst Alan Hahn and former Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro will give MSG viewers a look inside their studio with a one-hour highlight show, featuring the duo’s unique New York sports commentary and analysis from 7-8:00 p.m.

“Hahn & Humpty is broadcast weekdays on WEPN ESPN98.7 FM from 12-3:00 p.m. and the MSG telecast will feature highlights from the day’s show. In addition to being telecast on MSG, “Hahn & Humpty” will also be available on “MSG GO.”

“Rick and I have often said – ‘If only people could see the fun we have in the studio while doing the radio show’ – so the telecast gives fans that exclusive opportunity,” said Hahn. “It's been great being part of the MSG Networks family and I am excited to continue that relationship with the ‘Hahn & Humpty’ Show.”

“After 10 years of reading what Alan thought about sports in the newspaper, I enjoy debating him on the show, face-to-face, every day,” DiPietro said. “It's always been our goal to give our listeners an amazing sports talk radio experience and I think the telecast will add another dimension to that.”

“MSG Networks is excited to bring fans inside the studio for the popular ‘Hahn & Humpty’ radio show,” said Andrea Greenberg, president and chief executive officer, MSG Networks. “Alan and Rick are already members of the MSG Networks family, and to have them share their unique perspective on New York sports on a daily basis is a win for our viewers as well as new fans who will get a peek behind-the-scenes.”

“98.7 ESPN Radio is excited to work with MSG Networks to bring ‘Hahn & Humpty’ to a new audience,” said Tim McCarthy, SR VP /GM, ESPN Radio. “In a very short period of time, Alan and Rick have become a very popular duo with NY fans, and this collaboration is a natural progression to expand their brand and bring more attention to a show that ESPN radio is very proud of.”

NC Radio: Unhappy With Content, WEEB Dropping Glenn Beck

Steve Adams,general manager of Talk WEEB 990 AM, announced Wednesday The Herman Cain Show, will be replacing The Glenn Beck Show, beginning Monday, April 18.

“We feel that Glenn’s show has evolved into a program that is no longer conducive with the WEEB schedule of programs,” Adams said. “We carry a wide variety of programs, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, and Alan Colmes. Over the last year, we have received an overwhelming number of complaints concerning the content of The Glenn Beck Show.”

Adams said the station has talked to Beck’s vice president of programming about listener’s concerns.

“We told him that Glenn’s show seems to have evolved into a three-hour hate Trump format, and when he isn’t Trump bashing, and demeaning Trump supporters, he’s literally teaching a Bible study course on the air. I enjoy a good Bible study and there is a place for that,” Adams said. “That belongs on a Christian talk station, and not a news talk station.”

Adams pointed out that Rush Limbaugh is a Ted Cruz supporter, just like Beck is, but Limbaugh treats both candidates fairly on his program.

WEEB 990 AM (10 Kw-D, 5 Kw CR, 26 watts-Night

“I think Glenn needs to step back and actually listen to one of his programs. Sometimes it is pure hate being preached in his microphone. I do not have a problem with Glenn supporting Ted Cruz, but I do have a problem when he calls non-supporters ‘idiots,’ which he does quite often,” Adams said.

Report: FCC Kept ‘Obamaphone’ Fraud Under Wraps

Federal regulators were instructed to keep a massive fraud investigation under wraps until a day after a controversial vote to expand a program that was allegedly used to bilk taxpayers of tens of millions of dollars, one those regulators claims.

The FCC last Friday announced that it would seek $51 million in damages from a cell phone company that allegedly defrauded the federal Lifeline program of nearly $10 million.

Ajit Pai

The commission’s five members unanimously backed the Notice of Apparent Liability (NAL), but Republican commissioner Ajit Pai parted from his colleagues in a partial dissent. According to Pai, he and other commissioners were told not to reveal the details of its investigation until April 1, a day after the FCC voted to expand the Lifeline program.

“Commissioners were told that the Notice of Apparent Liability could not be released or publicly discussed until April 1, 2016, conveniently one day after the Commission was scheduled to expand the Lifeline program to broadband,” Pai wrote. “That’s not right.”

Pai did not say who issued that directive. However, it had the effect of preventing public knowledge of widespread fraud in the Lifeline program ahead of a contentious vote on expanding it despite persisting concerns about a lack of internal safeguards.

FCC spokesman Will Wiquist insisted that the timing was completely coincidental. “The timing of the enforcement action was in no way related to the timing of the vote on the program modernization,” he said in an email.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, Lifeline has faced controversy over enrollment requirements that its critics say are too lax and vulnerable to fraud. The service, which subsidizes cell phone plans for low-income Americans, allows beneficiaries to enroll using cards issued for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a welfare program that has also faced fraud allegations.

Google Defends Itself On Pirated Music

Google touted its track record of generating revenue for the music industry and taking down pirated music and other copyright works in comments submitted this month to the U.S. Copyright Office.

According to The Tennessean, Google said the provision of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act that governs how pirated music and movies are taken down online is working well. And the Silicon Valley behemoth touted innovations it argues have sprung up because of the DMCA's protections.

Google's comments represent the latest back and forth between the technology company and the Recording Industry Association of America, which blistered the country's takedown laws in its comments to the Copyright Office. The RIAA, which represents artists and record labels, said the country's music piracy laws need to be updated.

Under the law, a copyright owner can submit a takedown notice to Google if it discovers unlicensed work online. It is then incumbent on Google to remove the Web page and alter its search engine formula so the illicit Web page doesn't appear when fans search for a favorite band's music.

According to the company's April 1 comments, "in the past month alone more than 6,000 individuals or entities used Google's notice-and-takedown interface to request that Google remove from its search index more than 80 million webpages."

Google also argued that the DMCA, passed in 1998, created safe harbor provisions for tech firms that have allowed the Internet to flourish and drive the U.S. economy. Google, which owns video sharing service YouTube, has sent more than $3 billion to the music industry. Google also argued that its content identification technology allows record labels to identify music synchronized without permission to YouTube videos and, instead of taking the illegal video down, track the video's page views and generate advertising revenue.

Audioboom Launches Premium Ad Sales Unit

Thomas Mancusi

AudioBoom has hired Thomas Mancusi to the newly created position of Vice President, Sales and Development to lead the launch of its premium ad sales unit.

Known for monetizing audio content that features high-profile personalities, Mancusi will develop personalized campaigns that maximize the listener engagement opportunities from the biggest podcasts and radio brands in the AudioBoom network.

“Thomas is a creative ad sales executive who can curate our top content offerings to build highly targeted, personalized campaigns,” stated Stuart Last, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Americas for AudioBoom. “We are delighted to welcome Thomas to our team and excited about the opportunities he will create for our advertisers.”

Mancusi will work with AudioBoom’s podcast content creators and advertisers on bespoke sponsorships, live reads, endorsements, and more. AudioBoom already delivers pre- and post-roll advertising options on its network, which includes on-demand audio from NBC Sports Radio, Associated Press, The BBC, Russell Brand Podcast, and Undisclosed.

“AudioBoom’s roster of top talent and media brands is exactly what marketers are looking for to engage targeted consumers,” said Mancusi. “With customized sponsorships, personality endorsements and live reads, advertisers can tap into the connections these magnetic personalities and brands have with their audiences.”

Mancusi’s experience includes digital sales executive positons with Podcast One and CBS Radio’s Play.it, where he monetized on-demand audio content, including podcasts from Adam Carolla, Steve Austin, Kathie Lee Gifford, Chris Hardwick, Boomer Esiason & Craig Carton, Carson Daly, and more. As head of digital sales for CBS Radio and TV in New York, he led a large team of traditional and digital sellers to the highest billing ever, at the time. Mancusi served as Senior Director, Digital Sales at Katz Media, and held national sales director positions at Katz and Interep.

L-A Judge Rules Katy Perry Can Purchase Former Convent

(Reuters) -- Pop star Katy Perry will get her chance to live in a former Roman Catholic convent after a judge on Wednesday invalidated the property's sale by five nuns to a restaurateur.

The case had pitted Perry, daughter of Protestant pastors and one of the top-selling pop stars in the world, and the archdiocese against the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The nuns, all aged between late 70s and late 80s, once lived in the convent and two of them wanted to sell it to Los Angeles restaurateur Dana Hollister.

The archdiocese filed a lawsuit last June, arguing that the two nuns did not have the authority to sell the property to Hollister.

Katy Perry

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie Bowick approved the archdiocese's motion to block the sale to Hollister, voiding the purchase documents and deed. She said the nuns did not have the authority to sell the property and that even if they had, they did not properly validate the transaction.

Representatives for Hollister did not reply to requests for comment.

The archdiocese said it was "gratified" by Bowick's ruling in a statement, and added that it was still under contract to sell the convent to Perry.

"The Archdiocese was forced to take legal action to protect all the five sisters from being taken advantage of by the Dana Hollister transaction," it said, adding that it will continue to provide care for the nuns.

Perry, who rose to fame with the hit song "I Kissed a Girl," offered to buy the 8-acre (3-hectare) Roman Villa-style property for $14.5 million.

The nuns had rebuffed the 31-year-old performer, accepting a competing $15.5 million bid from Hollister, who wanted to convert the former convent into a hotel.

Attorney John Scholnick, who represents two of the five nuns, told Reuters he was "disappointed," but emphasized that the ruling only invalidated the sale to Hollister and did not authorize the sale to Perry. He said there could be an option for an appeal.