Digital Subs Continue Increase At NYTimes

The New York Times Company added 139,000 digital-only subscribers in the first quarter of 2018, a 25.5 percent increase from the same period a year ago, helping to fuel total revenue growth and offset a decline in digital advertising.

The company said on Thursday that about 40,000 of the new subscribers came from digital products like the cooking and crossword apps. The gains helped push the company’s total digital-only subscribers to roughly 2.8 million.

The company said total revenue was about $414 million, a 3.8 percent increase from the first quarter of 2017. Subscription revenue increased 7.5 percent to about $260 million.

“We’re seeing good retention of new cohorts of subscribers and continue to believe there is a big opportunity to further grow this increasingly important part of our business,” Mark Thompson, the company’s chief executive, said in an earnings statement. “Subscription revenues accounted for nearly two-thirds of the company’s revenues, and as we continue to adapt our subscription model and introduce new products, we expect that trend to continue.”

Despite the growth in subscribers, however, the company saw a 6 percent decline in digital advertising revenue from the same period a year ago. It was the first time since the second quarter of 2016 that digital advertising declined. In the first quarter of 2017, digital advertising increased 19 percent, part of the so-called Trump bump.

Research: Shout-Outs Are Good For Radio Ratings

NuVoodoo Media Services announces that the latest NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study of 3,041 respondents, ages 14-54, across all PPM markets reveals that more than half of likely ratings participants listen to the radio more if they think they may hear their name or the name of someone they know on-air.

The finding is one of 15 new insights from the 11th NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study, fielded in late January 2018. The findings will presented tomorrow by Carolyn Gilbert, President and Chief Executive Officer, NuVoodoo Media Services, and NuVoodoo’s Executive Vice President, Research Analysis, Leigh Jacobs, at the Worldwide Radio Summit in Los Angeles, CA. The session, entitled “Fifteen Things (In 15 Minutes) That You Can Do to Boost Ratings” will take place tomorrow at 4:15pm Pacific at the W Hollywood Hotel.

The NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study is conducted twice a year to learn more about those who are most likely to say “yes” to the opportunity to wear a meter in order to provide NuVoodoo clients with competitive insights and advantages that they can exploit to capture higher ratings. This is the 11th Ratings Prospects Study that NuVoodoo has completed since 2011. The company shares the top-level findings of its studies with its radio broadcasting clients to develop winning next-generation marketing and programming strategies for stations of all formats in PPM markets.

Carolyn Gilbert, President and Chief Executive Officer, NuVoodoo Media Services, said: “These new findings reveal that it’s time for Radio to bring back shout-outs for the 21st Century. Dale Carnegie once said, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” If you believe Carnegie, then you’re already sold on the power of getting listener names on the air, and our research indicates that shout-outs are an even bigger driver of TSL for likely ratings respondents

Leigh Jacobs, Executive Vice President, Research Analysis, NuVoodoo Media Services, said: “While a few respondents say they’ve listened less because they think a station might say their name, better than half of all the meter-friendly respondents here say they’ve listened more. The trouble with putting listener names on the air has long been the simple fact that the honoree may miss the shout-out. In 2018, however, it’s easy to record the bit and send it to the honored listener. A short, but well-shot piece of video with the DJ doing the break is likely to get shared by the listener on Social Media. If you can put a little creativity into the process to make it more memorable, it may even get re-shared by the listener’s friends.”

Indy Radio: Multi-Year Contract Extension For 'Bob & Tom Show'

The 2018 cast of "The Bob & Tom Show" includes, clockwise from bottom left, Jessica Alsman, Josh Arnold, Chick McGee, Tom Griswold, Ace Cosby, Donnie Baker, Alli Breen, Al Jackson, Kristi Lee and Grace Yinger.

The BOB & TOM Show announces that it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Westwood One, the largest audio network in the U.S., to continue to syndicate the award-winning morning radio show.

The highly successful morning show — recently inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame— is broadcast on over 100 affiliates in markets across the U.S.

“The BOB & TOM Show is always funny, fresh, and continues to attract listeners around the country,” said Charles Steinhauer, COO, Westwood One. “The show has been performing stronger than ever and continues to grow audiences for its partners in all segments, including younger demos. We are delighted to be working together for years to come.”

Tom Griswold, Co-Host of The BOB & TOM Show, said: “Our show is getting bigger and better all the time, thanks to our great relationship with Westwood One. In the dizzying world of digital technology, including an ever-changing radio world, it’s terrific to be part of the Westwood One team. They understand the importance of great content, and the ability to deliver it on multiple media platforms.”

D/FW Radio: KKDA's DeDe In the Morning Goes National

Service Broadcasting's KKDA K104 FM in Dallas and DeDe McGuire have announced the selection of Compass Media Networks to manage the national syndication of DeDe in the Morning effective immediately, and in anticipation of a July national launch.

“DeDe McGuire is an incredible talent and we are thrilled to support the rollout of DeDe in the Morning nationally,” said Hymen Childs, Owner of Service Broadcasting.”

DeDe in the Morning will continue to broadcast from the studios of K104 FM in Dallas, and K104 FM shall now serve as flagship for the network.

“It is an absolute honor to enter national syndication,” said DeDe McGuire. “With humility, excitement and pride, all of us at DeDe in the Morning are 100% committed to continuing to put in all the hard work to make our program a success for our prospective affiliates and national sponsors.”

For the past five years, DeDe McGuire has served as host of DeDe in the Morning – during this period K104 FM has emerged as a dominant ratings winner in all key demographics. Ms. McGuire is no stranger to national syndication, having served as co-host of The Doug Banks Show for over 10 years.

“DeDe is a proven PPM winner!” said Geo Cook, Director of Operations & Brand Manager for K104 FM, DeDe in the Morning and Service Broadcasting. “The entire team – DeDe, Lady Jade, Michael Shawn and producer Gary – are ready to make your listeners laugh and have fun every morning.”

DeDe in the Morning will be available to affiliates beginning July 16th, 6am – 10 am ET and 5am – 9am CT, Monday – Friday.

Opie Exposes The Truth In New WWO Podcast

Westwood One announces the launch of Opie Radio on Westwood One Podcast Network with the first episode airing Wednesday, May 9th. This marks the return of wildly-popular Gregg “Opie” Hughes after a mysterious exit from his last gig.

Opie Radio will feature Opie hitting the streets and podcasting from surprise locations with his famous friends, including Carl Ruiz from the Food Network, comedians Vic Henley and Sherrod Small, and many more. Episodes will be released every Monday and Wednesday and will be available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, WestwoodOnePodcasts.com and the Westwood One Podcasts App.

“Westwood One Podcast Network is the ideal platform for Opie to open up and tell his story,” said Suzanne Grimes, EVP, Marketing, Cumulus Media and President, Westwood One. “Opie is a star, with a massive following and great chemistry with our head of Digital Content, Tim Sabean. This is a new chapter for Opie and we’re giving him the creative freedom to develop a unique podcast that will reveal his true nature.”

Opie added, “Boy, do I have a story to tell you, starting May 9th! Go subscribe to the Opie Radio Podcast now so you’re the first to hear it.”


Gregg Hughes, aka 'Opie' is known for his outrageous bits and pranks, famous friendships, and compelling interviews. He is a modern-day audio and radio icon – when he speaks, the ratings follow.

Opie's fans have been loyal to him since he first appeared with Brother Wease on WCMF Rochester. His fan base exploded when he created The Opie and Anthony Show in 1994, which ran until 2014, and was a market leader on every station where the show aired. From 2003 to 2017, Opie was a significant and highly visible personality on SiriusXM.  His most recent show was considered a must stop for the biggest actors, comedians, and entertainers in the business.

Advertisers, creators, and distributors who want to learn more about Westwood One Podcast Network can contact Tim Sabean at tsabean@westwoodone.com, visit westwoodonepodcasts.com, and download the Westwood One Podcast app for iOS or Android.

Buffalo Radio: Jim Riley To Manage Cumulus Stations

Cumulus Media announces that it has appointed Jim Riley as Vice President/Market Manager for Cumulus Media-Buffalo.

Jim Riley

The Buffalo cluster includes: Rock WGRF 96.9 FM, Sports WHLD 1270 AM, Alternative WEDG 103.3 and Classic Hits WHTT 104.1 FM

This marks a return to Buffalo for Riley, who was General Sales Manager for Cumulus’ four-station group there prior to his promotion to Vice President/Market Manager for Cumulus Media-Erie, PA, in 2005. Riley started his career in Harrisburg, PA, and has led sales organizations in Rochester, NY; Fayetteville, NC; Buffalo, NY; and Washington, DC.

Bob Walker, Executive Vice President, Cumulus Media, said: "Jim is a passionate broadcaster with a proven track record of success leading sales organizations and most recently leading our team in Erie as Market Manager the last 12 years. We are excited to welcome Jim back to our cluster in Buffalo and to a community where Jim was eager to return."

Riley said: "There is a tremendous heritage in this city and with these stations, and I am extremely proud to be returning to this team and this town. Thanks to Mary Berner, Bob Walker and the Cumulus team in Erie for giving me this opportunity."

DC Radio: iHM Names Nia Marciante New Promotions Director

Nia Marciante

iHeartMedia has named Nia Marciante Promotions Director for Washington, DC.

The iHM roster of DC stations include CHR WIHT-FM, AC WASH-FM, Alternative WWDC-FM, Classic Rock WBIG-FM and Country WMZQ-FM.

Marciante will be responsible for planning and executing station events, contests and digital plans and report to Kim Sauer, Marketing Director for iHeartMedia's Washington, D.C. Region.


"Nia is the final piece to an incredibly strong Promotions team here in the Washington, D.C. Region," said Sauer. "I know Nia is the right choice to raise the bar for the WASH and WMZQ brands in the market."

Marciante joins the Washington, D.C. market from iHeartMedia Philadelphia, where she served as Promotions Assistant. She began her career at iHeartMedia Philadelphia in 2013 and is a graduate of The Richard Stockton University of New Jersey.

"I've loved working at iHeartMedia since I started as in intern in 2013," said Marciante. "I'm excited to bring my experience from the Philadelphia market to the great team in D.C. and continue growing within the iHeartMedia family!"

Houston Radio: Adam Clanton Fired, Josh Innes Suspended At KBME

Adam Clanton, the longtime Houston sports talk radio host, says he is no longer with iHeartMedia station KBME 790 AM.

Adam Clanton

Clanton, who was co-host of KBME's afternoon drive time show with Jayson Braddock and Sean Jones, declined to elaborate on details of his departure from the station, according to The Houston Chronicle.

He also has done radio commentary on Rockets home games, but his status on future Rockets broadcasts remains undetermined.

While Clanton did not comment on his departure from KBME, it came hours after he was the subject of a 10-minute segment on KBME morning drive time host Josh Innes' show.

Innes spent several minutes discussing disagreements with Clanton, impersonating Clanton's on-air delivery and referring several times to Clanton's comments on his talk show about supporting the Rockets and other Houston teams while also working as a Rockets radio broadcaster.

Referring to critical comments he and Clanton both made in the past on Twitter about Houston athletes, one of which Clanton retweeted recently, Innes said, "I wasn't bought off by a team and randomly (became) the biggest fanboy ever." he said.

Innes at one point compared Clanton to Fonzie, the leather jacket-wearing character on the program "Happy Days." Clanton a few minutes later posted on Twitter a GIF of the Fonzie character.

Clanton, a graduate of Sam Houston State University, has been in Houston radio and television since 2004, first at KILT (610 AM) and as a sports reporter on KPRC (Channel 2) before moving to KGOW (1560 AM) and then to KBME.

Urban One Reports Net Revenue Drop

Urban One, Inc. has reported its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2018.

• Net revenue was approximately $99.6 million, a decrease of 1.6% from the same period in 2017. 
• Broadcast and digital operating income1 was approximately $32.5 million, a decrease of 7.0% from the same period in 2017. 
• Operating income of approximately $7.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $16.5 million for the same period in 2017. 
• Net loss was approximately $22.6 million or $0.48 per share (basic) compared to net loss of approximately $2.3 million or $0.05 per share (basic) for the same period in 2017. Adjusted EBITDA2 was approximately $28.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to $27.7 million for the same period in 2017, an increase of 2.7%.

Alfred C. Liggins, III, Urban One’s CEO and President stated, “I was pleased that we were able to grow our Adjusted EBITDA, despite some softness in the radio markets and ratings challenges at TV One. According to Miller Kaplan, our radio clusters outperformed their markets by 190 Bps. TV One ratings for primetime in the P25-54 demographic were down 9% vs Q1 2017, and sequentially flat vs. Q4 2017. Digital revenues continue to perform well, driven by our 2017 acquisition of the Bossip and Madame Noire brands and websites. Our cash generation for the quarter was strong; we added approximately $6.3 million of cash to the balance sheet while repurchasing $11.0 million of our 9.25% 2020 Notes, which re-affirms our commitment to reducing the Company’s leverage. Finally, we recently entered into a binding agreement to sell WPZR in Detroit for $12.7 million, which represents a high double-digit seller’s multiple and will further help to reduce our net leverage.  Pro-forma for the asset sale, our net leverage ratio at March 31, 2018 was approximately 6.68x.”

St. Louis Radio: Jamie Allman Suing Entercom, Emmis

Former KFTK 97.1 FM talk host Jamie Allman is suing sued both Entercom Communications and Emmis Communications for breach of contract.

Allman, who had worked at the conservative-talk station since 2002 and had most recently been the morning-drive show host, was fired April 11.

According to stltoday.com, his ouster came in the aftermath of comments he made on Twitter criticizing teen anti-gun activist and Parkland High shooting survivor David Hogg. His post drew harsh criticism and sparked the beginnings of an advertiser boycott.

The Allman situation is the first major flap in St. Louis involving Entercom Communications, which just purchased KFTK from Emmis Communications in February.

Allman's lawsuit asks the court to order Entercomm to reinstate him to his job, or to pay Allman damages that would cover his estimated earnings until August 2020, when his most recent contract was set to expire. It also asks the court to strike down non-compete clauses in the contract.

Former afternoon host Marc Cox took over Allman's morning-drive slot last week.

Report: Spotify Discounting Sub Fees For New Customers

Spotify Technology SA missed the beat on Wednesday. The streaming music leader fell short of investor hopes that it could turn free music listeners into paying subscribers at a faster clip, and its shares dropped as much as 9 percent.

According to Reuters, shares had run up 3 percent in regular trading ahead of its first report as a public company, and analysts said expectations may have become overblown. They voiced concerns that discounts were eating into the company’s average revenue per user. First-quarter revenue also fell shy of analysts’ average forecasts.

The Swedish company, which began trading in an unorthodox direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange in April, reported steady growth by most financial measures but failed to deliver the commanding performance that could justify the bullish stock recommendations published in the days ahead of the results.

Spotify said paid subscriptions for the second quarter would range between 79 million and 83 million, which at the midpoint was below Wall Street’s consensus forecast of 81.79 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Morningstar analyst Ali Mogharabi said Spotify appears to be discounting many full-price music subscriptions and extending the length of free-trial plans to convert free, advertising supported users into paying subscribers.

“It looks like there may be too many discounts and too high a percentage of premium subs may be in for the cheaper family and student plans,” Mogharabi said.

Spotify reported first-quarter revenue of 1.139 billion euros ($1.36 billion), up 26 percent from a year earlier, or 37 percent excluding currency effects.

Spotify, which launched its streaming music service a decade ago, has enjoyed a surge in subscriber growth only in recent years. Since launching in 2015, Apple Music has grown rapidly to 40 million paid users and 8 million trial users and is looking to overtake Spotify in the lucrative North American market.

Amazon Music, the No. 3 player in the global streaming music outside China, does not disclose exact figures but reported last week it had “tens of millions of paid customers” and that subscriptions grew more than 100 percent in the last six months.

Smart Speaker Rivalry Heats Up

While Amazon Echo dominates the voice-enabled speaker market, its user share is slowly shrinking, as those of Google Home and smaller rivals begin to grow. Overall, smart speaker usage is accelerating as device capabilities expand, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast on the topic.

This year, 40.7 million people of any age in the US will use an Amazon Echo at least once a month, equating to two-thirds of smart speaker users. However, that share is expected to fall to 60.8% by 2020. (By eMarketer’s definition, a voice-enabled speaker user does not necessarily have to be an owner. Therefore, there is overlap in brand usage, as people often own and/or use multiple brands of speakers.)

Meanwhile, No. 2 player Google Home will have 18.0 million users this year. While it will remain a distant second in terms of users during the forecast period, its share is growing. In 2018, it will capture 29.5% of the smart speaker audience, and that figure will grow to nearly 33% by 2020.

“Google Home’s competitively priced Mini drove growth for the brand in the 2017 holiday season,” said eMarketer forecasting analyst Jaimie Chung. “With Amazon and Google vying for spots in both the smart-home and ecommerce spaces, Google’s pricing has revitalized the artificial intelligence race to dominate the home.”

Canadian Radio: Stringray To Acquire Newcap Stations

Stingray Digital Group Inc. is set to acquire Newfoundland Capital Corporation in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $508-million.

Newfoundland Capital, which owns and operates broadcaster Newcap Radio, says it has signed a definitive agreement with Stingray, which would acquire all of its issued and outstanding shares.

The Montreal-based music and digital experience provider will pay $14.75 per share, payable in a combination of cash and Stingray shares.

Newfoundland Capital says the transaction is valued at approximately $508 million, including the assumption of net debt of roughly $112 million as of Dec. 31.

The transaction will be subject to approval of shareholders, customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

Stingray’s chief executive and president Eric Boyko says the transaction positions the company as a “major player in the Canadian media landscape.”

Stingray, best known in Canada for its commercial-free streaming service Stingray Music, will pay $506-million for NCC including the assumption of $112-million of debt.

The Globe and Mail reports it is a rare radio takeover in Canada’s media industry, which has consolidated around its largest players over the past decade. Most of the country’s radio companies have become embedded into larger conglomerates like Rogers and Bell and radio has sometimes become an afterthought.

Stingray founder and chief executive Eric Boyko has positioned the company as an active industry consolidator since it went public in 2015, making six acquisitions in the past year alone. This expansion into radio would make it one of the country’s biggest multi-platform music providers, if not the biggest.

In NCC, Stingray gets a business with a strong financial profile and decent scale. NCC, which is based in Dartmouth, N.S., holds 101 radio licences stretching across Canada, including 82 FM and 19 AM stations, and operates 72 local and 29 repeating stations. It has generated a 37-per-cent margin on earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization over the past two years.

The business also throws off a lot of cash, generating roughly $170-million in advertising revenue annually. Stingray said NCC’s “robust free cash flow generation” will support its growth ambitions and dividend, adding at least 30 per cent to adjusted net income a share within the first year of the deal’s close.

Billboard Changes Weighting For Streams

The adjustment to how Billboard applies streaming data to its charts was first announced in concept last October, and was followed by exhaustive industry discussion and internal analysis to arrive at the new methodology.

Currently, Billboard has two defined types of streaming plays for the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart (and our other genre-specific hybrid songs charts): on-demand (such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube) and programmed (such as Pandora and Slacker Radio), with on-demand having a greater weight. The Billboard 200 albums chart -- and our other genre-based consumption-ranked albums charts -- uses a single tier (equating 1,500 streams as one album unit) for on-demand audio streams (paid or ad-supported) from subscription services. Video streams and programmed audio streams do not contribute to the Billboard 200’s calculations, but are incorporated into the Hot 100.

Beginning with the first week of Nielsen’s third quarter of 2018 (sales and streaming week of June 29 to July 5, which will be reflected on Billboard charts dated July 14), plays on paid subscription-based services (such as Apple Music and Amazon Music) or on the paid subscription tiers of hybrid paid/ad-supported platforms (such as Spotify and SoundCloud) will be given more weight in chart calculations than plays on ad-supported services (such as YouTube) or on the non-paid tiers of hybrid paid/ad-supported services.

Billboard will have multiple weighted tiers of streaming plays for the Hot 100, which take into account paid subscription streams (representing a full point value per play), ad-supported streams (representing a 2/3-point value per play) and programmed streams (representing a 1/2-point value per play). Those values are then applied to the chart’s formula alongside all-genre radio airplay and digital song sales data. Streaming remains the most dominant factor on the chart, followed by radio airplay and digital sales in descending order of significance.

The Billboard 200 will now include two tiers of on-demand audio streams. TIER 1: paid subscription audio streams (equating 1,250 streams to 1 album unit) and TIER 2: ad-supported audio streams (equating 3,750 streams to 1 album unit).

Streams from trial subscriptions that offer the same access and functionality as a paid tier will be considered TIER 1.

D/FW Radio: Record Breaking Year For WBAP WeatherCon

News/Talk 820 AM WBAP, a Cumulus Media radio station, hosted their third annual WeatherCon at the Frontiers of Flight Museum Saturday, April 28, 2018.  This year’s event attendance was the largest the event has seen.

WBAP’s WeatherCon was free and open to all ages.  Attendees were able to learn about severe weather, how to prepare for storms, and what to do after the storms by visiting with all on-site sponsors and sitting in on any of the eight sessions.

These learning opportunities included presentations on disaster preparedness from the American Red Cross; informational discussions with Bill Bunting, Chief of Forecast Operations at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma and Storm Chaser, Tim Marshall; a presentation on what to do after the storm by Scott McCollum of McRoof.US; and an interactive discussion with WBAP Chief Meteorologist Brad Barton and WFAA News 8 Chief Meteorologist Pete Delkus.

In addition to the seminar sessions, there were interactive sponsor booths including Raven Response with search and rescue dogs.  WFAA New 8 also returned with their giant green screen allowing attendees to see what it is like to be a television meteorologist.  The entire WFAA News 8 Weather Team was also on-site during the event.

WBAP’s WeatherCon was presented by McRoof.US and sponsored by Leaf Filter, Willard Heating & Air Conditioning, CutCo Cutlery, Newspray.  The event would not have been possible without the great partnerships of the Frontiers of Flight Museum and WFAA.