Streaming Dominates Music Consumption

Music streaming in the United States reached a major milestone in 2016, when it accounted for more than 50 percent of U.S. music revenues for the first time. Figures released in Nielsen’s 2018 Mid-Year Music Report underline once again how important streaming has become to the music industry in the few years since its emergence.

In the first six months of 2018, Nielsen counted 403 billion on-demand music streams (incl. video and audio streams) in the United States. That equates to nearly 270 million albums sold, assuming that 1,500 streams are equivalent to buying one album. As our chart illustrates, streaming now accounts for 75 percent of music consumption in the U.S. when compared to physical and digital music sales using this method, up from 50 percent in the first half of 2016.

Twitter Purge Hits Trump, Obama

Twitter is beginning to pull inactive and locked accounts from users' follower counts -- a move that's already costing prominent users like President Trump and former President Obama tens of thousands of followers.

Trump had lost about 100,000 of his roughly 53.4 million Twitter followers as of Tuesday night, The Washington Post reported, while Obama had lost about 400,000 of his 104 million followers during the same period of time.

The drop in followers came shortly before Twitter formally announced Wednesday that it would start removing "locked accounts" from follower counts as part of a push "to build trust and encourage healthy conversation on Twitter."

Sacha Baron Cohen's Showtime TV Disruptive

Provocative British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s new television show is making headlines in the United States even before its first episode is aired, with conservative figures Sarah Palin and Joe Walsh saying they were duped by him, according to Reuters.

“Who is America?”, due to launch on Sunday on cable channel Showtime, has been shrouded in secrecy apart from a trailer showing former U.S. defense secretary Dick Cheney signing a large bottle described as a water-boarding kit.

The seven-episode series marks Baron Cohen’s first television project in a decade.

Palin, the 2008 U.S. vice-presidential candidate, says she was tricked into an interview, ostensibly about American veterans, by a person dressed as a disabled U.S. serviceman.

Former U.S. Republican congressman Joe Walsh, now a conservative talk radio host, said he was persuaded to do an interview on Israel. Walsh also called for a boycott of Showtime, a unit of CBS.

I was rushed to the studio, production was a mess, I sat down and we started talking pro-Israel stuff, Israeli defense, and then out of left field the interviewer starts talking about how children should defend themselves against terrorist attacks. #BoycottShowtime pic.twitter.com/kdwA0h9VyR

— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 11, 2018

Showtime had no comment on Wednesday on the accounts by Palin and Walsh and has declined to give details of the series, or who will be appearing.


“I join a long list of American public personalities who have fallen victim to the evil, exploitive, sick “humor” of the British “comedian” Sacha Baron Cohen,” Palin wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

Palin said a man she believed to be Cohen “heavily disguised himself as a disabled U.S. Veteran, fake wheelchair and all ... I sat through a long “interview” full of Hollywoodism’s disrespect and sarcasm - but finally had enough and literally, physically removed my mic and walked out.”

Papa John Founder Resigns As Chairman

Papa John's pizza chain founder John Schnatter resigned as the company's chairman late yesterday after Forbes reoprted earlier in the day that he used the N-word during a conference call in May.

Schnatter, who is the public face of Papa John's, had apologized, saying, "News reports attributing the use of inappropriate and hurtful language to me during a media training session regarding race are true. Regardless of the context, I apologize. Simply stated, racism has no place in our society."

Forbes said Schnatter had used the racial slur on a call with a marketing agency while taking part in a role-playing exercise designed to prevent public relations crises.

Schnatter caused controversy last year when he said that Papa John's sales were hurt by the NFL's handling of the players' kneeling National Anthem protests. When asked on the call how he would distance himself from racist groups online, Schnatter downplayed his NFL comments, saying, "Colonel Sanders called blacks n****rs," and complaining that Sanders had never gotten backlash.

He also recalled growing up in Indiana, where he said people used to drag black people from their trucks until they died. Forbes said that Schnatter's comments were intended to demonstrate his opposition to racism, but that people on the call were offended by them.

July 12 Radio History

Howard Duff

➦In 1946…"The Adventures of Sam Spade," starring Howard Duff, debuted on ABC Radio. The show ran for 13 episodes on ABC in 1946, for 157 episodes on CBS in 1946-1949, and finally for 51 episodes on NBC in 1949-1951. Steve Dunne played the title role during the show's last two seasons.

➦In 1957…DJ Alan Freed - the man who coined the term "Rock and Roll" - started a Rock and Roll program on ABC-TV.  "The Big Beat" with guest performers Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers, the Everly Brothers and Connie Francis. The series was cancelled after the fourth show in which Frankie Lymon was seen dancing with a white girl, something that reportedly offended the management of the network's affiliate stations in southern states. Freed hosted a local version of "The Big Beat" on WNEW-TV New York until late 1959 when he was fired due to payola allegations.

➦In 1976…Radio-TV host (Ted Mack & The Original Amateur Hour, Ted Mack Family Hour) Ted Mack – died of complications from cancer at 72.



➦In 1979…In Chicago, WLUP-FM personalities Gerry Meier and Steve Dahl staged a "disco demolition" night at Comiskey Park with a public bonfire of disco vinyl records between games of a White Sox-Detroit Tigers doubleheader. Fans began tossing the records around like frisbees during the first game, and by the time of the bonfire, mini-riots and other fires had broken out in the stadium, forcing the White Sox to forfeit the second game.

➦In 1996...NBC correspondent/anchor John Chancellor, who succeeded Dave Garroway as host of Today, and who anchored, then did commentaries for NBC Nightly News, succumbed to stomach cancer at age 68.

➦In 2000…USA Digital Radio and Lucent Digital Radio merge to form Ibiquity Digital.

➦In  2008… Former White House press secretary/columnist//radio-TV newsman/program host (Fox News, CNN, NPR) Tony Snow died of colon cancer at 53.


➦In 2008… New York Yankees outfielder-turned baseball broadcaster Bobby Murcer died of brain cancer at age 62.

St. Louis Radio: HaZE Re-Signs, Scott Ellis To PD At KNOU

Entercom has named Scott Ellis as Program Director and midday host for KNOU NOW 96.3 FM in St. Louis, effective July 30.

Scott Ellis

In addition, Entercom also announced it has reached a new long-term agreement with current NOW 96.3 talent (Dustin) HaZe. HaZe joined Entercom in 2015 and hosts afternoon drive from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CT.

HaZe

“Scott’s level of talent, strong leadership and passion for the format will help take NOW 96.3 to high levels of success,” said Becky Domyan, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom St. Louis. “HaZe has a solid work ethic and high energy that will allow him to continue to make a significant impact with St. Louis listeners.”

“I’m thrilled to join the NOW 96.3 team and dive into the St. Louis community,” added Ellis. “Working in this market has always been a dream for me and I can’t wait to get started.”

Prior to joining Entercom, Ellis spent 11-years as Program Director and on-air personality at KSPW in Springfield, MO. and also held various programming roles at KKLR and KJEZ in Poplar Bluff, M.O.

KNOU 96.3 FM (92 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

“Words can’t express how excited I am to have the opportunity to continue my radio journey with NOW 96.3 in St. Louis, a city I love and call home,” HaZe said.

Quad Cities Radio: Jeanne Smith New iHM Market President

iHeartMedia announced Wednesday that Jeanne B. Smith has been named Market President for the Quad Cities.

Jeanne Smith

The iHM cluster includes: Country WLLR 103.7 FM, Classic Rock KCQQ Q106 FM, CHR KUUL 101.3 FM, AC KXMG 96.1 FM, N/T WOC 1420 AM, Sports WFXN 1230 AM and Alternative K283BV (103.7 HD2) Alt1045 FM.

As Market President, Smith will oversee the market’s programming, advertising and operations across multiple platforms within the Quad Cities, creating new business and revenue opportunities. She will report to Joel McCrea, Area President for iHeartMedia Des Moines.

Smith joins the Quad Cities market from iHeartMedia Cedar Rapids, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President of Sales. Prior to her time with iHeartMedia Cedar Rapids, Smith worked in Radio sales in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA for Cumulus Media. She is a graduate of the Journalism School at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

“Jeanne’s strong performance in Cedar Rapids earned her this promotion,” said McCrea. “She is a strong, innovative leader who has worked closely with our Quad Cities team in the past, giving her a genuine connection and solid understanding of our market.”

WLLR 103.7 FM (100 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

“I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to lead the Quad Cities team and our iconic brands,” said Smith. “iHeartMedia Quad Cities has enjoyed a great deal of success for years and I look forward to joining the team and contributing to the market’s thriving energy and ongoing success.”

Nielsen: Blacks, Hispanics Make-Up A Third of Radio Listeners

Audio plays an important role in the daily lives of hundreds of millions of Americans, and a new report from Nielsen shows that radio is America’s top weekly reach platform, both overall and with Black and Hispanic consumers — 75 million of whom tune in each week.

Nielsen's Audio Today report profiles those audiences, their listening preferences, technology trends, and the unique value they offer to advertisers with a “sound strategy.”

According to the report, Black and Hispanic consumers are leading the way when it comes to interest in and adoption of both smart speakers and audio streaming services.

Nielsen’s new MediaTech Trender report is a quarterly consumer study that focuses on the emerging technology devices and services that are shaping media use today. The Takeways:

• Radio is America's top weekly reach platform, both overall and with Black and Hispanic consumers; 75 million of whom tune in each week. In the first quarter of 2018, radio reached 92% of Black consumers each week and 96% of Hispanic consumers.
• In each of the past five years, more than 30 million Black consumers and 40 million Hispanic consumers have tuned in to the radio each week for entertainment, music and news. And when we look at the overall radio audience, the national radio audience is approximately 14% Black and 17% Hispanic.
• Black and Hispanic consumers are also trailblazers when it comes to interest in and adoption of smart speakers and audio streaming services. According to Nielsen's new syndicated MediaTech Trender Report, 52% of Black consumers and 45% of Hispanic consumers use streaming services for music, radio and podcasts.

June 2018 PPMs Out For NYC, L-A, Chicago, 9 Other Markets

Nielsen on Tuesday 7/10 released the first batch of  June 2018 PPMs results.  The markets  included the following markets:

   1  New York

   2  Los Angeles
 

   3  Chicago

   4  San Francisco

   5  Dallas-Ft.Worth

   6  Houston-Galveston

   8  Atlanta

   9  Philadelphia

 20  Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island)

 25  Riverside-San Bernardino CA

 37  San Jose

 42  Middlesex-Somerset-Union NJ

Click Here to see the Topline numbers for subscribing Nielsen stations.

Entercom Appoints Two New SVP/MMs

Stacy Kauffman

Entercom Tuesday announced that Stacey Kauffman and Michael Spacciapolli have been tapped as Senior Vice Presidents / Market Managers for Entercom Sacramento and Entercom Pittsburgh, respectively.

Both Kauffman and Spacciapolli assume their new roles effective immediately.

Michael Spacciapolli

“Nothing makes me happier than promoting from within,” said Weezie Kramer, Chief Operations Officer, Entercom. “I am thrilled that we offer career paths and can elevate deserving people to new leadership roles. Both Michael and Stacey have earned these opportunities.”

Kauffman most recently served as Director of Sales at Entercom Sacramento, and joined the company over three years ago as General Sales Manager. Prior to joining Entercom, Kauffman held various sales roles at Hubbard Broadcasting, Radio One, and Susquehanna Radio WFMS-FM. She graduated from Ball State University and earned an M.B.A. from Indiana University – Northwest.

Spacciapolli has been leading the sales effort as Director of Sales in Pittsburgh for over ten years and joined Entercom from CBS Radio as part of the company’s merger in November. Previously, he held several roles, including Sales Manager and Director of Sports Sales for the Bonneville Radio Group in Washington, D.C. and began his career as a national representative for Katz Radio Group in New York. Spacciapolli graduated from Ithaca College.

Fox News Channel Continues Winning Streak

TV’s top summer show, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” was in reruns for the week of July 2 to July 8, but the network still managed to be on top overall for the time period.

NBC was at a Nielsen 4.1 million viewers (and a 0.7 rating/4 share in 18-49 viewers) -- ahead of CBS, which scored 4 million viewers and a 0.6/3. ABC came in at 3 million viewers and a 0.6/3, followed by Fox with 1.6 million viewers (0.4/2); Univision at 1.2 million (0.4/2); Telemundo with 1.0 million (0.4/2) and CW at 740,000 viewers (0.2/1);

Through seven weeks of the summer TV season, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” posted an average Nielsen 11.6 million viewers -- down 10% from a year ago. It earned a 2.24 rating among 18-49 viewers, losing 14.8%.

Fox News Channel continues to attract more total viewers across the 24-hour day than any other network on basic cable.

TV Newser reports FNC remained No. 1 in total day viewers for the week of July 2, marking 26 consecutive weeks at No.1 in the daypart, according to Nielsen. Fox News was also No. 1 on basic cable in prime time viewers, and dominated CNN and MSNBC in all relevant categories this past week.

Fox News also made up three of the top five cable telecasts in total viewers with presentations of Hannity and Tucker Carlson Tonight. FNC occupied 19 of the top 30 cable telecasts overall in total viewers, including Hannity, Tucker Carlson Tonight, The Ingraham Angle, The Five, The Story with Martha MacCallum and Special Report with Bret Baier.

CNN beat MSNBC among adults 25-54 this past week during prime time and across the 24-hour day. MSNBC defeated CNN in total viewers in both of the aforementioned dayparts.

In total viewers, FNC ranked No. 1 in prime time (2,006,000) and No. 1 in total day (1,272,000) on basic cable. CNN ranked No. 16 in prime time (669,000) and No. 4 in total day (535,000). MSNBC ranked No. 3 in prime time (1,342,000) and No.2 in total day (763,000).

In adults 25-54, FNC averaged 358,000 in prime time and 242,000 in total day. CNN averaged 240,000 in prime time and 168,000 in total day. MSNBC averaged 237,000 in prime time and 144,000 in total day.

Basic Cable Ranker: Week of July 2 (Total Viewers) on Scribd

Basic Cable Ranker: Week of July 2 (A25-54)

Fox News Wins SCOTUS Coverage

President Trump's announcement of Brett Kavanaugh as his nominee to the Supreme Court drew 6.6 million total viewers for Fox News on Monday night, making it the most-watched network for live coverage of the event.

Fox topped cable news rivals MSNBC and CNN combined, which registered 2.03 million and 1.59 million viewers, respectively, for the prime-time rollout of Trump's nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the high court.

According to The Hill citing preliminary numbers from Nielsen Media Research, ABC News led in the key 25–54-year-old demographic that advertisers covet most, delivering 1.5 million viewers in the category, topping Fox News's 1.35 million and CBS's 783,000 in the category.

Trump on Monday night announced Kavanaugh, a 53-year-old judge on the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals, as his pick to replace Kennedy in a nationally televised event from the East Room of the White House.

Nearly 26 million viewers across the major broadcast and cable TV news networks watched Trump nominate Judge Kavanaugh. That doesn’t include more watching on smaller cable networks, including FBN, and streaming news services. But the 26 million total is  also -21 percent from the nearly 33 million who watched him nominate Neil Gorsuch to the SCOTUS on Jan. 31, 2017, according to TVNewser.

21st Century Fox Tops Comcast Bid For Sky

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox Inc. significantly lifted its offer price to consolidate ownership of Sky, heating up a bidding war with Comcast Corp. for the British TV broadcaster according to The Wall Street Journal.

Fox raised its bid for the roughly 61% of Sky it doesn’t already own by more than 30%, to £14 a share, in a deal that values all of Sky at $32.5 billion. Fox said Sky’s independent directors have agreed to the new offer.

The bid tops a rival offer from Comcast, which is competing with Fox for Sky and could come back with a higher offer, still. Comcast is also competing with Walt Disney Co. in a bidding war for a big chunk of Fox assets, including Fox’s current 39% stake in Sky. Fox’s higher bid for Sky, disclosed early Wednesday, essentially bolsters Fox’s agreement to sell those assets to Disney.

Murdoch’s Fox launched its bid for all of Sky more than 18 months ago. In the year and half since, the deal has been embroiled in a long government review in the U.K., which was expected to draw to a close later this week. More recently, the pursuit morphed into one of the main flashpoints in a much larger corporate battle, pitting Disney against Comcast.

In some ways, the battle for Sky has become a proxy for the bigger media war between Disney and Comcast, for the wider portfolio of Fox assets. Fox first agreed to sell those assets to Disney for $52.4 billion in cash and stock. Comcast swooped in offering $56 billion in cash, prompting Disney’s latest cash-and-stock offer of $71.3 billion.

Sky is one of the crown jewels of Murdoch’s media empire. It could help both Disney and Comcast—even without the other Fox assets—compete with new entrants like Netflix Inc. Sky produces its own content while its satellite and broadband offerings reach millions of European households. That combination—content and distribution—has driven years of consolidation in the U.S. Sky offers both Disney and Comcast a rare vehicle to boost that outside the country.

NYC Radio: Leonard Lopate Returns To WBAI-FM

Leonard Lopate, the WNYC radio host fired last year amid allegations of inappropriate behavior toward his female colleagues, is returning next week to New York’s radio waves with a show on WBAI 99.5 FM.

“Leonard Lopate at Large,” a one-hour program, is scheduled to start July 16. WBAI is owned by Pacifica Foundation, which is known for its liberal-leaning programming.

Lopate’s career in radio began at WBAI in 1977. During his tenure there, he hosted a gospel music program and a late-night call-in show.

“They called me and of course I was really pleased,” Mr. Lopate said. “Returning to my roots seemed rather exciting and also an opportunity to do something different.”

In December 2017, Mr. Lopate and his co-worker Jonathan Schwartz were fired as revelations about sexual harassment sent tremors through various media industries, including public radio.

WBAI 99.5 FM (10 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

WNYC and its owner, New York Public Radio, said it had been investigating allegations against Mr. Lopate for months before making its decision. Mr. Lopate, 77, had been a host at WNYC for more than 30 years when he was fired.

The NY Times reports a report by the law firm Proskauer Rose released earlier this year concluded that senior management at WNYC did not know about or tolerate systemic discrimination at the station. But even after Laura R. Walker, president and chief executive of New York Public Radio, apologized for prioritizing “growth, and content and programming, over investment in some of the processes and people,” multiple WNYC employees complained that the report was insufficient.

L-A Radio: Daniel Jeremiah Joins Chargers Radio Team

The Los Angeles NFL chargers have announced that Daniel Jeremiah will join play-by-play announcer Matt “Money” Smith and sideline reporter Shannon Farren for KFI 640 AM's game broadcasts.

According to the Chargers' website, He brings a unique perspective few other analysts can provide. After serving as a three-year starter at quarterback at Appalachian State, Jeremiah served as a scout for the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles before transitioning to broadcasting in 2012.

Daniel Jeremiah

Since then, Jeremiah’s established himself as one of the top pundits in the game.  He serves a multitude of roles at NFL Network, a mainstay as a studio analyst for numerous programs including NFL GameDay Prime, NFL Total Access and Path to the Draft. He is also co-host of the Move the Sticks Podcast with Bucky Brooks.

Now, his new role with the Bolts provides an entirely different opportunity. The fact it’s for his childhood team he believes is on the verge of breaking out makes it even sweeter.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “It’s the perfect opportunity to be back in the stadium every week. This team and organization is really ready to take off. Look at the talent that they’ve assembled under Tom (Telesco). They have a championship-caliber quarterback, and you’ve got one of the most talented defenses in the league. That’s a great place to start. They were so close to being a playoff team last year. I think they’ve definitely got a chance to be a serious contender in the AFC this year.”

KFI 640 AM (50 Kw)

Jeremiah is regarded as one of the preeminent experts when it comes to the NFL Draft. After spending countless hours poring over each and every prospect selected in April, he’s particularly looking forward to seeing the Bolts’ class up close this season.

Detroit Radio: WJR Adds Lomas Brown To Lions Broadcast Team

Cumulus Media announces that former Detroit Lions offensive tackle Lomas Brown has joined the Lions’ game day broadcast team on News/Talk WJR 760 AM as color analyst.

Brown will provide commentary and analysis beside WJR’s play-by-play host, Dan Miller.

Brown is a former first round pick from the University of Florida in the 1985 NFL draft. The Detroit Lions selected Brown sixth overall and he played for the Lions for 11 of his 18 NFL seasons. Brown also won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2002, and was named to the Pro Bowl team seven straight seasons from 1990 to 1996.

Tom O’Brien, Vice President/General Manager, WJR, said: “Jim Brandstatter did an excellent job for the past two years on WJR and for many years prior, and we’re proud of the work we did together. The addition of Lomas Brown, a former All Pro Lion, will bring a unique perspective to the game day broadcast.”

WJR 760 AM (50 Kw)

Brown said: “I am very excited by this opportunity. I know I have some big shoes to fill, but I’m excited about the chance to talk to all those great Lions fans every week!”

Survey: Radio Places In Top 5 For Local Ad Spending

Borrell Associates’ latest report on average annual local spending, radio places 5th at $39,860 behind broadcast TV, cable TV, search engines, and mail.

Edison Research To Present 'Podcasting's Next Frontier' Keynote

Edison Research will be unveiling the results of a new study on Podcasting in a keynote address on July 24 at Podcast Movement in Philadelphia, PA. The keynote is entitled "Podcasting's Next Frontier: 100 Million Listeners," and will provide a research-based road map for the podcasting industry to grow audience and increase exposure to podcasts.

Edison has been researching Podcasting for over 13 years, and has produced the industry's leading research reports, including The Infinite Dial (in partnership with Triton Digital) and the annual Podcast Consumer report. This year, Edison will provide Podcast Movement attendees with a look at the tens of millions of Americans who say they know what podcasting is, but haven't (yet) become regular listeners to the medium. The presentation will include all new qualitative and quantitative research, along with some definitive action steps for attendees to start increasing their audience immediately.

"We are thrilled to once again be given the keynote stage at Podcast Movement, which has really become the premier event in the space," said Tom Webster, Edison's Senior Vice President. "It has been our great privilege to serve the podcast industry for the last 13 years, and we are committed to providing podcast producers with the highest quality information and insights to prepare them for the future."

"Podcasting's Next Frontier: 100 Million Listeners" will be delivered at 3:15 p.m. on July 24 at Podcast Movement in Philadelphia, and the underlying research will be released on July 25.