Fox: Commercials Sold-Out For Super Bowl

The Fox network said it has sold out commercial space for the upcoming Super Bowl, demonstrating how demand for big-ticket sporting events — and their audiences — has remained constant despite broader changes in the media industry.

Commercial spots for up to 30 seconds sold for as much as $4 million, WSJ reports, citing ad buyers.

The term “sold out” is a bit of a misnomer, according  to the WSJ Media Journal, as advertisers can still pull out before the game, giving the network a chance to sell the spot at what is usually a higher price than what was charged earlier.

Likewise, Fox said it still has time available in its live stream of the game on the Web, which will carry a similar number of ads to the TV broadcast.

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Sun Broadcast Inks Ad Placement Deal With Jelli

After months of publicly calling for much needed change to measurement and accountability in network radio, Sun Broadcast Group, Inc. CEO, Jason Bailey, announced today the company is investing in the deployment of Jelli, Inc.’s cloud- based ad platform across its entire network that will make it easier and faster to buy and run radio advertisements.

The change will start immediately across all of Sun’s Hispanic products including CNN en Español, Fox Deportes, AccuWeather en Español and its national Latino Advantage network. Sun Hispanic content partner, Stardome Media Group, has also committed to the platform change. A roll out to Sun’s general market offerings will begin in early 2014.

“I have been asking leaders large and small to stand with me and implement true change in how we conduct business across our industry,” said Jason Bailey, CEO. “Radio has been living in the dark ages when it comes to accountability. We’re being eaten alive by the real time metrics of digital audio competitors and our best answer, RADAR©, still requires busy planners and buyers to go back months after a campaign to see what should have run. Today we stand proud to put our entire sales and programming schedules on the line and make a real change for this great industry”

In this new partnership, Sun Broadcast Group has agreed to finance equipment and installation costs for each affiliate they service.

LI Radio: WRCN Readies For Switch to All-News

The Long Island News Radio station on WRCN 103.9 FM plans to launch on Dec. 26 in a former office near the baggage claim inside MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, according to Newsday.

WRCN 103.9 FM 60dBu Coverage

The 24-hour all-talk format is to replace the music format, which will include Christmas tunes for the season.
Featuring traffic, news, sports and talk shows, the new station will focus on all of Long Island, all the time, said John Caracciolo, president of station owner JVC Broadcasting of Ronkonkoma.

Caracciolo sees a void in radio coverage of Long Island. "The media still looks at us as a bedroom community," he said, and noted that with 3.4 million residents "we're bigger than some states; and there isn't a news talk station."

The station will be heard in Suffolk County and online, he said.

Islip Town officials said a radio station broadcasting from MacArthur will raise the airport's profile. Caracciolo said he believes this is the only radio station in an area airport.

JVC spent about $175,000 in soundproofing to ensure the studio maintains the requisite quiet. "Back here, the jet noise isn't too loud," Caracciolo said of the studio's location near the front of the airport. The studio's large glass windows face baggage claim and are intended to attract travelers and airport visitors, and integrate the station's presence into the airport environment.

The station will employ about 20 full-time and part-time staffers. Matthew Goldapper, the station's general manager, said the company plans to bring on college students to report and produce news segments.

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NYC Radio: Stations Deny Anthony Weiner Show Talk

Anthony Weiner

The NY Daily News Confidenti@l has reported that disgraced mayoral wannabe and Twitter enthusiast Anthony Weiner is in talks to host a radio show.

The paper cites sources close to the deal as saying Weiner was mulling an offer to host an hour-long chat show on either WOR 710 AM or WABC 770 AM radio, focusing on...what else?   Local politics.

However, spox for both Cumulus Media and CCM+E deny they're talking to Anthony Weiner about a talk show.

“Our comment is best summed up by Taylor Swift’s hit song, ‘We’re never, ever getting back together’ — and in this case we were never together to begin with as this is nothing Cumulus ever contemplated,” said a spokesman for Cumulus Media Network, which distributes shows from Mark Levin, Don Imus and more.

A source from Clear Channel had a more succinct answer to the speculation over Weiner joining their ranks: “Just not true.”

So, where did these rumors begin? According to Mediaite, speculation began swirling after Weiner was spotted in WABC’s studios when he appeared as a guest on Geraldo Rivera’s radio show following his fifth place finish in New York’s mayoral primary. “Yes, he was in the building as a guest on a show,” the source said. “No, he’s not getting his own show.”

Bashir Resigns From MSNBC Over Palin Comments

Martin Bashir

MSNBC host Martin Bashir resigned from the network Wednesday after an uproar over his recent comments about Sarah Palin.

Last month, Bashir apologized for what he called “offensive” comments about the former Alaska governor, whom he also called an “idiot” and “dunce.” He told viewers in a scripted commentary last month that someone should defecate in Palin’s mouth. He was invoking an old slave punishment in response to a speech by Palin, a Fox News contributor, comparing the national debt to slavery.

Bashir took off two weeks for what was billed as a vacation, and there was a marked contrast with MSNBC’s treatment of Alec Baldwin, who got the boot over an alleged anti-gay slur hurled at a photographer. In his statement, Bashir said:

“After making an on-air apology, I asked for permission to take some additional time out around the Thanksgiving holiday. 

“Upon further reflection, and after meeting with the president of MSNBC, I have tendered my resignation. It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments. 

“I deeply regret what was said, will endeavor to work hard at making constructive contributions in the future and will always have a deep appreciation for our viewers – who are the smartest, most compassionate and discerning of all television audiences.”

Pandora Reports Listening Hours Increase 18 Percent

Pandora announced Wednesday new metrics that were reached in the month of November 2013.

• Listener hours for Pandora during the month of November 2013 were 1.49 billion, an increase of 18% from 1.27 billion during the same period last year.
• Share of total U.S. radio listening for Pandora in November 2013 was 8.44%, an increase from 7.17% at the same time last year.
• Active listeners were 72.4 million at the end of November 2013, an increase of 16% from 62.4 million during the same time period last year.

Meanwhile, Forbes reports there's a 30% upside yo Pandora’s stock if its content costs decline To Sirius XM’s levels.

According to Forbes,  For 2012 Pandora’s content acquisition costs stood at close to 60.6% of its total revenues. In comparison, Sirius XM’s revenue sharing and royalty costs stood at around 18.6% of its subscription revenues for the same year. However, this is not a true comparison. Sirius XM spends additional money on acquiring and producing the content, the costs of which do not come under the revenue sharing model. Keeping this in mind, the overall content-related costs for Sirius XM stood at close to 28% of its subscription revenues in 2012. This still puts Pandora’s content spending (as % of revenues) at a much higher level compared to Sirius XM. For the current year, Forbes expects the figure for Pandora to reduce to 52.6% and decline to 38% in the long run. If the company’s content spending was to come down to a level similar to that of Sirius XM, there could be close to 30% upside

ESPN Cancels Ron Burgundy Shot For Thursday

Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy won't be appearing on ESPN's SportsCenter on Thursday, according to THR.

"Ron Burgundy's scheduled Thurs. appearance on @SportsCenter has been cancelled in light of the potential implications of any news from the State Attorney's press conference in Fla.," said ESPN's director of communications David Scott in a statement on Twitter. "

As of this time, there is no reschedule date for Ron Burgundy."

As ESPN and other outlets had reported, the Florida State Attorney's office will hold a news conference Thursday at 2 p.m. ET on the sexual assault allegations leveled at college quarterback Jameis Winston.

The actor's SportsCenter appearance was scheduled for 6 p.m. ET along with David Koechner as Champ Kind from Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues in a segment presented by Dodge Durango. (Ferrell's character also had been seen in multiple web promos for the automaker.)

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Meanwhile, Ron Burgundy, comedian Will Ferrell’s news anchor alter ego, took over Emerson College Wednesday, dishing on the state of journalism and entertaining students with his own unique grading system.

For one day only, Emerson’s communications school became the Ron Burgundy School of Communication in anticipation of the upcoming release of “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”

Robin Quivers Sells NYCity Condo

Robin Quivers

Radio host Howard Stern’s right-hand woman Robin Quivers has sold her two-bedroom Lincoln Square condominium for $2.95 million, according to The Real Deal.

Quivers has been on Stern’s show since 1981. A Maryland native, she reportedly resided in Manhattan from the mid-1990s until her split from longtime boyfriend Tony – mysteriously referred to as “Mr. X” on the show – in 2007.

Quivers bought the apartment at 200 West End Avenue for $2.46 million in May 2008 and sold it to Ervin Shindell, co-founder of the Chicago-based hedge fund RoundKeep Capital advisors, and his wife, Colleen Murphy, according to records filed with the city on Monday. The deal closed Nov. 19.

Originally listed in July with an asking price of $3.15 million, the ask was reduced to $2.95 million three weeks later.

The 1,486-square-foot unit comes with nine-foot ceilings; park, city and river views; a windowed kitchen complete with a wine refrigerator; granite counters; and a breakfast bar, according to the listing on StreetEasy. The new owners will also have access to the building’s full-service amenities, which include a health club and garage.

Quivers currently resides in Long Beach Township, N.J.

B-C Radio: Dumpling-Eating Contest Ends in Tragedy

A man suffered severe brain damage after winning a radio station's dumpling-eating contest, his guardian claims in court, according to Courthouse News.

Samaljit Aulakh, through his guardian Kamaljeet Aulakh, sued South Asian Broadcasting Corp. CKYE 93.1 FM Red FM, in British Columbia Supreme Court.

He also sued the dumpling maker.

The radio station held an eating contest as part of a Diwali celebration in November 2012. Participants competed to win an iPhone by eating gulab jamuns, a South Asian cheese-based desert dumpling, made by defendant Nanak Foods.

Aulakh was the first to finish, but the victory was short-lived. He stood up and "immediately exhibited signs of distress in containing the gulab jamuns and the Red FM broadcaster advised him that if he did not contain them, or if he threw them up, he would not win the iPhone," the complaint states.

An employee gave him some water, but Aulakh choked, fell to the floor and lost consciousness. Emergency workers failed to clear his airway and he now suffers from total paralysis and relies on family members for care, including his wife and guardian, Kamaljeet Aulakh, according to the lawsuit.

Judge Sez SiriusXM Cannot Transfer Turtles Suit

Flo and Eddie

A California federal judge this week refused to allow Sirius XM Radio Inc. to move a $100 million putative class action alleging it illegally played songs recorded before 1972, finding the broadcaster hadn’t sufficiently argued in favor of transferring the suit to New York.

U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez ruled against moving the suit, saying the putative class led by members of the American rock band The Turtles wasn’t addressing the same laws as another action in New York.

The lead plaintiffs in the case are Flo & Eddie of The Turtles, the iconic band whose hits include "Happy Together," "It Ain't Me Babe" and "She'd Rather Be With Me."

The band has a history of bringing big cases, but the reason why this lawsuit, filed in L.A. Superior Court, commands notice comes down to the magical number of 1972, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Feb. 15, 1972, is the exact day on which sound recordings began falling under federal copyright protection.

For recorded music created before then, the situation is a bit more murky. The question this lawsuit addresses is: What laws cover those recordings?

Every day, SiriusXM transmits thousands of pre-1972 recordings and does so likely with the confidence that §114 of the Copyright Act gives them this authority. That statute carves out limitations on exclusive rights and also sets up the way that owners of recordings get compensated. Currently, the Copyright Royalty Board is the entity that sets statutory royalty rates for satellite radio, and SoundExchange is the entity that collects the royalties to pass along.

But it is the contention of Flo & Eddie, representing themselves and others similarly situated, that federal law can't be relied upon when dealing with pre-'72 music on satellite radio.

Until 2011, SiriusXM sent Sound Exchange a log of every song that was played along with a lump sum in royalities owed. The problem was that the log didn't include pre-1972 reocrdings, and payment wasn't broken down per song, meaning that royalties were distributed to all artists on Sirius' playlist. Two years ago, Sound Exchange requested that SiriusXM document everything that it was paying for, and SiriusXM has since stopped reporting pre-1972 recordings.

Roanoke Radio: Personality's Children Sue Over His Death

Seth Williamson

The children of the late WVTF 89.1 FM in Roanoke, VA radio personality Seth Williamson say in a lawsuit that he died from an overdose of painkillers after surgery and seek $10 million from a medical device maker and its former parent company .

According to roanoke.com, the lawsuit, filed Nov. 19 in federal court in Roanoke, said a medication pump used to assist Williamson was faulty in that hospital nurses could become confused while setting the device.

While experiencing pain after hernia repair at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, Williamson received analgesic medicine at five times the strength prescribed by his doctor, the lawsuit said.

The 62-year-old Blacksburg man died a short time later at the hospital of a “massive” overdose, the lawsuit said.

Named as defendants are Hospira Inc. of Lake Forest, Ill., which the lawsuit said brought the pump to market, and Abbott Laboratories Inc. based north of Chicago, which the suit said once owned Hospira. Neither company had a comment Wednesday.