Changing Viewer Habits Impacting TV Ratings

NBC has been scoring weak ratings ever since the opening ceremony last Friday. While the network is dominating other broadcasters, nightly viewership is down from London, particularly in the key 18- to 49-year-old demographic.

After six days of prime time coverage, the NBC broadcast network is averaging 28.1 million viewers, about 20 percent fewer than it had during the London games in 2012. The totals are almost 10 percent lower than the Beijing games in 2008, according to money.cnn.com.

This year NBC is showing more events via cable and Internet streaming than it did in 2012 or 2008. Still, the combined viewership figures are lower than London. And live-streaming represents just a tiny fraction of overall viewership, according to CNNMoney's analysis.

Experts say changing viewing habits and increased competition are likely culprits. While Olympics live-streaming isn't impacting the TV ratings in a serious way, overall streaming is -- because people can watch clips online. Or skip the games and watch something on Netflix instead.

"There isn't that pressure now to have to watch the entire Olympics live except if there's a big event people are talking about," Gold said. "I'm not saying that didn't exist in 2012, but people are getting more familiar with watching highlights, and it's becoming second nature."

Outsized excitement about the record-high-rated London games are also causing tough comparisons four years later.

Cord-Cutting Picking Up Steam

It started as a trickle. Right now it’s a steady stream. The question is whether it will become a deluge, and if so, how long until that happens.

According to MediaLife magazine, No one knows for sure, and so every quarter they look for new clues.

The latest quarterly pay TV subscriber numbers show people shed subscriptions 12 times faster over the past year than they had the prior year.

That’s according to an analysis by BTIG Research. It reports that 705,000 people dropped their subscriptions to the top eight providers, including Comcast, DirecTV and Charter, in the 12 months ended in June.

That’s compared to 59,000 during the 12-month period that ended in June 2015.

The annual rate of subscription decline has hit 2 percent.

BTIG analyst Rich Greenfield blames the declines on several factors: inflexible packages, surcharges that drive subscribers nuts, and high overall pricing for cable compared to the low monthly prices of streaming video on demand.

“Increased cord-cutting and cord-shaving ties directly to our view that antenna households utilizing streaming devices are increasing rapidly, albeit off a low base,” he writes.

It’s been a rapid turnabout for the industry. A few years ago, it was regularly adding subscribers by 1 or 2 percent each year, Greenfield notes.

“Now the industry is losing 2 percent through cutting/shaving, not to mention the growing pressure from cord-nevers,” he writes.

This hardly means a collapse of the industry. There are still some 88.5 million subscribers to the top cable and satellite companies.

Viacom: Redstones, Dauman Talking Again

Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman and the media conglomerate’s owners — Sumner and Shari Redstone — have restarted negotiations aimed at ending a months-long feud over who will control large pieces of the Redstones’ $43 billion media empire, The NYPost is reporting.

The Redstones’ National Amusements Inc. has moved to oust Dauman and four other Viacom board members while the CEO is fighting back in court — several key Viacom board members have moved closer to supporting a move to name a new CEO, according to a source familiar with negotiations.

NAI owns 80 percent of the voting power at both Viacom — the owner of Comedy Central and MTV — and CBS.

While Dauman has maintained that he has the support of a majority of the 11-person Viacom board, several board members have recently come to believe the corporate in-fighting has dragged on long enough, a source familiar with talks told The Post.

It is unclear which have fallen in line with NAI in wanting Dauman to step down.

Natalie Maines Rips Country Radio 'Hypocrites'

Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines vented some political frustration on Twitter Thursday, calling out what she sees as a continuing double standard in the country music world — specifically, the tolerance of conservative commentary and disapproval of liberal views by country radio, according to Rolling Stone.

Responding to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's controversial statement regarding Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Second Amendment advocates a day earlier, Maines referenced the swift backlash she and the Dixie Chicks were given in 2003 following her now infamous comments about then-President George W. Bush.

I get banned for not liking Bush and now Trump can practically put a hit out on Hillary and he's still all over country radio! Hypocrites!

— Natalie Maines (@1NatalieMaines) August 11, 2016

It wasn't clear if Maines was referring to Trump appearances on news and talk radio programs favored by country listeners, or his political advertisements being played by country stations themselves.

Natalie Maines

In 2003, just as the U.S. was preparing to enter the second Iraq war, Maines famously told a concert crowd in London she was ashamed to be from the same state as President George W. Bush. The Dixie Chicks were then labeled traitors and removed from almost all country radio playlists as rallies were held to steamroll their records, halting their career.

Fast forward to Tuesday, August 9th, when Trump riled up a crowd of supporters in Wilmington, North Carolina, by claiming that if Clinton wins the presidency, she will appoint a Supreme Court justice who will then work to abolish the Second Amendment right to bear arms — and that there may be a way to stop her.

"If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks," Trump said, according to The New York Times. "Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don't know."

That last part has been interpreted as a call for violence against Clinton, and was quickly condemned by Democrats and political pundits across the country, including journalist Dan Rather, who issued a blistering op-ed on Facebook.

Maines took the statement the same way, and is now outraged that her comments — far more benign than what many see as dangerous, violent rhetoric that further poisons the American political process — seemed to be treated much harsher by those working in country radio.

Seattle Radio: Kim Monroe New APD, Talent At KVRQ

Kim Monroe

Hubbard Radio/Seattle has named market veteran, Kim Monroe, as Assistant Program Director and Air Personality at Rock KVRQ 98.9 FM.

Kim joins KVRQ with a rich background in Rock radio including positions as Air Talent and Music Director at Alternative WEND, Charlotte and Seattle’s Alternative KNDD.

Kim commented on the position, “I’ve always imagined myself coming back to this amazing city, I just wasn’t sure how or when! Given this incredible opportunity to return to the city I love and resume my radio career at KVRQ is like a dream! I am beyond excited to work side by side with such a well-respected programmer, Dave Numme, and I know that we are going to do great things together! Honestly, I don’t even have the words to express how happy and grateful I am for this opportunity! I especially want to thank my new radio family at Hubbard Radio Seattle, particularly Marc Kaye.”

KVRQ 98.9 FM (68 Kw) Red=Local Coverage Area

Kim was Program Director at Alternative WXTM, Cleveland which later became WXRK, also held positions in promotions with Sony/RED, and at iTunes as an original content producer and programmer at Sirius/XM

Nashville Radio: WGFX's Mickey Ryan Joins Titans Broadcasts

Mickey Ryan

Cumulus Media/Nashville has announced that veteran sports broadcaster Mickey Ryan will join the Titans Radio Broadcast Team as a co-host for Titans Pre- and Post-Game coverage beginning Saturday, August 13, 2016, at 5pm CST.  The announcement was made today by Brad Willis, Program Director for 104.5 The Zone and Titans Radio.

Ryan joins fellow broadcaster Mark Howard and former Titans players Blaine Bishop and Kevin Dyson on the show, providing two hours of pre-game and post-game coverage during the Tennessee Titans games. This season, Titans fans can catch the Lee Company Countdown to Kickoff pre-game show LIVE from the new Titans Fan Zone, outside the south end zone of Nissan Stadium.

“Mickey is one of the most respected and insightful sports commentators in Nashville,” said Allison Warren, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Media-Nashville.  “He has covered sports at its highest level and his reputation, contacts and relationships within the sports field are outstanding.  We have the strongest ensemble of voices in football analysts and sports commentators, and the addition of Mickey to our team makes us even stronger and deeper.”

Ryan said: "I have listened to Titans Radio since the very first broadcast, and I consider it an honor and the culmination of a lifelong dream to join the best team in NFL Radio. I look forward to sharing an upcoming season of Titans Football with Mark, Blaine, Kevin, and Titans fans all over our listening area."

Ryan will debut on WGFX 104.5 FM The Zone Titans Pre- and Post-Game coverage on Saturday, August 19, 2016, for 104.5 The Zone’s coverage of the 2016 Tennessee Titans season.

In addition to Titans Local Pre and Post-Game coverage, he will remain with 104.5 The Zone’s popular 3HL afternoon show airing weekdays from 3pm-6pm CST with co-hosts Brent Dougherty and Blaine Bishop.

104.5 The Zone is the official broadcast partner of the Tennessee Titans providing the game day broadcast play-by-play by Mike Keith, sideline reporting with Jonathan Hutton with analysis by former Titan Frank Wycheck, in addition to providing two hours of pre- and post-game local coverage during the Lee Company Countdown to Kickoff.

SF Radio:49ers’ New Radio Voice Is Kate Scott

Kate Scott

Kate Scott, Bay Area sports media personality, joins the ranks of gender-barrier busters when she does radio play-by-play for Sunday’s 49ers-Texans preseason game.

According to sfgate.com, Scott will also do the 49ers-Broncos game the following Sunday as she steps in for Bob Fitzgerald, who is moving to the TV side for the two games while Ted Robinson covers diving at the Rio Olympics.

Niner broadcasts can be heard on KNBR 680 and KGO 810 on the AM dial, along with KSAN 107.7 on FM radio.

Scott will be the third woman to do NFL play-by-play. Gayle Sierens worked one regular-season game for NBC in 1987, and Beth Mowins did two Raiders’ preseason games on TV last season and will do the same this season for KTVU-KTVU-plus.

Scott is the anchor on KNBR 680 AM’s morning “Murph and Mac” show, and does play-by-play of women’s sports for the Pac 12 Network.

Local Radio Nets Inks Deal With Rocking M Media

Local Radio Networks, Inc. (LRN) has added Rocking M Media, LLC to its growing list of affiliates.

Rocking M Media’s stations are located throughout the state of Kansas and they have been a long- time client of a well-established format provider but decided to make the switch after much research.  LRN is providing EIGHT 24/7 music formats to Rocking M’s (21) music broadcast stations.

"The level of support and the quality of the product that we have received from Local Radio Networks....if I had to rate it on a scale of one to ten.....would be a twelve," says Christopher Miller, President Rocking M Media, LLC.

LRN also has recently added three new programing formats: Contemporary Hit Radio, Classic Hits and Mainstream Rock Radio to their already existing formats: Adult Contemporary, Hot Adult Contemporary, Mainstream Country, Classic Country, Classic Rock, and Oldies to meet the growing needs of radio broadcasters.

LRN was established to help stations become more profitable by reducing operating expenses while maximizing the local feel of every station with first class talent. LRN is powered by a revolutionary VPN-based delivery technology known as RVC - Radio Velocity Control.

To learn more about LRN or to schedule a demo, contact Donna Halverson Direct Line (214) 307-5087, Email: donna@localradionetworks.com.

AdLarge Media provides exclusive national advertising sales representation for all of LRN’s 24/7 audio formats. www.adlarge.com

Gannett, NY Times Digging For Donald Divorce Details

Donald, Ivana

Gannett Co., — the parent company of USA TODAY — and The New York Times Co. asked the New York Supreme Court Thursday to unseal the records of Donald Trump's 1990 divorce from Ivana Trump.

The divorce was granted on the ground of "cruel and inhuman treatment" but Donald and Ivana Trump later reached a settlement. The case has percolated through the news over the years, including stories earlier in the presidential campaign season about whether the billionaire, who is now the Republican presidential nominee, sexually assaulted his then-wife.

Ivana has since said that she and Donald Trump remain close friends and she has endorsed his candidacy. She has also downplayed any reference to assault in the divorce proceedings.

Nevertheless, the news organizations argue that unsealing the records of the divorce would help "resolve an ongoing campaign controversy" over that allegation.

Glenn Beck Suggests His Sources Could Be Murdered

Glenn Beck

One day after a federal judge ordered Glenn Beck to divulge the names of two sources he relied on for reporting about the Boston Marathon bombing, the radio talk personality is suggesting that doing so might get them murdered.

Politico reports Beck mentioned a conspiracy theory during his radio show Wednesday, contending that a Democratic National Committee staffer killed in Washington last month was not the victim of street crime, but a politically directed hit.

Beck went on to appear to link that episode to a judge's ruling Tuesday — first reported by Politico — requiring Beck to name two Department of Homeland Security officials he allegedly relied on for reports linking a Saudi Arabian student to the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.

"Read the papers," Beck said. "Read the Internet. Sources are under attack. Confidential sources are under attack and you cannot reveal confidential sources because there are sources that are concerned about this very kind of thing ... I am convinced, after talking to people in the government and talking through others to sources, I am absolutely convinced that people feel this way; that if I say anything. ..."

Country Artist Jennifer Nettles To Perform At Radio Show Dinner

Jennifer Nettles

Grammy Award-winner Jennifer Nettles will perform at the NAB Marconi Radio Awards Dinner & Show, sponsored by HD Radio, a DTS Solution, on Thursday, September 22. The event will take place at the 2016 Radio Show, held September 21-23 at the Omni Nashville Hotel and produced by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB).

Nettles’ second solo studio album "Playing With Fire" was released in May 2016 with it’s lead single, “Unlove You,” continuing to climb the country music charts. The album came on the heels of a busy 2015, which saw Nettles embark on her headline Playing With Fire Tour, which hit 20+ cities with openers Brandy Clark and Ryan Kinder. Nettles also made her acting debut on NBC’s critically-acclaimed and ratings success "Coat Of Many Colors" and returned to her hosting duties on ABC’s "CMA Country Christmas Special."

Nettles emerged onto the music scene in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the international duo Sugarland. The band has earned eight number-one singles, over 22 million in worldwide record sales, and has received numerous awards from the Grammys, American Music Awards, The Academy of Country Music, The Country Music Association and CMT Music Awards.

“Jennifer Nettles is a truly phenomenal country music performer, with awards and accolades recognizing both her voice and songwriting abilities,” said NAB Executive Vice President of Radio John David. “We thank Big Machine Label Group and Scott Borchetta for connecting us and look forward to what will surely be an unforgettable performance.”

Established in 1989 and named after inventor and Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi, the NAB Marconi Radio Awards recognize stations and individuals for excellence in the industry. A list of this year’s finalists is available here. As previously announced, acclaimed on-air personality Scott Shannon will serve as the event’s emcee.