Study: Pandora Satisfaction Wanes

The Southern California Broadcasters Association has published its latest SCBA White Paper Research Report entitled, Consumer Response and Listening Satisfaction of Broadcast Radio vs. Pandora internet music service.

The SCBA White Paper Research Report provides in-depth analysis on subjects having a direct impact on Southern California Radio. This report is focused on new SCBA requested research that compares the consumer response and listener satisfaction of Broadcast Radio to that of the Pandora internet music service.

“We strongly urge all audio advertisers to read this SCBA White Paper and then draw their own conclusions about Radio’s true value as compared to the Pandora internet music service,” said SCBA President Thom Callahan. “This new research showcases Southern California Radio’s listening growth and as a result, its consumer satisfaction. In contrast, the Pandora internet music service has suffered considerable loss of listener satisfaction as well as time spent listening and log in sessions,” said Callahan.

The SCBA White Paper Research Report provides market research data from Bridge Ratings LLC, a research firm providing consumer habits to media companies and investment firms seeking timely behavioral data related to media use. The SCBA White Paper describes the stark contrast between the two media in the areas of listener growth, satisfaction, and as important, the recognition of commercials heard on both media over time.

The SCBA White Paper contends that based on this consumer study, Broadcast Radio clearly is the winner in the areas of consumer recognition of commercials, audience growth rates, and overall listener satisfaction. Indeed, one of the key factors in Pandora’s decline in listener satisfaction is the fact that commercials are airing at all on this internet service.

Highlights of the SCBA White Paper include an impressive 7.4% listener growth rate for Southern California Radio over the past 6 years which demonstrates continuous listener satisfaction. Conversely, the report reveals serious setbacks to the Pandora internet music service including a 70.3% loss in Time spent per session in a 25 month period and an 83.3% loss in daily log-ins to its site. The most ominous new information is the fact that consumer awareness of Pandora aired commercials drops to only 20% within 24 months compared to a 93% awareness for commercials aired on Broadcast Radio over the same time frame.

“This SCBA White Paper clearly reveals the consumer preference for Broadcast Radio today,” said Callahan. “We invite and encourage fact-based comparisons of Broadcast Radio to Pandora seven days a week. Separating fact from hype is always in the advertiser’s best interest.”

Report: Who's Behind The 'Stop Rush' Campaign

Rush Limbaugh

The 'Stop Rush' campaign to silence radio legend Rush Limbaugh is led by ten liberal activists engaged in a more than four-year long effort to destroy Limbaugh by targeting his advertisers, including a Media Matters executive vice president.

A former Kent State university professor even targeted a small businessman advertising on Limbaugh’s show using her official university email account.

Information compiled by Limbaugh’s team — and first provided to The Daily Caller — demonstrates that nearly 70 percent of the tweets targeting Limbaugh’s advertisers come from the same ten Twitter users, all of whom are actively involved in the “Stop Rush” campaign, which keeps a database of all of Limbaugh’s advertisers.

“Angelo Carusone is the self acknowledged originator and head of the StopRush protest, in his professional role as executive vice president of Media Matters for America,” Limbaugh spokesman Brian Glicklich told TheDC. “But since they prefer it look grassroots and made up of real customers, he faded into the background long ago, reemerging only this week as he senses the danger of this illicit scheme being exposed for the fiction at it’s heart.”

Conrad Walton, owner of the emergency supplies company Survivor.com, revealed in a blog post that he began receiving emails from the small group “within 20 minutes” of his local advertisement airing during Limbaugh’s show on the Los Angeles station KEIB 1150 AM.

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SoundExchange Cheers Ruling On Pre-72 Hits

Michael Huppe

Yesterday, the Turtles won a critical legal victory in their lawsuit against Sirius XM (Flo & Eddie Inc. v. Sirius XM Radio Inc.) (Read ruling and original posting: Click Here)  The Turtles sued because Sirius XM has taken the position that it doesn’t need permission – and therefore doesn’t need to pay for use of – recordings protected by state law, even though it does pay for recordings that are protected by federal law.  Yesterday, a California federal court sided with the Turtles, holding that Sirius XM infringed Flo & Eddie’s rights by playing their recordings on satellite [and internet] radio without a license.  

Earlier this year, SoundExchange joined with a coalition of artists in launching Project72, a campaign to ensure fair compensation for those who recorded music before 1972 and in support of H.R. 4772, the RESPECT Act.

“This decision in California confirms what we have always known: all sound recordings have value, and all artists deserve to be paid fairly for the use of their music. It does not – and should not — matter whether those recordings are protected by state or federal law,” said SoundExchange President and CEO Michael Huppe.

“While we are thrilled with the Turtles’ legal victory, it’s unfortunate that artists and labels were forced to pursue litigation just to receive fair payment for their art. Legacy artists like the Turtles built the foundation of music today – music that helps Sirius XM make billions of dollars a year – and it is outrageous that some digital radio services believe they can use the music of legacy artists for free.

It is clear now more than ever that Congress should quickly move to pass the RESPECT Act.  The bill, introduced by Representatives George Holding (R-NC) and John Conyers (D-MI), would require digital radio services to pay royalties to pre-1972 artists when their music is played. The RESPECT Act would also give Sirius XM, Pandora, and other services an easy and efficient way to get the rights that the federal court in the Turtles case has confirmed they need – and to give the artists the payment they deserve,” said Huppe.

Seattle Radio: Elise Woodward OUT At Sports KJR-AM

Elise Woodward

Elise Woodward, a longtime on-air personality at iHeartMedia's KJR 950 AM sports radio, was fired from her midday show on Friday, according to The Seattle Times.

Woodward co-hosted the program “10@10 with Elise and Jerry” with Seattle Times columnist Jerry Brewer. The program is in the midst of changing direction, with Brewer continuing the two-hour weekday segment from 10 a.m. to noon.

“We appreciate all the contributions that Elise did here during the time with us,” said Rich Moore, KJR’s program director. “We are going forward with a tentative show right now around Jerry Brewer.”

Woodward, who played basketball at Washington, started at KJR in 2002 and began hosting “Elise at Night” in 2008. She first moved to afternoons as a co-host with Mike Gastineau. When Gastineau retired in 2012, KJR moved to the “Elise and Jerry” format.

Woodward has been a sideline reporter for UW football games since 2003 and will remain in the position on KOMO. She is also expected to continue her position as color analyst for UW women’s basketball home games on 1150 AM KKNW.

Woodward declined to comment on the change. A source said the move surprised her and Brewer.

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FL Radio: JVC Media Launches 93.5 The Bar

JVC Media has announced the addition of  live and local radio to the West Palm Beach, Florida radio airwaves.

Tuesday, JVC closed on the second of two purchases in the West Palm Beach Market bringing WSWN 900 AM and WBGF 93.5 FM into the JVC family of stations.

As of noon Tuesday, 93.5 The Bar is open for business. WBGF-93.5 FM serving the Palm Beaches opened its doors with 24 -hours of Bubba the Love Sponge as the bartenders and barmaids of JVC prep the bar for a Grand Opening featuring 10,000 songs commercial free.

WBGF 93.5 FM (15.5Kw) 60dBu Coverage

This Bar will be serving up plenty of Mainstream Rock to add to the Bubba in the morning mix, always reminding our listeners to Rock Responsibly. The best shots of 90’s, 2K and current Rock will make up the menu and there will be plenty of homegrown music on tap too.

JVC Media of Florida Executive Vice President Shane Reeve says, “this is the only place on the dial to hang out where there’s great music, good conversation and tons of fun”! We’re doing radio the old-fashioned way, personality driven, and the Happy Hours are going to be unbelievable”!

Toledo Radio: Tom Joyner Tour Stops At WIMX

Anthony Brown, Sybil Wilkes, Tom Joyner

Radio personality Tom Joyner, is living up to his reputation as the “hardest working man in radio.”

His nationally syndicated radio program, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, was broadcast live across the country from Toledo on Tuesday morning and this was just one stop on his trek across the nation to meet and greet his listeners, according to The Toledo Blade.

“When we go to places like Toledo and all the places that we visit, we get so much love and the love feeds the energy and you can’t help but have enough energy but to keep doing this,” Joyner said.

Joyner and his morning crew, comedian J. Anthony Brown and co-host Sybil Wilkes, arrived in Toledo on Monday afternoon after spending the day in Cleveland. They were greeted by hundreds of fans at a happy hour event. Then, on Tuesday, after broadcasting from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m from Toledo affiliate WIMX 95.7 FM MIX, Joyner received a proclamation from U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo).

WIMX 95.7 FM (3.5Kw) 60dBu Coverage

The morning team then attended a reception with about 50 Toledo community leaders.  Joyner and company then dashed off to lunch with about 100 more listeners at Hollywood Casino Toledo.

He is also nicknamed, “The Fly Jock”, because he commuted between his morning job in Dallas and an afternoon job in Chicago every weekday for eight years. He took his show into national syndication in 1994 with ABC Radio Networks and, according to his website, has more than eight million listeners on 105 stations.

Brown said the station has broadcast Joyner’s syndicated show in Toledo for more than 14 years and his media company, REACH Media, also owns the syndicated program that airs during the afternoon on the station, The D.L Hughley Show, which also airs on WIMX.

Seattle Radio: The Wolf, Fitz Renew Vows

Fitz

Entercom/Seattle has announced a contract extenion for Country KKWF 100.7 FM The Wolf morning host Fitz.

Entercom Seattle VP of programming Dave Richards says, “We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with Fitz on ‘100.7 The Wolf.’

Each day the ‘Fitz in the Morning’ team creates one of the most entertaining and engaging shows in American country radio and it’s a pleasure to go forward into the future.”

Fitz commented, “I can't believe I have been with the Seattle Wolf for nine years.  I'm excited to do it for another 30.  I'm so proud of what we have built in Seattle and am thankful that Entercom is giving me the business opportunity to introduce our unique show to the marketplace. I want to thank Jack Hutchison, Mike Preston, and especially Dave Richards, who have put in many hours coaching us and have taken us to the next level of executing a morning show in this PPM world.”

Cleveland Radio: Pandora Says 83 Percent Listen On Smartphones

Gabe Tartaglia

Gabe Tartaglia, VP/Sales for Pandora internet radio, compares the evolution in how to listen to music to what happened to the television industry 25 years ago, according to cleveland.com. Streaming Internet and satellite radio have permanently altered the audio landscape, he told members of the American Advertising Federation - Cleveland Chapter, and radio will never be the same.

"Back in 1980, there were three networks: ABC, NBC and CBS. And if you wanted to watch something on TV, you turned on one of these networks," Tartaglia said. "By 1990, there were 153 networks with original programming." And with more shows and more channels to watch, overall TV viewership went up. The pie got bigger, except for at the original three networks, whose shares of the audience got smaller.

Tartaglia, a native of Bay Village and a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, currently oversees Pandora's 17-state central region from his office in downtown Chicago.

What are the major changes on the audio front? For one thing, technological innovations have given listeners different ways to get their music, he said.

Second, consumers want more personalization.

What's unusual about the Cleveland market is that the percentage of listeners who are streaming Pandora via their smart phones is 83 percent -- 5 percentage points higher than the national average of 78 percent. "Our listeners are big mobile device users," Tartaglia said. "This is either a very tech-savvy marketplace, or people here are on the go, and they're not tethered to their homes or offices."

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SF Radio: KNEW To Drop Talk For Bloomberg Business

KNEW Flipping To Bloomberg

Bloomberg L.P. Tuiesday announced Bloomberg Radio will debut on iHeartMedia San Francisco’s KNEW 960 AM/KOSF 103.7 FM-HD2 serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

Beginning September 29th, Bloomberg Radio KNEW 960 AM/KOSF 103.7 FM-HD2 will be the only global business and financial news radio station available throughout the Bay Area, offering Bloomberg’s signature programming and up-to-date market coverage, in addition to local news, traffic, weather and sports.

With its flagship station WBBR 1130 AM in New York and WXKS 1200 AM/94.5 FM-HD2 in Boston, Bloomberg Radio now reaches three of the leading global business and technology markets in the country. “As part of Bloomberg’s new consumer media strategy, we’re excited about expanding Bloomberg Radio into the San Francisco Bay Area, a vital market for those who create, move global business and shape conversations about the innovations of tomorrow,” said Al Mayers, head of Bloomberg Radio.

iHeartMedia San Francisco Market President Kathryn Wilcox noted, “Teaming up with Bloomberg was a natural fit. It provides high-quality content and aligns nicely with the local business talk on KKSF 910.”

“Advertisers have long recognized Bloomberg Radio for the quality of our audience, our strong relationships with listeners and our ability to serve not only the financial community but also business executives, innovators, and opinion leaders across many sectors,” said Paul Caine, Chief Revenue Officer, Bloomberg Media Group.

“With Bloomberg 960AM, now there’s an additional way to reach the most influential people throughout the tech corridor.” In addition to Bloomberg 960AM in San Francisco, Bloomberg Radio can be heard on WBBR 1130 AM in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut areas; on Bloomberg 1200 AM in Boston; SiriusXM Channel 113, on iHeartRadio.com and on the Bloomberg Radio+ app for iPhone and Android.

Columbia SC Radio: TV Story Highlights Three 'Local' Stations

Keven Cohen

At a time when more radio stations have turned to national content, host Keven Cohen is looking to return to the local roots of radio in Columbia.

"We put our house on the line literally and decided to start a radio station and decided the philosophy of the station was going to be as local as possible," Keven Cohen, of WQXL 1470 AM / 95.9 FM-Translator The Point.

Now, still less than a year into existence, Cohen says The Point is working to offer people a place to engage and connect.

"Give people a local voice, give people the opportunity to hold their elected officials accountable and give people an opportunity to always have a way to call in and always be loud and vocal when necessary about things going on in our community," Cohen.

The WLTX19 News story also highlights: Jay Philips hosts middays on WNKT 107.5 The Game and Alexis Campbell with gospel radio station WFMV 95.3 FM.

Click Here to watch the WLTX story.

Former Neighbor Taking Pot Reporter To Court

Charlo Greene

Charlo Greene -- the Alaskan reporter who quit her job to fight for legalized weed -- allegedly smoked so much pot at home ... her next door neighbor's kid got violently ill ... and now they're warring in court.

Tyler Gilbrech tells TMZ ... Charlo and her boyfriend moved into the apartment above his in June, and claims she immediately started stinking up the place with so much reefer ... his 4-yr-old daughter became violently sick from the fumes seeping through the walls.

Tyler says he ratted Charlo out to the building manager, and that's when things got ugly.

According to court docs ... Charlo harassed and threatened Tyler several times -- telling him to "watch his back." Tyler filed for, and got, a temporary restraining order against Charlo 2 weeks ago.

She's since moved out of the building, and has to stay at least 20 ft. away from Tyler and his family. A court hearing is scheduled for later this month.