NAB 2013: Day Two Travels from "Oz" to "Oblivion"

The NAB Show Tuesday featured a candid conversation between Gordon Smith, president of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and Lowell McAdam, chairman and CEO of Verzion, as well as back-to-back panel discussions showcasing Sam Raimi’s 3D feature "Oz the Great and Powerful," and a Q&A with Academy Award-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda about his upcoming film, "Oblivion."

NAB 2013 Announces Crystal Radio Award Winners

The National Association of Broadcasters has named 10 winners of the NAB Crystal Radio Awards. Since 1987, the NAB Crystal Radio Awards have recognized radio stations for their outstanding year-round commitment to community service.

The 2013 NAB Crystal Radio Award recipients listed below were chosen among 50 finalists who were honored at Tuesday's NAB Show Radio Luncheon.

KIRO-FM Seattle, WA          

WKDZ-FM Cadiz, KY

KSFI-FM Salt Lake City, UT 

WPEG-FM Charlotte, NC

KUZZ-FM Bakersfield, CA    

WQHT-FM New York, NY

WCVQ-FM Clarksville, TN    

WTOP-FM Washington, DC

WHUR-FM Washington, DC  

WYCT-FM Pensacola, FL

The NAB Show Radio Luncheon also featured a presentation of the NAB Crystal Heritage Award to KNOM-AM/FM Nome, AK.

The Crystal Heritage Award honors those stations that have won a total of five Crystal Radio Awards.

Entertainer, musician, author and broadcast personality John Tesh provided a keynote address and personal money-management expert and popular national radio personality Dave Ramsey was inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Chicago Radio: 'The Big 89' Celebrates 89 Years

It all started on April 12, 1924: “Hear Ye Hear Ye Hear Ye, WLS, The Sears Roebuck Station, is on the air” was voiced by first program director Edgar Bill and WLS  Chicago began broadcasting.

The rest as they say, is history!

Ovber the years, there were several format changes from farm-based programming to rock’n’roll to talk.

WLS is celebrating it’s spectacular past with an 89th birthday party this coming Friday at Lakeview Terrace on Navy Pier. On hand to celebrate will be current local hosts, special guests and listeners.

Listeners are invited to join the party and witness a live broadcast from 6p to 8p.   The 89th Birthday Party is free, listeners must be registered. To try and win tickets, visit the WLS-AM website, Click Here. All entries must be received before 6:00pm tomorrow.

WLS-AM will be broadcasting the event live 6:00pm-8:00pm, preempting two hours of Sean Hannity's syndicated show.

For More on WLS History, visit Scott Childers History of  WLS Radio website, Click Here.

New Data Correlates Social Engagement with Radio Ratings

Jelli, the cloud platform for radio, has released new data that shows a direct correlation between an increase in social engagement with higher ratings for traditional radio broadcasts. In addition, the company provided data showing how socially-engaged listeners interact with traditional radio spots that were aired during these broadcasts.

Building upon recently published research by Nielsen about the correlation between Twitter engagement and television ratings, Jelli analyzed data over the past year related to audience engagement with radio, another massive traditional medium like television which is beginning to see a more active "feedback loop" during broadcasts.

During a 13 week period, Jelli measured weekly active registered users who were using Jelli's online or mobile app to vote to choose the music played during live broadcasts on five different radio stations based in four cities across the United States.

The results were:  Weekly social engagement for the sample stations increased 127%, and Ratings (i.e., weekly cume) for those stations increased 30%.

The five radio stations measured were owned by three different radio groups and represented a range of musical formats. There was no common promotion or other connection between the stations, other than the use of the Jelli platform to enable their audiences to choose the music broadcast on air in real time.

In addition to driving ratings, Jelli also measured how the audience reacted to radio spots served when the audience was engaging with the broadcasts. When a radio spot played on the air, a synched display ad from the advertiser was presented to the listeners online and via mobile apps.

Mike Dougherty

The results were:  0.10% to 0.15% of the weekly cume ratings base (i.e., all listeners) took some action with the advertising. This is roughly two to three times typical performance of online display advertising, and 1 to 3% of logged-in listeners clicked through on the display portion of the ad.

"Our data shows that higher social engagement levels can have a direct impact on increasing overall audience size as measured by traditional ratings," said Mike Dougherty, Jelli's CEO. "In addition, adding a 'feedback loop' to a one-way broadcast can drive measurable brand engagement with the traditional radio spots aired on these broadcasts."

DC Radio: Chilli Mornings At WASH-FM

Chilli Amar

CCM+E’s WASH 97.1 FM Washington has hired market vet Chilli Amar as the new morning co-host for the AC station.

She will join  Loo Katz starting next Tuesday, April 16.

She replaces Lori Brooks, who recently left for family reasons. (See original posting, Click Here)

Amar is a DC native who most recently across the street at Cumulus Hot AC WRQX Mix 107.3 dating back to 1998.

"Chilli has an amazing track record of communicating with adult listeners both on-air and online," said WASH PD Bill Cahill.

We look forward to having her join Loo in the mornings on WASH-FM." Katz added, "I'm so excited to have Chilli sitting across from me to wake up our loyal 97.1 WASH-FM listeners weekday mornings. Chilli is so wired into this town and I know she'll have a great connection with listeners."

CBS Joins Fox In Considering Subscription-Only Model

Another television network has joined the broadcaster backlash following last week's court decision upholding Internet TV company Aereo's right to stream broadcast TV without paying retransmission fees, according to Steve Musil at cnet.com.

Like rival Fox TV, CBS, the parent company of CNET, is considering alternative ways to monetize its television content in the face of Aereo's service, including cutting off broadcast signals in favor of a subscription-only model, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The revelation comes a day after Chase Carey, chief operations officer of News Corp., indicated that Fox would change its business model to ensure it gets paid for TV content it produces.

"We need the dual revenue stream model of retransmission fees and advertising to sustain our business," Carey said yesterday at National Association of Broadcasters' annual trade show in Las Vegas. "We will pursue our rights fully both legally and politically to protect our rights. But if we can't get our rights protected, we will pursue business solutions to take our network and turn it into a subscription service."

Carey later clarified his statement to say that News Corp. would work with affiliates and partners to stop broadcasting the Fox channel for free and would instead make it only accessible by paid subscription. The millions of TV viewers in the U.S. who receive over-the-air television free via antennas could be forced to pay.

Leslie Moonves, the chief executive officer of CBS, told the Times today that he "wholeheartedly supported what Chase said" and that his network had held talks with cable operators about taking its signal off the air. CBS, as well as the other broadcast networks, are in litigation with satellite TV provider Dish Network over the legality of its ad-skipping technology.

Read More Now.

Aereo Not concerned With Net’s Threat

Chet Kanojia

For his part, Aereo boss Chet Kanojia said Monday that if current broadcasters give up their licenses to operate, then someone else will step in, according to Politico.com.

"I think broadcasting is a very important component in this country that isn't going away," he said. "Somebody else will be a broadcaster. It still is what generates mass audiences, and that's what people watch."

Kanojia was in Washington explaining his service to lawmakers and their staff, where he said D.C. is one of the 22 markets outside of New York in which the company plans to launch its service, and that he expects it to be up and running in "a couple of months."

He added that he doesn't understand broadcasters' beef, arguing that the service brings in eyeballs and will increase ratings making broadcasters' bottom line look better.

Kristi Leigh OUT At WMMX Dayton, OH

Kristi Leigh

Kristi Leigh, formerly with the Mix Morning Show on WMMX Mix 107.7 FM, is no longer listed on the station’s Web site as a DJ for the morning show, and loyal listeners are crying out on the station’s Facebook page in anger that she was let go.

Leigh had been with the station more than 20 years, according to a story at bizjournals.com. 

Clear Channel hasn’t commented.

However, many listeners have on Facebook.  A sampling….

• Clear Channell = Pathetic!! Hopefully The Fly will pick her up. I am switching stations and will follow Kristi for the next 20 years!!

• Once again "Corporate" screws up big time. I think they will see a huge hit in ratings - She was a icon in the Dayton area and had many loyal fans. BOO on Clear Channel!

• MIX 107.7 will NOT be the same without Kristi!!! So sad she is gone. (Love Jeff & Dave, too) but the mornings won't be the same. Listening to Kristi & Jeff in the mornings made me laugh to hysterics - I knew they would bring me up if I was feeling down. Besides playing music - the personal interactions between the on-air personalities is a BIG reason why I listen to certain stations - and the banter between Jeff & Kristi made MIX 107.7 the popular station it has become over the years. I thought the goal of radio station executives was to draw listeners TO their stations - not drive them away!! I guess I am missing something. This is just another example of upper management just NOT getting it. Whoever was responsible for letting Kristi go - I hope you soon regret your decision. Good Luck with your future Kristi - you deserve it!!

Kristi Leigh observed her 20th year anniversary in 2011.

R.I.P.: Chattanooga Radio Personality Wally Witkowski

Chattanooga, TN radio personality "Wally Witkowski," whose real name was Tom Bolden, has died in a Nashville hospital at the age of 59.

He had battled a variety of illnesses for several years, although he was still working until a few weeks ago, according to a story at wrcbtv.com.

With longtime partner Jim Reynolds on a one-hour daily show called "The Village Idiots," Wally was a larger-than-life, outspoken comical presence.  The show airs weekdays at 9:00 a.m. on Talk Radio WGOW-FM 102.3-FM .

WRCBtv.com | Chattanooga News, Weather

Long active in local advertising sales and promotional businesses, Bolden became "Wally" in the early 1990s doing traffic reports for the radio station each morning.  Often stammering, especially on "w" sounds, just saying the name "Wally Witkowski" was a way of getting laughs.

Partnering with Reynolds almost 20 years ago, the pair had great chemistry, giving each other no slack, and never backing down from controversial opinions on politics, pop culture and religion.

Read More Now.

Pandora Hits 200M Users

Internet radio service Pandora has just announced a pretty significant milestone: 200 million registered users in the U.S. Pandora signed up its first user in 2005, and had hit 100 million users six years later in 2011. It only took them less than two years to add on the next 100 million.

Founder Tim Westergen stated “We started this company to help people discover and enjoy music they love, and to help artists reach and grow their audiences. Only in our wildest dreams did we imagine what it would become. It is now clear that radio is changing, and that’s great news for music fans and for the tens of thousands of working artists who now have a home on the air.”

NAB 2013: CEO Gordon Smith Talks 'Hybrid' Radio

Gordon Smith

National Association of Broadcasters CEO Gordon Smith issued a deceptively simple challenge to his organization's members: Continue to innovate and find new ways to provide content to listeners on different platforms. Smith presented his annual State of the Industry address Monday morning at the 2013 NAB Show in Las Vegas.

According to billboard.com, Smith says he is optimistic about the future and broadcasters should be as well, because of how the industry has consistently been able to adapt to consumers' changing habits.

“The time has come for us to unite in our embrace of new technology, and to realize the consequences if we don't. Our future lies in innovating and spurring technology that will deliver our highly valued content to any platform for generations to come.”

Talking about radio specifically, Smith discussed the potential for including radio receivers in smartphones, “Future radios in smartphones will combine over-the-air and online content for a rich, ‘hybrid radio’ experience that provides interactive enhancements, along with potential new revenue opportunities.”

Read More Now.

Hurricane Sandy helped to make a case for adding radio to mobile devices. “Up and down the Eastern seaboard, we heard stories of cell networks and broadband connections being down for days, even weeks. But radio was always on.” Even so, Smith says that radio stations “can’t take their place in the [automobile] dashboard for granted. We must continue to innovate and provide the content listeners want on many different platforms.”

Read More Now.

Bob Schieffer, CBS chief Washington correspondent and recipient of this year’s NAB Distinguished Service Award, says its up to local broadcasters to become the primary watchdogs of local government with newspapers increasingly falling on hard times. (Watch Video above)

Streaming Live from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. PT, April 8 – 11

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NAB 2013: GOP Chair Vows To Protect Broadcasters

Greg Alden

A House Republican chairman promised on Monday to look out for the interests of broadcasters during the Federal Communications Commission's auction of airwave licenses.

Brendan Sasso at The Hill reports Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the House Communications and Technology subcommittee, emphasized that the auction will be voluntary for broadcasters.

"As the FCC moves through the incentive auction process, I intend to ensure that the Commission properly implements the provisions of the Act to preserve a vibrant post-auction broadcast environment," Walden said during a speech at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas.

Last year, Congress authorized the FCC to encourage TV stations to give up airwave rights, called spectrum, for auction to cellphone carriers, which are struggling to keep pace with the booming demand for mobile data.

Walden, a former radio station owner, also said he plans to renew his push for FCC process reform legislation. The House passed his bill last year, but the Senate declined to take it up.

The legislation would require the FCC to demonstrate the necessity of new regulations, restrict the types of conditions the agency could impose on corporate mergers and require the agency to set binding timelines for its proceedings.

One area of agreement between many Democrats and Republicans is that Congress should change the FCC's sunshine rules to allow commissioners to talk to each other outside of public meetings. But Walden said the FCC needs more sweeping reform.

"Allowing commissioners to meet in private and doing nothing else does not sound like process reform and transparency improvement to me," he said.

Read More Now

NAB 2013: AM Radio Center Of Attention

From Scott Fybush, NERW Blog:

Scott Fybush

NAB leaders say they can’t remember the last time a sitting FCC commissioner moderated a panel, but there was commissioner Ajit Pai on Monday afternoon, speaking to a jam-packed room about the prospects for revitalizing AM radio in the face of trends that strongly favor FM and drawing big rounds of applause every time he spoke of his own love of AM radio and his hope to save the medium, not to mention a standing ovation at the end. 

Can this medium be saved? There’s plenty of enthusiasm on display, but rather less agreement about how to go about the task. 

“Usually you guys say stuff that is predictable.” 

That’s prominent DC lawyer John Garziglia, explaining why he wasn’t initially paying much attention last fall when Pai addressed the NAB Radio Show. But Pai wasn’t predictable, calling for an intense focus on eliminating regulations that hinder the future of AM radio and investigating ways the FCC might help bolster the revitalization of the senior medium. 

Staking out one flank, unsurprisingly, is CBS Radio director of engineering Glynn Walden, who argues that the inherent inefficiency of analog AM radio makes an all-digital world the only future for AM. While Pai publicly broached the prospect of moving AM stations to FM operations on the 76-88 MHz spectrum now occupied by TV channels 5 and 6 (the first time we can recall an FCC commissioner openly discussing the prospect), Walden says that’s a non-starter: “The FCC doesn’t give away spectrum, they auction it.”

Read More Here (subscription required)

Commissioner Pai's opening remarks follow:

Fox Threatens to Quit Broadcast TV

NYPost Composite

Chase Carey

News Corp. President Chase Carey said Monday the company would consider converting its Fox broadcast network into a pay-TV channel as a solution to the Aereo legal dispute, a radical shift in business model that could take years and be tricky to implement.

According to a story by Amol Sharma at wsj.com, Carey made the suggestion at the NAB Show in Las Vegas, attended by TV-station executives. In a statement released later by News Corp., Mr. Carey said, "We won't just sit idle and allow our content to be actively stolen," adding, "we have no choice but to develop business solutions that ensure we continue to remain in the driver's seat of our own destiny."

In a statement, Aereo spokeswoman Virginia Lamsaid, "It's disappointing to hear that Fox believes that consumers should not be permitted to use an antenna to access free-to-air broadcast television." Aereo's service lets users rent a tiny antenna and record free over-the-air signals. (See original posting, Click Here.)

Broadcast networks for years have contemplated converting into cable channels. As a cable channel, the networks' programming would be carried only by cable operators rather than broadcast over the air through local TV stations.

Broadcast networks that convert to cable channels would lose approximately 10% of their viewership—the homes that rely on over-the-air TV and don't subscribe to pay TV.

Such a significant change would scramble the business models of the local TV stations that are affiliates of major broadcast networks like Fox. They would have to replace popular network TV shows with other programming.

Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters, said broadcasters are confident they will defeat Aereo in court so that there won't be a reason for broadcast networks to convert into cable networks. "We think broadcasters will win the court case and Aereo will be found to be a copyright infringer," he said.

Read More Now.