Coleman Research Unveils Opportunity For NextRadio

The first phase of a two-part study completed by media Research firm Coleman Insights and its knowDigital division reavels the Nextradio App has the potential to address the portability needs of radio listeners.

This is the most striking conclusion from one-on-one interviews in which consumers were introduced to the caspabilities of NextRadio.

The interviews served as a qualitative prelude to a large-scale national quantitative students from Coleman later this month.

The research was funded by the NAB and completed in cooperation with Emmis Communications, which developed NextRadio and has spearheaded the radio industry's support for its rollout. The in-depth interviews with smartphone owners between the ages of 20 and 39, revealed a perception that their abilitity to comsume broadcast radio is restricted by their lack of access to devices that can receive broadcast signals.

The consumers cited that they have little access to radio outside of their cars and as a result, turn to other sources of audio.

"To anyone over 40-years-old who grew up with transistors radio and Walkmans, the idea that radio isn't mobile is striking, commented Coleman Insights President/COO Warren Kurtzman. Kurtzman and knowDigital President Sam Milkman conducted the interviews.

"That is, however, the perception among many consumers in their 20s and 30s and it appears NextRadio has a great opportunity to address that challenge."

SiriusXM To Launch 'Reefer Radio'

SiriusXM today announced it will broadcast Reefer Radio: Presented by High Times, a limited-run series with Hight Times Magazine. The series will culminate with a broadcast hosted by SiriusXM on-air personality Pete Dominick from Denver, CO, where the newly legalized recreational marijuana industry continues to grow.

Reefer Radio: Presented by High Times helps celebrate 40 years of High Times with a joyful exploration of the pro-pot movement and culture. Hosted by Jen Bernstein, Managing Editor, and Mike Hughes, Entertainment Director, of High Times, Reefer Radio will spotlight classic interviews from the High Times archives, including conversations with Snoop Dogg, Tommy Chong, and Jack Black.  Fans will also hear broad discussions on cannabis culture and lifestyle ranging from decriminalization to classic movies and music, the finest munchies, clothing and style, etiquette, and answers to burning questions like "Were any major historical documents written on hemp paper?"

Reefer Radio: Presented by High Times will debut Saturday, July 19, at 10:00 am ET and rebroadcast at 9:00 pm ET on the Indie channel, and via the SiriusXM Internet Radio App on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at siriusxm.com.

Pete Dominick

The series culminates with a special celebration from the Denver County Fair's first-ever "Pot Pavilion." SiriusXM on-air personality Pete Dominick will preside over Reefer Radio: A Mile High Celebration - where SiriusXM listeners will hear from fair-goers and exhibitors and experience special coverage of the fair's Blue Ribbon competitions including "hash brownie bake-offs," "speed rolling," and "Doritos-eating contests."

Reefer Radio: A Mile High Celebration will air on Saturday, August 2, at 4:20 am ET (a time-stamp in honor of April 20, the unofficial but acknowledged stoner holiday), through Sunday, August 3, at 4:20 pm PT, on Raw Dog Comedy Hits, channel 99, and via the SiriusXM Internet Radio App on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online.

Deals: Murdoch Rebuffed by Time Warner

Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox has made a bold $80B attempt to purchase Time Warner for $80 billion, only to be rebuffed, reports The New York Times and WSJ.

Despite the rejection, Time Warner is likely now in play. Fox is pressing Time Warner to talk and public exposure of the approach could put pressure on Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes to sit down.

Such a deal could have massive ramifications, putting one of the biggest producers of network television under the same roof as a major broadcast TV network.

One conflict, that of CNN and Fox News, wouldn’t arise as Fox would sell CNN, WSJ says. The question now is whether anyone else emerges or how high Fox is prepared to raise its offer.

Ron Howard To Direct Beatles Concert Doc

Ron Howard will direct and produce an authorized documentary on the group’s touring years between 1960 and 1966.

Ron Howard

Variety reports Apple Corps Ltd., White Horse Pictures and Howard’s Imagine Entertainment will produce the documentary with the cooperation of Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison.

“I am excited and honored to be working with Apple and the White Horse team on this astounding story of these four young men who stormed the world in 1964,” Howard said. “Their impact on popular culture and the human experience cannot be exaggerated.”

The untitled film finished is scheduled to be in theaters by the end of next year.

The Beatles began playing as a group at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in 1960, followed by clubs in Hamburg and England and a European tour in  late 1963. The iconic Ed Sullivan appearance on Feb. 9, 1964,  caused their popularity to explode and their first world tour began that summer.

By the final concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in August, 1966, they had performed 166 concerts in 15 countries and 90 cities around the world. Howard said the film wil explore why The Beatles became so popular by examining the era’s social and political context.

“After I saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, all I wanted after that was a Beatles wig,” Howard recalled. “My parents said no but then they gave me one for my 10th birthday.”

The film will make extensive use of concert footage — some of it shot on movie cameras by fans — and mixes of sound board recordings. Howard believes that the finished film will contain between 12 and 20 songs.

CBS Sports Radio Launches Morning Show Video Simulcast

CBS Sports Radio today announced it has launched a live online video simulcast of its national morning show broadcast weekdays from 6:00-9:00a.m.  Fans of the popular program hosted by Tiki Barber, Brandon Tierney, and Dana Jacobson, now have the opportunity to watch the trio dissect the top stories of the day and interview the biggest names in sports live online or via a variety of mobile and tablet devices at www.watchtbd.com.  A replay of the show will run continuously throughout the day.

A live audio stream of the morning show, which made its debut on January 2, 2013, is also available at www.cbssportsradio.com or via the Radio.com app for mobile devices.

“We are excited to launch yet another way to expose our programming to audiences nationwide,” said Eric Spitz, Director of Programming, CBS Sports Radio.  “Tiki, Brandon and Dana prove every day to be dynamic and passionate sports hosts, and providing additional access to the show follows the trend of listeners spending more time with the program.”

L-A Radio: KIIS-FM's Ellen K Caught-Up In Mideast Crisis

Ellen K

It started out as a picture perfect family vacation for  KIIS 102.7 FM's Ellen K: Madrid, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, Tel Aviv and the beaches.

But suddenly, according to NBC4 Los Angeles, escaping a war zone became part of the itinerary for KIIS FM's Ellen K, her son Calvin and husband Roy Laughlin. They arrived in Jerusalem the day after a funeral for a Palestinian teen who was killed in a revenge attack for the murder of three Israeli teenagers.

"I really thought we weren't going to make it out," she said. "It was so frightening."

"I am seeing really a ghost town with rocks all over the streets, graffiti, trash cans and dumpsters on fire, smoke everywhere," she recalled. "(I was) thinking, 'Oh, no. This is really bad.'"

But she wouldn't know just how bad until a show at Tower of David that night.

"The air raid siren starts to go and frantic ushers are screaming at us to get out, get out, get out. Get into the bomb shelter," she said.

Later,  "While we were at the Tel Aviv airport begging for this flight, trying to work it out, there were probably three runs to the bomb shelter while we were waiting to get on the plane," Ellen K recalled. "The military is there running it. Until we were 10,000 feet in the air, we did not feel safe."

The family was able to return safely to their Hollywood Hills home.



Ellen K is back at work as the longtime morning partner to Ryan Seacrest on KIIS FM. But she pauses to reflect on the embattled land they left behind.

"The Palestinians we met, the Israelis we met - beautiful, wonderful, warm, loving people. On both sides, apologetic, (saying) 'Please come back, we're so sorry. You know this isn't your war, this is about us,'" she said.

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Report: The Beginning Of The End For SiriusXM

Anthony Cumia

SiriusXM  had serious problems even before it decided to fire Anthony Cumia, co-host of one of the few shows on the satellite radio with a dedicated fan-base willing to pay to hear a particular program, according to Daniel Kline at The Motley Fool.

Kline writes Satellite radio once provided programming that couldn't easily be duplicated easily elsewhere. Today, he states there's little to set it apart from its free competition. Taking away a host like Cumia only accentuates the fact that most of what SiriusXM sells subscriptions to is not exclusive content.

SiriusXM likely now faces a challenge to its continuing relevancy, even if it holds onto the handful of personalities it has exclusive rights to who bring in subscribers. That cupboard could become even emptier if Cumia's former co-hosts Greg "Opie" Hughes and Jim Norton follow him out the door when their contracts expire in October. Things would get far worse if Howard Stern -- the No. 1 subscription driver for SiriusXM -- retires or moves to another broadcast home when his deal ends in a year and a half. Firing Cumia for an off-air Twitter rant that might just accelerate the sinking of this ship.

Satellite radio used to have a major advantage in that it is installed in most new cars and it's relatively easy to have it added to vehicles that don't have it pre-installed. For years SiriusXM grew as new people were exposed to the service as they bought cars and received a free trial. For years it was also uncommon for vehicles to have an easy way to connect a smart phone, which gave satellite a strong advantage. That's definitely not the case now.

An ever increasing number of people can easily stream content over a smartphone and it won't be long until nearly everyone can simply plug in or connect over Bluetooth. That will kill any advantage SiriusXM has in music.

The vast majority of talk fans have been drawn in for Stern and/or Opie & Anthony. That is clearly reflected in the fact that Stern is paid somewhere between $80 million and $100 million a year (though that number has never been confirmed) while Cumia and Hughes each had contracts paying around $3 million annually. Only Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo and maybe Dr. Laura Schlessinger make anywhere close to seven figures working for SiriusXM as talk show hosts and most make far less than that.

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Fresno Radio: PD Skip Essick OUT At KMJ

Skip Essick

Fresno radio station KMJ  580 AM / 105.9 FM  has parted ways with Program Director Skip Essick.

Essick, according to The Business Journal, exited the station after seven years at KMJ AM and FM, during which he launched the partially-separately-programmed FM side in 2009 and instituted live and local AM programming.

Essick said his last day was Thursday. "My experience at KMJ was very rewarding, particularly working for General Manager Patty Hixson and previous owner Todd Lawley," he said.  "I was given a wonderful and rare opportunity to program locally. I was able to recruit a talented staff as well as work with some market legends. I met some outstanding people in Fresno."

Essick said his employment agreement was to expire at the end of this year. "I think the new (Cumulus) owners wanted to install their program management in time for the last quarter of the year," he said.

Regarding his own plans: "I have heard from a lot of different people about some opportunities. Nothing specific at this point. I will take my time and relax a little this summer."

Essick joined KMJ after 11 years at Clear Channel’s West Michigan clusters as vice president and market manager.

NYC Radio: Jill Abramson Talks With WABC

In one of her first interviews since abruptly being fired as executive editor of The New York Times in May, Jill Abramson said that she had "few regrets and only good feelings" about the nearly two decades she spent working for the paper of record, according to capitalnewyork.com.

"I look back on it with a lot of pride because I had a wonderful career at The New York Times, and I loved being a reporter and editor there," Abramson told hosts Pat Kiernan and Rita Cosby during their 5pm afternoon radio show on Talk WABC 770 AM.

She woudln't discuss recent articles, however, claiming that part of the reason for her termination had to do with pay disparity concerns she reportedly raised with Times publisher and chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr.

"I'm past the point of wanting to rehash those issues," she said, quickly reasserting herself when pressed by Cosby: "I'm not gonna talk about that."

MT @kbsmoke: "For any journalist, it's an odd feeling to be the story yourself," Jill Abramson tells @patkiernan and @RitaCosby on WABC.
— Pat Kiernan (@patkiernan) July 15, 2014

Abramson's departure from the Times, where she led the paper to eight Pulitzer Prizes while grappling with the ongoing digital transformation of the news industry, played out in iterative reports each floating a new piece of the puzzle about what may or may not have led to her firing by Sulzberger, and her replacement by Dean Baquet, who had been Abramson's no. 2.

Abramson had been keeping her head down ever since. But now she's on a bit of media tour, showing a willingness to publicly address certain aspects of the drama.

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Report: FCC Extends Deadline for Net Neutrality Comments

The Federal Communications Commission is being slammed by public comments on net neutrality right now. According to The Washington Post, the problem is so severe that some visitors haven't been able to file their input — so the FCC is extending the deadline for comments until midnight on Friday.

The FCC's electronic comment filing system (ECFS) is 17 years old, but despite that, it's managed to handle a crush of traffic in recent weeks. Over 780,000 comments have now been filed with the agency on net neutrality. Some have come from high-profile lawmakers and businesses, but the vast majority come from ordinary consumers. But now a lot of people, myself included, are having trouble accessing the docket:

"We have seen an overwhelming surge in traffic on our Web site that is making it difficult for many people to file comments," said FCC spokeswoman Kim Hart. "Please be assured that the Commission is aware of these issues and is committed to making sure that everyone trying to submit comments will have their views entered into the record."

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Atlanta Radio: Claudia Jordan Joins The Rickey Smiley Show

Claudia Jordan has joined the cast of “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show.”  She joins the cast of characters on the daily syndicated weekday morning show which includes Rickey Smiley, Gary With Da Tea, Headkrack, Juicy, Special K and Rock-T. The Rickey Smiley Morning airs weekdays from 6am – 10am ET.

Claudia stated, “Words can’t describe my excitement to join such a fun and beloved show. We are going to have a blast entertaining and informing! I’m grateful for the opportunity to do radio with a show that speaks to everyone! Becoming part of ‘The Rickey Smiley Morning Show’ family is truly a blessing!”

Media maven, actress and model Claudia Jordan is no stranger to connecting with people. She was a popular “Barker’s Beauty” on the game show The Price Is Right and a model on Deal or No Deal - she held briefcase number 1. Jordan competed twice on Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice and hosted a weekly radio show on Sirius/XM Radio’s The Foxxhole, called The Claudia Jordan Show. She is currently a frequent contributor on HLN’s Dr. Drew On Call and host of the Centric’s According to Him and Her.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Super Model, TV and Radio host; Claudia Jordan is a former Miss Rhode Island Teen USA and Miss Rhode Island USA title holder.

The Rickey Smiley morning show is heard on more than 50 markets nationwide, including WHTA 107.9 FM Hot in Atlanta.  In the target 18-34 demographic in June, the show ranked No. 2 behind only another Atlanta-based syndicated show, Q100′s Bert Show. (V-103′s Ryan Cameron morning show came in No. 3 in that demo.)

The show is also seen nightly on “Dish Nation."

Westwood One To Support NextRadio Funding

• Interactive App Offers Smartphone Access to FM Radio Broadcasts

Westwood One Tuesday announced an agreement with NextRadio that enables all members of the U.S. Radio Industry to use advertising inventory to fund the Industry’s Sprint payments.

NextRadio, an outgrowth of the Radio Industry’s initiative to make FM broadcast radio available on smartphones and tablets, is an app that enhances over-the-air FM radio broadcasts with album art, buy song and station information, and allows stations and their listeners to interact directly using a smartphone’s built-in features such as calendaring, find nearby, text messaging, visit website, and more.

Over the past year, broadcasters have been asked to commit dollars and/or inventory to fund the Sprint NextRadio Initiative, which plans to sell at least 30 million FM receiver-enabled smartphones in the next three years. Broadcasters can meet their commitment by providing two minutes per station per day (Monday-Sunday, 6am to Midnight). Westwood One will sell the spots on NextRadio’s behalf and NextRadio will pay the proceeds to Sprint. The participating broadcasters' donations will help to create the momentum needed to get FM receivers activated in the more than 300 million cell phones in the market today.

"We are confident that NextRadio is a game-changer for the radio industry and will reignite growth," said Jeff Smulyan, Chairman and CEO of Emmis Communications. “The addition of Westwood One to focus on the sales effort will allow companies to use ROS inventory to fulfill their pledges instead of writing checks. This gives every company an option.”

“As the leading network organization in radio today, we have always been on the frontlines in support of the industry. This is an important initiative which will bring our medium forward and further allow listeners to engage with the compelling content the industry produces. We are happy to help,” said, Charles Steinhauer, COO of Westwood One.

Westwood One is already working with several station ownership groups. Interested stations can contact sprint@westwoodone.com or (212) 419-2926 to participate.

The NextRadio app, free on Google Play, is currently available for use with 16 different types of smartphones on the Sprint Network, including the HTC One M8 smartphone that works on all wireless carrier networks.

You can learn more here.

Yahoo Advertising Declines To Weigh on Revenue

Two years into Marissa Mayer's tenure at Yahoo Inc., advertisers are still sitting on the sidelines, according to Marketwatch.

Yahoo on Tuesday reported its total revenue, minus commissions paid to partners for Web traffic, fell 3%, its fourth decline in the past five quarters. Revenue from display advertising, excluding traffic costs, fell 7% to $394 million.

Marketwatch reports the lackluster results come at a time when Ms. Mayer needs advertisers most. Pressure on the chief executive is increasing as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., the Chinese e-commerce giant in which Yahoo owns a 23% stake, prepares to hold an initial public offering that will shift investor focus from that highflying asset to Yahoo's stagnant core business.

Despite announcing a bevy of new ad offerings, such as native ads, digital magazines and Web video shows, marketers say Yahoo still lacks the popular appeal with consumers, said Greg March, CEO of ad agency Ikon3.

For the second quarter, Yahoo reported a profit of $272.6 million, or 26 cents a share, down from $335 million, or 30 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding certain costs, per-share earnings rose to 37 cents from 35 cents.

Total revenue fell 4% to $1.08 billion. Including traffic-acquisition costs, revenue was $1.04 billion.

Nielsen Rolls Out Video Mobile Measurement

Lynda Clarizio

Nielsen Tuesday announced that the commercial availability of mobile measurement in Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings has been met with significant client adoption—including industry leading agencies, advertisers, media companies, ad networks and platforms.

The recent launch positions Nielsen’s marquee digital measurement offering as the only robust solution available today that provides a campaign’s full digital audience—across computers, tablets and smartphones.

Adoption of the expanded Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings has been considerable, with dozens of media sellers opting in to measure mobile on their sites, apps and networks. These include Adap.tv, BrightRoll, Collective, Defy Media, Drawbridge, Evolve Media, Freewheel, Innovid, LiveRail, Lotame, Rhythm NewMedia, Torrential, Tremor Video, TubeMogul, Twitch, Vdopia, Verve, Videology and YuMe.

"The response to our mobile launch has been incredible, with existing Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings clients clamoring for it and a slew of new clients coming on board for the opportunity to understand reach in the dynamic mobile environment for the first time,” said Lynda Clarizio, President, U.S. Media, Nielsen.

“With this adoption, the enhanced Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings stands to transform the mobile advertising industry—bringing the confident investment and accountability that only third-party, comprehensive metrics can deliver.”

The availability of comprehensive smartphone and tablet measurement in Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings provides clients with a complete view of their digital audience for the first time. Nielsen not only provides highly precise demographics on a campaign running across platforms, but will also provide an accurate count of how many consumers saw an ad only on a PC, only on mobile and on both—for total and device-specific reach. Nielsen Cross-Platform Campaign Ratings, which offers a holistic view of ads across TV and digital, has also been augmented to include mobile measurement.

Report: CCM+E Working Long-Term Deal With MLB Dodgers

As various suitors vie for the highly coveted broadcast rights for the L.A. Dodgers, potentially new, eye-popping elements may be in play, according to Don Barrett's laradio.com.

Clear Channel’s KLAC is completing a three year deal with the team, and would appear to have the inside track and renew the radio rights. It’s been learned that to better their odds, Clear Channel is offering a partnership where the Dodgers would own as much almost half of KLAC, though Clear Channel would still have majority ownership and control of the station.

What would be the advantage to this deal?

The Dodgers and KLAC would be locked into a formidable marriage for years to come, perhaps as many as ten years, as reported by several sources. Additionally, besides the bragging rights of having one of L.A.’s most significant sports franchises, the Dodgers would no longer endure the arduous task of negotiating with different prospective companies every few years, with negotiations having to start from scratch.

Additionally, Barrett reports it’s no secret in the hallways within the Pinnacle building, local headquarters of Clear Channel, that KLAC program director Don Martin has been unhappy with his station’s relationship with Fox Sports Radio, a complex entity as the network is syndicated by Premiere Radio which is owned by Clear Channel. The station and the Dodgers would both consider a local morning show and move current morning host Dan Patrick to a different timeslot.

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