Lotus Communications, which is agreeing to purchase Sinclair Broadcast Group‘s lone radio properties, has decided to part ways with a TV property of its own as it doubles-down on serving the Western U.S. as an audio-centric company.
BE SURE TO FOLLOW RBR+TVBR ON FACEBOOK!
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
TORONTO — One of Canada’s biggest media companies, which includes 39 radio stations and 15 broadcast television stations among its holdings, has completed an agreement to amend and restate its existing syndicated senior secured credit facilities with its bank group, led by RBC Capital Markets and TD Securities.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The afternoon news program of NPR is the latest inductee into the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
The honor will be bestowed upon All Things Considered at the 2021 NAB Show. Executive producer Cara Tallo and host Ailsa Chang will accept the award at the NAB Show Welcome event on Monday, October 11, at 9am Pacific in Las Vegas.
ATC made its debut broadcast oon May 3, 1971, airing on 90 public radio stations. Today, it airs for two hours each weekday and for an hour each Sunday.
In addition to Chang, ATC hosts include Audie Cornish, Mary Louise Kelly and Ari Shapiro. On weekends, the program is hosted by Michel Martin.
“For a half a century, ‘All Things Considered’ has engaged, educated and entertained countless listeners about the news and culture affecting our lives, while serving as a showcase for the importance of public radio,” NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith said. “It is a fitting tribute that we induct this landmark program of radio history into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame as it celebrates its 50th year on the air.”
The NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame recognizes radio and television personalities or programs that have earned a place in broadcasting history. Explore the complete list of past inductees here.
Alfred “Pat” Robertson III is the licensee of a Class A FM radio station licensed to Elaine, Ark.
He’s agreed to transfer control of this station, and it will soon be under the ownership of a Michigan-based operator of Contemporary Christian Music stations.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
From 2011-2016, he served as the Director of Talent Management and Talent Acquisition for iHeartMedia markets in the Lone Star State.
Now, after operating his own consulting business and working at a talent development and transition company, he’s back in a top leadership role putting him in charge of five iHeartMedia markets in Texas.
Spencer Bynes has been named Area President for the Texas area.
This will see Byrnes oversee the Beaumont, McAllen-Brownsville-Weslaco, Waco, Corpus Christi and Bryan-College Station markets for the nation’s largest licensee of radio stations.
Bynes reports to Nick Gnau, Division President for iHeartMedia.
“Spencer has been a proven leader throughout his career, his energy is contagious and his ability to develop teams and talent are unmatched,” Gnau said. “I am extremely excited for Spencer to lead these markets and expand our community efforts as well as our revenue and rating footprint in the great state of Texas.”
Bynes has most recently served as VP of Business Development in the Southern Region for Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH). Prior to joining LHH, he was Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Accendo International Consulting.
“I am excited about my return to iHeartMedia,” Bynes said. “The growth and transformation of this organization have been phenomenal. I am looking forward to working with my team to build sustainable, long-term growth for our clients and shareholders.”
For radio industry veterans, the name Clear Channel conjures up images of AMs and FMs, and perhaps of Lowry Mays and Red McCombs. Today, that legacy lives on in Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc., a global out-of-home advertising giant.
Within that company is Clear Channel Airports. That entity has just partnered with a provider of music, TV, and digital signage services for businesses across North America in filling the void left by the closure of the CNN Airport TV Network.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
It’s unfathomable in the radio broadcasting space, given the dearth of deals and low valuations assigned to some of the more recent transactions involving AMs and FMs.
Meredith Corporation received an unsolicited proposal to acquire its Local Media Group, following the May 3 announcement that it had agreed to sell its broadcast TV assets to Gray Television for $2.7 billion in total enterprise value.
What did Gray do? It responded with an increased offer for Meredith Local Media.
Meredith Corporation said yes to the amended transaction.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
He was honored by the readers of the Radio + Television Business Report as one of Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders. As he looks back on the last year, what’s the biggest sense of pride Mike Meara, President of NPG Broadcasting, has across the company’s TV stations?
Meara joins RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson in this new InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, to discuss the continued rollout of NextGen TV and the big advantages that come with ATSC 3.0.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The nation’s chief lobbying voice Inside the Beltway for radio and television broadcasters has slammed the FCC for suggested regulatory fees for fiscal year 2021 it calls “unsustainable.”
Why? The Commission has decided to make broadcasters pay for a significant portion of the $33 million in additional funding that was appropriated by Congress to implement the Broadband DATA Act, the NAB assails.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
Jeff Winemiller‘s Lowcountry 34 Media has decided to part ways with a low-power TV quartet in the Keystone State.
He’s earning a handsome sum from the divestment.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
An announcement distributed by the broker in this transaction confirms a deal has been reached to sell KOMO News Radio, KVI and KPLZ.
Further details will appear after 6am PT today.
By Justin Fromm
Special to RBR+TVBR
“Gradually, then suddenly.”
It’s how Hemingway describes bankruptcy in The Sun Also Rises, but it rings true in so much of our existence. Change very often happens slowly all around us, only for us to recognize the effect all at once. Over the past decade TV has been changing gradually, but it’s truly in the past year that it has suddenly transformed.
In 2021, nearly 100 years after its invention, and more than a decade after Netflix, Hulu, and Roku made it possible to stream video to our sets, TV has all at once evolved from a one-to-many, live broadcast medium into an IP-delivered, one-to-one, on-demand digital medium.
To keep up with how consumers use their TVs, advertisers must shift how they think, plan, and buy TV.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
Global media advertising research firm Standard Media Index (SMI) is welcoming a new Head of Insights & Analytics.
It’s an individual with more than 20 years of experience leading top research and product teams, and he will oversee SMI’s Insights & Analytics division.
Being named to the post is Rick Bruner.
SMI President Ben Tatta calls Bruner “a leader in his field,” who brings “a wealth of knowledge, his impressive network, and extensive leadership experience running advanced research and analytics teams to the SMI family.”
Bruner will play an instrumental role in the continued growth and development of SMI’s Insights & Analytics practice.”
Bruner previously ran research and product teams at DoubleClick, Google, MTV Networks, Marketing Evolution and Viant Technology. He is also the founder and CEO of Central Control, an advanced media analytics firm that he will serve as Chairman for going forward. Bruner currently serves as Vice Chair for the U.S. of I-COM, a global forum for marketing science, and a Research Affiliate of the Advertising Research Foundation.
Bruner is also founder and moderator of the influential Research Wonks industry discussion community. A former Ad Age reporter and author, he is a recipient of the Advertising Research Foundation’s David Ogilvy Award.
James Fennessy is Standard Media Index’s CEO.
When Esther-Mireya Tejeda and Jen Morales each exited the company formerly known as Entercom Communications, the audio media company hit the reset button on its corporate communications and public relations efforts.
Today, that company bears the name Audacy. And, it now has a three-person PR department.
It lured a Tiger to make it happen. Seriously.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
It covers stories of Black people “from Kampala to Atlanta,” and spurred the recent launch of a television network featuring African American-focused content.
Now, the owner of The Grio — Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group (AMG) — has named a SVP of News and Entertainment for the unit.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
George G. Beasley, who purchased WPYB-AM in Benson, N.C., in December 1961 and would go on to build what is today Beasley Media Group, died Wednesday morning at the age of 89.
“While best known for his many trailblazing achievements in the radio broadcasting industry, George will be most remembered for his humility, kindness, integrity, work-ethic and love of family and friends,” the Naples, Fla.-based company that recently expanded beyond radio and podcasting with investments in eSports said in a statement.
Mr. Beasley was born on April 9, 1932. He grew up working in the tobacco fields in his hometown of Ararat, Va., a tiny town to the north of Winston Salem, N.C.
“His drive and determination led him to enlist in the army to pursue a degree in Education through the G.I. Bill,” Beasley Media said.
Upon completing his B.A. and M.A. from Appalachian State University, he taught in Virginia before moving to North Carolina in the late 1950s to become a high school principal and coach.
His career then took a pivot into radio broadcasting, and ownership. Mr. Beasley built WPYB-AM in Benson from scratch.
It provided the spark for what today is a publicly traded company led by his daughter, CEO Caroline Beasley, comprised of 62 radio stations across 15 markets.
Mr. Beasley stepped back from his role as Chief Executive Officer in 2016. However, he continued to serve as Executive Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors.
An avid philanthropist, George served on the board of the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters (NCAB) for eight years as President, Vice President and as a member of the Board of Directors. In 1996, he received the NCAB’s organization’s Distinguished Service Award and was inducted into NCAB’s Hall of Fame in 1998 upon accepting the prestigious “Distinguished Broadcaster of North Carolina” Award.
In November 2016, George Beasley was inducted to the 28th annual National Radio Hall of Fame. In 2019, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
George Beasley received numerous awards and accolades throughout his life. In 2020, he was inducted into the Country Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame and received the Broadcasters Foundation of America Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition, George Beasley was recognized as a “Giant” by the Library of American Broadcasting in 2012. The Florida Association of Broadcasters named him “Broadcaster of the Year” in 2011 and the Country Radio Broadcasters presented him with the distinguished “Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award” in 2010. The Nevada Broadcasters Association also inducted George into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 2008.
In 1990 his alma mater, Appalachian State University, designated George Beasley as one of the institution’s Distinguished Alumni. “Among his proudest professional accomplishments was receiving an honorary doctorate and the unveiling of the George G. Beasley Media Complex on campus to provide future generations of students with the opportunity pursue their entrepreneurial dreams in broadcasting,” the company said.
In prepared remarks, Caroline Beasley said, “George’s unconditional love for our mother, Ann, and our family, along with his passion for the radio industry, helped to guide him throughout his lifetime. A loving father, mentor, and friend, I will especially miss his incredible wisdom, keen insight and gentle smile.”
NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith also offered his sympathies to all at Beasley Media and to the Beasley family.
“[The] NAB is deeply saddened by the passing of George Beasley,” Smith said. “George was a pioneer in broadcasting and a giant in his field, building Beasley into one of the premier radio station groups over the course of 60 years and serving the radio industry with distinction. We join with the entire broadcasting community in mourning our friend, and extend our thoughts and prayers to the Beasley family on their loss.”
A memorial service will take place for family and friends in Naples, Florida. Details will be forthcoming. A private burial service will be held for the family in Ararat, Virginia.
FROM THE ARCHIVES:George Beasley is survived by his wife of 67 years Ann; five children; 16 grandchildren; and 12 great grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the Beasley family requests donations be made in his name to The Broadcasters Foundation of America, 125 West 55th Street, 4th Floor New York, New York 10019. Online donations may also be made at www.broadcastersfoundation.org.
In February, RBR+TVBR first reported on the sale of nine radio stations owned by Sound Communications in the Twin Tiers of Northern Pennsylvania and Western New York.
The deal, brokered by Michael J. Bergner, has now closed — making the company led by Kristin Cantrell a dominant player in the region.
It didn’t even own stations here in 2017.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
The Triangle region of North Carolina has long been known as a technology innovation center. For the television industry, this has seen Capitol Broadcasting Corp. become a NextGen TV pioneer, with its WRAL-5 and WRAZ-TV at the forefront of the new broadcast TV standard based on ATSC 3.0.
Now, the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill market is the latest to gain access to new technology that the NAB and the nation’s Big Four networks have tried to exterminate.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
The Board of Directors for broadcast television company Gray Television has signed off on a quarterly cash dividend.
The announcement could only further fuel Gray’s stock price, which hit a five-year high on Tuesday (6/1).
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
There’s a new Market President for the iHeartMedia radio stations serving Salt Lake City.
At the same time, a member of the sales team has been elevated to a Sr. VP position in that department.
Why are the changes being made? Stu Stanek, who has been with iHeartMedia for more than 20 years, on Monday retired.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
Please show your support by using the Ko-Fi link at the bottom of the page. Thank you for supporting REC's efforts!
