Radio+Television Business Report

There’s a new Market President for the iHeartMedia stations serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul market.

Taking the post is Greg Alexander, who is being promoted.

Alexander has served as SVP/Sales for the Western Great Lakes Region, after being appointed SVP/Sales for the iHeart Twin Cities stations in 2012. In his most recent role, he directed sales efforts at iHeartRadio stations in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Rochester, Minn.; and Milwaukee, Madison and Eau Claire, Wisc.

As Market President, Alexander will be responsible for overseeing programming, advertising and operations across iHeartMedia/Minneapolis stations. He reports to Scott Hopeck, Division President for iHeartMedia.

“Greg’s extensive experience qualified him for this role, but more importantly his team lifted him into it, which is a testament to his leadership,” Hopeck said. “I’m confident that Greg and his team will lead our Minneapolis operation to new heights.”

Alexander began his career with Interep National Radio Sales, and then moved into a leadership role in South Florida at Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS). He joined iHeart in its Miami-Fort Lauderdale station group, rising from Director of National Sales to GSM before relocating to Minneapolis.

“This is an incredible opportunity to work with some of the country’s best brands and the
industry’s brightest minds,” Alexander said. “I look forward to collaborating with the
programming, advertising, and operations teams while helping elevate the Minneapolis market.”

Salem Media Group Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Evan Masyr sat down with Noble Capital Markets Senior Research Analyst Michael Kupinski for an in-depth chat about the trajectory of the broadcast media company — and the discussion is now available for all to hear.

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Sinclair Broadcast Group has confirmed the planned retirement of Barry Faber, President of Distribution and Network Relations, effective June 25.

During his 25 years at Sinclair, Faber helped Sinclair grow into one of the largest and most diversified broadcasters in the country.

During his years as General Counsel, Mr. Faber guided the company through a multitude of acquisitions, including more than 150 broadcast stations and Tennis Channel. He has served as Sinclair’s President of Distribution and Network Relations since April 2019.

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Domestic ad spend for the pharmaceutical and healthcare category is forecast to be $11.1 billion this year, WARC notes.

What does this mean for brands, consumers and the healthcare system?

The research firm took a look.

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The E.W. Scripps Company has promoted the Director of Sales for its NBC affiliate serving Colorado Springs to the role of VP/GM.

Earning the promotion at KOAA-5 after 5 years in the shadow on Pikes Peak is Ross White.

“Ross has a wealth of experience in the local media industry and is a proven leader who has led his sales team to great success,” said Brian Lawlor, Scripps’ President of Local Media. “His knowledge of the news business, the market and the station, along with his commitment to the community, make him the ideal candidate to be the next leader in Colorado Springs for Scripps.”

Prior to joining KOAA, White served as GSM at WMC in Memphis. He began his career at KVII in Amarillo, Tex., as a news photographer, and then as Creative Services Director. He later moved to the sales department at KVII as an account executive and was promoted into several sales leadership positions, including Director of Sales.

“In my time as KOAA director of sales, we have focused on bringing the Scripps mission, ‘We do well by doing good,’ into all aspects of our operation,” White said. “As general manager, I look forward to furthering that mission in the community I call home through a continuing commitment to quality local journalism.”

Travel east of Sky Harbor International Airport and you’ll find not-so-sleepy Apache Junction, Ariz. Once a tiny town of the Ol’ West, today it’s booming as a Mesa-adjacent community that still retains its Cowboy feel, attracting tourists to Lost Dutchman State Park.

Here, a 2kw Class A operates as a non-comm infatuated with 1980s pop and rock hits. But, will that cease once the station’s sale is concluded?

The answer is very likely yes, given the buyer. And, it is a win for Blacks in the Valley of the Sun.

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GCI, the Liberty Broadband-owned MVPD, on January 1 discontinued carriage of “FOX Alaska,” “ABC Alaska,” and “The CW Alaska” on a newly launched “skinny bundle” offering designed to discourage subscribers from fleeing to such services as Hulu and YouTube TV.

It only took until Victoria Day in neighboring Canada for a new retransmission consent agreement to come to fruition, with the three stations finally restored for local cable TV subscribers.

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In March 2021, a transaction was consummated that saw the sale of 20 unbuilt LPTV construction permits from Landover Wireless, a 30-year veteran of the global wireless telecommunications industry.

Now, a second deal has been struck that sees Landover shedding more low-power TV stations ahead of a deadline for building them expires. And, it involves the same buyer.

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NAB Deputy General Counsel Patrick McFadden has offered his response to a new attempt by Microsoft to overturn recently adopted FCC rules that allow broadcasters to further the deployment of NextGen TV services through the voluntary rollout of ATSC 3.0.

In his view, Microsoft’s request submitted to the Commission can’t hide its “empty promises” to deploy TV white space devices.

We’ve got our thoughts on Microsoft’s plan … er, folly … too. It’s another RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION, and it appears below the rest of this story for Members Only.

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In-person conferences are back on the schedule, with IBC on May 25 confirming it will stage a 2021 show in December, postponing it from September rather than scratching it off the calendar or going with an all-virtual presentation.

Ahead of that event, in late August, is a state broadcasters’ association conference that promises to be one of the more dynamic post-pandemic gatherings leading up to the NAB Show in October: the 70th Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Summer Conference.

The 2021 agenda is a dynamic one, and WBA President/CEO Michelle Vetterkind spoke with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson to share what’s on tap for attendees this year in this podcast, presented by dot.FM.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Michelle Vetterkind” on Spreaker.

Aside from the NAB Show in Las Vegas, one of the biggest global annual events for the broadcast media industry and the vendors that seek to grow their business at such conference expo halls is the IBC affair.

Held each year in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, the 2021 in-person edition of IBC was largely thought to have been scrapped, due to lingering pandemic concerns.

That’s not the case. It’s just delayed a few months from its normal show dates.

IBC2021 will take place on December 3 at the RAI in Amsterdam.

The announcement follows a decision at the May 24 IBC Partnership Board meeting to move the event from its usual September slot.

“Following a period of industry consultation, the IBC Partnership Board has agreed that December is the best date in terms of safety and industry readiness to engage,” IBC CEO Michael Crimp said, noting that the organization’s conclusion is based on the results of recent IBC exhibitor and visitor surveys and “macro evidence” of Europe opening up for business.

“We really value the feedback and candid input of our community — we have always been ‘By the industry, For the industry’, and this ethos continues to guide our daily decision-making process,” Crimp said.

IBC found that two thirds of the visitors and exhibitors it surveyed said assurance of robust onsite health and safety protocols would encourage them to attend, with vaccination passport entry by far the most popular measure. Further, some 86% of survey respondents said they were very likely, and 13% likely to have been vaccinated by December.

Additionally, two thirds of respondents already feel they are ready to travel, and a vast majority expect any corporate travel restriction policies to be updated by the end of the summer.

European Union commission data show that Europe is now on track to achieve its 70% vaccination target by July 2021 and to surpass this target by December.

Only one in ten of the visitors surveyed said they would not attend a December event.

Crimp concluded, “We did not shift from September lightly. However, as the evidence was gathered and considered, there was a shifting sentiment towards December from both exhibitors and visitors. We also had to consider the ability of the supply chain to deliver a high-quality event. We believe that key services such as airports and airlines, and hotels will have established smooth operations and be able to provide a more streamlined service by December.”

Effective June 7, the Audacy radio stations serving the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose region will have a new Regional VP and Market Manager.

It’s an appointment that comes just weeks after Cumulus Media’s crosstown stations named a new VP/Market Manager. And, it is the result of Audacy’s current RVP/Manager in Northern California getting a bump up to a national sales role at the company formerly known as Entercom.

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In Indiana’s largest market, an FM licensed to Danville, Ind., west of downtown Indianapolis, and a pair of AMs and their respective FM translators, have been transferred to a trust.

A FCC filing made Tuesday (5/25) offers a little insight as to why: the licensee of the stations passed away a couple of months ago. But what wasn’t shared is perhaps more noteworthy, as it involves the head of Connoisseur Media and the legendary Wolfman Jack.

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Once May 22 concluded, organizers of the National Translator Association‘s conference were more than pleased with one of the more difficult decisions it has had to make — hold an in-person event in Utah, or cancel it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The former choice was taken, and NTA President John Terrill is thrilled with the response.

Terrill tells the Weekly Tech Roundup that Community Engineers from as far away as Guam and Alaska traveled safely to Salt Lake City for the association’s annual event.

So did some of the industry’s top presenters, with in-person and Zoom-delivered sessions covering topics ranging from basic LPTV operations to NextGen TV and ATSC 3.0.

“Attendance expectations were greatly exceeded as members, exhibitors, and presenters met with COVID distancing, but face to face,” Terrill said. “We know it was risky, but we thought we had to live with COVID.”

At the conference, NBC VP of Technology for the Western Region Doug Lung presented practical ways for translator TV stations to convert to ATSC 3.0-based digital signals.

Joel Wilhite, the Sr. System Design Engineer at Harmonic, covered all the concerns and questions for small broadcasters to join the transition from digital to NextGen broadcasting.

Another conference highlight: the on-site appearance of former FCC Video Division Deputy Chief Hossein Hashemzadeh, who answered questions and worked the packed room through such current Commission concerns as white space technology and checking the FCC database of analog stations to ensure your license is not on the analog list.

Another FCC D.C. notable — Jean Kiddoo — reported on repack payments and encouraged everyone to “close out” their repack reimbursements by certifying that reimbursed payments were paid to the vendors listed in the Form 399 applications.

“The attendance to the first major convention for broadcasters during the pandemic is a clear notice that upcoming conventions may experience the same pent-up interest we had,” Terrill said.

Quu Inc., a technology company known for its capability of adding dynamic visuals to radio broadcasts, is adding to its “Success Team.”

This sees the arrival of a Customer Success Manager, and a Technical Success Manager. Each report to CEO Steve Newberry.

New to Quu are Jackie Bart and Joe Marshall.

In the newly created roles, Bart and Marshall will work directly with operations, sales, and programming teams on the local level. In addition, they will guide stations through installation, on-boarding, training, and support to publish synced programming and sales messages, or “Visual Quus,” on car dashboards.

“We’re excited to welcome Jackie and Joe to the team as we take the next step in Quu’s evolution,” said company founder and Chief Technology Officer Joe Harb.

“Jackie’s deep training experience with Arbitron and Scarborough Research as well as Joe’s technology experience with Harris/GatesAir demonstrate their tremendous professional credentials,” Newberry said. “They are outstanding individuals with a sincere passion and focus on training, service, and success. These critical hires demonstrate Quu’s focus on not simply selling software and services to radio stations, but ensuring our partners know how to use Quu’s powerful tools to engage listeners, upsell radio’s core product, and make ads more effective.”

The app that offers live streaming of every iHeartMedia radio station and those of its partners, on-demand streaming by recording artist, and an array of podcasts has just hit a big register user milestone.

The iHeartRadio app has officially surpassed 150 million registered users.

In addition, iHeartRadio has now recorded more than 3 billion app downloads, with monthly downloads peaking as high as 28% as compared to last year.

One big reason for this growth: iHeartRadio’s “continued dedication and innovation in the growing podcasting space,” the company says.

“As the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, iHeartRadio has doubled down on growing our expansive library of iHeartRadio Original podcasts, which includes some of the most-listened-to podcast series in the world,” iHeartMedia posts.

Among its podcasts are “Stuff You Should Know,” “The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” “Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach + Donald” and  “Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.”

Additionally, iHeartRadio has added to its streaming catalog, which features millions of songs and curated playlists across a variety of moods and genres.

It’s not just our listeners that are growing, but iHeart’s social audience, too.

iHeartRadio now has a total social audience of 234 million.

Red House Streaming, a CP Communications brand, continues to lure local and national talent seeking professional production and streaming services to its new St. Petersburg, Fla. studio.

Nancy Weil, proprietor of The Laugh Academy, is the latest to call on Red House Streaming studios, leveraging its production sets, broadcast-quality workflow and experienced crew to produce custom videos for her clients.

Red House Streaming studios offers two adjacent 600-square-foot studios, virtual sets, and 5,000 feet of additional production space for content producers. The studio accommodates
on-set talent who wish to live-stream productions or record content for later distribution.

Red House Streaming studios is also equipped to support REMI at-home productions that originate from remote locations, strengthened by an onsite network operations center to monitor and manage all production and content delivery tasks.

A leading authority on the relationship between humor and grief, Tampa-based Weil turned to Red House Streaming studios to bring her customized, content-rich lectures, programs and seminars to clients that could no longer see her on the road.

“COVID-19 put an immediate halt to my live speaking engagements,” said Weil. “I went from being a road warrior traveling at least two weeks a month to being home 24/7.”

Weil soon discovered that the funeral homes, hospice groups and conferences that regularly called on her talents still had a thirst for her unique services. She began offering virtual events through standard conferencing software platforms, but found the results mixed and the limitations frustrating.

“There are so many peculiarities when presenting over a virtual stream, from general video and audio glitches to incorrect meeting links to complete loss of internet connectivity,” she said. “I wanted to present as a professional speaker, and offer a pleasant and consistent experience for my clients. I saw a local news story about Red House Streaming studios, and they seemed to be the right production partner to help me manage these production dynamics that I could not guarantee on my own.”

Weil started shooting in the studio in March, pre-recording her custom programs for each client. Red House Streaming studios shoots and post-produces each video, using Panasonic 4K cameras, NDI networking and Adobe Premier Pro editing as essential workflow components. The videos are subsequently delivered to clients direct and shared on Weil’s Vimeo account, with select clips expected to post to her website in the coming weeks.

“With Red House Streaming studios, every project can now be fully unique,” Weil said. “We load special graphics and create virtual sets specific to each program and client. We frame each shot to ensure the background is perfect for each segment. Props are essential to what we do at The Laugh Academy, and they can accommodate anything I bring onto the set as a part of each program. I can monitor what is happening on displays around the studio to ensure everything is going exactly as planned. On top of everything else, the service is surprisingly affordable, with excellent technical support as needed. The quality of the content my clients receive is absolutely worth the fees I pay.”

Weil is now planning live streams with the Red House Streaming studios team. She plans to continue using the studios after she eventually returns to the road.

— Brian Galante

An end-to-end integration between WideOrbit‘s WO Traffic and WO Automation for Radio applications and the PromoSuite Production radio workflow platform has arrived.

This product, the companies say, can provide benefits to radio stations using PromoSuite Production, including speeding up the order entry process, streamlining cart number assignments, eliminating duplication, and reducing overhead associated with dubbing audio files into WO Automation for Radio.

“This integration will enhance the experience for our radio customers,” said William ‘Dub’ Irvin, WideOrbit’s VP of WO Automation for Radio. “We’re constantly looking for ways to help our clients eliminate errors, reduce repetitive manual tasks, and increase efficiency. The best part is that these improvements positively impact several departments, including sales, production, and programming.”

The new integration has three connection points between WO Traffic, WO Automation for Radio, and PromoSuite Production. First, when an AE enters an order for a client and needs a spot produced, the client information is automatically and seamlessly populated into PromoSuite Production, eliminating duplicate effort in communication. Information only needs to be entered once. Second, cart number assignments are immediately synced between the two systems. Third, audio files are directly dubbed into WO Automation for Radio.

PromoSuite’s Vice President of Product Design & Development, Rey Mena, commented, “Our main priority is and always has been to improve efficiencies for our clients. When you’re able to eliminate unnecessary or tedious processes, you increase productivity and revenue. Regardless of the department, we are continuously looking, building, and creating upgrades and enhancements at the station, market, and company level. This integration showcases the advancements and opportunities we’re delighted to make available to our partners.”

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There’s little change in activity shown in the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten TV report. However, the big new No. 1 is noteworthy, as it reflects a big investment in broadcast by Sanofi US for a treatment for skin disorders.

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