XPost: alt.radio.broadcasting

RadioInsight

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If You Can Afford Only One Local Host, Do This

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 08:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/blogs/224199/if-you-can-afford-only-one-local-host-do-this/



At the outset of COVID, with radio already crunched and forced to further consolidate, I outlined a plan for radio going forward that spoke to our current realities. Broadcast radio was long past the point where 15,000
radio stations could be counted on to each serve their local communities
with the seven best on-air talent available to them. At the same time, the industry realized that personality and/or localism were their best points
of differentiation, even if they were unable to deliver it.

Looking for how that might viably happen, my thought was that there should
be:

Great national music-radio networks, taking advantage of their bigness and
not hiding their national-radio status under poorly executed “fake local” content. Instead of the expedient myth of “better local through national,” why not just have better national radio?
At least one or two stations in every market that could commit to full-time localism and truly control that franchise. These stations would need to be local, or at least the capability to be local, even if severe weather took place overnight or at 4 p.m. on Saturday.


Both of these were, in their own way, difficult visions to execute in an industry that was just trying to keep going. When a station could be local
and personality-driven, it resulted in winning stations such as KSTP-FM
(KS95) Minneapolis or KRTY San Jose, Calif. Often, it was those stations
that did the best job in 2020-22 of not participating in the industry’s freefall. But in the case of KRTY, we know now that local and a seven share wasn’t enough to keep its late owner’s estate interested in the radio business.

So as the National Association of Broadcasters convene in Las Vegas, itself
now consolidated from two conventions to one, I’ve come up with a third model. Local broadcasters can do great local and great national radio if
they can afford the one personality who already constitutes the one single local shift on some stations. 

Rather than national networks, I’m now suggesting regional brands that comprise 6-8 local affiliates, all in the same time zone. Those 6-8
stations share a single brand and positioner which are consistently
executed throughout the day. However …

Each of those stations has at least one local talent and, preferably, a newsperson. 
Each of those 6-8 stations originates one shift throughout the day, thus allowing the larger super-station to be fully staffed at all times,
including overnights and weekends.
Each host is heard on all 6-8 stations. Each host is part of the overall station airstaff. But each host is originating from a local affiliate, and
each host is transparent about where that is. Everybody gets to rep their
city — over the course of the day or week, every market takes a lap in the relay.
Each station has a place during the hour with additional local information presented by the newsperson who is on duty for severe weather or other
crises that occur when the format itself is not originating from the
station.
The flagship station is the one on the app. The broadcast frequencies are
the branch offices. The station on the app may have a lower spotload over
the course of the hour. You are encouraged to listen to the broadcast
frequency not just for ease of use in the car, but for when you want local information.
What makes this super-station different from our current voice-tracked and nationally assembled radio stations is the unified identity and commitment
to personality. Some radio hosts list six stations in their Twitter bio.
Why not one great station heard in six markets?


There is already an ironic model for this. SiriusXM satellite radio hosts
are live from Nashville (Storme Warren, Charlie Monk), Los Angeles (Richard Blade, Jim Ladd, and Magic Matt), and New York (Mark Goodman and Demos),
but also from Spartanburg, S.C., (J.J. Walker), South Texas (Ron Parker),
San Diego (Pat St. John and Shotgun Tom Kelly), Central New Jersey (Dave Hoeffel), Long Island (Larry the Duck), and Cleveland and the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame (Rachel Steele). ‘60s Gold morning host Phlash Phelps is now broadcasting from around the country via mobile unit.

Throughout the decades-long debate about national vs. local radio, there
have been two opposing arguments that really aren’t contradictions. This model speaks to a world where it is true both that:

Listeners want personality and companionship, but aren’t always adamant
about whether it comes from their own market;
Listeners care about local information and “sense of place.”


Sirius XM is a pretty good example of having both bigness and, ever since
its personalities took to their home studios, more sense of place than some local radio stations. Even with voice-tracking and national work parts, it
has become one of the last bastions of the radio we grew up with. The SXM
jocks who confer that sense of place do not tell you your local news and information, but if you’re in a market that has a local traffic and weather channel, you may be covered in that way as well.

I’ve even thought of this model for my many friends and readers who are currently operating their own online-only radio stations, but aren’t able
to host more than one daypart themselves. Six hobbyist stations that shared
a common brand and imaging would become more viable, formidable, and
saleable as one radio brand. If all six of a station’s hosts want to play their own slightly different brand of ‘50s through ‘90s Classic Hits, a unified station image and the adventurous nature of those stations would
allow for it.

This model would probably work best for markets that share some sense of kinship, rather than a serious regional rivalry. It probably doesn’t work
if shared affiliates are in, say, Boston and New York, or Dallas and
Houston, or Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. Then again, perhaps sports
rivalries are exactly the thing that allows the afternoon and morning hosts
to do shtick together. 

As I wrote two years ago, I am not suggesting this model as a path to
further consolidation or reductions in force. There are stations that are
able to be live and local 24/7, or for most of the week, and they should
remain so. There are also an increasing number of boutique
national-programming services, some of which do a good job of not sounding generic; e.g., when Smokey Rivers is in afternoons on Delilah’s KDUN Reedsport, Ore. The above model is, again, a third way. And making your one local shift truly compelling and worthwhile, no what the station construct,
is another article.

I am merely showing a way in which those already-consolidating stations can truly achieve better living through shared resources. Right now, there are
a lot of radio stations that already have one local staffer, or none. On
those stations, a shared airstaff is reading yesterday’s entertainment
news, which they may or may not remember to precede with the call letters. Their formatics may not be consistent from shift to shift. They sound
neither local nor big. Better to have Phlash Phelps from “the top of the Chesapeake Bay” than jockless music from the “1-800-TAX-DEBT” studios. 

I won’t be at NAB this year. But I can confidently predict that on an NAB panel next week, proponents of national radio will espouse the potential of their national resources in a way that has never quite been consistently realized. Some owners will talk about the successfully local radio they’ve created, while others will sit in the audience and think “I wish I could do that.” This idea is for them both.


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Carey Curelop Joins KCFX As Program Director

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 07:29 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/224607/carey-curelop-joins-kcfx-as-program-director/



Veteran Rock programmer Carey Curelop is returning to radio as Program
Director of Cumulus Media Classic Rock 101 The Fox KCFX Kansas City.

Curelop most recently spent over two decades programming Classic Rock 102.5 KZOK Seattle from 1998 to 2019. During his tenure in Seattle, he also
served as Director of Operations for CBS Radio and programmed Variety Hits
96.5 Jack-FM KJAQ and Sports 1090 The Fan KFNQ. Curelop has also programmed 95.5 KLOS Los Angeles from 1989 to 1997, WYNF Tampa, WABX-FM Detroit, and
KFMG Albuquerque during his career.

He fills the opening as KCFX held by Dave Hill until February.

Cumulus Media (NASDAQ: CMLS) announces that it has appointed Carey Curelop
as Program Director of 101 The Fox/KCFX-FM, Kansas City’s Classic Rock Station. Curelop brings to Cumulus Kansas City years of leadership
experience as a Program Director specializing in Rock, Classic Rock and
Classic Hits.

Curelop has programmed successful Rock stations including KLOS-FM, Los
Angeles, CA; WABX-FM, Detroit, MI; and WYNF-FM, Tampa, FL, as well as AOR-formatted KFMG-FM, Albuquerque, NM. He was Vice President, Operations
and Program Director for Seattle, WA, stations KZOK-FM (Classic Rock),
JACK-FM (Adult Hits), and The Fan/KFNQ-AM (Sports), programming Classic
Rocker KZOK-FM to a stellar 20-year run in the top five. Twice honored as Billboard Magazine’s PD of the Year, Curelop oversaw several #1 rankings while coaching the dominant KLOS-FM morning show Mark and Brian and
producing that show in syndication.

Donna Baker, Regional Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Kansas City,
said: “Carey’s deep knowledge of and passion for Rock radio formats is unmatched in the industry. Dominant for decades, 101 The Fox has the ideal leader at the helm to continue as a leading Classic Rock station in
America.”

Jim Fox, Operations Manager, Cumulus Kansas City, remarked: “Carey has demonstrated an authentic feel for Classic Rock over a very successful
career. It’s exciting to have a programmer with his credentials join this incredible cluster.”

Curelop commented: “101 The Fox is a remarkable radio station. I was convinced to return to radio after my conversations with Donna Baker and
Jim Fox, both incredibly good managers. I’m thrilled to be programming for Cumulus Kansas City.”


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NAB Announces 2022 Crystal Award Winners

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 10:09 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/224570/nab-announces-2022-crystal-award-winners/





The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) today announced the 10
winners of the 35th annual NAB Crystal Radio Awards. Since 1987, the NAB Crystal Radio Awards have recognized radio stations for their year-round commitment to community service. The 2022 NAB Crystal Radio Award
recipients listed below were chosen from 50 previously announced finalists.

Finalists were honored and winners were announced during a ceremony today
at the 2022 NAB Show in Las Vegas.



KBFB-FM Dallas, TX

KCLY-FM Clay Center, KS

KSFI-FM Salt Lake City, UT

KTAR-FM Phoenix, AZ

KTMY-FM Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN
KYW-AM Philadelphia, PA

WDAS-FM Philadelphia, PA

WFEZ-FM Miami, FL

WMGK-FM Philadelphia, PA

WTLC-FM Indianapolis, IN




The winners were chosen by a panel of judges representing the broadcast industry, community service organizations and public relations firms.


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Audacy To Manage Fox News Audio's Streaming Tech & Ad Sales

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 08:17 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/224567/audacy-to-manage-fox-news-audios-streaming-tech-ad-sales/



Audacy has announced an expanded affiliate partnership with Fox News Audio.

The new deal will transfer Foxs longform talk streaming to Audacys
Amperwave distribution platform enabling it to become the first partner to enable rewind capabilities like Audacy offers for its spoken word stations
on its app. Audacy will also become the exclusive third-party ad seller for
Fox News Audios streaming inventory.

Audacy and FOX News Audio have announced that FOX News Audio is expanding
its affiliate partnership and will migrate the network’s linear talk radio streaming content to AmperWave, Audacy’s cloud-based distribution and monetization platform for live and on-demand audio streams. The expanded agreement will also make Audacy the exclusive third-party ad sales representation of FOX News Audio’s streaming inventory on the audio network’s digital properties.

This expanded affiliate partnership provides FOX News Audio a trifecta of services: streaming capabilities, sales representation and new capabilities
for live broadcasts on its streaming services. FOX News Audio will be the
first of Audacy’s affiliate partners to enable “Rewind” capabilities.

“Audacy knows that our industry is changing with listeners consuming more audio on streams than ever before,” said Corey Podolsky, Vice President of Business Development, Audacy. “As a strategic partner, we are excited to
lean into that industry shift with FOX News Audio to deliver new
capabilities via our AmperWave streaming platform. Coupled with our ability
to now offer world-class hosting and ad serving capabilities, this will
take our relationship to a whole new level.”

“Were thrilled to expand our partnership with Audacy and collaborate on serving the growing needs of our listeners,” said William Sanchez, Audio Executive Director of Business Development and Digital Audio Operations,
FOX News. “We look forward to improving our audiences experience with AmperWaves hosting technology on our platforms.”

Audacy has been delivering FOX News Audio content to its digital platform consumers since 2019.


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97X Sets Time For Move Off Of WSUN

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 05:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/224552/97x-sets-time-for-move-off-of-wsun/



As Spanish Broadcasting System moves closer to taking over 95.3 WPYO Maitland/Orlando and 97.1 WSUN Holiday/Tampa FL from Coxs CXR Radio trust,
WSUN has announced when its Alternative 97X programming will move off of
the frequency.

On Wednesday, April 27 at 12pm, the Alternative brand will move off of
WSUN, while continuing to be heard on 94.9 WWRM-HD2 Tampa and 101.5
WPOI-HD2 St. Petersburg, along with NIA Broadcasting’s 97.5 W248CA St. Petersburg giving the brand analog coverage on the western side of the
Tampa Bay.

While not confirmed, it is expected that Spanish Broadcasting System will shortly close on its acquisitions and begin operating the stations as they received FCC approval last week. SBS announced the acquisition of WPYO and
WSUN in February for $12.5 million ahead of the 2/15 deadline set by the
FCC to divest the stations as required due to Cox losing their
grandfathered ownership limits following Apollo Global Capital’s 2019 purchase of Cox Media Group.

WPYO moved its CHR Power 95.3 programming to 94.5 WCFB-HD2 at the end of
March. The station has been simulcasting Coxs News/Talk 580 WDBO since in
order to help purge any of the former Power audience off the frequency
prior to SBS taking over.




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ConnectedTravel, Radioline & Simplebet To Debut Sports Betting In Android Auto/Apple Carplay

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 04:00 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/224538/connectedtravel-radioline-simplebet-to-debut-sports-betting-in-android-auto-apple-carplay/



Today, ConnectedTravel, LLC, a connected vehicle technology platform and application services developer, Radioline, a global b2b radio podcast solutions developer, and Simplebet, the technology company reimagining the
way fans engage with live sports, announced SmartRadio, a product that
enables sports fans to safely place bets by voice while driving and
listening to radio play-by-play broadcasts.

The companies have been developing an alternative to the traditional AM /
FM broadcast radio experience, enabling drivers and passengers to instantly engage with what they hear. The product, SmartRadio, works with Googles
Android Automotive system and enables drivers and passengers to transact
with radio programming in real-time, including gamifying programming and
making advertising shoppable, disrupting Radios century old listen now, remember to follow-up later, CPM-based advertising business model.

Among SmartRadios first consumer experiences will be free-to-play and real-money sports betting, leveraging Simplebets proprietary automated operations platform. The company has developed a suite of innovative micro-betting products which enable sports fans to interact with NFL, MLB,
NBA, college football and basketball games. Sports fans can safely bet
while driving and listening to sportscasts in their car, compete with
friends and other fans, earn points and win prizes from game sponsors.

For example, the baseball experience allows drivers and passengers to bet
on each at bat or pitch in a Dodgers game, earn points for each correct
bet, accumulate prizes for your winning streaks, and a grand prize for
earning enough points. Points can then be redeemed for goods and services
via the players mobile phone in local shops or online retailers. A
configurable gaming backend allows the game rules and prizes to be
customized for each sponsors unique challenge or competition.

As we continue to pioneer new ways for fans to engage with live sporting events, were thrilled to partner with ConnectedTravel and Radioline for
this first-of-its-kind experience, said Chris Bevilacqua, Co-Founder and
CEO of Simplebet.

The legalized U.S. sports betting market doubled in 2021 with more than
$52.7 billion being wagered throughout the year, according to data
intelligence from Morning Consult. Online (mobile and desktop) gambling
alone is set to grow to $2.2 billion, according to Techavio. The spike has come as a result of legal sports betting launching in 30 states, 18 that
allow online wagering, and billions of dollars spent on marketing by
gambling operators looking to attract new customers. Advertising is at an all-time high with sports betting companies like FanDuel, DraftKings,
BetMGM, Caesars and Ballys spending nearly $500m in 2021 to reach sports
fans.

The only business model for reaching the U.S.s 282 million licensed drivers during the average 55 minutes per day they spend in the car is based solely upon radios traditional advertising solutions. Drive time represents over
70% of broadcast radio listening time according to Edison Research.

The integration of emerging technologies like Voice, Payments, and
eCommerce in vehicles, unlocks drive time empowering drivers to instantly
and safely interact with audio programming. Drivers can play with and buy
what they hear, and engage at the moments they are most inspired. Making
radio transactable will inspire a new generation of innovative in-vehicle infotainment, and measurably open the $40 billion global broadcast radio marketplace for growth, according to Bryan Biniak, CEO, of ConnectedTravel.

ConnectedTravels SmartRadio solution is being integrated into Radiolines Android Automotive, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay Applications. Radioline supports over 110,000 Radio Streams and Podcasts from 164 countries, in 18 different languages. The Radioline application is published cross platform including TV, Online, Mobile, Wearables, and Vehicles.

Radiolines SmartRadio enabled application will be available for the 100m+ Android Automotive vehicles being produced by leading auto OEMs including General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Honda, Nissan, and Volvo gamifying sportscasts and enabling sports fans around the world to participate in
their games with friends and families on road trips and everyday commutes, stated Xavier Filliol, COO of Radioline.

The SmartRadio solution and in-vehicle Sports Betting are currently in
consumer testing and will be available to more sports fans this fall.

Executives from ConnectedTravel, Radioline and Simplebet will be
demonstrating the SmartRadio in-vehicle betting experience on a Polestar 2
this weekend at the National Association of Broadcasters annual conference
in Las Vegas.


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SuiteRadio Launches Rowdy Ride Home For Country Afternoons

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 03:30 AM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/224541/suiteradio-launches-rowdy-ride-home-for-country-afternoons/



SuiteRadio has announced it will launch a daily syndicated show hosted by
Josh Rowdy Yates Holstead for afternoon drive for Country or Classic
Country stations.

“The Rowdy Ride Home” will debut on five unidentified stations in Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, and Oklahoma on May 2, and will be available for
other stations starting May 16. The show will be provided with three
versions: one with just the on-air breaks, and versions with music for both formats.

“The Rowdy Ride Home” debuts May 2nd, presented by SuiteRadio and nationally syndicated radio personality Rowdy Yates. Known best for his weekend program “The Original Country Gold,” Rowdy brings his bigger than life personality to afternoon drive, the daypart where he made his mark in major market radio.

For years, Rowdy was the drive time dominator in Houston at KILT and has
been heard on air doing great work at other legendary stations like KIKK,
KVOO, and KTST.

“This show has been specifically designed and built for afternoon drive! It’s just not the same as repurposed daypart program offerings,” Yates said. “What you won’t hear is a bunch of over-used celebrity clips, canned phone calls and warmed-over artist audio. What you will find is topical, relatable, off-beat, irreverent and hopefully funny.”

The 5-hour, 6 day a week “Rowdy Ride Home” will soft launch on 5 signals in Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, and Oklahoma and will be available everywhere beginning May 16th. Stations may take the “plug and play” content only version to fit into their individual music formats, or choose one of two turn-key versions available in current or classic country formats. 

About us: Houston-based SuiteRadio is a broadcast company providing
station operators with a full line of high-value, personality-driven programming, including 24-hour formats as well as nationally known programs
and specialty shows for radio including The Todd Newton Morning Show. Key Networks is handling ad sales for all SuiteRadio Dayparts.



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Xperi & Quu Partner On Connected Car Broadcast Content Management

Posted: 25 Apr 2022 06:13 PM PDT https://radioinsight.com/headlines/224532/xperi-quu-partner-on-connected-car-broadcast-content-management/



Quu Inc., the trusted industry leader providing easy deployment of visual content for radio, and DTS®, a global leader in next-generation audio,
imaging and sensing technology, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Xperi
Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: XPER) (“Xperi”), today announced a strategic partnership that makes it easy for radio to display and monetize content in connected cars.
Quu and Xperi are rolling out an integrated solution to sync programming
and sales messages on vehicle dashboards. In the past, stations would go to Xperi to deploy its RAPID technology and then Quu for content management, monetization and reporting. Now, Quu is a one-stop shop for both.
With more vehicles hitting the streets daily with enhanced digital
infotainment systems, there is an immediate need for radio to offer
consistent, accurate and high-quality in-dash audio programming. This
combined solution creates one integrated platform to produce and distribute metadata (such as song titles, lyrics, dialogue, etc.) beyond audio.
For consumers, the goal is consistent, accurate and high-quality audio programming information for all types of radio content, including music, commercials, promotions, PSAs and talk segments. Advertising agencies can benefit from the addition of visual elements of digital audio ads to
enhance the client experience.
“Digital audio platforms provide for an elegant user experience. Radio has
to provide a similar experience if we are to stay competitive against a
growing myriad of choices,” said David Santrella, CEO of Salem Media Group and Chairman of the NAB Joint Board of Directors. “Quu and Xperi’s strategic partnership will make it easier for our industry to do that.” “We’re making it convenient and efficient for radio stations to increase engagement and revenue now while taking the first steps toward the future,” said Steve Newberry, CEO of Quu. “This partnership is driven by collaboration, trust and keeping our industry in a position of strength. We
aim to demystify how and why stations benefit from the ‘screenification’ of radio.”
“Enabling stations to deliver uniform content to connected cars via DTS AutoStage is an important step in future-proofing radio,” said Joe DAngelo, senior vice president, broadcast at Xperi. “The industry needs a standard approach and Quu provides one for the 300 million cars with RDS and 85
million HD-Radio equipped vehicles on the road today and sets radio up for
the dashboard of tomorrow.”
Xperi and Quu are rolling out this partnership in North America with plans
to scale globally as this technology applies to all international digital broadcast standards.

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