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The third quarter 2021 results from the largest audio content creator and distributor in the U.S., iHeartMedia, were released shortly before the company’s two top leaders, Bob Pittman and Rich Bressler, played host to analysts and investors in a conference call scheduled for 4:30pm Eastern.

How did the company do? As the answer was shared, investors snapped up iHeart shares in immediate after-hour trading on Thursday.

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In 2021, Entravision Communications fully transitioned from a Hispanic-centric U.S.-focused media company to a global digital advertising player with its decision to take full ownership in Cisneros Interactive. This followed Entravision’s acquisition of Singapore-based Media Donuts.

Now, Entravision has invested in Africa, with its acquisition of a South African digital ad solutions company.

The news came just as Entravision distributed its third-quarter earnings results.

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Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio, the non-profit charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of female leadership in radio broadcasting, has teamed with vCreative to recognize and celebrate women in radio “whose unsung efforts ensure efficiency, both operationally and financially, for their stations and groups.”

The program’s inaugural free webinar, “Recognizing Women in Operational Excellence” will be held Thursday, December 2, from 1pm-1:45pm Eastern.

Hosted by vCreative CEO Susie Hedrick and MIW Board Member Valerie Blackburn, the webinar showcases three uniquely talented women who make a significant impact daily on their company’s operations:

• Becky Deneger, Vice President of Traffic Operations at TSM
• Mildred Sibley, Vice President of Station Traffic Operations at Entravision
• Melissa Mitchell, Director of Finance and Corporate Controller at Bonneville

Webinar participants will hear how these professionals strategically embrace emerging technologies; integrate new products into existing workflows; and hire and train teams.

Reserve your spot and learn more here: https://hubs.la/H0-z_pz0

It’s a question Lee Miller, Executive Director of low-power television and OTT advocacy group ATBA, addresses in a new opinion piece.

And, it is a major topic facing broadcast media leadership and air personalities alike that will serve as the centerpiece to a highly anticipated Forecast 2022 conference panel.

In a communique distributed to Advanced Television Broadcasting Alliance members on Thursday (11/4), Miller says, “On the heels of recent ransomware attacks, as an industry, we need to take a look at our systems and networks.”

The good news, in Miller’s eyes: Keeping ransomware off your system isn’t difficult — especially for a small operation.

“Much like preventing malware and viruses, best practices are pretty much the same,” he writes. “A ransomware attack must have some access to your system, usually through a rogue application. Be sure you and your staff are cautious about downloading or opening any files from the web or your email if you’re not very certain of their source.”

Miller notes that hackers now use a variety of social engineering methods, such as spoofing an email that looks like it’s an urgent message from a staff or family member; these typically include links that will install and/or download spyware and other files used by ransomware attack agents.

“Consider strongly again and again before opening and running anything on your computer, especially if it arrives without your expectation,” Miller advises. “Besides being careful about what you click on or download, there are three rules of system security that you should always apply: Protect, update, and back up. All malware, including ransomware, often exploits older or unpatched operating systems and software, and just because you might be on a macOS, don’t think you’re immune!”

Cyber threats are coming fast and furious nowadays. Every day we hear of another ransomware attack or data breach, and it seems that the cyber adversaries are taking over companies unopposed. Cyber security expert Steve Morgan, founder of Cybersecurity Ventures and Editor-in-Chief at Cybercrime Magazine, sits down with WABC Radio’s Juliet Huddy at Forecast 2022 for a provocative interview that will cover, in non-technobabble, how the cyber adversaries are doing it, why people and companies are in the dark when it comes to cybercrime, and what they can and should do to protect their organization. This session is presented by RCS Sound Software To hear what Morgan has to share, you have to be there. REGISTER TODAY AND SECURE YOUR SEAT AT FORECAST 2022!

 

The direct broadcast satellite company presently at war with broadcast TV station owner TEGNA over a new retransmission consent agreement suffered a severe gut punch on Wall Street, following the release of Q3 2021 results that failed to live up to analyst forecasts.

At 2:20pm ET, Dish Network shares were down by 14% on five times the normal trading volume.

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(Click here to enlarge.)

NPR and Wondery in October held their top positions in Podtrac’s list of top podcast publishers as measured by U.S. audience.

Most of the rest of the list looks like last month’s too, with a few swapping positions.

But this month, ViacomCBS joined that list and enters at #12 (bumping Hidden Brain Media out of the top 20).

Ranking data only includes publishers that participate in Podtrac measurement:

The company said Unique Monthly Audience for 19 of the top 20 publishers was up or flat in October over the month before.

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It also found that Total Global Downloads for the Top 20 were up 9% from the month before but down 9% compared to October of 2020.

The list of top individual podcasts also looked similar at the top compared to the month before, with the NYT at the top, and NPR holding five of the next 19 slots:

[Related: “iHeart, NPR Have Their Prints All Over Podtrac Rankings”]

 

The post Podtrac Issues Monthly Podcast Rankers appeared first on Radio World.

Cox Media Group named Chris Eagan as its VP of audience and operations for radio.

“In this role Eagan will lead the overarching programming strategy, audience development and multiplatform distribution for CMG Radio,” it stated. “He will also lead the CMG Digital Content team and partnerships to drive innovation for CMG Radio.”

The company owns 54 radio stations in 11 markets, as well as 33 TV stations and other media assets.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

Eagan was most recently senior director of operations for CMG Atlanta Radio, a cluster that includes B98.5 WSB(FM), News Talk WSB(AM), 97-1 The River WSRV(FM) and Kiss 104.1 WALR(FM).

The announcement was made by Rob Babin, SVP-head of radio, and Jaleigh Long, VP and general manager of Atlanta radio.

Send news of engineering and executive personnel changes to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Cox Appoints Eagan to Radio Audience and Ops Role appeared first on Radio World.

Communications tower owner Vertical Bridge said its leadership team has donated $1.1 million personally to benefit two industry foundations.

The money is going to help Warriors4Wireless and the Tower Family Foundation.

“The donations were made in support of the work that these non-profit organizations do to help veterans enter the telecommunications industry and to support the families of those injured on the job,” the company stated in a press release.

The announcement was made by CEO Alex Gellman and EVP of Operations Bernard Borghei.

[Read: Vertical Bridge Remains in Acquisition Mode]

Warriors4Wireless was formed “to bridge the gap between the demand for trained and deployable wireless technicians, and the thousands of qualified service men and women eager to transfer the skills they have learned in the military.”

The Tower Family Foundation provides financial assistance to family members of a severely injured, permanently disabled or deceased tower worker.

Vertical Bridge said that last year it donated $1.5 million to 149 causes chosen by its employees.

 

The post Vertical Bridge Execs Donate to Industry Foundations appeared first on Radio World.

What’s the fiscal health for one of the biggest radio industry pure-play operations that’s publicly traded on Wall Street?

Pretty darn good, actually, as Saga Communications released a Q3 2021 report card that shows the owner of small and medium-market stations turning from a net loss to significant net income.

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It is a low-powered TV station that in summer 2018 was heading to HC2 Holdings, with a $400,000 transaction proposed.

Then, HC2 was a much different company, with spending under the guise of former CEO Philip Falcone. He’s now at Sovryn Holdings, and that 2018 deal never came to fruition. Now, the LPTV facility has found a new buyer, and it is paying significantly less for it.

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“The company is in good shape, from a leverage standpoint. We’ve come a long way.”

Those are the words of Urban One CEO Alfred Liggins III, who had many good things to share during his company’s third quarter 2021 earnings call held Thursday. Among them: the shaky automotive category was up by double-digits for Urban One in Q3, a reflection of commitments to Black-owned media in the wake of social justice efforts that have played out over the last year.

However, the City of Richmond referendum defeat for the company clouded the report, and the earnings call, with Liggins sharing what the company’s next steps will be on what to do with its cash.

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Third quarter 2021 earnings reports are being released one after the other on Thursday, and who better to chat with than the distinguished Global President of Business Intelligence at groupM, Brian Wieser. Wieser is considered by many to be Madison Avenue’s de facto Chief Economist and previously served as a key Wall Street analyst at Pivotal Research Group.

In this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.fm, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson asks Wieser if the broadcast media sector is in for a Q4 ad dollar scare because of the well-reported supply chain problem.

Wieser also shares his insight on what the biggest positives are for radio and TV station owners in this exclusive conversation that serves as a precursor to a Forecast 2022 discussion on Broadcast Revenue Trends and Expectations for 2022.

At Forecast 2022, Jen Soch, Executive Director/Specialty Channels at GroupM, joins Leah Casterlin, Founding Partner of Media Fortitude Partners; Katz Media Group CEO Mark Gray, and TVB President/CEO Steve Lanzano for a panel discussion on what is in store for broadcast media in the next year. Moderating the panel: Media ecologist Jack Myers.

REGISTER NOW FOR FORECAST 2022!

 

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Brian Wieser, groupM” on Spreaker.

Yes, supply chain issues are “significantly impacting” automotive ad dollars at TEGNA. But, every other ad category was up by double digits in Q3, and this trend is continuing across Q4.

With home improvement, insurance, education, CPG and finance showing no signs of a slowdown, the owner of broadcast TV stations and the Premion Connected TV/OTT advertising platform for regional and local advertisers enjoyed a strong Q3, easily beating the forecast of analysts polled by Zacks Equity Research.

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The Zacks Consensus Estimate was for net revenue that came in higher than anticipated. But, instead of positive earnings per share growth, Gray Television‘s EPS ended up in the negative, with the company suffering a net loss in Q3 2021.

Ahead of the Opening Bell on Wall Street, investors expressed their disappointment, with GTN down 1.7% in pre-market trading on the NYSE. But, these traders may need to understand that unfair comps — and growth initiatives designed to make Gray a bigger player in local TV — are the reason for what is largely a short-term blip.

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“Our outstanding third quarter results underscore the enormous opportunities that lie ahead for Univision.”

That positive statement comes courtesy of Wade Davis, who earlier this year succeed Vince Sadusky as CEO of Univision Communications.

Just how strong was Q3 for Univision?

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You listen to a radio station and like a particular air personality. Then, you happen to find what appears to be their social media profile.

Who knew that all of the interaction between the air talent’s listeners was with not the hosts, but impostors who hijacked the pages and then led listeners to invest in phony business investments?

That’s the trouble associated with two iHeartMedia air personalities in Chicago, illustrating yet another cybercrime ill impacting broadcast licensees across the U.S.

Cyber threats are coming fast and furious nowadays. Every day we hear of another ransomware attack or data breach, and it seems that the cyber adversaries are taking over companies unopposed.  Cyber security expert Steve Morgan, founder of Cybersecurity Ventures and Editor-in-Chief at Cybercrime Magazine, sits down with WABC Radio’s Juliet Huddy at Forecast 2022 for a provocative interview that will cover, in non-technobabble, how the cyber adversaries are doing it, why people and companies are in the dark when it comes to cybercrime, and what they can and should do to protect their organization.

This session is presented by RCS Sound Software To hear what Morgan has to share, you have to be there.

DON’T HESITATE, AS THIS LIMITED-CAPACITY EVENT IS FILLING UP FAST.
REGISTER TODAY AND SECURE YOUR SEAT AT FORECAST 2022!

 

As reported by WLS-7 in Chicago, Leon Rogers of the WGCI-FM morning show and WVAZ-FM “V103” part-timer Ericka “Sundance” Ingram each had their Facebook pages apparently taken over by hackers.

And, they claim fans who interacted with the fakers were asked to invest in phony business deals.

Among the listeners who apparently got caught up in the scam is one Phillip Vaser, who enjoys Rogers. Vasser spotted an opportunity posted on Rogers’ Facebook page to make some extra cash. He questioned it.

In an effort to prove Rogers’ identity, he sent a Facebook message to confirm the opportunity to make $1,000 from a $100 investment. “I said, I’m not sending you a dime unless you prove to me that you you!” Vasser told WLS-7. In return, Vasser received a picture of Rogers posing with his ID, in his house, with “legible reading of his face and his address.”

That was enough for Vasser … unfortunately. Vasser sent to the person he assumed was Rogers some $4,700 in gift card codes and bitcoin. Something seemed weird about it. The fake Rogers requested Vasser’s Facebook password and login information, claiming it was part of their verification efforts. Vasser complied; minutes later he was locked out of his Facebook account, with his money taken.

Vasser wasn’t the only person to fall for the scam. Rogers told WLS-7 he has received “thousands of messages” from people across the Chicago area who were ripped off.

How did the person behind the scheme get the photo of Rogers? Earlier in 2021 Rogers received a message he believed to be from Facebook. It asked him to send his login information and a video of him holding his ID up next to his face as an identity test.

Rogers did what was asked; he was subsequently locked out of his Facebook account.

For Ingram, she told WLS-7 a similar Facebook page takeover has occurred.

Has Facebook responded to Ingram or Rogers, who have reported the hacks “dozens of times” to the social media giant? No, they claim.

Contacted by WLS-7, Facebook parent Meta noted that its support team is reviewing both Rogers’ and Ingram’s accounts so they can take appropriate action.

Quick, can you name a Christmas song that gets virtually no radio airplay, yet was streamed more than 57 million times last year?

It’s one of the insights in a report from P1 Media Group and MRC Data, which reported on America’s top Christmas songs and dug into what data about music streaming can tell radio programmers.

The companies tested the appeal of the 40 most-played and 40 most-streamed Christmas songs from the 2020 holidays, which ended up being 60 unique songs. They used BDSradio, an MRC Data tool; and P1 Media Group conducted a survey with 400 radio listeners in top markets who were likely to listen to a local all-Christmas radio station.

For the fifth consecutive year “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms is America’s #1 testing Christmas song, they reported.

But eight songs from the top 40 most-streamed list tested better with likely Christmas radio listeners than eight songs from the top 40 most-played songs list. “The data suggests these eight songs can be played more on all-Christmas radio stations,” the companies said:

• Frank Sinatra – Jingle Bells (ranked #47 on the 2020 BDS Airplay chart)
• Jimmy Durante – Frosty the Snowman (#50)
• Perry Como – It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas (#69)
• Chuck Berry – Run Rudolph Run (#70)
• Earth Kitt – Santa Baby (#78)
• Dan Hathaway – This Christmas (#84)
• Michael Bublé – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (#182)
• Nat King Cole – Deck the Halls (#1,119)

Classic songs dominate the top 20 including “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” two versions each of “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Jingle Bell Rock,” and three versions of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” from 1994 is the newest song in the top 20.

Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” from 2014 and Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” from 2010 are the highest testing original Christmas songs from the Millennium, at #46 and #48.

Intriguingly, four of the top 40 most-streamed songs received very little radio airplay in 2020. Three are “Deck the Halls” by Nat King Cole, “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” by Kristen Bell and “What Christmas Means to Me” by John Legend.

And the fourth is the answer to the question posed at the top of this article: The song that got only 1,736 total spins last year by radio but was streamed 57.5 million times was Dean Martin’s “Baby it’s Cold Outside.” P1 Media Group co-founder Ken Benson noted: “Radio all but banned this classic song from the airwaves in 2018 due to the ‘Me Too’ movement.”

The companies have posted their full list of “America’s Top 60 Testing Christmas Songs” for 2021.

The post This Is the Song No One Plays on the Radio Anymore appeared first on Radio World.