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The balance of power between radio listenership and live and time-shifted television viewing continues to tip in radio’s advantage, with greater reach and average audience among persons 18–34 and trending in the same direction for 18–49s. That’s based on Nielsen Media findings.

Radio sales executives have long battled TV for advertising dollars and now the shift in audience size should help give radio more of an edge when it comes to head-to-head evaluations.

Nielsen’s Q2 2021 Total Audience Report shows AM/FM radio’s weekly reach among persons 18–34 is 12% greater than television in terms of average audience, according to the marketing team at Cumulus Media.

Pierre Bouvard, chief insights officer at Cumulus Media and Westwood One, highlights the Nielsen findings in an online video and blog post posted this week. In it he outlines the latest in TV and AM/FM radio audiences using data from Nielsen’s Total Audience Report, Edison Research’s “Share of Ear,” and examples from Nielsen Media Impact.

“The most surprising finding is that TV is being beaten by radio in ratings 18–34. In an average week 82% of 18–34 Americans are being reached by radio. Only 57% are reached by linear TV in a week. So that means that nearly half of 18–34 year old are not reached by linear television,” Bouvard said in the video.

Bouvard continues: “In the 18–49 data you can really see the full collapse of linear television. In 2018 when you look at reach 82% of 18–49 were watching at least some linear TV in a week. That has now shrunk down to 66%.”

TV’s continued viewing slide is evident, according to Nielsen’s report on Q2 2021. For instance, persons 18–49 TV audiences are down 38% since 2018. “Today, one of out of three American persons 18–49 never watch linear TV in a typical week, Bouvard said.”

When Bouvard compares radio and television, the numbers are even more striking when you consider radio’s gains in the 18–49 demographic. Weekly reach for AM/FM radio in the demo is 85% but only 66% for TV, according to the video presentation. Radio is also closing the gap in daily time spent with TV in Q2 2021 with only 30 minutes separating the two mediums.

Bouvard said AM/FM radio is poised to overtake live and time-shifted TV in average audience 18–49 by 2025; assuming current patterns projections hold true. And that changeover has already occurred when considering the 18–49 Hispanic population, Bouvard said.

“AM/FM radio beats TV among Hispanics 18–49. Radio has a massive reach advantage over linear TV. It’s 90% to 67%,” Bouvard said.

Bouvard goes on to explain the collapse of linear television, saying linear TV erosion is fueled by cord cutting and streaming. “For those who stream, half say it has replaced traditional TV,” he said. “There are three types of TV households: cordless, cord tepid and cord content.”

Bouvard concludes his presentation with an added bonus for radio time sellers from the Nielsen Media report: “AM/FM radio continues to have a dominant 76% share of ad-supported audio. When introduced into a TV media plan, AM/FM radio generates an extraordinary increase in campaign reach.”

Randy J. Stine has spent the past 40 years working in audio production and broadcast radio news. He joined Radio World in 1997 and covers new technology and regulatory issues. He has a B.A. in journalism from Michigan State University.

The post Radio Ratings Overtake TV in Some Demos appeared first on Radio World.

With a winter weather advisory in effect for Manhattan, Wall Street is bracing for sleet and a little snow. For investors, that was nothing compared to the pre-market slide for stocks.

Then came an afternoon address from President Biden on how the U.S. will react to Russia’s incursion into Ukrainian territory early Thursday. Investors reacted positively.

In fact, the Dow Industrials posted a 92.07-point gain, to 33,223.83 and the Nasdaq was up 436.10 to 13,473.58. The gains on Wall Street came after the FTSE in London dipped by 3.9%.

Among TV broadcast companies gaining ground when all was said and done is Sinclair Broadcast Group, up 55 cents to $26.33. Also up: The E.W. Scripps Co., rising 55 cents to $22.06; Nexstar, which gained $1.57 to $171.09; and Paramount, up 65 cents to $29.05.

Radio companies moving ahead include Audacy Corp., which continued its rebound with a 25-cent jump to $2.74; and iHeartMedia, which gained $0.90 to end the day at $19.98.

Meanwhile, Apple, which in pre-market trading was in the $152 range, finished the day at $161.83.

Of the radio broadcasting companies reporting Q4 2021 earnings results, thus far all have shown year-over-year growth, even when factoring in political ad dollars in the final three months of 2020.

The opposite was seen in the last quarter of 2021 for Xperi, as the company moved to a net loss from net income one year earlier.

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PQ Media has released its ninth annual Global Consumer Spending on Media Forecast.

The latest edition, which covers trends for 2021-2025, takes a deep dive on digital and traditional media content and technology with respect to consumer spending.

What are the key takeaways from this study?

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With majority shareholder Apollo Global Management teaming with Soo Kim-led Standard General in acquiring a majority stake in TEGNA, the Cox Media Group stable will see the addition of several TEGNA stations in Texas via license transfers.

It is now known that CMG’s roster of stations is about to expand even further, and it is thanks to a deal that sees Frank Higney of Kalil & Co. serve as the broker.

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The In-Real-Life advertising economy. It’s a real thing, and it is expected to reach some $44.4 billion in 2022, newly released data from WARC show.

Here’s the rub: It’s still down from pre-COVID levels, although a full recovery is likely imminent.

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As 2021 came to a close, Gray Television executed an agreement to purchase five Construction Permits from the original CEO of DTV America. 

The transaction, which sees Bob Heymann of the Chicago office of Media Services Group served as the exclusive broker, representing DTV America, has just closed.

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Jeremy Sinon

Hubbard Radio’s Jeremy Sinon will be honored at the NAB Show in April with the association’s Digital Leadership Award.

Sinon is vice president of digital strategy for Hubbard Radio. The award goes to someone who has played “a significant role in transforming a traditional broadcast business to succeed on digital media platforms in a measurable way.”

“Sinon conceptualized, designed and led a team to build Hubbard’s robust proprietary streaming platform,” NAB wrote.

“Accessible through the web and various individual station mobile apps, this unified platform offers Hubbard listeners an exceptional user experience where they can connect with their favorite station and be rewarded for the time they spend listening and interacting. Hubbard stations then also have an opportunity to communicate directly with audiences via notifications, provide effective marketing for clients and build listener databases.”

He also oversees the company’s podcasting work, including the launch of a local podcasting app platform being piloted in Minneapolis and Washington, D.C.

The post Sinon to Be Honored for Digital Leadership appeared first on Radio World.

“2021 was a pivotal year for Cumulus, a year of significant progress and accomplishment.”

Since emerging from voluntary Chapter 11 restructuring in 2018, CEO Mary Berner has put a focus on two key objectives: A sustainable growth trajectory, and “right-sizing the balance sheet to maximize financial flexibility to grow shareholder value.”

Indeed, net leverage deduction, along with further spot and network ad revenue recovery from COVID-19 slowdowns, is Cumulus’ Q4 2021 story. In this special InFOCUS Podcast, we offer audio highlights from the company’s late afternoon earnings call on February 23, which also features CFO Frank López-Balboa and questions from key Wall Street analysts who cover Cumulus Media.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Cumulus Media’s Q4 Earnings Call” on Spreaker.

iHeartMedia Chairman & CEO Bob Pittman (left) and Audacy President & CEO David J. Field

CEOs of two of the largest radio companies in the U.S. will talk about the transformation of the radio industry and what the future holds in an upcoming session at the 2022 NAB Show in Las Vegas this April.

CEOs David Field of Audacy and Bob Pittman of iHeartMedia will discuss how their businesses have evolved in response to the pandemic and what lies ahead for radio during “Transforming Radio in the Audio Renaissance,” Monday, April 25, at 2 pm.

Field and Pittman will share the stage with new NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt to talk about the evolution of the industry, how stations can embrace change and how to create a diversified asset portfolio that can change along with the media marketplace.

Field has served as chairman, president and CEO of Audacy since 2002. Audacy is a developer of original audio content and one of the nation’s largest podcast publishers. The company, formerly Entercom, evolved from 15 stations to a multiplatform audio and entertainment company with more than 230 stations in 47 markets.

Pittman serves as chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia, an audio company with more consumer reach in the U.S. than any other media outlet, the company said. Podcasting is also iHeartMedia’s forte, and the company counts itself as the nation’s largest podcasting publisher.

The session will be one of several focused on audio technology and the radio industry at the upcoming NAB Show, set to be held in Las Vegas April 23–27, 2022, after a two-year hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. LeGeyt told Radio World sister publication TV Technology that despite the current omicron wave, he is 100% confident the show will go on as scheduled.

“I think … that there is a lot of pent up demand — both on the exhibitor side and the attendee side — for an in-person show where business actually gets done,” he said.

The post Radio Leaders to Examine Industry Evolution at NAB Show appeared first on Radio World.

Following Wednesday’s Closing Bell on Wall Street, one of the largest audio content creation and distribution companies in the U.S. quietly released its fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 results. And, with no replay line for investors to dial-in to had they not become aware of the Globe NewsWire release of its numbers, Cumulus Media just may have whispered to the world that it’s off to a strong start in 2022.

But, just how is the company led by CEO Mary Berner faring compared to Q4 2019, the new bellwether for broadcast media companies given the super-strong political dollars seen in the final three months of 2020?

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A new Radio World ebook explores what radio engineers and managers should know about MPX in 2022.

It explores what MPX is and why broadcasters should care — the benefits and cost savings; the impact on infrastructure/signal chain integrity and security.

Is there an engineering advantage? What “flavors” of MPX are there? How have MPX and its applications evolved in recent years? What are important considerations in creating an MPX path over IP, and what misconceptions do users have about it?

Veteran engineering consultant Ed Bukont and experts from sponsors Telos Alliance, WorldCast Systems, Digigram and Thimeo Audio Technology provide insights into this important topic.

Read it here.

The post MPX in the Digital Age: A New Ebook appeared first on Radio World.

Promoting the power and reach of radio around the globe is the goal of the newly formed World Radio Alliance.

In celebration of World Radio Day 2022, trade associations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Australia joined forces to form the new alliance. The group of 14 trade organizations represents radio companies and radio advertising bureaus, such as the Radio Advertising Bureau in the United States, Radio Connects in Canada and Radiocentre in the United Kingdom. The Association of European Radios, which represents 5,000 commercial radio stations across Europe, is also supporting the effort.

Lucy Barrett, client director at Radiocentre, will serve as inaugural president and will steer the group’s activities. Barrett will work in tandem with new World Radio Alliance Vice President Caroline Gianias, president of Radio Connects in Canada.

“The time is absolutely right to join forces and speak with a collective voice,” said Barrett. “Over the last decade we have seen the rise of more commercial audio formats such as music streaming services and podcasts, yet commercial radio’s dominance in the sector remains pretty much intact. As the world has become smaller, with media decisions often taken across whole regions and continents, it’s crucial we come together to tell the success story of radio in a consistent and unified manner.”

The group officially launched on Feb. 10, a few days before World Radio Day on Feb. 13, with the below video compilation highlighting the strength of radio. The organization’s website also includes resources such as testimonials and research tools.

The 14 inaugural members of the World Radio Alliance are:

• Associació Catalana de Ràdio (Catalonia, Spain)
• Audify (Netherlands)
• Bureau de la Radio (France)
• Commercial Radio Australia)
• egta – Association of Television and Radio Sales Houses
• FCP – Assoradio (Italy)
• Radio Advertising Bureau (United States)
• Radio Connects (Canada)
• Radio Zentrale (Germany)
• Radiocentre (United Kingdom)
• Radiocentre Ireland
• RadioMedia (Finland)
• Verband Österreichischer Privatsender (Austria)
• VIA – Association of AV Media (Belgium)

The post Organizations Join Forces to Create World Radio Alliance appeared first on Radio World.

One in a series of articles about the recently concluded EBU Digital Radio Summit.

When should radio leave AM and FM? Will DAB radios ever be cheap enough to woo consumers away from FM? Is IP distribution the future of radio or not?

These contentious questions were bandied about during the EBU Digital Radio Summit’s closing session, “The Great Debate: The future of radio distribution,” on Feb. 16 2022.

The Great Debate Panel (clockwise from upper left): Darko Ratkaj, Hanns Wolter, Peter Mac Avock, Lindsey Mack andx Roland Beutler

The Great Debate was moderated by EBU Senior Project Manager Darko Ratkaj. He began the session by asking Dr. Roland Beutler, who oversees distribution strategy at German regional public service broadcaster Südwestrundfunk, for his views on radio’s best distribution strategy.

Beutler pulled no punches in his reply. “I believe it’s necessary to shut down FM in order to reduce distribution costs,” he said. “Now the question is, how can you do that? How can you vacate the FM band, and how can you make it available to other services?”

In his home country of Germany, Beutler said that politicians need to make the case for a replacement service on the FM band that would win public support.

“One thing I could see is PPDR [Public Protection and Disaster Relief communications used by first responders], because they are using similar frequency ranges already,” he said. A second FM band user could be Smart City data services, for connecting to gas meters and other devices by radio.

Lindsey Mack was more measured when stating her view as BBC senior manager of DAB & BBC Sounds external affairs. “We do plan to close AM mid-2020s,” she said, due to a “consistent decline in listening making it really not viable, and we assume that trend will continue.”

According to Mack, the threshold for both the BBC and U.K. commercial AM stations to start winding down is when AM listenership falls to 3% of total U.K. listenership.

However, matters are not so clear when it comes to shutting down FM in Britain. “This is always a topic that causes quite a lot of alarm especially in the U.K. … and the reason for that is 36% of radio listening is still via FM,” said Mack.

“It remains really valuable to many listeners, particularly those who are older and vulnerable, and to those who may live in areas with limited DAB and/or broadband coverage, and also to the car listener where 50% of car listening is still tuned to analog,” she said.

“In terms of broadcast radio distribution, FM still dominates,” noted Peter Mac Avock, the EBU’s head of distribution, platforms and services. It also remains popular with local broadcasters as a vehicle for selling local advertising, aided by cheap, ubiquitous receivers. In fact, when the cost of FM and DAB receivers are compared head-to-head, “FM is dirt cheap,” he said.

On the other hand, DAB provides much more content variety for listeners and better advertising sales options for broadcasters, said Hanns Wolter, technical director at DAB Italia.

“If you have [targeted] local advertising, you will be able to deliver it locally [via DAB],” said Wolter. “You don’t need to go on the internet and compete with a hundred thousand IP stations. You’ll be able to get directly to your listener.”

At this point, Ratkaj stirred the pot by asking “if advocating DAB as an AM/FM replacement” and overall “good technology” actually makes much sense, given the belief that “it appears to be a transitional technology to an IP paradise — an IP-only future?”

On this point, the debaters agreed that the answer to this distribution question was not at all clear. For her part, Mack said she sees radio’s path lying in “a mixed future with broadcast and IP.”

Her uncertainty was echoed by Mac Avock. “It’s too early to call it,” he said. “It’s easy to say that it’s all going to be IP-based in the future, but there’s a whole host of problems associated with IP distribution. … IP will be a factor, for sure. How big? I don’t know.”

The only sure conclusion to be drawn from the Great Distribution Debate is that it will continue for years to come. As to whether broadcast will continue to hold its own against IP or not? Mac Avock’s summed up the current situation up nicely. “I’m not backing either horse for now.”

Related stories:

• Human Connection Draws in Younger Listeners
• In-Car Listening Influenced by More Than Music Taste
• How CBC Radio Manages Its Wealth of Digital Content

James Careless is an award-winning freelance journalist with experience in radio/TV broadcasting as well as A/V equipment, system design and integration. He has written for Radio World, TV Tech, Systems Contractor News and AV Technology among others. Broadcast credits include CBC Radio, NPR and NBC News. He co-produces/co-hosts the “CDR Radio podcast” and is a two-time winner of the PBI Media Award for Excellence.

The post EBU Summit Closes With ‘Great Debate’ Over Radio Distribution appeared first on Radio World.

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