Industry News

Network radio programmer United Stations, radio station owner Audacy Corp., and AccuWeather have extended — and expanded — their three-way partnership. It is thanks to a new, multi-year agreement that provides for the continuation of AccuWeather’s services on existing Audacy affiliates.

The new deal adds 14 Audacy stations to the list of AccuWeather outlets — including FM stations in New York, Detroit, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Memphis, and Buffalo.

Additionally, AccuWeather, Audacy and United Stations collaborated on the creation of the newly introduced “Social Plus” service as well as the “AccuWeather Weather Protection Plan.” Both are expanded weather services that provide affiliates access to weather forecasts and expert reporting from AccuWeather meteorologists before, during and after severe weather events along with social media posts on the affiliates’ social media platforms. These additional AccuWeather services and the enhancements that they bring to each affiliate were “key ingredients” in the renewal process as well as important components to fulfill the needs of Audacy’s FM stations.

In marking the renewal and expansion of the three-way partnership, Fred Bennett, Senior Vice President of Revenue Analytics and Networks at Audacy Corp., said, “Our local radio station brands are deeply embedded in each of their communities, and this partnership helps us solidify our commitment to delivering the kinds of information that they depend on and trust.”

AccuWeather’s Ken Prehl added, “Developing new and creative ways of delivering the best weather forecasts, warnings and data around is always energizing, but it becomes extra compelling when we are helping legendary radio stations continue to fulfill their fundamental roles as broadcasters. Weather is still ‘lean in’ content, and we are extremely excited and proud to extend this important partnership.”

United Stations Chief Revenue Officer Greg Janoff commented, “Our job is to bring together great content, essential services and the most powerful brands in radio so that our marketing partners are in the most impactful environment possible. When you are talking about brands like WINS, WCBS-AM, WBBM, and WWJ it’s an impressive universe, and now that we are adding major market FM stations to the mix, it’s a milestone moment for everyone involved.”

The Federal Communications Commission is making good on a commitment to promote radio service tailored to the needs of local tribal and rural communities.

For the Blackfeet Nation, formally known as the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, that undertaking has translated into the tentative selection of its application to build a new noncommercial educational (NCE) FM station in Little Browning, Mont.

The announcement comes after the closing of the November NCE FM new station application filing window available for the FM reserved band, Channels 201–220, which is 88.1 to 91.9 on the dial.

In November the bureau issued a public notice identifying 231 groups of mutually exclusive (MX) NCE FM applications. MX applications refers to situations where multiple groups have applied for the same or adjacent channels but only one application in the group can be successful.

Group 131 included the Blackfeet Nation as well as Holy Spirit Radio Inc., which proposed to construct a new station in Conrad, Mont.

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In considering two MX applicants, the Media Bureau said it used tribal priority criteria, service area population data and certifications provided by the applicants to make a decision.

In this case, it followed a threshold tribal priority process that guides the commission in ascertaining if any of the applicants in the MX group are a Native American tribe or Alaska native village proposing to serve tribal lands. It was in 2010 that the commission agreed to a series of policies to promote rural radio service with a key takeaway from that proceeding: It was in the public interest to prioritize tribes when reviewing AM and FM NCE applications and FM allotments.

“Because of their status as sovereign nations responsible for, among other things, maintaining and sustaining their sacred histories, languages and traditions, tribes have a vital role to play in serving the needs and interests of their local communities,” the commission wrote in its report and order.

If only one applicant in a group qualifies for the tribal priority, that applicant will be awarded the construction permit. The applicant must identify as a tribal applicant, propose tribal coverage and offer to provide the first reserved channel NCE service owned by a tribal applicant on those tribal lands. In its application, the Blackfeet Nation said it could meet those requirements.

The other applicant in the MX group, Holy Spirit, does not claim to be a tribe. As a result, the Media Bureau selected the Blackfeet Nation as the tentative selectee.

But the selection is a tentative one. The Media Bureau has created a 30-day window for receiving objection petitions before the application can receive approval. If the process moves forward from there, the bureau will dismiss the MX application of Holy Spirit and formally award the construction permit to the Blackfeet Nation.

The tribe, whose 3,000-square-mile reservation sits east of Glacier National Park and borders the Canadian province of Alberta, also operates station KBWG(LP) on 107.5 MHz in Browning, Mont.

 

The post FCC Tentatively Awards CP to Blackfeet Tribe appeared first on Radio World.

Since December 2019, he has served as VP/GM of one of the newest members of The E.W. Scripps Co. family. Starting Monday (3/7), he’ll become VP/GM of the company’s NBC affiliate and its “FLORIDA 24 Network” over-the-air station serving the Treasure Coast and Palm Beach County, Florida.

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It’s been a year since the company’s stock went ex-dividend. The 1-year target price set by analysts was last seen on November 5.

That said, the worst may be behind Audacy Corp. as its stock continues its climb from pandemic-era depths that seemingly continued up to February 22.

Since then, AUD shares are up by more than one dollar per share.

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Xandr has unveiled a new end-to-end technology platform solution for political advertising including its Invest DSP, Monetize SSP and Xandr Curate platforms in all 50 states.

Xandr’s “holistic approach for political” is comprised of multiple tools for advertisers and publishers to buy and sell political advertising programmatically.

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On Mar. 4, at 8:45 a.m. Central Europe Time (2:45 a.m. EST), around 150 stations across Europe played “Give Peace a Chance,” the anti-war anthem released by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band in 1969, simultaneously.

Based on an initiative from European Broadcasting Union Member Rundfunk Berlin–Brandenburg (rbb) station radioeins, the symbolic transmission was heard in more than 25 countries on public service broadcasters and commercial stations as a reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

“The horrors of the war against Ukraine are more apparent every day. Our solidarity, our humanity and our support are needed,” stated Patricia Schlesinger, chair of ARD, the German public service broadcasting organization, and director general of rbb. “It is a good signal seeing Europe’s radio stations join forces to remind us of that with this song. It is a source of strength and urges us not to look the other way.”

[Related: “Russian Broadcasters Leave EBU”]

Speaking on behalf of Ukrainian Radio, Yurii Tabachenko, executive producer for UA: Ukrainian Radio Channel One, said, “UA: Ukrainian Radio thanks its colleagues from the European Broadcasting Union for their support. It is extremely important that today Europe is united around Ukraine.”

EBU Director General Noel Curran said, “We know that throughout its hundred years history, the public have turned to public service media at times of war to inform and unite. This powerful call for peace through an iconic song will resonate with millions of listeners. This is what we do. I’m proud to belong to a community that, when the world has been fractured, can create moments to bring people together.”

The post European Radio Stations Call for Peace in Ukraine appeared first on Radio World.

Gigi Sohn (image credit C-SPAN)

A divided Senate Commerce Committee finally voted Thursday (Mar. 3) along party lines to send the nomination of Gigi Sohn to the full Senate for a vote, a big step toward her ultimate confirmation. The vote was 14–14, which means the nominee can get a floor vote, but with no favorable or unfavorable recommendation.

The FCC has been at a 2–2 political tie for well over a year, so a tied committee vote to potentially break the commission tie was appropriate.

Sohn would be the fifth commissioner, giving the Biden Administration the majority it needs to tackle some tough issues, including network neutrality and media ownership/equity.

Also reported in a partisan vote was a fifth Federal Trade Commission member, Alvaro M. Bedoya. The vote on Bedoya was also 14–14.

Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) said Sohn needed to be seated, in part because of the importance of the administration’s broadband priorities. Cantwell thanked all her colleagues for being there, which may have been a reference to reports that Republicans had considered not showing up to deny a quorum, and thus a vote, on Sohn.

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Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he could not vote for Sohn or Bedoya. He said he appreciated Sohn’s responsiveness, but said she was not the right choice to fill the FCC vacancy because she would continue to have an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Sohn was nominated last year but had to be renominated in January after the committee Democrats were unable to secure enough votes, then her first vote had to be postponed after one of the committee Democrats — Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico — suffered a stroke.

Luján got a lengthy standing ovation when he entered the chamber for the meeting.

Republicans have pushed back on her nomination over past criticism of Fox News and her relationship to Locast, the shuttered streaming service that was found by a court not to be entitled under a copyright carveout from streaming TV station signals without having to ask permission or pay for the transmissions.

But her backers have suggested that ISPs were pushing back because they did not want the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules, and Republicans were pushing back generally because they wanted to stall the Biden regulatory agenda until the Midterms.

If the Republicans took over the Senate and House, they could nullify any FCC attempt to reinstate the rules, as they did to an FCC privacy regulatory regime under then FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.

Wicker took issue with Cantwell’s phrasing of the nomination as being reported to the floor, saying only that the tie vote was being reported to the floor. Though Cantwell first said she thought that was the proper wording, she agreed that that technically constituted reporting a tie vote to the floor.

According to the Congressional Research Service, “a Senate majority can vote to discharge a committee from consideration of a matter, including a nomination, if it is not reported because of a tie vote in committee.”

The post Senate Commerce Sends Sohn Nomination to Senate for Vote on FCC Seat appeared first on Radio World.

Curtis LeGeyt, CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, will provide the opening keynote on June 22 at the Hispanic Radio Conference.

The conference will be presented June 22-23 in Miami at the Intercontinental at Doral.

The theme of the NAB chief’s remarks will be “Promoting a Strong and Diverse Radio Industry Through Public Policy and Industry Engagement.”

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According to LeGeyt, “Radio’s ability to reach and directly serve diverse audiences is a cornerstone of the business. The Hispanic Radio Conference is an important forum for an ever influential and dynamic segment of the industry to convene, assess challenges, and discover opportunities in today’s complex and competitive media environment. NAB is a proud supporter, and I look forward to participating in this year’s event.”

Deborah Parenti, President/Publisher of Radio Ink and the Radio + Television Business Report, said, “We are especially excited and honored to have Curtis LeGeyt open the Hispanic Radio Conference. It will be a tremendous opportunity for Hispanic broadcasters to share their concerns and challenges with him as well as to hear his vision for the future of the industry.”

More agenda details are available HERE. Register now and save $200. The Hispanic Radio Conference is proudly supported by: PLATINUM SPONSOR Bronze Sponsor Medallas de Cortez Sponsor Corporate Sponsors Participating Sponsors Media Partners

He serves as President of Networks for Nexstar Media Group, and in addition to his role with NewsNation, the cable TV news channel, he also has a hand in ensuring that the company’s lone radio station — heritage spoken-word WGN Radio at 720 on the AM dial across the Midwest — remains a success.

That it has, based on the latest ratings results from Nielsen Audio. Sean returns to the InFOCUS Podcast to share more about WGN’s resiliency and rebirth in Chicago. He talks about the No. 1 performance of John Williams in middays and Bob Sirott in mornings, and the ongoing growth in afternoons; letting nighttime legend John Landecker be himself; and thanking Rollye James for turning a temporary gig into a long-term late-night program.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Sean Compton” on Spreaker.

Just past 10am Eastern on Thursday, Members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee stopped their activities, stood in unison, and applauded at length.

It wasn’t for any of the 10 presidential nominees up for a Committee vote, including Gigi B. Sohn, but rather for Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N. Mex.). The Senator is recovering swiftly from suffering a stroke, which delayed the vote on Sohn.

Sohn’s nomination remained contentious right up to the vote, and Luján’s vote proved to be the decisive one for the nominee, with an expected tie the outcome.

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