iHeart Media

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Stephanie Zolan

by STEPH ZOLAN

iHeartMedia Logo. [1]

iHeartMedia Headquarters
200 East Basse Road
San Antonio, Texas, 78209
(210) 822-2828

Executives:

Bob Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia

Bob Pittman, Chairman & CEO [2]

Richard Bressler, President, CFO and CEO of iHeartMedia

Richard Bressler, President, CFO, & COO [2]

Wendy Goldberg, Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

Wendy Goldberg, Executive Vice President & Chief Communications Officer [2]

Gayle Troberman, Executive Vice President and CMO [2]

John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises [2]

History:

iHeartMedia began with the purchase of a single FM radio station by Lowry Mays and Red McComb under the name Clear Channel Communications. As the company progressed, they acquired not only more broadcast and digital radio stations, but also Clear Channel Outdoor. In addition, iHeartRadio was launched as a website in 2008, and now acts as a digital aggregator for radio brands. In 2014 the company officially rebranded as iHeartMedia in order to create a more cohesive and connected brand. iHeartMedia is now the largest mass media company in America. [3]

Radio:

iHeartMedia currently owns and operates over 850 broadcast radio stations in more than 150 United States markets. They have over 245 million listeners each month, making iHeartMedia the largest multi media company in the country. In addition, the company’s digital music service, iHeartRadio, allows users to create custom music stations. In January, the service exceeded 60 million registered users. [4]

iHeartMedia also operates Premiere Networks, which produces, distributes, or represents over 90 syndicated radio programs and services for more than 5,500 radio stations affiliates. [5] Some of the radio company’s syndicated programs are produced in house, which cater mostly to local markets. In addition to syndicated programming, iHeartMedia also produces Programming for iHeartMedia radio stations greatly varies in order to reach audiences in many different markets. The different radio formats include Alternative, Urban, Smooth Jazz, News talk, Sports talk, Adult Contemporary, Contemporary Hits, Country, Oldies and Classic Hits, Rock, Spanish, and Religious. [6]

Another technique iHeartMedia uses to draw in listeners, is employing trusted radio personalities. For example, On Air With Ryan Seacrest is a syndicated program that is available on over 150 radio stations across the country, and has made Seacrest a household name. [7] His home station, KIIS-FM in Los Angeles produced the most revenue of any United States station in 2014 earning $65.9 million. iHeartMedia continues to increase the awareness of their radio personalities through events. [8]

[9] One of the most well known radio personalities in the country.

Events:

iHeartMedia is more than just the largest owner of radio stations in the United States. The company also specializes in digital media, outdoor advertising, and event production. The national events are used to promote their top notch radio personalities as well as the most popular music on the radio.

[10] 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards logo, from NBC.

Most recently, they hosted the iHeartRadio Music Awards. Musicians were not the only ones who brought home awards that night. The event itself won the Nielsen TV social ratings and the top trending show on Twitter for both the night and the entire week. During the promotional period and the show, The iHeartRadio Music Awards generated 14 billion social media impressions, which is a huge increase in comparison to last year’s 8.5 billion. [11] Local radio station personalities were engaging with viewers through social media, helping draw in the audience. This included live Twitter Periscope broadcasts of behind the scenes footage, and an iHeartAwards Snapchat Story that featured audience members, nominated artists, and radio host Ryan Seacrest. [12]

Clear Channel Outdoor Logo. [13]

Clear Channel Outdoor:

In addition to owning and operating radio stations and producing events, iHeartMedia also specializes in outdoor advertising. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings is a subsidiary of iHeart, and is one of the largest outdoor advertising companies worldwide. They have over 640,000 displays including billboards, street furniture, retail advertising, airport advertising, transit advertising, and posters. Clear Channel Outdoor operates across 40 different countries. [14]

iHeartMedia in the Industry:

As a radio focused company, the main competitors for iHeartMedia are Cumulus Media and CBS Radio in the broadcast radio marketplace. SiriusXM has also become a competitor, and iHeartMedia has purchased two satellite stations of their own in order to expand into the satellite market. Since the company has also increased their digital presence with iHeartRadio, they now compete with Pandora and Spotify as well. [15] iHeartMedia’s ability to stand out is largely attributed to their availability across so many different platforms and formats. The scale of the company allows them to reach a large and diverse audience, and their creativity and tools enable iHeartMedia to effectively target their content and advertisements. [16]

Another factor is brand awareness. In December of 2014, iHeartRadio reached 75% brand awareness, which is a huge accomplishment considering they were at 10% only 5 years ago. iHeartRadio has over 500 million app downloads and 80 million social media followers. [17]

Aside from simply reaching such a large audience, iHeartMedia is able to analyze and more effectively monetize from their radio stations. On April 8^th, 2015 the company announced a partnership with the cloud-based advertisement platform, Jelli. Together, they will work to use technology to target their advertisements programmatically. By automating ad sales, it allows advertisers to make informed advertisement purchases. The system will use psychographics to determine groups that are related to music genres, weather and traffic patterns, and consumer purchase behavior. Advertisements have been programmatically sold online for the past 10 years, and iHeartMedia is now adapting the technique to be used with radio. [18]

Finances:

The majority of iHeartMedia’s revenue is derived from selling advertising times or placements on their radio stations or websites. Between 2013 and 2014, the company’s consolidated revenue increased by $75.5 million, from $6,243,044 to $6,318,533, with $29.9 million attributed to political advertising, traffic and weather, broadcast radio and digital revenues. Unfortunately, their revenue from americas outdoor advertising decreased by $37.3 million, mostly due to lower national account revenues and the nonrenewable airport contracts. [19]

Future:

The next move for the company, is the establishment of iHeartMedia SoundBoard. This entertainment studio will be used to connect brands with iHeartMedia’s available talent and radio personalities to create original audio, video, and experiential content. The studio is primarily audio focused since iHeartMedia is mainly a radio company, but everything that is produced will be accessible across all of iHeartMedia’s platforms including broadcast and digital radio, mobile apps, and live events. The success of this program will be made possible by iHeartMedia’s extensive connections and experience in the entertainment industry as well as the company’s knowledge of both consumers and brands. This development will introduce a new method of creating and distributing content to the market, which may have a large impact on the storytelling industry. When the iHeartMedia SoundBoard studio will launch has yet to be confirmed. [20]

Sources:

[1] IHeartMedia. Digital image. Brradio. Published September 16 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[2] iHeartMedia Corporate Team. iHeartMedia. Retrieved April 17, 2015

[3] Clear Channel Becomes IHeartMedia. iHeartMedia. Published September 16, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[4] About iHeartMedia. iHeartMedia. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[5] Hampp, Andrew. Clear Channel Changes Name to iHeartMedia. Billboard. Published September 16, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[6] Station Search. iHeartMedia. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[7] All Stations And Times. Tune In. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[8] Overall U.S. Radio Industry Revenues Remain Steady at $14.9 Billion in 2014. BIAKelsey. Published April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[9] On Air With Ryan Seacrest Logo. The Drum. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[10] iHeartRadio Awards Logo. NBC. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[11] iHeartRadio Music Awards” Generates 14 billion Social Media Impressions. Digital Media Wire. Published April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[12] 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards Generates More Than 14 Billion Social Impressions. Business Wire. Published April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[13] Clear Channel Outdoor Logo. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[14] Company Overview. Clear Channel Outdoor. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[15] iHeartRadio Grows Even More: How Will This Impact Sirius XM And Pandora? Seeking Alpha. Published June 27, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[16] Sisario, Ben. Clear Channel Renames Itself iHeartMedia in Nod to Digital. The New York Times. Published September 16, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[17] iHeart Media Surpasses 60 Million Registered Users Continuing to Demonstrate Accelerated Growth, Engagement and Strong Brand Awareness. Business Wire. Published January 23, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[18] Marshall, Jack. iHeartMedia Will Sell Radio Ads Programmatically. Wall Street Journal. Published April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

[19] iHeartMedia 2015 10-K. United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Published February 19, 2015. Accessed April 17, 2015.

[20] iHeartMedia Announces “iHeartMedia SoundBoard,” A New Multiplatform, Audio-Centric Branded Content Studio That Invites Brands, Talent and Fans To Join in Developing Original Productions. iHeartMedia. Published February 3, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.

Spotify

Posted on October 14, 2014 by hlu04

by Helen Lu

[1] Spotify’s Logo

KEY EXECUTIVES

[2] Spotify Founders- Martin Lorentzon & Daniel Ek

[3] Jeff Levick- Chief Business Officer

[4] Steve Savoca- Head of Content

[5] Ken Parks- Chief Content Officer & Managing Director USA

SPOTIFY OVERVIEW

[6] Spotify’s sleek interface layout for their multi-platform service.

Spotify is a privately-owned, digital music streaming service that provides on-demand access to tracks. It is available on multiple platforms, including computers, mobile, tablets, and home entertainment systems. Originally founded in Sweden in 2006, Spotify launched in the United States in 2011; it is now available in 58 markets. [7]

Spotify offers listeners the free model, “made possible by ads,” and the premium model for $9.99 monthly, which is ad-free, high-quality, and available offline. [8] With over 20 million songs, over 20,000 tracks added daily, and over 1.5 billion playlists, Spotify has accumulated 10 million active users and a total of 40 million active users. [9]

COMPETITORS

Rdio, Pandora, Rhapsody, Google Play Music, Beats, iTunes Radio, Music Unlimited, and Xbox Music are worthy contenders in this competitive space. Product reviews assess service quality with major factors include song catalog, user interface, support, and features. [10] Each racing for a market share, these top players in the market are making strategic ploys to stay afloat.

On November 12th, Youtube announced their own streaming service, Youtube Music Key for $9.99. It will be interesting to see how it will affect the music industry when it fully hits the market in 2015. [11]

[12] Spotify and The Echo Nest collaboration

In early March 2014, Spotify acquired The Echo Nest, a big data company to enhance the music discovery feature, forcing Rdio, Rhapsody, iHeartRadio, and Vevo to look elsewhere for a discovery algorithm. [13]

THE SPOTIFY STRATEGY

Spotify has successfully targeted college students, establishing a solid audience base and brand loyalty. With personal information confirming their status, Spotify offers students Spotify Premium for only $4.99. [13]

[13] Spotify engages their target audience: college students and 18-24 year-olds.

COLLEGE CASE STUDY

Spotify’s tenacious grasp on college students’ listening is reflected in their recently released research report of the Top 40 Musical Schools in America. The findings are a close study of the musical norms in the schools.

[14] Detailed graphs document music-genre distribution and listening spikes, showing not only what students listen to but also how they listen.

The data that Spotify is able to collect can be utilized for targeted advertising and marketing campaigns today. Moreover, with such a large following of the developing youth, Spotify is not only able to make significant advancements with the invaluable information about today, but accurate inferences about these soon-to-be adults tomorrow. [13]

#THATSONGWHEN

Spotify launched their #thatsongwhen campaign with advertising agencies Ogilvy & Mather and David to further engage their millennial base. #Thatsongwhen allows users to tie their emotional experiences to their favorite songs, to create, and to tell stories. The customization, personalization, and interactivity of a musical experience attracts and retains a young crowd. [15]

The stories are media clips that are charged with emotion, and of course, music. Don’t Go Chasing Girls is about a man’s early memory of his childhood crush that is easily triggered with TLC’s hit song, Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls. Stories and songs are updated and posted on a live feed.

AD TAKEOVER

Spotify is introducing two new advertising options for eager advertisers:

1. The dubbed Video Takeover, only available on desktops, allows brands to takeover the screen during 15-30 second advertising breaks.

2.The dubbed Sponsor Sessions forces mobile users to view a 15-30 second video on their mobile devices in order to proceed onto 30 minutes of uninterrupted streaming. [16]

McDonald’s, Universal Pictures, and Ford are just some of the major sponsors that have opted into this advertising innovation. [17]

[18] McDonald’s format and utilization of Spotify’s advertising product – Video Takeover.

SPOTIFY PARTNERSHIPS

VODAFONE

Everything is going mobile, and music is no exception. This rapid trend of playing and streaming music from a smartphone is particularly prevalent in Australia. Due to these recent findings, Vodafone Australia has partnered with Spotify to bundle in Spotify Premium for free with their monthly plan. A Spotify Premium subscription generally costs $11.99 Australian dollars each month. The exclusive offers with Spotify vary, and are known as the Red Plans. [19]

[20] Research shows that 1.5 million Australians stream music from their mobile devices.

Vodafone believes that Spotify Premium’s features complement and maximize the use of their faster network speeds, value plans, and expanding 4G network. Both the companies and the listeners are benefitting from this collaboration as the marriage of these digital services follow consumer trends and meets consumer needs. [21]

CARPLAY

Apple Carplay is an a new feature configured in select 2014 vehicles. Spotify is on board for this innovative ride as it has updated and fixed some bugs for this new multimedia system. [22] The music player allows users to access their Spotify accounts using a compatible iPhone. [23] With a built-in display to play music, Carplay is an exclusive and luxurious market; the Ferrari FF is one of the few select cars with Carplay. Several automobile manufacturers, however, are making an effort to include and support this system in the future. [24]

[24] Spotify collaborates with Apple Carplay to incorporate music services in the latest car models.

UBER

Uber is a hip taxi service, and Spotify is a hip streaming service. These two successful startups partner up for a new listening experience. Passengers can link their custom playlists to Uber vehicles for a fun ride. Although this new feature has started off in ten cities, it makes a big splash in the car service industry and the music industry. This partnership allows both companies to co-promote their respective brands and to change with the times. The service is for Spotify Premium account holders. [25]

[26] Spotify and Uber modernize the standard cab-ride as they join forces to create a new listening experience.

SPOTIFY CONTROVERSY

Taylor Swift pulled her entire catalogue from Spotify’s music database as she believes that it does not fairly compensate artists. [27] As a popular musician, her bold move and her public statements rejecting the streaming business model has made headlines for weeks. Fans and critics are responding to her decision with distaste as both parties point out that there are other viable services, such as Youtube and SoundCloud, to play her music. [28] While she recently accepted the first-ever Dick Clark Award for Excellence at the 2014 American Music Awards Ceremony, she added another snide comment jabbing at Spotify and streaming services again. [29] Jason Aldean has followed Swift’s footsteps, and pulled his new album Old Boots, New Dirt from Spotify. [30]

Spotify executive, Ek, combats this frenzy and reports that artists that use Spotify to promote their music actually sell more, and that Spotify has returned over $2 billion to music industry today. Top artists like Swift are set to project over $6 million in revenue a year. [31] Despite the financial debate and moral controversy, the Spotify team still hopes for Swift to change her mind. [32]

[33] Taylor Swift is a firm believer in the value of music, and that it should not be free. Swift has pulled her music catalogue from Spotify.

It is unlikely that many artists will join Swift’s banning of the digital streaming business, as it is the digital age. Reports confirm that streaming services grew 28% in the first half of 2014. [26] Listeners’ habits changed; artists can sink, but digital streaming services will swim.

SPOTIFY: LOOKING AHEAD

Despite the recent controversies, Spotify has achieved success with their recent collaborations; the student discount and the partnership with Vodafone have led Spotify subscriptions to increase by 42%. [28] Spotify Family Plan has launched with popular demand and proven financial success with previous discount deals. The plan allows subscribers to add four family members to their account for half the price. [34]

Spotify’s name is globally recognized, and Spotify’s services are well integrated into the new digital age. Its key strategies and partnerships keep it on the bleeding edge of the music industry.

Sources

1. Spotify’s Logo, Spotifypress.com, RT:11.29.2014

2. Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, RT: 11.29.2014

3. Jeff Levick, RT: 11.29.2014

4. Steve Savoca, Spotifypress.com, RT:11.29.2014

5. Ken Parks, Evolver.fm, RT: 11.29.2014

6. Spotify Interface Layout, RT: 11.29.2014

7. Spotify Business Information, investing.businessweek.com, RT: 11.29.2014

8. Spotify Official Website, spotify.com/us, RT: 11.29.2014

9. Spotify Press Information, spotify.com/information, RT: 11.29.2014

10. “Spotify and competitors play to their musical strengths”, usatoday.com, RT: 11.29.2014

11. “YouTube Launching Spotify-Style Paid Music Service”, TIME, RT: 11.29.2014

12. Spotify and The Echo Nest Collaboration, RT: 11.29.2014

13. “Will Spotify’s hat trick help it pull ahead of competition?”, Fortune, RT: 11.29.2014

14. How Students Listen, spotify.com, RT: 11.29.2014

15. “Spotify Ties Music to Personal Stories in Its New Ads”, adweek.com, RT: 11.29.2014

16. “Spotify Unveils Video Takeover Ad Product for Free Users”, telecompaper.com, RT: 11.29.2014

17. “Spotify is bringing video ‘takeover ads’ to its free service”, theverge.com, RT: 11.29.2014

18. Spotify Video Takeover Format, spotify.com, RT: 11.29.2014

19. “Vodafone offers postpaid customers free Spotify Premium access”, CNET, RT: 11.29.2014

20. “Spotify partners with Vodafone Australia for down under listeners”, rainnews.com, RT: 11.29.2014

21. “Vodafone Australia and Spotify join forces!”, vodafone.com, RT: 11.29.2014

22. “Spotify adds support for Apple’s CarPlay in update to iOS app”, talkingnewmedia.com, RT: 11.29.2014

23. “Spotify Adds CarPlay Support in Latest iOS Update”, macrumors.com, RT: 11.29.2014

24. “Apple CarPlay comes to Pioneer stereos as Spotify adds support”, engadget.com, RT: 11.29.2014

25. “Tuneup, redefined: You can now Spotify your Uber ride”, CNET, RT: 11.29.2014

26. Uber and Spotify Partnership, Uber.com, RT: 11.29.2014

27. “Taylor Swift is right about music, wrong about Spotify, says CEO Ek”, CNET, RT: 11.29.2014

28. “Why Taylor Swift Will Lose Her Battle With Spotify”, TIME, RT: 11.29.2014

29. “AMAs: Taylor Swift Continues Anti-Streaming-Service Stance in Dick Clark Award Speech”, hollywoodreporter.com, RT: 11.29.2014

30. “Jason Aldean Agrees with Taylor Swift, WIll Remove New Album From Spotify”, musictimes.com, RT: 11.29.2014

31. “$2 Billion and Counting”, spotify.com, RT: 11.29.2014

32. “Here’s Why Taylor Swift Pulled Her Music From Spotify”, TIME, RT: 11.29.2014

33. “Taylor Swift and the Whole Spotify Thing”, uloop.com, RT: 11.29.2014

34. “Spotify launching family plan with cheaper subscriptions for families”, theguardian.com, RT: 11.29.2014

Sirius XM Radio

Posted on October 5, 2014 by areeves

by Allie Reeves

[1] SiriusXM Logo

The Sirius Story:

Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is a satellite radio service that offers commercial-free streaming on over 175 channels in the United States and Canada. These channels are comprised of every type of radio – music, news, sports, talk, and more [2]. It is currently the largest radio broadcaster and caters to about 26.7 million subscribers [3].

[30] SiriusXM Programming

Currently, the most popular way for subscribers to enjoy SiriusXM Radio is in the comfort of their cars. SiriusXM has arrangements with over forty automakers for installation of their services directly into the vehicle [3]. However, as of recent, SiriusXM has become available to stream directly online in your home or office, as well as an app that can be accessed on Smartphones and Tablets.

SiriusXM currently offers three different packages: Sirius Select, Sirius All Access, and Sirius Mostly Music. The packages can be bought on a monthly or annual basis and range in price from $9.99 to $199 [4].

[4] Most Popular Packages for SiriusXM Customers

The Sirius Team:

[6] Scott Greenstein, President & Chief Content Officer

[5] James E. Meyer, CEO

[7] Patrick L. Donnelly, Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Finances:

[31] SiriusXM finances as of December 1, 2014

SiriusXM recently released their 2014 Third Quarter Results, which revealed a 10% increase in revenue since this time last year, putting the company at a record high of $1.1 billion. This is higher than analysts originally anticipated for the company, as they put the company’s assumed revenue at $1.04 billion. The company also increased its subscriber count by 1.2 million [8].

Interest in shares of SiriusXM increased rapidly during the month of November. As of November 14^th, there has been an increase of 2.8% since October 31^st up to 247, 283,696. The company is now up to a $3.75 price on their stock [32].

Competitors:

[11] Apple Inc. Logo

SiriusXM’s current competitors are Apple and iHeartMedia, as well as regular terrestrial radio. Pandora and Spotify have also been named as competitors, but in a recent interview with James Meyer, CEO of SiriusXM, the two services were ruled out.

[12] iHeartMedia Logo

Meyer explained these companies are streaming services, which he doesn’t view as competition, but as its own distinct technology. Meyer also stated that out of them all, terrestrial radio is their primary competition, with 220 million people that use it everyday [9].

However, with Apple’s new CarPlay, that might not be the case for much longer. CarPlay gives drivers access to all of their music, podcasts, and audiobooks with the touch of a button, and major auto companies like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Ferrari are already on board. The venture is still in its early stages, but since SiriusXM is primarily used by vehicle subscribers, CarPlay could end up being a serious competitor [10].

[13] Apple CarPlay

The Sirius Edge:

What sets SiriusXM apart from its competitors at Apple, and iHeartMedia is the company’s original content that can only be accessed through subscriptions to SiriusXM.

[15] The Howard Stern Show, one of the most popular talk shows on SiriusXM

Some of the most popular original content shows include The Howard Stern Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and NFL Radio, although many more are available [3]. This original content helps keep subscribers tuning in, and keeps SiriusXM’s churn rate at an impressive 1.9%. It also helps the company keep their acquisition costs low, which has recently become problematic for companies like Pandora [14].

[17] SiriusXM Town Hall Event in the Fishbowl

SiriusXM is also known for their “Town Hall” Series. These intimate gatherings take place in the SiriusXM fishbowl, a private listening studio, where entertainers sit down with a live studio audience comprised of about 30 SiriusXM subscribers who have won an invitation to the event [16].

[19] Taylor Swift at a Town Hall Event for SiriusXM

Recently, SiriusXM was able to snag Taylor Swift for a Town Hall Event. Subscribers had the chance to ask her questions and listen to songs off of her newest album, 1989. This event comes after Swift’s recent decision to pull her music off of Spotify, giving even more leverage to SiriusXM [18].

The Today Show for SiriusXM:

This past year, SiriusXM announced a major deal with NBC, in which simulcasts of the hit NBC show, The Today Show, would be broadcasted on the satellite radio service. The format of bringing a morning show to radio has been done before, unsuccessfully. However, what makes this different is that SiriusXM will not be airing segments of the popular morning show, they will be airing the program identically as it airs on television [20].

[24] The Today Show

This move was a strategic boost for both companies. The show airs during popular morning drive time, when radio listening is at its highest. The deal will allow NBC to access SiriusXM’s 26 million listeners, and SiriusXM hopes to draw in more subscribers that are already fans of the show.

[21]

Suing Sirius:

SiriusXM has come under fire in the past year over use of music recorded before 1972. More recently, individual bands have started going after the company, claiming that they deserve compensation. Although songs recorded before February 15^th, 1972 are not covered by federal copyright law, some artists and labels have been seeking protection under individual state laws – and the courts have been agreeing. As of November 17^th, the 1960s rock band, The Turtles, has had two victories against the satellite radio company [22].

[25] Rock Band The Turtles in the 1960s

The court ruled that music recorded before 1972 still has a public performance right and that digital services cannot use it without permission or compensation. SiriusXM has requested to dismiss the lawsuit, but it has been rejected. The judge ruled that SiriusXM has until December 5^th to show any factual issues that would be cause for a trial. If none are found, she will rule in favor of the band, and “assess damages” [23].

What’s Next:

[28] Joel Osteen

SiriusXM recently announced that Golf Hall of Fame member Sir Nick Faldo will receive his own show, where he will talk golf and get to know golf enthusiasts, while they get a chance to know him [26]. SiriusXM also launched a new pop channel, Venus, as well as adding some of their popular internet only channels like Y2Kountry and Utopia to their satellite lineup. Joel Osteen Radio will also be coming to SiriusXM, a station rooted in the power of “positive thinking with messages of inspiration” [27].

[33] Holiday music channels at SiriusXM

SiriusXM is currently celebrating the sounds of the holiday season with the addition of two new Holiday Music channels, Holly and Holiday Traditions. They plan to release more within the upcoming month [33].

Also effective January 2015, there will be an increase of 1.4 percentage points in the U.S. Music Royalty Fee applied to most SiriusXM audio packages, in order to fund royalty payments to the music industry [29].

Sources

1. SiriusXM’s Logo 2014, Fbnstatic.com, RT: 11/20/2014

2. What is SiriusXM?, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

3. Corporate Overview, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

4. Our Most Popular Packages, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

5. Chief Executive Officer, SiriusXM, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

6. President & Chief Content Officer, SiriusXM, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

7. Executive Vice President and General Counsel, SiriusXM, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

8. “SiriusXM Reports Third Quarter 2014 Results”, Investor.siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

9. “Sirius XM CEO: I Don’t See Spotify As A Direct Competitor”, Benzinga.com, RT: 11/22/2014

10. “Is Apple’s New Toy a Sirius XM or Pandora Killer?”, Fool.com, RT: 11/22/2014

11. Apple Inc. Logo, Worldofdtcmarketing.com, RT: 11/22/2014

12. iHeartMedia Logo, Billboard, RT: 11/24/2014

13. Apple Car Play, Uncrate.com, RT: 11/24/2014

14. “Sirius XM’s Main Edge Over Competitors”, Fool.com, RT: 11/28/2014

15. The Howard Stern Show, Tuaw.com, RT: 11/22/2014

16. SiriusXM Town Hall, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

17. SiriusXM Fishbowl Event, Howstuffworks.com, RT: 11/28/2014

18. “Taylor Swift’s Exclusive 1989 “Town Hall” to Air Live on SiriusXM”, Investor.siriusxm.com, RT: 11/24/2014

19. Taylor Swift for SiriusXM, SiriusXM Blog, RT: 11/22/2014

20. “Starting in June, ‘Today’ Will Simulcast on SiriusXM”, New York Times, RT: 11/28/2014

21. Today Show Radio on SiriusXM, YouTube, RT: 11/28/2014

22. “Rock band wins again in copyright battle against Sirius XM”, The Times of India, RT: 11/28/2014

23. “New York Court Delivers Third Strike Against Sirius XM on Pre-1972 Sound Recordings”, Sound Exchange, RT: 11/28/2014

24. Today Show Logo, Momsdemandaction.org, RT: 11/28/2014

25. The Turtles, Allmusic.com, RT: 11/28/2014

26. “Sir Nick Faldo to Host SiriusXM Show”, Techsonian.com, RT: 11/28/2014

27. New Channels and Lineup Changes, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

28. Joel Osteen, Lightsource.com, RT: 11/28/2014

29. “U.S. Music Royalty Fee Effective January 5, 2015”, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/28/2014

30. SiriusXM Programming, Siriusxm.com, RT: 11/20/2014

31. SiriusXM Financials, Google, RT: 12/1/2014

32. SiriusXM Stock Information, Watchlistnews.com, RT: 12/1/2014

33. Holiday Music at SiriusXM, Siriusxm.com, RT: 12/1/2014

Pandora Radio

Posted on November 21, 2013 by eamoomey

By Isaiah Mendez

Pandora Media, Inc.

2101 Webster Street
16th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
510.451.4100

http://www.pandora.com/

About the Company [1]:

Pandora Internet Radio is an internet music streaming service that is only available in the United States, New Zealand and Austrailia. It provides both A major competitor with other internet radio providers such as Clear Channel Communications, SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. and CBS Radio Inc., Pandora is known for it’s Music Genome Project, which creates customized playlists for users by analyzing the musical characteristics of songs that they listen to. The internet service can be accessed using a free account or by purchasing a monthly subscription. Pandora Media Inc. was founded in Oakloand, California by Tim Westergren in the year 2000 at the same time as the the Music Genome Project. Pandora currently has additional corporate locations in Houston, TX and in New York City.

Key Executives [2]:

Brian McAndrews – Chief Executive Officer, President & Chairman

Tim Westergren – Chief Strategy Officer & Founder

Tom Conrad – Chief Technology Officer & Executive Vice President of Product

Mike Herring – Chief Financial Officer

John Trimble – Chief Revenue Officer

Delida Costin – General Counsel

Simon Fleming-Wood – Chief Marketing Office

Financial Information [3]:

As of August 22nd, 2013, Pandora Media Inc reported a successful financial year. For the 2Q14 financial period, Pandora made a total revenue of $157.4, which is a $31.9 million increase from the previous fiscal quarter ($128.5 million). Their advertising revenue for the fiscal period was a whopping $33.5 million, which included a $4.7 million in revenue relating to their subscription return reserve.

News:

Insider Selling

The Executive VP of Pandora, Thomas Conrad sold 55,000 shares of the company’s stock for a total of $1,677,500.00 [4] in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th of 2013. After this transaction, the executive VP now owns 529,190 shares of the company’s stock. The disclosure of the sale is located in a document filed by the Securities & Exchange Commission [5]. In an official research note to investors on Tuesday, November 19th, analysts at Piper Jaffray Cos., reiterated an “overweight” rating on Pandora’s shares, making note of the price target of these shares from $27.00 to $37.00.

Pandora says iTunes Radio not affecting business…

Even if the numbers seem to report otherwise. According to an Apple Insider article from November 5th of this year, Pandora lost 1.8 million listeners to Itunes Radio shortly after it was first deployed [6]. At a recent iPad event that took place on October 22, chief executive Tim Cook noted that Apple’s iTunes Radio service had a total of 20 million users on it’s debut [7] , who played a collective 1 billion songs.

Initially, before iTunes Radio was launched, Mike Herring of Pandora called the service a “credible threat [8], while at the same time showing optimism about Pandora’s continued dominance in the internet radio business. Interestingly enough, Pandora listening hours actually grew by 9 percent during the same month that iTunes Radio launched, which explains why they do not view it as a threat to business.

For one, this is believed to be caused by Pandora’s continual growth as a station. The company says that it is looking to expand it’s operations beyond it’s current boundaries of the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand in the new future, and could use some of the close to $400 million riased in September stock offering for the proposed expansion.

Another reason Pandora is not considering iTunes a credible threat may be related to the fact that they had recently waived their 40-hour-listening-cap for free users as of September of this year [9], a very bold step the company took as a precautionary business measure before iTunes Radio was released.

Oakland Raiders get their own Pandora station

Oakland Raiders

According to an article from the San Jose Mercury News, The Oakland Raiders now how their own channel on Pandora Radio as of November 15th of this year [10]. The name of the new station is the Raider Nation Station, which plays a mix of Raiders-themed songs chosen by members of the football team themselves. As a part of the great endeavor, five Raiders team members spent time at Pandora headquarters, which is also located in Oakland, California, in order to get a behind the scenes look on how Pandora allows users to customize their own music experiences. The five players who took part in this– Tyvon Branch, Rashad Jennings, Marquette King, Rod Streater and Jared Veldheer- also recorded spots that are to be played on the Raider Nation Station.

Sources:

[1]: http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.Pandora_Media_Inc.2b1700451b5b52de.html

[2]: http://investor.pandora.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=227956&p=irol-govManage

[3]: http://investor.pandora.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=227956&p=quarterlyearnings

[4]: http://www.wkrb13.com/markets/230485/insider-selling-thomas-conrad-sells-55000-shares-of-pandora-media-stock-p/

[5]: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1230276/000123027613000168/xslF345X01/edgar.xml

[6]: http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/11/05/pandora-says-itunes-radio-not-affecting-business-loses-nearly-2m-active-listeners

[7]: http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/10/22/apples-app-store-hits-1m-options-itunes-radio-users-play-1b-songs

[8]: http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/10/16/apples-itunes-radio-is-credible-threat-says-pandora-cfo

[9]: http://www.webpronews.com/pandora-lifts-40-hour-per-month-streaming-cap-2013-08

[10]: http://www.mercurynews.com/music/ci_24532234/oakland-raiders-get-own-pandora-station

SiriusXM Radio

Quote

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Aaron Liebman

By Aaron Liebman

Sirius XM Radio Inc.
1221 Avenue of the Americas
New York City, New York, U.S.

Phone: 1-866-528-7474
Website: http://www.siriusxm.com

Company Overview

Sirius XM Radio Inc. is a broadcasting corporation that provides satellite radio services in the United States and Canada. It is the largest radio broadcaster in terms of revenue and has over 25 million subscribers. The company is the result of the merger between Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. [1]

SiriusXM produces and broadcasts a wide variety of commercial-free music; exclusive talk and entertainment; comedy and news; premier sports and live events; and the biggest selection of Latin music, talk, and sports programming in radio. SiriusXM offers an array of exclusive content that encompasses virtually all interests and genres including Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Oprah Winfrey, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, and many more. Since most of its subscribers listen to the radio on the go, SiriusXM has partnerships with all major automakers to install satellite radio in their vehicles. [1] [2]

Key Executives:

James E. Meyer [4][a]

Chief Executive Officer, Sirius XM Radio Inc.

Scott Greenstein [4][b]

President and Chief Content Officer

Dara Altman [4][c]

Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer

Financial Information (3rd quarter)

Revenue: $961,509
Total Operating Expenses: $676,980
Net Income: $62,894
Top Competitors: Clear Channel Communications, Dial Global, Cumulus Media [5]

The third quarter revenue was up 10.85% from 2012’s third quarter revenue of $867,360. Since SiriusXM Radio has very little advertising, 87% of their total revenue is from subscription fees [2]. SiriusXM had a total revenue in 2012 of $3,402,040, a 13% increase from their 2011 revenue of 3,014,524. The increase in revenue can be attributed to a 9% increase in average number of subscribers, as well as an increase in subscriptions to premium services, including internet streaming and data services. As of January 17, 2013, Liberty Media Corporation owns 50% in shares of SiriusXM’s common stock. [3]

Automotive Distribution

Courtesy of marketplayground.com

[d]

On November 20th, Sirius XM purchased Agero Inc’s connected vehicle service unit for $530 million. This major purchase will dramatically help SiriusXM broaden their service along with their reach. Agero’s connected vehicle unit will not merely be a selling point to increase radio subscriptions. The purchase of this unit will allow SiriusXM to dominate the connected vehicle market while also broadening the company’s brand as more than simply an entertainment broadcast company. SiriusXM will become a leader in in-vehicle technology. While radio will remain the main focus of the company’s business, the company will move its attention towards providing a variety of car connectivity solutions. SiriusXM will become the in-vehicle source for navigation, radio, traffic alerts, weather updates, and emergency services while providing the company with a large amount of driver data which can be used to predict future user needs and alter product offerings. [6]

On August 21st 2013, SiriusXM launched its “Service Lane” program which offers customers a free 2-month subscription following visits to selected auto dealerships. [7] With the Service Lane program, new- and used- car owners who bring their car in for service at

Courtesy of autoremarketing.com

their local dealership are eligible to receive the temporary free subscription. Service Lane is being used by dealers as a way to build loyalty and show customer appreciation. [8]

[f]

In April of 2013, SiriusXM and BMW announced that BMW customers now receive a one year subscription to SiriusXM’s All Access Package with each new vehicle purchase. This provides customers with in car satellite radio as well as access to streaming content on Sirius XM Internet Radio. The All Access package also comes with a radio app that allows BMW customers to easily listen to their favorite programing at home or in the office on their smartphone or tablet. [9]

Courtesy of bimmerpost.com

[g]

Programming

To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, SiriusXM is launching “JFK: 50 Years Later” – a limited-run pop up channel that provides listeners with an opportunity to hear extensive JFK programming. [10] The channel offer multiple

Courtesy of boston.com

perspectives from hosts including Oliver Stone, Chris Matthews, Sarah Palin, Dan Rather and former Secret Service agent Clint Hill. The show will feature guests who will offer their personal reflections about the assassination as well as eyewitness insight. The show debuts at 6:00 am, November 22. [11]

[h]

SiriusXM subscribers get exclusive listening access to concert premiers from Pearl Jam’s new “Lightning Bolt” tour on “Peal Jam Radio” – channel 22. The channel will broadcast a different show from the tour every Friday at 6pm starting November 18th and will rebroadcast on Saturdays at 7pm. Pearl Jam sat down with Brendan O’Brien, who

Courtesy of guerrillacandy.com

[i]
produced their latest album, for SiriusXM’s “Town Hall” series – an intimate gathering of iconic musicians and entertainers in front of a studio audience of SiriusXM listeners. Pearl Jam Radio features concerts, interviews, greatest hits as well as hidden gems from the band’s celebrated 20-year career. [12]

With the holiday season quickly approaching, SiriusXM launched its holiday music channels on November 4th. With seven commercial free holiday channels, spanning multiple genres and decades of music, SiriusXM provides listeners with the most comprehensive lineup of holiday music on the radio. “Holiday Traditions” on channel 4 will feature classic holiday music from the 40’s through the 60’s. “Holly” on channel 17 will

Courtesy of siriusbuzz.com

feature contemporary holiday tunes from artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Miriah Carey and many more. “Navidad” on channel 756 will offer contemporary Latin holidy music with artists such as Gloria Estefan, Marco Antonio, and Jose Feliciano. These are a few examples of the variety of holiday music that is offered on SiriusXM radio. The seven temporary channels will also be available through online streaming at siriusxm.com as well as on the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones. [13][j]

MySMX

MySMX is new way for subscribers to personalize their SiriusXM Radio Experience. Users can personalize there preferences for over 50 channels to better fit their tastes.

Courtesy of billboard.com

[k]
Users can fine tune their preferences to discover new music and increase the library size of the song selection for a given channel, allowing users to create hundreds of variations. [14]

Sources

Written

[1] http://www.siriusxm.com/corporate
[2] http://investor.siriusxm.com/annuals.cfm
[3] http://investor.siriusxm.com/sec.cfm [4] http://www.siriusxm.com/bios
[5] http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/competition.SIRIUS_XM_Radio_Inc.b9d4eb02dddf9714.html
[6] http://seekingalpha.com/article/1851611-sirius-xm-telematics-worth-billions?source=google_news
[7] http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=786566
[8] http://www.autonews.com/article/20130617/OEM06/306179941#axzz2lBJEZiLH
[9] http://www.bimmerfile.com/2013/04/18/bmw-customers-now-get-one-year-subscription-to-siriusxms-all-access-package-with-new-vehicle-purchase/
[10] http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=808660
[11] http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jfk-50-years-later-launches-on-siriusxm-to-commemorate-the-50th-anniversary-of-president-john-f-kennedy-assassination-232663961.htm
[12] http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=807714
[13] http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=804094
[14] http://investor.siriusxm.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=756498

Images

[a] http://satelliteradioplayground.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/James-E.-Meyer-Sirius-XM-Radio-CEO.jpeg [b] http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BODkyOTYxMjA1N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMTI0OTIz._V1._SX294_SY400_.jpg
[c] http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/SIRI/0x0x243733/D3586288-7197-4615-9A67-50C63C015110/daraaltman_resized.jpg
[d] http://marketplayground.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Sirius-XM-Edge-car.jpg
[e] http://assets.dice.com/external/images/empLogos/b7f60971888e91049eb24431b956cea5.gif
[f] http://www.autoremarketing.com/sites/default/files/sirius-xm_1_0.jpg?1377113777
[g] http://www.bimmerpost.com/wp-content/themes/next/mythumb.php?src=http://www.bimmerpost.com/storyimages/4c59d569-9676-1850.jpg&h=736&w=1140&zc=1&s=1
[h] http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/JFK50_11_21/k01_STA45161.jpg [i] http://www.guerrillacandy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CUB_3537_1-2.jpg
[j] http://siriusbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/mongo-christmas.gif
[k] http://www.billboard.com/files/styles/promo_650/public/media/mysxm_siriusxm_650.jpg

CBS Radio

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Drew Brown Brown

CBS Radio- Courtesy of www.cbsradio.com[1]

By: Drew Brown

1271 Avenue of the Americas FL 44 New York, NY 10020 (212) 649-9600 www.cbsradio.com

CBS Corporation

CBS, Columbia Broadcasting System, Corporation is a mass media company that creates and distributes industry leading content across a variety of platforms to audiences around the world. The Company has businesses with origins that date back to the dawn of the broadcasting age as well as new ventures that operate on the leading edge of media.[2]

History

CBS Radio is one of the oldest units within CBS Corporation, and has been around since 1928, founded by William Paley.

With 126 radio stations in 27 markets, including all of the Top 10, and an extensive array of digital assets, CBS RADIO interacts with more than 65 million consumers nationwide each week with the latest in news, sports and entertainment. CBS RADIO distributes its programming via AM, FM and HD Radio stations, Radio.com, and CBS Local Digital Media apps, making engaging with audiences easier than ever before.[3] CBS prides itself on hiring the best on-air personalities, to creating a more personal listening experience for the people. Having frequent promotions and prizes for daily listeners, this is one of the many reasons CBS is a powerhouse in entertainment and broadcasting industry.

Executives [4][5][6][7][8]

: Dan Mason, President & CEO [4]

: Scott Herman, EVP Operations [5]

: Chris Oliviero, EVP Programming[6]

: Jo Ann Haller, Sr. Vice President & General Counsel [7]

: Micheal Weiss, President, Sales [8]

Company Dominance

CBS Radio stations thrive in all 27 different major markets. Made available in the CBS Corporation 3rd Quarter 2013 investors newsletter, CBS Radio stations continue to dominate in generating revenue. The list below shows CBS Radio stations revenue standings in the top 10 markets.[9]

[9]

CBS Radio stations set the bar high and continue to excel over both music and talk formated stations. This year, CBS Radio stations won five NAB Marconi Radio Awards, which is considered to be a top honor in radio. [10]

WBBM-AM/FM (Chicago): The Legendary Station Award
WBZ-AM (Boston): News and Talk station of the Year
WZLX-FM (Boston): Rock station of the Year
KLOL-FM (Houston): Spanish station of the Year
WVEE-FM (Atlanta): Urban station of the Year

Financials- Third Quarter 2013 Results

CBS company has received its best numbers to date for the 3rd quarter. The company has seen an increase in revenue, operating income before depreciation and amortization, operating income, and diluted earnings per share.

[11]

Sumner Redstone, CBS Executive Chairmen, had this to say about the company, “CBS’s third quarter proves once again why content is king.”[12] CBS prides itself on producing content for the viewer/listener. “Our programming is becoming more valuable all the time as we continue to take advantage of the ever-expanding multiplatform world, I know that CBS is poised for continued success for many years to come.”[13] At the close of the New York Stock Exchange on November 19th, 2013 CBS Corporation was trading at $59.60 a share. [14]

CBS Corp. Stock – Courtesy of www.marketwatch.com [14]

Recent Activity

CBS Radio company have been pioneers in the entertainment industry, always creating new ways to produce and distribute content to reach as listeners as possible. CBS radio has collaborated with with sports teams, audio companies, and has created online platforms to reach their millions of listeners.

September 2013

Launch of Fierro

Fierro Logo – Courtesy of www.radiosyndicationtalk.com [14.5]

This past September, CBS Radio teamed up with WestwoodOne to launch a new 24/7 program of regional Mexican music available to radio stations nationwide called Fierro. Jimmy Gonzalez, Vice President, Spanish Programming, for CBS RADIO stated, “Fierro’s strength lies in teaming the hottest Regional Mexican hits with some of the very best radio talent in any format” [15] This partnership with CBS Radio and WestwoodOne will benefit both companies as they continue to help promote the Spanish-language radio space. CBS Radio hope to reach more spanish speaking listeners and create niche for those listeners.

CBS & Brooklyn

Barclays Center – Courtesy of www.netsdaily.com [15.5]

CBS Radio has joined forces with the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center to not only gain Nets’ radio rights, but will also carry any other event that goes on in the Barclays center. This deal is valuable for both companies, more people will gain knowledge about what is happening in the Barclays Center when basketball games are not going on. Dan Mason stated, “We’re a marketing machine for them to put on more events, and we both share the success of that.” [16]

October 2013

Audio AdCenter

Audio AdCenter Logo – Courtesy of www.audioadcenter.com [16.5]

This past October CBS announced the launch of Audio AdCenter, a new means for companies to buy online audio advertisement. This deal makes it easier than ever for local companies to advertise over CBS Radio’s 125 online streams from stations in top markets. [17]

Shown below are the steps taken to create audio ad:

[18]

November 2013

Amy Stevens

Amy Stevens – Courtesy of www.allaccess.com [18.5]

CBS Radio created a new position for Amy Stevens, Senior Vice President of Strategic events and Partnerships. As a leader in local broadcasting Stevens will report to Dan Mason with ideas of new concerts and live experiences that appeal to new audiences and advertisers. Stevens has much experience in this industry as she use to work Madison Square Garden entertainment running their marketing concerts and media integration.[19] Dan Mason had this to say about Stevens and how her role will help the company flourish, “Her combination of expertise in radio promotion and close ties to the record labels and artist management will bolster our endeavors as we establish additional opportunities locally and nationally to engage with marketers and our audiences.”[20]

Building the Perfect Company

CBS Radio has and will continue to break new ground in the entertainment and Broadcasting industry. CBS Radio has shown that they are not afraid to cross media boundaries if it will overall benefit the listeners experience and also gain new listeners. CBS not only is a major force in radio but is a leader in Television. Be on the look out for what CBS Radio and Corporation has planned next, the company never fails when it comes to groundbreaking mass media ventures.

Resources:

[1]:www.cbsradio.com

[2]:http://www.cbscorporation.com/ourcompany.php?id=11

[3]: http://www.cbsradio.com/profile

[4]:http://www.cbsradio.com/executives?bio=dan-mason

[5]:http://www.cbsradio.com/executives?bio=scott-herman

[6]:http://www.cbsradio.com/executives?bio=chris-oliviero

[7]:http://www.cbsradio.com/executives?bio=jo-ann-haller

[8]:http://www.cbsradio.com/executives?bio=michael-weiss

[9]:http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MjA5OTM5fENoaWxkSUQ9LTF8VHlwZT0z&t=1

[10]:http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9MjA5OTM5fENoaWxkSUQ9LTF8VHlwZT0z&t=1

[11]:http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cbs-corporation-reports-third-quarter-210100716.html

[12]:http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cbs-corporation-reports-third-quarter-210100716.html

[13]:http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cbs-corporation-reports-third-quarter-210100716.html

[14]:http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/cbs/financials

[14.5]: www.radiosyndicationtalk.com

[15]:http://www.westwoodone.com/index.php/main-menu/press-releases/426-cbs-radio-and-westwoodone-launch-fierro

[15.5]: www.netsdaily.com

[16]:http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/09/23/Media/CBS-Radio-Nets.aspx

[16.5]: www.audioadcenter.com

[17]:http://www.cbsradio.com/single-press/2265?filter=2013

[18]:http://www.cbsradio.com/single-press/2265?filter=2013

[18.5]: http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/124234/cbs-radio-names-amy-stevens-svp-strategic-events-a?ref=search

[19]:http://www.cbsradio.com/single-press/2303?filter=2013

[20]:http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/124234/cbs-radio-names-amy-stevens-svp-strategic-events-a

Sirius XM Radio

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Stephanie Bronfein

By Stephanie Bronfein

The official SiriusXM logo, courtesy of siriusxm.com [1]

SiriusXM Satellite Radio

1221 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

www.siriusxm.com

Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

History [2]:

SiriusXM Radio is one of the largest radio broadcast and subscription media companies in the United States that provides original content to 25.6 million subscribers. Their commercial-free programming covers a diverse range of music, sports, talk, entertainment, traffic and weather shows, with celebrity personalities such as Howard Stern, Oprah Winfrey, The Grateful Dead, Pearl Jam and Tiesto. While the most popular way that consumers experience SiriusXM Radio is through satellite radio in their cars, it is also available for the home or office and can be streamed through SiriusXM Radio’s website or through Apple and Android mobile applications.

Key Executives [3]:

James E. Meyer – CEO

Scott Greenstein – President & CCO

Dara Altman – Executive VP & CAO

David J. Frear – Executive VP & CFO

All photos courtesy of SiriusXM Radio. For more information on the company’s executives click here.

Financial Standing:

SiriusXM Stock Change from 11/12 to 11/13, courtesy of siriusxm.com [4].

With 36 million shares to its name, SiriusXM Radio’s stock value sits at $3.68, with a 52-week high of $4.18 and a 52-week low of $2.67 [4]. Since the third quarter of 2012, the recorded revenue has increased 11% to $962 million. The adjusted EBIDTA increased 21% to a new record of $296 million and free cash flow increased 26% to $245 million [5].

Liberty Media Takeover:

Liberty Media Logo, courtesy of forbes.com [9].

SiriusXM Radio shareholders finally spoke up this August about Liberty Media Corporation gaining control of over 50% of the company, which resulted in former Chief Executive Officer Mel Karmazin leaving the company, along with a string of other directors. In 2009, when SiriusXM Radio was considering filing for bankruptcy, John Malone of Liberty Media offered a $530 million investment to get the subscription satellite radio company back on its feet. This deal allotted 40% control over the company to Malone and included a three-year grace period where Malone could not acquire a controlling interest in SiriusXM Radio’s shares [6].

In light of this period’s expiration at the end of last year, SiriusXM Radio shareholders failed to find a loophole in the investment-agreement terms to prevent Malone from buying out the company, so he did just that. What’s more, Malone didn’t allow other shareholders to vote on the deal. This is the main contention that SiriusXM Radio shareholders have against Liberty Media. Shareholders even went as far as suing the SiriusXM Radio board of directors in Aug. 2012 for not creating a strong enough defense against the Liberty Media takeover in the original investment-agreement [7].

As of the end of August, SiriusXM Radio share value has increased more than 2,160% at $3.62 since the Liberty Media investment was made, where shares were valued at as low as $0.16 [7].

Liberty Media also holds controlling shares of the Atlanta Braves, Leisure Arts, Inc., MacNeil/Lehrer Productions and TruePosition, Inc [8].

SoundExchange Sues SiriusXM:

SoundExchange Logo, courtesy of forbes.com [10].

On Aug. 16th, SoundExchange filed a lawsuit against SiriusXM Radio for $50 to $100 million in damages, claiming that the radio provider underpaid artist royalties from 2007 to 2011 [12].

SoundExchange is an independent nonprofit organization that has been designated by the Copyright Royalty Board to collect digital performance royalties from statutory license users—such as SiriusXM Radio—for the purpose of distributing those royalties to the rightful copyright owners and artists. As the only Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service in the country, it has been decided by the Copyright Royalty Board that SiriusXM Radio should pay a federal statutory royalty rate to avoid penalty of copyright infringement for the public performance of sound recordings that they do not own (via transmitting them to their subscribers). This rate is applied to the gross revenue as defined by the Copyright Royalty Board, which was settled between 6-8% for the years of 2007 to 2012 [11].

At the root of the lawsuit, which is compromised of four different counts against SiriusXM Radio, is a claim that the gross revenue has been reduced without proper authorization from the Copyright Royalty Board, causing a multi-million dollar underpayment to SoundExchange [11]. Essentially, SiriusXM Radio has been cornered for their bad accounting.

From their reported gross revenue, SiriusXM Radio excluded revenue collected from pre-1972 sound recordings, incremental revenue on SiriusXM Radio’s premier subscription package and two additional subscription packages that include both music and talk programming [12]. On top of these three counts against SiriusXM Radio is a claim that they did not pay late fees to SoundExchange on time—in part due to the fact that they didn’t know that they apparently owed SoundExchange millions of dollars—and SoundExchange expects to collect interest on these late fees [13].

While copyright law does not protect pre-1972 sound recordings, the Copyright Royalty Board requires that those who publicly perform them must separately recognize the attributed revenue generated—if SiriusXM Radio chooses to exclude this revenue from the reported gross revenue to SoundExchange, the deduction must be precise and the methodology transparent. Since SiriusXM Radio does not distinguish the revenue made from different kinds of music programming, the percentage that they attribute to the pre-1972 sound recording revenue can only be defined as an assumption, and is therefore unlawful [11].

SiriusXM Radio excluded incremental revenue that was garnered from the pricing difference between its standard package and its premier package. While the subscription satellite radio service is allowed to exclude channels that don’t include music programming—and the premier package only gives consumers additional talk/news programming—the additional channels offered in the premiere package aren’t offered for a separate charge [12]. In plain, the premier package also includes all of the programming from the standard package, meaning that it unlawfully excludes publicly performed sound recordings from its reported gross revenues [11].

In the same vein, SiriusXM Radio excluded revenue from the Family Friendly and Mostly Music packages, which were originally offered from XM Radio before the merger and contain both music and talk programming. The publicly performed sound recordings in these packages are supposed to be covered by a statutory license. Once again, SiriusXM Radio did not spell out the method by which they separately recognize revenue garnered from music and talk channels in these packages, therefore making the reduction from gross revenue unauthorized by the Copyright Royalty Board [11]. Of all the exclusions, this one makes the least sense.

At the time that this post was published (Nov. 20th, 2013), SiriusXM Radio has declined to comment on the lawsuit and no progress has been made to the public in regards to securing a jury trial date.

New Programming:

David Bowie, photo courtesy of billboard.com [14].

David Bowie’s Limited-Run Station [14]:

From October 30th through November 12th, SiriusXM Radio ran a limited-time station revolving around David Bowie’s latest album, “The Next Day,” which premiered on November 5th. As a promotional effort for the album, the station revealed five songs from an expanded version of the album. Other programming included rare demos, covers and live performances of Bowie’s.

Danny Howard, photo courtesy of billboard.com [15].

UK DJ Danny Howard Brings EDM radio show to BPM [15]:

Premiering December 5th on the BPM station, Danny Howard will join an elite group of European DJ’s to showcase what’s hot in the UK and European electronic dance music scene. With this weekly show, he hopes to break DJs and producers from his side of the pond that might not have gotten stateside exposure. Prior to accepting this stateside residency with SiriusXM Radio, Howard hosted a show on BBC Radio 1 titled, “Dance Anthems with Danny Howard.”

21st Century FOX logo, photo courtesy of 21cf.com [17].

FOX Business returns to SiriusXM Radio [16]:

Originally dropped in 2008 after Sirius Satellite Radio merged with XM Satellite Radio, FOX Business reclaims its spot next to FOX News as another 21st Century Fox radio station. With their nationally regarded collection of personalities, the stations are sure to attract a wide audience with their discussion of news, politics and current affairs. The deal is set to last through 2019.

Sources:

1. SirusXM Logo

2. SiriusXM Corporate Overview

3. SiriusXM Key Executive Bios

4. SiriusXM Stock Quote

5. SiriusXM Third Quarter Financial Results

6. Bloomberg Article on SiriusXM Investor’s Being Shortchanged by the Liberty Media Takeover

7. Billboard Article on SiriusXM Shareholder’s Position on Liberty Media Takeover

8. Liberty Media Asset List

9. Liberty Media Logo

10. SoundExchange Logo

11. SoundExchange Sues SiriusXM Radio – Filed Complaint

12. Billboard Article – SoundExchange Sues SiriusXM Radio Over Royalty Calculations

13. Billboard Article – SoundExchange Seeks Up to $100 million from SiriusXM for Underpaying Artist Royalties

14. David Bowie’s Limited-Run Station

15. Danny Howard’s UK EDM Show

16. FOX Business Returns to SiriusXM Radio

17. 21st Century Fox Logo

Radio One

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Jasmine Holloway

Radio One, Inc.

Location: Corporate Office – 1010 Wayne Ave. 14th Floor,  Silver Spring, MD 20910

Web: www.radio-one.com

Executive Team: [2]

Founder, Chairperson and Secretary – Catherine L. Hughes

CEO and President – Alfred C. Liggins, III

Exec. Vice President and CFO– Peter D. Thompson

VP, Assistant Secretary and CAO – Linda J. Vilardo

Overview:

Radio One, Inc. is an urban multimedia company primarily targeting African Americans. The company consists of four subdivisions: radio broadcasting franchise, Radio One; cable television network, TV One; cross platform media company, Reach Media; and internet companies Interactive One, an online platform and Community Connect, specializing in social networking. [5]

In regards to radio, the company is ranked number one among Black listeners with a weekly audience average of 19 million. It is the largest radio broadcasting franchise that targets an African American audience. [5] In 2011, it owned and/or operated 55 stations in 16 U.S urban markets including Atlanta, Houston, Washington D.C and many others. The company also has 9 nationally syndicated radio shows, expanding its geographic reach. [6]

History:

Catherine Hughes’ tumultuous life journey led her to found one of the most successful multimedia companies and become a great business example to African-Americans and aspiring businesswomen everywhere. Born to a scholarly family in 1947, Hughes took to radio and media at an early age. At 16, she became pregnant with her first child, Alfred Liggins Jr., and was disowned by her influential family. After a brief two-year marriage, Hughes decided to attend the University of Nebraska, Omaha and become involved with the campus radio station where she was quickly named general manager. She left the school early to become a lecturer and a general manager of WHUR at Howard University. There she perfected the Quiet Storm format, a collection of love songs played at late night. This would become a successful program format adopted by urban stations across the country in years to come. [8]

Catherine along with husband, Dewey Hughes, gathered $950,000 from personal savings, Syncom, an African-American venture capital firm, investors, and a bank loan to acquire WOL, a 1000-watt AM station located in DC. [8] The financial constraints and difficulty of making the station profitable broke up the Hughes marriage and Catherine bought out her ex’s interest in WOL. After bouts of poverty to keep the station afloat, Hughes’ son began to attract more advertising for the station and it turned its first profitable year in 1986. Using profits, Hughes began to acquire other stations in urban markets across the East Coast and build the empire that would become known as Radio One. In 1999, the company went public with an IPO of $172 million. Using this and additional investors, Radio One acquired 12 additional stations from Clear Channel for $1.2 billion. [9] The company has continued its growth and has branched out to include other media sectors, most notably T.V One, a rival to Black Entertainment Television with a target audience of affluent African-Americans between 25-54. [8]

Financials (2012): [10]

Total Revenue: $424.57 Million

Gross Profit: $288.8 Million

Other Operating Expenses: $217 Million

Radio One Inc. continues to see increased revenue as the urban market continues to grow. Its primary revenue stream is local and national advertising sales on its radio stations. Boasting as the “urban media specialist,” Radio One offers advertisers effective ways to reach urban and African American audiences. Multiple program formats in key urban markets allow advertisers to reach intended demographics and lifestyles. In the company’s 2011 annual report, it notes the rising population, income, and Internet usage of African Americans as well as the growing influence of African American culture on mainstream American society. Advertisers spent $748 million on Black radio in 2009 despite the economic recession. [11]

News:

2013 has been a relatively quiet year thus far for the company. Recent news stories include the renewing of popular programs on TV One including R&B Divas, Rickey Smiley Show, and Family Time. Other notable news stories include:

April 8, 2013 – Radio One Selects WideOrbit Inc.

Radio One selects WideOrbit Inc.’s WO Traffic system for its advertising sales, traffic, and revenue management. The system would allow the company “to view real-time, consolidated reporting, maximize revenue and inventory, and optimize performance across all of its stations and markets. “ [12]

April 2, 2013 – Acacia Subsidiary Enters License Agreement with Radio One

Acacia Research Corporation, which licenses patents to corporations and share the revenue [14], entered into a license agreement with Radio One as part of its settlement with district courts in the Southern District of New York and the Northern District of Illinois. [15]

March 5, 2013 – Radio One Launches Telemundo Affiliate

Radio One’s WDNI Channel 19 in Indianapolis will launch the market’s first Spanish-language broadcast station. It will feature Telemundo’s full line-up of original programming. [17]

References:

[1] http://www.frequencynews.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/radio_one_logo2.gif

[2] http://www.radio-one.com/about-us/who-we-are/

[3] http://www.blackeconomicdevelopment.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/cathyhughes_1.jpg

[4] http://www.radiofacts.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Radio-One-Alfred-Liggins.jpg

[5] http://www.radio-one.com/about-us/

[6] http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/radio-one-inc/index.html

[7] http://i.huffpost.com/gen/788993/thumbs/r-CATHY-HUGHES-AND-SON-large570.jpg

[8] http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/radio-one-inc-history/

[9] http://streamingradioguide.com/blogradio/?page_id=707

[10] http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/financials/financials.asp?ticker=ROIA&dataset=incomeStatement&period=A&currency=native

[11] http://www.radio-one.com/investor-relations/sec-filings/

[12] http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wideorbit-traffic-selected-by-radio-one-for-its-55-broadcast-stations-that-span-16-urban-markets-2013-04-08

[13] http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/wideorbit.png

[14] http://www.acaciaresearch.com/pr/040113b.pdf

[15] http://www.ipwire.com/ip-deals-and-opinion/acacia-subsidiary-enters-into-settlement-and-license-agreement-with-radio-one.html

[16] https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/664552302/Telemundo.jpg

[17] http://www.radio-one.com/2013/03/06/radio-one-launches-telemundo-affiliate-in-indianapolis/

Radio One

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Gregory Jacks

Greg Jacks

[1]

“THE URBAN MEDIA SPECIALIST”

1010 Wayne Ave. 14th Floor

Silver Spring, MD 20910

Basics

[2]

Radio One, Inc. is the largest urban-centered multi-media outfit primarily targeting an African-American audience in the world. They own and/or operate 55 broadcast stations in 16 major U.S. markets including: Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Atlanta. The genres of their stations include: gospel, mainstream r&b/soul, hip-hop, and classic r&b. Radio One also has majority ownership of TV One, LLC (a black- oriented cable channel), Reach Media, Inc, and Interactive One (a series of online platforms serving the black community). [1]

History

[3]

In college, Catherine Elizabeth Hughes, founder and chairperson of Radio One, developed the now highly popular format called Quiet Storm; a late-night show specializing in urban contemporary ballads. Following the success of this new format, Hughes sought to own a station of her own. After many attempts to drag money together, Hughes and her husband finally managed to buy their first radio station in 1980. The station was first called Almic Broadcasting, and started as a 24-hour news broadcast for Washington D.C.’s black community. By the late 80s, Hughes had handed down the position of president to her son Alfred C. Liggins III, who helped propel the company to new heights. Throughout the 90s, Radio One was buying up locally-owned radio stations in city markets and turning them into urban stations. The success of this period, made Radio One the media conglomerate that it is today. [2]

Key Executives

[4]

Alfred C. Liggins, III – Chief Executive Officer, President, and Treasurer

Liggins has been C.E.O. of Radio One since 1997 after being promoted by his mother. He has helped the company expand into new markets and media. He was a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Since taking over the company from his parents, Liggins has done nothing but shine, now one of multimedia’s top young moguls. [3]

[5]

Catherine L. Hughes – Chairperson of the Board of Secretary

Hughes co-founded the company in 1980, and has served with it ever since. She has held various titles within the company: C.E.O., President, General Manager, General Sales Manager and talk show host. Outside the company, Hughes has been on the Board of Directors for a myriad of groups including Broadcast Music, Inc. Her 30 years business experience has saved her a special place in the African-American community. [4]

Owned Station Samples

Urban AC – Washington Gospel – Atlanta Hip-Hop – Philadelphia News/Talk – Houston Old School Jams – Dallas Black Talk – Baltimore

*All images in section taken from website links. Source is the radio station’s main web page

Properties

TV One

[6]

Launched in 2004, TV One is a cable channel which delivers reality and scripted programming to the African-American consumer. Through sitcoms real life TV, recorded movies, and news specials, TV One attempts to understand the diverse experience of black life. In 2008, TV One went HD and debuted their now trademark show, Unsung, a biography series focusing on the lives of great R&B musicians. [5]

[7]

Reach Media, Inc.

An atypical media company, REACH Media was founded by Tom Joyner (the nation’s number 1 syndicated radio host). The company is built off the success of The Tom Joyner Morning Show which airs in more than a hundred markets reaching eight million listeners. REACH Media provides a highly popular platform for advertisers to relay messages to the black community. The company also operates several web-based media, namely The Black America Web. [6]

Interactive One

[8]

Interactive One was launched in 2007 to serve as a digital network for Radio One’s African-American community. Now, the site is the number 1 black online platform, serving 9 million monthly users. [7]

Recent News [8]

[9]

Jan. 22, 2013 – TV One’s most watched reality series, R&B Divas, is getting renewed for a second season. Also a spin-off, R&B Divas: LA, is in production and set to launch in Q3 2013

Jan. 24, 2013 – TV One adds the original half-hour sitcom Family Time to its classic Friday comedy block

Jan. 28th, 2013 – Radio One announces that Samuel Rogers, formerly of CBS Radio, has been named VP of National Sales.

Feb. 25th, 2013 – TV One announces the debut of its new docu-series, Deceived. It chronicles the stories of those who have been conned or betrayed.

[10]

Mar. 5, 2013 – Radio One’s launches a Telemundo affiliate with the purchase of WDNI in Indianapolis. The station will become the city’s first local Spanish-language broadcast station on March 11.

Mar. 18, 2013 – TV One orders for a second season of the record-breaking summer sitcom, The Rickey Smiley Show.

Apr. 8, 2013 – Radio One has chosen WideOrbit to system the traffic for all 55 of their stations [9]

Financials

Unlike most radio affiliates today, Radio One is doing quite well and seeing growth in their company. Their 2012 fourth quarter radio revenues were up 11% from the previous year. TV One also saw Q4 increases, with sales up 8% from 2011 [10]. It seems the growing minority population in this country was had a dramatically beneficial effect on Radio One and its comprising affiliates. It can operate and flourish, despite providing niche programming, for only a segment of the American people.

Stocks

Radio One, or ROIA as it is listed on the NASDAQ, has seen a sharp increase in stock price just since the start of this year. It went from trading at around $0.75 in December of last year to $1.75 in April of 2013. At the market’s close today, April 8th, ROIA is selling at $1.76 a share. [11]

[11]

Sources

1. “About Us | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

2. “Radio One, Inc. History.” History of Radio One, Inc. – FundingUniverse. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

3. “Radio One’s Number One.” Wharton Alumni Magazine: 125 Influential People and Ideas: Alfred C. Liggins. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

4. “Catherine L. Hughes.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

5. “TVONE.” About TV One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

6. “REACH Media | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

7. “Interactive One | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

8. “Latest News | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

9. “WideOrbit Traffic Selected By Radio One For 55 Stations.” All Access. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

10. “News Releases | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

11. “Stock Information | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

Images

1. http://www.radio-one.com/

2. Kysdc Staff. “Radio One Erects Sign Above New Silver Spring Headquarters.” 93.9 KYS FM. Radio One, 28 Jan. 2012. Web.

3. King, Morgan. “Cathy Hughes: Finding A Way Or Making One.” Visionary Artistry Magazine RSS. Radio One, 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

4. “Interactive One LLC » Alfred C. Liggins III.” Interactive One LLC RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

5. Odessey, Bruce. “RADIO ONE: A SMALL BUSINESS THAT GREW LARGE.”Small Businesses at Work. InfoUSA, n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

6. “TVONE.” Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

7. “REACH Media Inc.” Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

8. “Interactive One.”Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

9. “Faith Evans & The R&B Divas Share Some ‘Joy’ & ‘Lovin’ With You » SOULBOUNCE.COM.” Faith Evans & The R&B Divas Share Some ‘Joy’ & ‘Lovin’ With You » SOULBOUNCE.COM. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

10.”TV One: The Rickey Smiley Show.” Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

11. “Stock Information | Radio One.” Radio One. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.

CBS Radio

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Sarah Shelton

by Sarah Shelton

1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
(212) 846-3939
www.cbsradio.com

About CBS Radio

CBS Radio, a division of the television and radio company CBS Corporation, is the third largest radio station owner and operator in America with 127 broadcast stations in 28 major markets across the country under its control, and over 70 million listeners tuning in weekly.^[1] Its flagship broadcast formats are sports, news and talk, and CBS Radio continues to be the largest broadcaster of play-by-play coverage and discussion of the major sports franchises in America, including the MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL.^[2] CBS Radio also offers local digital media in over two dozen markets in the US, with local traffic, news, weather as well as other recorded content for on demand access on the Internet and custom mobile apps.^[3] CBS Radio’s particular attention to on-air personalities has made it a continual standout in the increasing switch to automated and syndicated radio programming for broadcast radio today.^[4]

Key People

Dan Mason

Dan Mason was named president and CEO of CBS Radio in 2012 and oversees all stations as well as the day-to-day operations of the subsidiary. He reports directly to CBS Corporation CEO, Leslie Moonves. Mason has been with CBS Radio for almost two decades, previously serving as an advisor and consultant before stepping up for the role of CEO. He has an extensive background in radio programming and his success with the strategic growth of CBS stations has been reflected in ratings from listeners of all ages.^[5]

Kevin Weatherly

Kevin Weatherly is the Senior Vice President of Programming at CBS Radio, the Program Director of the top stations in the Los Angeles market, and also Kevin of Kevin and Bean, the flagship personalities of LA’s KROQ FM. He has been with CBS Radio for over two decades, helping develop audiences for fledgling bands through strategic programming and monumental development for the music industry and radio relationship. He has received accolades and awards from virtually every music publication, including Rolling Stone Magazine, Billboard, Entertainment Weekly and more.^[6]

A Brief History

In 1927, talent agent Arthur Jodson created the radio network United Independent Broadcasters in order to showcase the artists that he was working with and as an act of defiance to his employer for refusing to include his roster in their broadcasts. He named the new venture United Independent Broadcasters, but was soon merged with the Columbia Phonograph Company after financial struggles threatened to bury the station before it had even begun. Under the new name Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting Company, the station was launched in September 1927 and quickly grew to earn affiliates and employees, enough to catch the eye of investor William Paley, who bought the station in January 1929 rebranded as Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). The station continued to grow by embracing advertising, and became a frontrunner in national radio. The company also expanded with ventures in television and film, putting CBS on the map as one of the top media companies in the world. After being outbid for the rights to NFL Broadcast in 1993 and under new leadership, CBS was sold to Westinghouse Corporation for $5.4 billion and put under the control of Viacom. In 2005 with the economic downturn, the television and film divisions of CBS were spun off under Viacom to improve stock market performance and the radio sector along with Infinity Broadcasting, a division of Viacom, were merged and rebranded as the new CBS Radio.^[7]

Timeline of Recent Events

On January 2, 2013, CBS Radio launched the largest major market 24 hour sports stations featuring high profile personalities, player and coach interviews, national game coverage and more. This is an effort to condense the 10 million listeners that tune in weekly to over 100 CBS affiliate stations for sports programming, and is meant to compete with rival ESPN Radio.^[8]

On January 3, 2013, CBS streamed Bon Jovi’s Tampa concert on Radio.com, the first live event streaming venture for the company. This is meant to rival the live streaming features of iHeartRadio, currently the frontrunner in online radio streaming and app-based radio services, and will lead to many more given the success. A first attempt in December 2012 was postponed due to a major storm affecting the East Coast.^[9]

On February 7, 2013, Kevin Weatherly announced a renewal of his contract with CBS Radio, after more than 20 years of unparalleled contribution to the music industry and radio programming today. An on air personality himself on KROQ FM as well as a main contributor to radio’s second largest market in the nation, Los Angeles, Kevin is excited to continue to use his skills and expertise to benefit CBS Radio.^[10]

The pioneering program CBS World News Roundup celebrated its 75th anniversary on March 13, 2013. It is the longest running newscast in history and provided a benchmark from which modern newscasts would be modeled. News programming was the capstone of CBS Radio programming in the 1950s and 1960s, when Americans turned to radio for entertainment and realtime war coverage. Legendary reporters such as Robert Trout and Edward R. Murrow got their start and made their mark on this program.^[11]

Financials

On March 27, 2013 CBS reported fiscal year-end results: revenue is up 2% to $3.7 billion and says that revenues from non-advertising sources is growing even faster than those from advertising.^[12]

As a venture of CBS Corporation, the stock price of CBS Radio is dependent on the overall stock performance of all areas of the company in the market. As of April 5, 2013, CBS Corporation stocks are at 45.20 a share, with over 8 million shares on the market. The stock prices tend to fluctuate and rise around the most popular sports seasons, but typically stick around 45.00 a share.^[13]

References
1. http://cbsradio.com
2. http://www.cbsradio.com/broadcast
3. http://www.cbsradio.com/local-digital
4. http://www.cbsradio.com/broadcast
5. http://www.cbsradio.com/executives?bio=dan-mason
6. http://www.cbsradio.com/programming?bio=kevin-weatherly
7. http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=columbiabroa
8. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-sports-radio/releases/view?id=34174
9. http://insideradio.com/article.asp?id=2623795#.UWHZt1vwJBo
10. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-radio/releases/view?id=34527
11. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57573836/reporting-on-history-cbs-world-news-roundup-marks-75-years/
12. http://insideradio.com/article.asp?id=2617560#.UWHZwFvwJBo
13. https://www.google.com/search?q=cbs+stock&aq=f&oq=cbs+stock&aqs=chrome.0.57j0l2j60j0j62.1484&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Principles & Practices

Website by the students of TRF235

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