Tag Archives: Cumulus

Cumulus

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Sarah Rebetje, Kate Weyant, Eddie
Cumulus Logo

Cumulus Logo – [1]

History

Cumulus Media is a radio broadcasting company with an audience reach of 245 million. Cumulus distributes its sports, news, talk, and entertainment content through its 447 stations that are owned-and-operated by the company. The company’s reach expands across 90 markets in the United States, including eight of the top ten markets in the country [1]. In a $260 million deal in December of 2013, Cumulus acquired Dial Global, Inc., and renamed it Westwood One. Westwood One now serves as a programming service, allowing Cumulus to deliver its content across multiple platforms [4].

Key Executives 

Mary G. Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer [2]

Mary G. Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer [2]

john-abbot

John Abbot – Executive VP, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer [3]

 

 

 

 

 

 

richard-s-denning

Richard Denning – Senior VP, Secretary and General Council [5]

Westwood One

Westwood One

Westwood One is a national syndication company that was acquired by Cumulus Media in 2013. Originally known as Dial Global, the company functioned under CBS for over three decades and specialized in syndicated sports broadcasting. Currently, they cover sports such as football in the NFL, golf during The Masters, and broadcast Olympic coverage every two years for both the Winter and Summer games [4]. Westwood One is producing four Christmas from Nov 26th to December 1st 2016. Some of the featured acts will include Train, Neil Diamond and Rascal Flatts. Westwood One looks to create relevant content that pertains to the upcoming Holiday of Christmas [15].

NASH FM

NASH FM is a Cumulus-owned media brand and group of radio station broadcasting across the country. Named after the cultural center of country music, Nashville Tennessee, the NASH FM brand includes 36 different local radio stations that all broadcast on an FM frequency. This brand’s content is broadcasted through the the nation and covers genres from country to rock to hip-hop. It has over 300K followers on their official Twitter account, and often host shows with famous country singers as guests.

Pictured above is the winner of the NASH Next 2016 Contest, Todd O'Niell. Hosted by NASH FM, this contest seeks to find the best talent that might be the next big thing in country music [].

Pictured above is the winner of the NASH Next 2016 Contest, Todd O’Niell. Hosted by NASH FM, this contest seeks to find the best talent that might be the next big thing in country music [13].

As well as being a local station in Iowa, NASH FM also syndicates its shows on a national level under the guidance of Cumulus [7].

The Downfall

For Cumulus, 2015 was a year of tragedy. The company accumulated $2.5 billion in debt. The share price of Cumulus was worth spare change, dropping from its original price by almost 90 percent [8]. One reason this striking increase in debt occurred was because of the hit that the overall radio industry has taken from a significant decrease in listeners these past few years as online streaming content has become more popular. Just in 2016, the revenue of the industry has fallen flat [10]. Cumulus’ top competitor, iHeartmedia, even suffered from this online conversion with its share price dropping by 95 percent [8]. Cumulus has also still been struggling with paying off the debt it accumulated when it bought Citadel, taking on a debt count of $2.8 billion [9]. Cumulus also made the mistake of neglecting tp focus on local markets and caring only about its acquisition of Westwood One and Citadel. Cumulus’ risky business decisions have led the company to drown rather than thrive [8]. However, the new CEO of the Cumulus, Mary Berner, seems to have turned the company in a more positive direction [12].

Financials

In the past three years, Cumulus has seen a decline in sales revenue, a rise in sale expenses, and thus a decline in its net income.

Net income comparison between 3Q2015 and 3Q2016 [6]

Net income comparison between 3Q2015 and 3Q2016 [6]

In 2014, Cumulus’ net revenue was $1.26 billion, with a net income of $11.4 million. The following year, in 2015, their net revenue was $289.44 million with a net income loss of $542.18 million. This is in part due to the massive amount of debt that it has accumulated ($2.5 billion). In 2016, Cumulus announced at the end of the Third Quarter that its net revenue so far for the year is $286.14 million, which is 1.1% down from 2015. The company also reported that 2016’s net income is $32.96 million, which is up from a net income loss of $541 million. 895 million in the first three-quarters of 2015, $14.4 million of its expenses were spent on a legal dispute with CBS over syndicated content.

President Mary Berner expressed the failures of previous years and the somewhat hopeful future of the company by stating that Cumulus, “gained share for the first time in at least four years (in 2016)” [6].

Future

As the newest CEO, Mary Berner is leading a key initiative to turn around the company. Berner has an extensive resume, including her position as CEO at Reader’s Digest Association, Fairchild Publications, and Association of Magazine Media [12]. Berner has experience with companies in trouble, helping Reader’s Digest at a time when it was undergoing reorganization due to bankruptcy [8]. With her expert background in managing large companies, Berner has immediately taken on the challenge of addressing key issues of decreased focus on national syndication, and increased focus on employee satisfaction and local affiliates [12].

In order to combat a large amount of debt that has been accumulated by the company, Cumulus plans to create a more open dialogue with its stakeholders. This way, Cumulus can come up with strategies aimed at reducing the debt, because attempts in previous years have not worked. Cumulus also stated that it will review all possible options in order to its maximize its efficiency on both a corporate, national and local level.

Cumulus has announced that the company will undergo a restructuring of its organization. It will shift the control of the company into the hands of its localized affiliates and work from a “bottoms-up” approach by strengthening its foundation. Cumulus believes that this approach will increase ratings as well as improve the operation of the company.

Employee Turnover over the course of 2015 and 2016 [14].

Employee Turnover over the course of 2015 and 2016 [14].

With prior negative feedback from employees about the culture of Cumulus, the company looks to initiate a better work environment [12]. Communications will be enhanced through a “top-down” process, where Berner stated that she will answer any employee’s email within 48 hours. Policies about vacation and leave will be reevaluated so that employees will receive improved benefits. Though the merit system has not been manipulated for the past ten years, Cumulus declared that the system will be increased to promote motivation and work efficiency. This initiative has reflected positively among employees. As shown in the above graph, turnover significantly decreased between 2015 and 2016, where voluntary sales turnover experience the most impact, where turnover was reduced from 42% to 27% from April of 2015 to April of 2016 [14].

Cumulus has also started to improve its sales execution in hopes of decreasing its debt. The company aims to incorporate new sales strategies both on a national and a local level. Cumulus also stated that it will extend measurements of sales productivity in order to gather more research about what works and what does not work. That way it can tackle issues and create more productivity in the future. Cumulus is also trying to improve both its marketing tactics, and improve the training given to new employees.

As Cumulus strives to create a more optimal working environment with increased employee satisfaction, the future looks brighter than it did before Mary Berner stepped up as CEO. With the restructuring of management, as well as the focus on local markets over national syndication, Cumulus has taken the necessary steps in order to stay afloat. Although the company still needs to address the debt situation, Cumulus continues to make strides towards increasing revenue and slowly paying the debt off [11].

 

Sources

[1] Cumulus. Retrieved: 22 November 2016. http://www.cumulus.com/

[2] Mary G. Geber. Cumulus Media. Retrieved: 22 November 2016. http://www.cumulus.com/leadership/mary-g-berner.html

[3] John Abbot. Cumulus Media. Retrieved: 22 November 2016. http://www.cumulus.com/leadership/john-abbot.html

[4] Cumulus Completes Previously Announced Acquisition of Westwood One. Global News Wire. Retrieved: 22 November 2016. https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/12/12/596613/10061374/en/Cumulus-Completes-Previously-Announced-Acquisition-of-WestwoodOne-f-k-a-Dial-Global-Inc.html

[5] Richard Denning. Cumulus Media. Retrieved: 22 November 2016. http://www.cumulus.com/leadership/richard-s-denning.html

[6] Cumulus Reports Operating Results for Third Quarter 2016. Cumulus Media. Retrieved: 27 November 2016. http://www.cumulus.com/PR/CMLS_09_30_2016_Earnings_Release.pdf

[7] NASH FM 94.7. Cumulus Media. Retrieved: November 28 2016. http://www.nashfm947.com

[8] Radio giant Cumulus tumbles after flying high. Grantham, Russell. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved: 24 November 2016. http://www.myajc.com/news/business/radio-giant-cumulus-tumbles-after-flying-high/npx9H/

[9] Cumulus Media drowning in debt, stock slides. Ho, Rodney. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved: 25 November 2016. http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com/2016/01/10/cumulus-media-drowning-in-debt-stock-slides/

[10] Will 2017 Be Better For Radio? Radio Ink. Retrieved: November 27 2016. http://radioink.com/2016/11/18/will-2017-better-radio/

[11] 2016 First Quarter Earnings Call Presentation. Cumulus Media. Retrieved: November 25 2016. https://www.cumulus.com/PR/CMLS_1Q_2016_Earnings_Release_Presentation-050616.pdf

[12] (9-19-2016) The Cumulus Turnaround. Radio Ink. Retrieved: November 27 2016. http://radioink.com/2016/10/21/the-cumulus-turnaround/

[13] And the Winner is: Country Singer Todd O’Neill Wins NASH Next 2016 Challenge including Cumulus Radio Airplay Across the U.S. and Big Machine Label Group Recording Contract. Cumulus Media. Retrieved: 28 November 2016. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/and-the-winner-is-country-singer-todd-oneill-wins-nash-next-2016-challenge-including-cumulus-radio-airplay-across-the-us-and-big-machine-label-group-recording-contract-300351675.html

[14] 2016 First Quarter Earnings Call Presentation. Cumulus Media. Retrieved: November 25 2016. https://www.cumulus.com/PR/CMLS_1Q_2016_Earnings_Release_Presentation-050616.pdf

[15] Westwood One Making Christmas Special. Radio Ink. Retrieved: November 28 2016. http://radioink.com/2016/11/18/westwood-one-making-christmas-special/

 

iHeartMedia INC.

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by Michael Rubloff

 

Contact Information:

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

Company History

iHeartMedia INC. was founded in 1972 with the purchase of a first FM channel in San Antonio under the name of Clear Channel Communications. iHeartMedia expanded over the course of thirty years, and by 1995 owned forty-three radio stations. However, with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, iHeartMedia radically expanded and added several stations. Currently, iHeartMedia owns eight hundred-fifty radio stations in the United States that reaches 150 markets. In September 2014, Clear Channel Communications rebranded itself as iHeartMedia INC. [1]

Clear Channel Logo

Clear Channel Logo [2]

iHeartMedia INC. logo

iHeartMedia INC. logo [3]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On September 16th, 2014 Clear Channel made a massive commitment to the future by rebranding to iHeartMedia INC. The former name Clear Channel was derived from an AM channel and is no longer relevant. iHeartRadio however, is a massive source of entertainment for millions of people. iHeartMedia better reflects what Clear Channel had built and its goals for the future. iHeartMedia also felt that its name was not well known compared to other services such as Spotify and Pandora even though iHeartRadio provided millions of people everyday with entertainment. This move was made in order to make the brand and the product more synonymous with each other.

 

Corporate Leaders:

Robert Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia INC. [2]

Robert Pittman, Chairman and CEO of iHeartMedia INC. [4]

Richard J. Bressler, President and CFO of iHeartMedia INC. [2]

Richard J. Bressler, President and CFO of iHeartMedia INC. [4]

Wendy Goldberg- Executive Vice President and Chief Communications Officer

Wendy Goldberg, Executive Vice President and CCO of iHeartMedia INC. [4]

GayleTroberman, Executive Vice President and CMO

Gayle Troberman, Executive Vice President and CMO of iHeartMedia INC. [4]

John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises

John Sykes, President of Entertainment Enterprises of iHeartMedia INC. [4]

Financials:

iHeartMedia is a publically traded company in the OTC market (IHRT). Over the past year the stock has remained relatively stable with a year low of $6.10 and a high at $9.40. The high occurred in the week after the announcement of the rebranding to iHeartMedia.[5] Previously, the ticker for Clear Channel was CCO. In its third quarter report, iHeartMedia reported that revenues were up three percent to 1.6 billion dollars. [6]

Past Six Months of Stock Values of iHeartMedia [3]

Past Six Months of Stock Values of iHeartMedia [5]

Competitors:

iHeartMedia’s long-standing rivals have been CBS Radio and Cumulus Media. However, in the past ten years with the emergence of Satellite Radio, Sirius XM has taken over as iHeartMedia’s biggest rival in terms of revenue. iHeartMedia has permeated SiriusXM, as two of the stations featured on SiriusXM, Z100 and Kiis 102.7, are owned by iHeartMedia.

Pandora Logo

Pandora Logo [7]

Now that iHeartMedia is putting a focus on its online music service, iHeartRadio, it now competes with Spotify, Pandora, iTunes Radio, and Google Play. In this field iHeartRadio has a great deal of catching up to do as Spotify and Pandora dominate the online streaming market.

However, iHeartMedia has an advantage over its competitors because it crosses over multiple platforms. For instance, Other radio giants such as Cumulus or Sirius are limited to their radio stations. On the other hand, Pandora and Spotify are limited to their apps or their website. iHeartMedia is able to cross between these two platforms in order to better serve their customers desires. Because of this, it is able to capitalize on where its competitors are limited.

Events:

iHeartMedia is known for its excellence in creating live events directly catered to specific demographics. On October 2nd, it announced the first ever iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina, a massive concert aimed at Latin music fans.[8] It took place on November 22nd, and was a massive success. This experimental event seems to have been a good investment for iHeartMedia as their Spanish and English radio stations reach “93 percent of Hispanics monthly” [9]. 

iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina logo

iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina logo [10]

The Fiesta Latina is the newest addition to iHeartMedia’s collection of live events including the Jingle Ball Concert Tour, Country Festival, and the iHeartRadio Music Festival. While it remains to be seen if the Fiesta Latina will be made into an annual event, it most likely will given its success. One week later, on October 9th, the lineups and locations of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour were announced. This annual tour has become one of the year’s most exciting events. The tour will begin on Sunday, November 30th and finish on Monday, December 22nd. This event is supposed to cater to listeners of the top40 stations on iHeartRadio and reflect what listeners want to see. This year the New York City concert will be streamed exclusively on Yahoo.com for fans who are unable to attend.[11]

October 2014:

October was a busy month for iHeartMedia as it made several business announcements. On October 7th, iHeartMedia announced a $200 million partnership with Omnicom to develop a multi platform device that will give insight into iHeartMedia’s events as well as technologies.[12]

While this will help Omnicom better target customers, the real winner is iHeartMedia. This deal is dangerous for iHeartMedia’s competitors because this project will allow iHeartMedia to see how it can improve on its multi platform features. Essentially, iHeartMedia will continue to widen the gap between what Pandora and Cumulus are able to do. This will help iHeartMedia become a more versatile company and extend its already industry leading reach.[12]

The next day on October 8th, iHeartRadio announced that it would be available on Android Wear beginning on October 15th. This represents another step forward for the integration of iHeartRadio in technology as iHeartRadio had already announced integration with “Amazon’s Fire Phone, Amazon’s Fire TV, Android Auto, Google’s Chromecast, Apple’s CarPlay, Samsung’s Gear 2 Smartwatch, Qualcomm’s AllPlay and new auto partnerships with Subaru, AT&T Drive, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia and Volvo” [13] earlier this year. By spreading across to different manufacturers, iHeartMedia makes itself more accessible, convenient, and well known. This strategy is directly reflective of the rebranding because it exposes more users to the services provided by iHeartMedia.

iHeartMedia did not stop there. On October 15th, Gayle Troberman was named the Chief Marketing Officer of iHeartMedia. This is a new role created with the intention to “connect them (iHeartMedia) more closely to consumers, helping integrate the company’s brands, products and platforms even more deeply into consumers’ daily lives.” [14] This is necessary after the rebranding because it will decrease the amount of time needed for consumers to become familiar with the iHeartMedia brand. This is a fantastic idea and could pay off exponentially for iHeartMedia in the coming years. iHeartMedia is doing a fantastic job of identifying what it needs to improve and is taking logical steps to ensure it remains an industry leader.

 

What’s in the future:

In the next year, iHeartMedia hopes to continue to reach more customers through social media, live events, and radio. It hopes that its customers will become familiar with the iHeartMedia brand and be able to connect it to popular music events, radio stations, and the iHeartMusic application.

iHeartMedia has embraced the change that is coming to the industry and appears to pioneering the way for other companies to follow it. While the long term effects of rebranding remain to be seen, it has initially been successful. In the next half year, look for iHeartMedia’s competitors to try and catch up with the ability to move across platforms.

 

 

Resources

[1] Clear Channel Becomes iHeartMedia. Published September 16, 2014. Accessed November 22nd.

[2] Clear Channel Logo. Published June 26, 2012. Accessed November 29th.

[3] iHeartMedia INC. Logo. Date Published N/A. Accessed November 29th.

[4] Corporate Team. Date Published N/A. Accessed November 22nd.

[5] Stock Information. Updated Daily. Accessed November 29th.

[6] Financial Report. Published October 28th, 2014. Accessed November 22nd.

[7] Pandora Logo. Date Published N/A. Accessed November 22nd.

[8] iHeartMedia Fiesta Latina Announcement. Published October 2nd, 2014. Accessed October 30th.

[9] iHeartMedia Factsheet. Date Published N/A. Accessed November 22nd.

[10] iHeartRadio Fiesta Latina Logo. Published November 22nd. Accessed November 29th

[11] Jingle Ball Tour. Published October 9th. Accessed November 22nd.

[12] iHeart Media Omnicom Partnership. Published October 7th, 2014. Accessed November 22nd.

[13] iHeartRadio Android Wear Integration. Published October 8th, 2014. Accessed November 22nd.

[14] Gayle Troberman named iHeartMedia’s Chief Marketing Officer. Published October 15, 2014. Accessed November 22nd.