RadioInsight

///////////////////////////////////////////
March 1996: The New Normal

Posted: 30 Mar 2016 12:32 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/blogs/...he-new-normal/

Following the passage of the Communications Act in February 1996 and
without a big city format change, March 1996 was quiet in comparison. Sales
March began seeing the buy and trade approach to station acquisitions.
Entercom briefly entered the New York market purchasing Active Rock Q104.3
WAXQ from GAF Corp. for $90 million, but then immediately turned around and
traded it to Viacom for 1210 KBSG/97.3 KBSG-FM/107.7 KNDD Seattle. EZ
Communications swapped their New Orleans cluster of 1450 WBYU/97.1
WEZB/99.5 WRNO to Heritage Media for 1090 KRPM/106.1 KCIN Seattle. That
deal would give EZ three Country stations in the Seattle market leading to
a format change at one. Infinity Broadcasting made the biggest deal of the
month as it acquired Granum Communications twelve stations for $410
million. That deal brought 1380 WAOK/103.3 WVEE Atlanta, 600 WCAO/102.7
WXYV Baltimore, 92.9 WBOS/99.5 WOAZ Boston, 1240 KHVN/100.3 KRBV/107.5 KOAI
Dallas and 990 WHOO/96.5 WHTQ/98.9 WMMO Orlando to Mel Karmazins group.
Clear Channel was busy in March with a trio of deals. Clear Channel bought
Ragan Henrys US Radios eighteen stations for $140 million bringing it
clusters in El Paso, Houston, Little Rock, Memphis, Milwaukee, Norfolk,
Raleigh and Reading. Clear Channel then added 107.9 WENZ Cleveland from
Ardman Broadcasting for $6 million and American Radio Systems was
positioning itself to be a big player in March as the company made two
large deals. ARS entered the month as the #10 radio group in size with 37
stations and ended the month with 12 new acquisitions. ARS acquired Marlin
Broadcastings 95.7 WFLN Philadelphia, 105.1 WQRS Detroit, and 93.1 WTMI-FM
Miami for $66.5 million and then immediately sold WTMI-FM back to Marlin
President Woody Tanger for $18 million. The next deal brought Henry
Broadcastings nine stations for $115 million. That acquisition gave ARS
three stations in Fresno and two each in Omaha, Portland and Sacramento.
Paxson Communications acquired 1580 WSRF and 103.5 WSHE Miami from TK
Communications for $57.5 million. Nationwide Communications purchased 950
KSGS and 104.1 KMJZ Minneapolis from Park Communications for $22 million.
Citadel made two acquisitions in Albuquerque purchasing 103.3 KASY for $5
million and 1050 KHFM/96.3 KHFM-FM for $5.75 million. Those three stations
would join Citadels existing four station cluster in the market. Format
Changes Denver was the center of a number of changes at the beginning of
March. After Classical 99.5 KVOD Denvers intellectual property was
transferred to 92.5 in late-February, Tribune Broadcasting launched Classic
Rock 99.5 The Hawk KKHK. That followed by EXCL Communications flipping
Alternative 92X KNRX to Rhythmic CHR Jamn 92.1 KJMN and also raiding the
entire programming and on-air staff of Western Cities Broadcastings KS
104.3 KQKS. Both KNRX and KQKS had been operated via LMA by Century
Broadcasting, but that came to an end with EXCLs purchase of 92.1 and 1090
KYBG. Nationwide Communications brought the heritage KZZP call letters back
to 104.7 Phoenix following a five year stint as Hot AC Variety 104.7 KVRY.
The new KZZP launched as a Modern AC before segueing to CHR a couple years
later. Former KZZP morning host Jonathan Brandmeiers Chicago morning show
was syndicated back to Phoenix for mornings, while future KISW Seattle
morning host BJ Shea hosted nights. With its purchase of Kickin 106.1 KCIN
Seattle on top of its ownership of 94.1 KMPS and pending acquisition of
Young Country 93.3 KYCW Seattle, EZ Communications flipped KCIN to Rhythmic
AC Kiss 106 KBKS. By the end of the year KBKS would segue to CHR. Shamrock
Broadcasting flipped Rock 93.3 WQFM Milwaukee to Smooth Jazz WJZI. Jacor
Communications began simulcasting CHR 93.3 WFLZ Tampa on its recently
acquired 93.3 KHTS San Diego. Odyssey Communications flipped suburban
Sports trimulcast 107.1 KMAX/KAXX/KBAX Los Angeles to Alternative Y107
KLYY/KVYY/KSYY. Airchecks 99.5 KVOD Denver Becomes 99.5 The Hawk KKHK Dan
Ingram, 101.1 WCBS-FM New York March 9, 1996

///////////////////////////////////////////
Zac Wellsandt To Oversee iHeart Austin/San Antonio AC & CHRs

Posted: 30 Mar 2016 11:18 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...tonio-ac-chrs/

Zac Mayhem Wellsandt, Program Director/Afternoon Host of iHeartMedia CHR
104.5 WSNX Grand Rapids is heading to Texas to oversee the companys eight
AC and CHR stations in the Austin and San Antonio markets. To be based in
Austin, Wellsandt will be Director of CHR/AC Operations for the Central
Texas Region overseeing CHR 96.7 Kiss-FM KHFI, Pride Radio 97.5 K248CU,
Urban 102.3 The Beat KPEZ, and Alternative 103.1 iHeart Austin K276EL in
Austin and CHR Mix 96.1 KXXM, AC Q101.9 KQXT, Rhythmic AC Hot 104.5 KZEP,
and Spanish AC La Preciosa 105.7 K289BN in San Antonio. iHeartMedia
announced today that Zac Wellsandt (Mayhem) has been promoted to Director
of CHR/AC Operations for the Central Texas Region, effective immediately.
He will oversee KXXM, KZEP, KQXT and KQXT-HD in San Antonio and KHFI, KPEZ,
KVET-HD and KASE-HD2 in Austin, and be based out of Austin. Hell report to
Patrick Davis, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Dallas,
San Antonio and Austin. Wellsandt has been with iHeartMedia since November
of 2014 where he served as the Program Director for WSNX in Grand Rapids,
Michigan. Before WSNX, Wellsandt was the Program Director for Queen B
Radios KEZE from 2011-2014. Im beyond excited for this huge opportunity in
Austin and San Antonio, said Wellsandt. I cannot express fully the amount
of gratitude I have for iHeartMedia and the opportunities they have
afforded me. Im looking forward to working with these iconic brands, that
Ive been a fan of for years. I wont mind the lack of snow, either. Zac has
a great track record and isnt afraid of hard work. He worked his way up
from a night club mixer to a talented programmer and we are looking forward
to his leadership in the Central Texas Region, said Patrick Davis. We are
delighted to have Zac join the Central Texas Region to help lead our CHR/AC
group of stations. He is a talented and hardworking programmer and we are
very fortunate to get him in Central Texas, said Breeanna Malik, Region
President, iHeartMedia.

///////////////////////////////////////////
WQHT To Expand Summer Jam To Tokyo

Posted: 30 Mar 2016 07:42 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...-jam-to-tokyo/

Emmis Rhythmic CHR Hot 97 WQHT New York is expanding its annual Summer Jam
concert internationally. In addition to holding the annual concert on June
5 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford NJ, the station will hold Hot 97
Summer Jam Tokyo on July 29. No performers have been announced yet, but the
station promises a mix of international and Japanese Hip-Hop acts. INSTANT
INSIGHT: Weve seen instances of companies like iHeartMedia using their
corporate name or brands like Jack-FM and Virgin Radio being licensed
internationally to expand their brand globally, but this is one of the
first instances of an individual station attempting to transform itself
into a global property. Emmis Communications (NASDAQ:EMMS) today announced
that the worlds largest Hip Hop concert, HOT 97 Summer Jam on June 5, 2016
at MetLife Stadium, will expand internationally with the launch of HOT 97
Summer Jam Tokyo in July 2016. Emmis has signed a multi-year license
agreement with Avex Live Creative, Japan’s premiere entertainment
production management company, a division of Avex Group Holdings. As part
of this arrangement for Summer Jam Tokyo, Avex will also utilize Trevanna
Entertainment, the production team behind Summer Jam at MetLife Stadium.
Now in its 23rd year, HOT 97 Summer Jam is a day-long, two-stage
celebration of Hip Hop attracting more than 55,000 fans and the genres top
names. Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop
Dogg, and more have previously performed. The annual festival is famous for
their surprise, unannounced musical guests. Terms of the deal were not
disclosed. “HOT 97 Summer Jam Tokyo reinforces the global awareness and
significance of the HOT 97 brand and the groundbreaking DJs who play such
an important role in breaking and cultivating hip hops top past, present
and without question future performers,� said Patrick Walsh, President,
Emmis Communications. “HOT 97 has a passionate following in Japan and hip
hop is experiencing enormous growth in popularity among Japanese
millennials. We look forward to working with our partners to deliver an
authentic HOT 97 Summer Jam experience to the growing legion of Japanese
hip hop fans and share the experience with our American listeners as we
promote the groundbreaking event to our audience in New York and all over
the United States. Our goal is to add another significant event to a
country so rich in history and culture. “I feel honored that we are able to
bring HOT 97 Summer Jam, one of the worlds most reputable Hip Hop events,
to Japan,� comments Katsumi Kuroiwa, CEO of ALC. “The demand for internal
action has been increasing in Japan, and as we approach the 2020 Olympics
in Tokyo, we expect to gain even more attention from the world. With the
waves of globalization approaching from many directions and the demands for
new experiences continuously increasing, the fact that HOT 97 Summer Jam,
which represents New York’s Hip Hop culture like nothing else, is coming to
Tokyo demonstrates how extremely treasured music festivals are and just how
worldly Hip Hop is. This partnership will bring a taste of New York right
into the center of Japanese art music.� Summer Jam Tokyo will take place
Friday, July 29, 2016 at Zepp Tokyo. The line-up, which will include some
of the hottest names in Hip Hop throughout the world including the biggest
Hip Hop acts in Japan, will be announced at a later date. For the most
recent updates, including on-sale information, head to
www.hot97summerjamtokyo.jp or follow Summer Jam: Tokyo on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/HOT97SummerJamTokyo

///////////////////////////////////////////
Kentucky's Choice Radio Acquires Florida Keys Cluster

Posted: 30 Mar 2016 06:38 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...-keys-cluster/

Kentucky based Choice Radio Corporation is expanding to the Florida Keys
with the purchase of Great Marathon Radio Companys four stations. Jonathan
Smith and Karen Moses-Bowlings Choice Radio Keys will pay $850,000 for
Oldies trimulcast The Mix 93.7 WKEY-FM Key West/94.3 WGMX Marathon/96.9
WKEZ-FM Tavernier and Conservative Talk 1300 WFFG Marathon. Choice Radio
owns ten stations in Kentucky and programs two others via Time Brokerage
Agreement.

///////////////////////////////////////////
WTOP Reclaims #1 Biller Status For 2015

Posted: 30 Mar 2016 05:00 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headli...atus-for-2015/

A year after being knocked off their perch by iHeartMedia CHR 102.7 KIIS-FM
Los Angeles, Hubbard News 103.5 WTOP Washington DC has reclaimed the spot
as the nations top billing radio station in BIA/Kelseys annual report. WTOP
and its suburban simulcasters had its revenue rise from $63.5 million in
2014 to $65 million in 2015 to regain the lead, while continuing to be the
only station outside of the top three markets to appear in the top 10 list.
WTOP has now been the top billing station for five out of the past six
years. KIIS-FMs slight drop from $65.9 million to $64.7 million placed it
second, while iHeart CHR sister Z100 WHTZ New York placed third at $48.4
million. Sports helped two of the biggest gainers as CBS WFAN New York rose
from seventh to fourth with a $6 million increase, while the one year stay
of the Chicago Cubs (with the stations breaking simulcast) helped WBBM/WCFS
Chicago move from tenth to sixth. The Cubs will move to CBS sister 670 The
Score WSCR for the 2016 season. The full Top 10 consists of: 1) Hubbard
News 103.5 WTOP Washington $65 million ($63.5 million in 2014) 2)
iHeartMedia CHR 102.7 KIIS-FM Los Angeles $64.7 ($65.9 in 2014) 3)
iHeartMedia CHR 100.3 WHTZ New York $48.4 ($51 is 2014) 4) CBS Sports 660
WFAN/101.9 WFAN-FM New York $47 ($41 in 2014) 5) CBS News 880 WCBS New
York $45 ($49.2 in 2014) 6) CBS News 780 WBBM/105.9 WCFS Chicago $43.8
($39.2 in 2014) 7) iHeartMedia Hot AC 104.3 KBIG Los Angeles $42.9 ($43.6
in 2014) 8) iHeartMedia AC 106.7 WLTW New York $40 ($41.5 in 2014) 9) CBS
News 1010 WINS New York $39.5 ($41 in 2014) 10) iHeartMedia Talk 640 KFI
Los Angeles $37.8 (Not ranked in 2014) Dropping out of the top 10 was CBS
Alternative 106.7 KROQ Los Angeles following its $40.2 million billing in
2014. See the 2014 and 2013 reports here. After sitting at number two in
2014, Hubbard Radios Washington, DC news station, WTOP-FM, has moved back
to the number one spot as the countrys top revenue-producing radio station
in 2015, bumping last years leader, iHeartMedias KIIS-FM of Los Angeles, to
the second spot, according the first quarter edition of BIA/Kelseys 2016
Investing In Radio® Market Report. WTOP-FM took in $65 million in
advertising revenues in 2015, as overall industry revenues dipped slightly
to $14 billion. Despite slipping to number two, iHeartMedia garnered a
significant share of U.S. radio revenues, with five stations in the top 10.
In 2015, U.S. over-the-air radio revenues were $14 billion, with online
generating $710 million. BIA/Kelsey forecasts both sources of radio income
to continue growing at a slight pace over the next few years, reaching
$15.9 billion overall in 2020. Despite declining OTA revenues, radio
remains an important part of the local marketing mix, as the fourth largest
local media segment, with more than 10 percent of the local ad revenue pie,
said Mark Fratrik, senior vice president and chief economist, BIA/Kelsey.
We do expect a slight bump in overall U.S. radio revenues this year,
boosted by political spending and double-digit increases in online revenues.