RadioInsight

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KONE Grows A Beard

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 03:09 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/1...grows-a-beard/



Earlier this month, Alpha Media relaunched Classic Rock Rock 101.1 KONE-FM
Lubbock as 101.1 The Beard.

While using Variety Hits positioning of The Beard Plays What We Want, the
music was moved in a harder direction with a playlist focusing on music
from the 70s through early 2000s. No changes were made to the stations
on-air lineup which continues to feature Bob Tom in mornings, Sean Dillon
from 9-10am, Dave Fernandez from 10am-2pm, Freedman in afternoons and the
syndicated Nights with Alice Cooper.

The relaunch took place on March 12.



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SiriusXM Adds All-Female Comedy Channel

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 02:32 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/1...omedy-channel/



In addition to making their streaming available to all through May 15 and
launching or relaunching four music channels, SiriusXM has announced it
will debut a new all-female comedy channel on Wednesday, April 1.

Shes So Funny will launch on channel 105 with core comics including Tiffany
Haddish, Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Tig Notaro, Maria Bamford, Whoopi
Goldberg, Ali Wong, Kathleen Madigan, with legends like Joan Rivers, Lily
Tomlin, and Moms Mabley, as well as rising stars such as comedians Rachel
Feinstein and Jo Firestone. The channel will also have specials and
exclusive material made for the channel. Shes So Funny becomes ninth
channel dedicated to stand-up comedy.

SiriusXM announced today the launch of Shes So Funny, a new hand-curated
full-time comedy channel showcasing a spectrum of female comedic talent,
from newcomers to superstars launches April 1.

On Shes So Funny, SiriusXM listeners can tune in and hear from their
favorite female comedians, including artists like Tiffany Haddish, Amy
Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Tig Notaro, Maria Bamford, Whoopi Goldberg, Ali Wong,
Kathleen Madigan, with legends like Joan Rivers, Lily Tomlin, and Moms
Mabley, as well as rising stars such as comedians Rachel Feinstein and Jo
Firestone.

The new comedy channel will also feature specials, and exclusive material
only found on SiriusXM.

SiriusXMs Shes So Funny channel will be available to subscribers nationwide
on SiriusXM radios (channel 105), and to everyone – including anyone who is
not already a SiriusXM subscriber – on the SiriusXM app and connected
devices as part of SiriusXM’s recently announced free streaming access
period through May 15. For more information and to start listening, visit:
SiriusXM.com/streamfree.

SiriusXM also has eight comedy channels catering to the full spectrum of
humor that air on satellite platform and streaming including Netflix Is A
Joke Radio on channel 93, Comedy Central Radio on channel 95, Kevin Harts
Laugh Out Loud Radio on channel 96, Jeff and Larrys Comedy Roundup on
channel 97, Carlins Corner: The George Carlin Channel on channel 770,
SiriusXM Comedy Greats on channel 94, Raw Dog Comedy on channel 99, and
Laugh USA on channel 98.


The post SiriusXM Adds All-Female Comedy Channel appeared first on
RadioInsight.


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Checking In On My First Favorite Stations

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 11:54 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/ross/185734...rite-stations/


As we all search for distraction, or try to attend to long-delayed tasks
during the COVID-19 crisis, I’ve been trying to combine the two by doing
some long-intended listening, hearing how my favorite stations, and some of
yours, are responding in this time of need.
Nostalgia is a natural response right now. I’ve wondered how some of my
early favorite radio stations are responding now. Most are not still the AM
music stations of my childhood, but given the endurance of many heritage
brands, many are still around in some form—often as News/Talk outlets,
which makes them a natural to check out now.
So on Monday morning, March 30, I listened to three influential stations
from childhood and adolescence.
WOL Washington, D.C.
As an R&B powerhouse of the ‘60s and ‘70s, WOL was the first radio station
I remember, my first favorite station, and my introduction to current
music. It was also my father’s home-base as public affairs director of the
Sonderling group of R&B stations. I stayed loyal to “the Big ‘OL� through
high-school, even after they were upstaged by WKYS, WHUR, and other FM
competitors. In 1980, new owner Cathy Hughes made WOL the flagship of the
eventual Radio One group as well as a pioneer in African-American-targeted
News/Talk radio.
On Monday, morning host Madelyne Woods was interviewing Kizzmekia Corbett,
the viral immunologistÂ* leading the National Institute of Health’s search
for a coronavirus vaccine—one of 30 different vaccines in the global
pipeline, Corbett noted. That vaccine is about a year away from deployment
under the best circumstances, although Corbett pointed out that it was also
a serious expediting of what would normally be a five-year process.
Woods took Corbett through a series of true/false questions aimed at
thwarting misinformation about COVID-19 from some of the most-established
FAQs to some of the most outlandish misperceptions. She’s on the side of
Tylenol, not Advil, if you’re still hearing conflicting info about that
one, but inhaling your blow-dryer will not protect you. “Enjoy your summer
when you do get out,� Woods told Corbett, after they established that
summer was the earliest possible time when we might expect a respite.
CKLW Windsor, Canada
In the ‘70s and early ‘80s, CKLW was effectively a Detroit station, as well
as one of the most influential and admired Top 40s anywhere. As for a lot
of broadcasters of a certain age, CKLW is the reason I’m in radio. Now,
AM800 is now the Windsor station that Canada’s broadcast regulator always
wanted it to be, and very successful as the market’s News/Talk powerhouse.
In the fall, it had ‘70s style numbers in Windsor—a 17.6 share 12-plus,
nearly twice what the local CBC gets. (CKLW’s musical legacy lives on in
the Oldies format on sister AM CKWW.)
When I tuned in, morning hosts Mike & Lisa were also talking to a public
health official, in this case Windsor-Essex County medical officer of
health, Dr. Wajit Ahmed, who was mostly recounting statistics about new
cases over the weekend in both Canada and Michigan. The other local
headlines were about changes from Canada’s airlines and rail service; the
manufacturer of sporting goods that had switched from hockey jerseys to
making masks; the upswing in popularity for both Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau and Ontario premier Doug Ford.
There was, in between all of this, some morning team banter. Mike & Lisa
were also talking about Sunday night’s iHeart Living Room concert for
America, and playing clips from “I Want It That Way.� (CKLW owner Bell
Media is iHeart Radio’s Canadian partner.) Mike asked if the guys at the
station should start a boy band. There were the results of Friday’s
listener poll—80% of respondents said they were still going to the grocery
store. Then there was Monday’s poll: have you or a family member lost your
job?
WPST Trenton, N.J.
While many of the stations of my childhood were now News/Talk AMs, WPST
became one of the first music FMs I listened to on a regular basis during
high school, when its program director was industry journalist Tom Taylor,
during his equally distinguished radio programming career. Long before the
competing, then co-owned WKXW (New Jersey 101.5) popularized the slogan,
WPST was interesting to me because it did its own thing musically—it was
“not New York, not Philadelphia.�
Knowing what to do is easier, if not easy, for News/Talk stations. But on
Monday morning, I heard Chris Rollins and the crew negotiating,
successfully, I thought, what a CHR morning show should be at this moment.
(It probably helps that this was already a show dealing heavily with social
mores in the smartphone age.)
There was still a “best of� phone prank—by listener demand, it was
noted—but there were also team and listener shout-outs to medical and other
front-line workers. That included the local police who brought up
restaurant gift cards for local hospitals; producer/co-host Tiffany had
been in a local sandwich shop when the officers came in. The Crew’s medical
expert was Dr. Oz—who had been on recently and was scheduled to return
during the week.
The “Daily Scoop� began with the news that Tom Hanks and Rhea Wilson had
recovered from COVID-19 and were back home. It included how Costco was
selling Easter dinner, and the prospect of doing Easter dinner with family
via Zoom. That led to a bit about how Walmart was reporting a spike in the
sales of shirts, but not pants, and the possibility that your co-workers
were teleconferencing in their boxers.
And Now, A Word From …
There were a few recurring advertisers over the half-hour stretch of CKLW I
heard that were worth mentioning. One was from the alumni association of
local St. Clair College, thanking the critical workers who remain on the
job. Another was from Tim Hortons—talking about the steps they’ve taken to
safely keep their drive-thru open. A few weeks ago, as crisis took hold,
there was still a lot of holdover medical advertising from hospitals that
would now probably discourage discretionary visits. WPST still had a
traffic sponsorship from RWJBarnabas Health, but now the message was “stay
home.�
Overall, as radio’s advertisers struggle, and broadcasters with them, it’s
very clear in general which advertisers are able to go forward right now,
and they’re the ones who were most unavoidable under happier circumstances.
I heard a live-read spot on a News/Talk station for Kars4Kids, which is
still happy to “send somebody to pick up your car [or boat], contact free.�
5-Hour Energy tackles the issue of being “energy on the go, but what if
you’re not going anywhere?� by offering to keep you going through working
remotely or doing those long-postponed home projects. “It’s energy for
hunkering down� now. And at this moment when radio again has the nation’s
attention, but is still battered by layoffs and furloughs, one salutes any
devoted advertiser willing to stay in front of people.
For the last few weeks, I’ve tried to steer clear of anything that sounds
like a critique of individual broadcasters making their best efforts under
extraordinary circumstances, and during what was already a difficult time
for the medium. Over the last ten days, I’ve noticed the consumer press
writing about radio for the first time in a decade—in each of several
cases, it’s been about community and non-comm radio. But all broadcasters
deserve respect at this moment. I often search out radio exotica, but
normalcy is welcome now, too.
In general, I’ve heard broadcasters doing a very good job in finding a
tonal balance between emergency and stability. What I haven’t heard enough
throughout my listening is a segue to full-service stations that just
happen to play music. I’ve heard the most important points—wash your hands,
keep your distance, don’t go out. That’s not wrong, and clearly some people
still need that message as well. But radio is still needed as a resource in
the local community that can help you find a testing center, direct
listener help to those in need, or know which stores are stocked today.
Full-service is elusive now because the radio station news departments and
other local resources for music radio that might make that possible just
haven’t existed for years. On Sept. 11, 2001, music stations gave over
their airwaves to News/Talk sister stations; when times call for something
in between that and continuous music, it’s hard to be ready. But local
information has been established this month as radio’s point of
differentiation going forward, and as soon as things stabilize, how we can
be there is a necessary discussion.


The post Checking In On My First Favorite Stations appeared first on
RadioInsight.


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Entravision Expands Fuego To Rio Grande Valley

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 11:16 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/1...grande-valley/



After launching the Bilingual Rhythmic Fuego brand in Sacramento and
Modesto last July, Entravision brought the format to the Rio Grande Valley
on Monday.

Regional Mexican La Tricolor 99.5 KKPS Brownsville dropped its format to
become Fuego 99.5. Like its Fuego predecessors, the station is featuring a
mix of English and Spanish hits and a bilingual presentation

DJ Marky Mark moves from sister CHR 107.9 Mix-FM KVLY where he served as a
mixer and evening host to anchor afternoons at KKPS.



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RadioInsight.


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Tony Tecate & George McFly Exit American General Media Albuquerque

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 11:00 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/1...a-albuquerque/



American General Media has joined the list of companies making budgetary
cutbacks as they part ways with a pair of afternoon hosts in Albuquerque.

Tony Tecate exits the afternoon slot at Hot AC Mix 105.1 KKRG that hes held
since the start of 2019. Tecate is best known for his three tours at
Rhythmic CHR 102.5 KSFM Sacramento where he served as APD/MD from
2001-2007, 2007-2010, and 2016-2018 hosting mornings during the last two.
He also has programmed KIKI Honolulu, and held APD/MD roles at KWYD Boise
and KBOS Fresno during his career.

McFly joined Classic Hits Big 98.5 KABG in October 2018 from mornings at
Hot AC “Star 94.3� KHKU Kauai HI. The legendary CHR voice McFly previously
worked at WQHT New York, WBBM-FM/WJMK Chicago, KXXX San Francisco, WAVA
Washington, multiple stations in Denver and many stations during his career.












View this post on Instagram




















This was a SHOCKER!!! Due to the Coronavirus majorly affecting business. I
have been let go from @mymix1051 I was having such a good time too. Thank
you @realboblewis @randyfox2012 and American General Media for allowing me
to be a part of the team. I am sure once this virus blows over, I will be
working with you all again. Until then, I am open to any opportunities.
Please DM to speak privately. . . . #Albuquerque #riorancho #santafe
#newmexico #coronavirus #pandemic #economy #laidoff #radio #tv
A post shared by Tony T. Show | Media Creator (@tonytshow) on Mar 30, 2020
at 4:47pm PDT




The post Tony Tecate George McFly Exit American General Media Albuquerque
appeared first on RadioInsight.


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Tra Thomas Exits Mornings At 97.5 The Fanatic

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 10:06 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/1...5-the-fanatic/



Former Philadelphia Eagles lineman Tra Thomas has disclosed that he was a
budgetary related cut at Beasley Media Sports 97.5 The Fanatic WPEN-FM
Burlington NJ/Philadelphia.

Thomas joined WPEN-FM in October 2018 along with Marc Farzetta following a
12 year NFL career, coaching and serving as an Eagles analyst for Comcast
Sportsnet Philadelphia. Farzetta, Bob Cooney, Jaime Lynch and Sam Wilson
remain in mornings.

Welp guys it’s been real! I was just notified that due to cutbacks, I’ve
been released from @975Mornings. I want to thank @MarcFarzetta @jelynchjr
@BobCooney76 and @samwils18 and our listeners for an amazing ride. I’ll see
you guys on the other SIDE, SIDe, SIde, side

- Tra Thomas (@72TraThomas) March 31, 2020




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RadioInsight.


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SiriusXM Makes Streaming Platform Free Through May 15

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 07:18 AM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/1...hrough-may-15/



SiriusXM announced that it will make its entire platform available via its
streaming apps for free through May 15.

The platform also announced it will add or return a few channels on
Wednesday, April 1. Channel 179 will become #StayHome Radio featuring happy
and uplifting songs from artists like Lizzo and Coldplay to P!nk and Bob
Marley. Channel 177 will be The Top 1000 Channel featuring two week long
countdowns of the top 1000 songs in different genres. First will be Classic
Rock, followed be Oldies, Alternative Rock, Country, RB, Hard Rock and
Hip-Hop.

The platform will also bring back The Billy Joel Channel on channel 30 and
Dave Matthews Band Radio on channel 176.

INSTANT INSIGHT: While the commercial radio industry suffers with
advertiser losses forcing layoffs and furloughs, this simply compounds to
its issues as it brings another competitor into peoples homes right now. If
SiriusXM gets 1% of their free trial users to become subscribers it
compounds the difficulties being faced by the radio industry.

SiriusXM and Howard Stern today announced that starting today through May
15, SiriusXM will start offering free access to its full lineup of Premier
Streaming content to listeners in North America. Howard kicked off the
unprecedented Stream Free access this morning while hosting The Howard
Stern Show, on channel 100, from his home.

SiriusXM Select and All Access subscribers already have access to this
great content included with their subscriptions. Anyone who is not already
a SiriusXM subscriber can download the SiriusXM app or go to
SiriusXM.com/streamfree, and start listening free of charge, with no credit
card or commitment required.

“With so many people asked to stay at home, we are making our full
streaming lineup of music, entertainment, news and information easily
accessible to everyone,� said Jim Meyer, SiriusXM CEO. “In the days ahead,
we hope its a valuable source of information or diversion, a generous mix
of fresh live content, and a source of companionship that comes from the
hosts on our many shows and channels. And there was no better way to
launch the Stream Free content than with Howard this morning.�

Listeners will have free access to more than 300 channels of dynamic
programming, featuring the acclaimed The Howard Stern Show, hundreds of
exclusive ad-free music channels, and vital news and information sources.
SiriusXM is also adding entirely new curated content, and bringing back
some beloved music channels by top artists.

#StayHome Radio, a feel-good, ad-free music channel, will launch April 1 on
the streaming platform and channel 179 on most SiriusXM radios. The channel
will feature happy and uplifting songs from artists like Lizzo and Coldplay
to P!nk and Bob Marley.

And as people spend time at home, SiriusXM is bringing back The Billy Joel
Channel, Dave Matthews Band Radio, and a new channel full of the Top 1000
songs across multiple genres, all available on the SiriusXM app, connected
devices, as well as most SiriusXM radios, starting April 1.

Billy Joel’s exclusive SiriusXM channel, The Billy Joel Channel, features
music spanning his decades-long career, including songs from his live and
studio albums, and Billy telling exclusive stories about his music and
career. Throughout the month, the channel will also air Billy Joel: An
Evening of Questions and Answers…and a little music too, which was recorded
last year in Miami at the Faena Theater. It can be heard on the SiriusXM
app in the Rock category and on SiriusXM radios on channel 30.

Dave Matthews Band Radio will include music from the band’s extensive
career, along with exclusive, never-before-heard interview content, and
encore airings and highlights from Dave’s recent Pay It Forward: Live
performance streamed from his home and simulcast live on SiriusXM. Dave’s
“live from home� performance can be heard in full Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET /
2 p.m. PT, Thursday at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT, Friday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m.
PT, and through the weekend. The channel will also bring back the Friday
Night Concert Series, featuring a complete show from the archives every
Friday night at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. While the band is off the road, the
Friday Night Concert Series will feature standout shows including the
band’s 2018 and 2019 tour, originally heard live exclusively on SiriusXM.
Dave Matthews Band Radio can be heard on the SiriusXM app in the Rock
category and on SiriusXM radios initially on channel 176.

The Top 1000 Channel will bring a new genre countdown every two weeks,
kicking off with the top 1000 Classic Rock Songs and followed by the top
1000 Oldies songs, Alternative Rock songs (80s to today), Country songs,
RnB songs, Hard Rock songs and Hip-Hop songs. It can be heard on the
SiriusXM app and on most SiriusXM radios on channel 177.

SiriusXM’s ad-free music channels offer a wide variety of choices, from
favorites The Highway, SiriusXM Hits 1 and our decades channels, to
artist-backed channels such as The Beatles Channel, The Garth Channel,
Pearl Jam Radio, Grateful Dead Channel, LL COOL J’s Rock The Bells Radio,
Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Radio, and Eminem’s Shade 45.

There are also many additional online-only music channels, including more
than 100 Xtra music channels, curated for any mood, occasion or activity,
as well as music channels geared toward “relaxing-at-home� listening, such
as SiriusXM Chill, Watercolors, and SiriusXM Coffee House. SiriusXM music
channels are home to more than 200 channel hosts who serve as trusted
companions to millions in North America currently in their homes.

Listeners also get live news from major outlets such as CNN, FOX News,
CNBC, MSNBC and BBC World Service, and valuable information from channels
such as Doctor Radio powered by NYU Langone Health, and Business Radio.
There are also inspirational and faith-based channels, multiple channels of
comedy, dynamic sports talk such as Mad Dog Sports Radio, and more.

SiriusXM’s entertainment channels include Radio Andy and SiriusXM Stars,
featuring daily live shows covering the latest in pop culture, celebrities,
lifestyle, and more. Listeners can tune in to hear live shows from
SiriusXM hosts including Andy Cohen, Jenny McCarthy, Jess Cagle, Jeff
Lewis, Bevy Smith, Michelle Collins and more.

The SiriusXM app also offers additional features such as SiriusXM video,
Personalized Stations Powered by Pandora that listeners can curate
themselves, and an On Demand library with more than 10,000 hours of
archived shows, exclusive music performances, interviews and audio
documentaries.

The SiriusXM app is available on mobile phones, tablets and computers, as
well as on a wide variety of connected devices in the home including smart
TVs, devices with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant, Apple TV,
PlayStation, Roku, Sonos speakers and more.


The post SiriusXM Makes Streaming Platform Free Through May 15 appeared
first on RadioInsight.


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Townsquare Media & iHeartMedia Detail Cost-Cutting Measures And Related Cuts

Posted: 30 Mar 2020 04:16 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/1...-related-cuts/



As the coronavirus pandemic continues to harm the economy both iHeartMedia
and Townsquare Media have implemented measures to cut costs and trim some
of their operations.

In a memo to employees, Townsquare CEO Bill Wilson announced that the
company has laid off 65 employees including 26 at the corporate level on
top of the series of cuts the company made at some of its markets over the
past two weeks. It is also suspending its 401K matching program and
announced that eighteen executives will take a 10% reduction in their pay.

At iHeartMedia, CEO Bob Pittman and CFO Rich Bressler announced a number of
90 day furloughs of some employees that we have learned include part-time
on-air talent, members of promotions and marketing departments and sales
assistants. Those furloughed will continue to receive health benefits and
can file for state unemployment. Pittman will also voluntarily take no
salary for the remainder of the year and has given up his annual incentive
bonus, while Bressler and other members of iHearts senior management will
take between 30% and 70% reductions in pay.

Other companies have made similar moves in the past couple of weeks.
Beasley and Adams cut salaries across the board by 10%. Entercom has
furloughed and then laid-off many part-timers. Alpha Media made cuts in
multiple markets, while Saga has cut two staffers in each cluster. Smaller
groups such as Meruelo Media, Mid-West Family Broadcasting and Neuhoff
Media have made cuts and/or furloughs of employees.

The memos from both Bob Pittman and Bill Wilson follow:

Our number one concern in this unprecedented time is the safety and
well-being of our employees. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, our
company continues to be a primarily work-from-home operation and we have
also added some coronavirus-related resources and healthcare benefits if
you should need to take advantage of them.

Last week we wrote to you about the economic downturn our country is facing
as the result of the pandemic and the need to respond to it to preserve the
health of our company. During this unsettled time, we also know the biggest
economic concern among our employees is understandably about preserving
jobs—and we want you to know that it’s our main concern as well.

Although we have had to make hard decisions to address the economic impact
of the downturn, our management team has found ways to reduce our company’s
expenses without resorting to permanent layoffs.

As the CEO of the company, Bob will voluntarily take no salary for the
remainder of the year and has given up his annual incentive bonus, and Rich
and our senior management team will take reductions ranging from 30% to
over 70% of their total compensation for the remainder of the year.

In addition, we have implemented:

Reduction of all expenses that can be postponed without impacting our
service and commitment to our communities;
Temporary suspension of the 401(k) match;
No overtime without pre-approval;
Temporary suspension of new raises; and
Strict limitations on – or complete elimination of – Travel and
Entertainment (TE) expenses.


We believe all of these reductions give us more room to protect jobs.

Given our pullback from live events and our shift to a work-from-home
model, there are a few jobs that are not essential until our business
operations revert back to usual. This week we are taking the difficult step
of implementing a 90-day furlough, or temporary unpaid leave of absence,
for jobs affected by these changes. To be clear, while this will involve a
small total number of employees, they are valued colleagues and we did not
take this step lightly. We look forward to welcoming them back as soon as
we can.

This is not a layoff or a reduction in force (RIF). With a furlough, while
it is an unpaid leave of absence, the affected employees stay in our
employ, allowing us to continue offering these employees full health
benefits, and we want to make sure we take care of them as best we can
during this time. And with state unemployment benefits, supplemented by
the added special benefits that are part of the new federal stimulus
legislation, hopefully these employees will not feel any significant
financial impact during this limited period of time.

We’ve never lived through anything like this and, as managers, we’ve never
had to make more difficult decisions. However, please know we are
listening, studying and considering all options before we make the
important decisions that affect you and the company. We may miss on some of
these decisions and we will pivot when we find better ones — but
throughout it all, we truly appreciate your support for us, for your
colleagues and for the company.

Please be safe and take care of your health and your families.

Bob and Rich

-

Team Townsquare,

Each of us personally is facing a difficult situation caused by the
worldwide pandemic of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Working our way through
this situation presents numerous challenges that are unprecedented.

As I shared with you in my previous updates, my thoughts and prayers go out
to all who have been affected in the U.S and around the world. I trust you
know that my #1 priority is the safety, health and well-being of our team
members, our families, our partners and our communities. Nothing is more
important to me. Safety First.

In spite of the explosive growth of COVID-19 cases, the stay at home orders
across most states, and the significant disruption to our clients business,
I have been inspired by how the Townsquare team, each of you, has quickly
risen to the occasion to help our listeners, our communities and our
clients. Truly, I could not be more proud, but I am not surprised as we are
Townsquare and that is what we do.

While our employees are putting on a brave and positive face, Townsquare is
not unscathed by COVID-19. Fortunately, I am not aware of any Townsquare
employee who has tested positive and contracted the virus, but the economic
impact on our business has been significant over the past 2 weeks. We have
cancelled all live events for the upcoming months, resulting in millions of
dollars of lost revenue. In addition, we have experienced and expect to
continue to experience a sudden and substantial decline in our advertising
business (broadcast and digital). As a result of the pandemic, our revenue
will be much lower for a period of time. Thankfully, our Townsquare
Interactive solutions have been viewed as very valuable to local businesses
at a time when Americans are spending more time at home and online than
ever before. So far, we are not experiencing a revenue decline in our
Townsquare Interactive business. In fact, on Friday we had a very high
number of new TSI sales and over the past week sales have been quite
strong. Thank you to each of you who continue to educate existing and new
clients of the value and return on investment Townsquare Interactive can be
providing local businesses right now. The same value and powerful solutions
are true as well with our broadcast and digital advertising solutions.
While some clients are pausing their spend given their specific situation
(gyms, certain retail, nail and hair salons, etc.) other categories are
increasing their spend, or advertising with us for the first time
(sanitizing companies, public health departments, restaurants offering dine
out options). One of the most important things we can do right now is make
sure we are educating the businesses in our markets of the value we can
provide in the current environment. While we must first and foremost
demonstrate empathy for the challenges these businesses are facing, it has
never been more important to superserve our customers and help them not
only weather this storm, but prevail.

While Townsquare will clearly prevail, it quickly became clear to me that
in order to get through the current situation we’ve had to make some very
difficult decisions and sacrifices over the past 10 days, and being
transparent, I believe we will have to make future sacrifices as well. The
toughest but necessary decision that I have had to make is to say goodbye
to some of our employees, and compete to win with a smaller team moving
forward. Earlier today we had a reduction in workforce of 65 team members.
Those 65 team members included 26 corporate employees with the remaining
employees impacted spread out across our 67 local markets. When the first
of your five pillars is YOU Matter, it’s hard not to question if this is
true when we are terminating employees at such a challenging time. The
decision to let these employees go was based on a number of factors, the
most important being my belief that reducing our overall workforce was
necessary to protect our business and the remaining team moving forward.
Thankfully, the government has passed an unprecedented stimulus bill a few
days ago that will help Americans with direct deposit of income for those
earning under $99,000 as well as help local businesses with no or low
interest free loans and other extraordinary measures to assist our economy
during this time. I had a video conference call earlier today with our
local market leadership, along with TSI leadership, and based on their
feedback we are creating resources and materials that our teams around the
country can use to educate their local businesses on these government
programs which can potentially help their business during these challenging
times.

Another sacrifice we are going to have to make is to suspend our company
401K company match effective April 1. If you are a participant in our
company’s 401K plan and based on not having a company match starting April
1 want to suspend your contribution, Alyssa will be sending out
instructions how to do so today or tomorrow prior to April 1. As you know ,
starting a 401K company match was something I was very proud of
implementing upon becoming CEO and I regret having to suspend it. I look
forward to re-implementing the match once we overcome these challenges
together.

Over the past week as our Townsquare corporate leadership team worked
together to develop a plan for these unprecedented times, along with myself
a number of your leaders volunteered to take a 10% reduction in their
compensation to assist us in overcoming the economic challenges we are
faced with. So along with myself, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank
Stu Rosenstein, Erik Hellum, Alyssa Goldberg, Scott Schatz, Claire Yenicay,
Chris Kitchen, Cristina Cipolla, Tim Pirrone, Todd Lawley, Rob Williams,
Kevin Godwin, Kelly Quinn, Matt Kiger, Kurt Johnson, Jared Willig, Michael
Josephs Jon Reynolds in volunteering for a 10% temporary pay reduction as
well. I am humbled and honored to work alongside each of them each day and
particularly in this time of great challenges, I appreciate their input and
leadership.

Unfortunately, unless things improve significantly and quickly, I believe I
will need to make other expense reduction decisions. My goal is to not do
another workforce reduction, but rather monitor the economic impact that
COVID-19 has on our country and thus our company over the next few months
and find other solutions to navigating this storm. That is my goal. To
accomplish that goal, I am requesting of each of you, and I need each of
you, to rise the challenge we each face. Do the very best you can do at the
job you have, even in the face of these challenging circumstances. That is
what I am going to do, and I know you will be right there with me.

With a lot of challenges ahead of each of us, it is important to make
mention of the good. The good is that with certain sacrifices, we are going
to overcome this challenge together. We will continue to lead from the
front, continue to inform accurately, provide comfort in a time when our
familiar voices have never been more important, and continue to help our
clients and communities thrive. #BetterTogether. That I am 100% certain of.
Townsquare will prevail. I appreciate your support in these unprecedented
times. The key to overcoming the challenge we face is to bond together as
we always have as a strong Townsquare Team. Over the past two years, your
work has translated to industry leading performance. During this crisis,
together as a team we will leverage our bond and do what is best for our
listeners, our communities and our clients. We got this. We are Townsquare.

I look forward to talking to you in 30 minutes on our 5 pm Eastern today.

Stay Townsquare Strong. Stay Calm. Stay Safe.

With much appreciation for your work and commitment each and every day,
especially now.

Bill

#TownsquareStrong



The post Townsquare Media iHeartMedia Detail Cost-Cutting Measures And
Related Cuts appeared first on RadioInsight.


///////////////////////////////////////////
Hubbard Seattle Appoints New Chief Engineer

Posted: 30 Mar 2020 04:00 PM PDT
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/1...hief-engineer/



Hubbard Radio has announced the appointment of Alex Brewster as Chief
Engineer effective April 15.

Brewster joins Hubbard from Entercom where he served as Assistant Chief
Engineer for the companys Seattle and Portland stations since 2017. He
previously served as an engineer for CBS Radio Seattle as well.

Hubbard Radio Seattle Announces Alex Brewster as the cluster’s new Chief of
Engineering starting April 15th, 2020.

Alex brings a new generation of broadcast engineering to Hubbard Radio
Seattle after stints as Assistant Chief Engineer for Entercom Seattle and
Portland where he provided technical support that included each cluster’s
five Class C FM stations and their associated HD channels and two
directional AM stations respectively.

Hubbard Radio Seattle’s interim Market Manager Scott Mahalick had this to
say, “It’s wonderful to have a world class engineering leader join Hubbard
Seattle and help make our engineering department shine.�

Brewster’s prior experience includes technical support for CBS Seattle
stations and in the tower construction business, installing and repairing
FM and AM antennas as a tower rigger.

I am excited for the opportunities this positions brings. I am looking
forward to using my knowledge and skills to enhance and expand the
technological capabilities of Hubbard Seattle,� said Brewster.

Alex is also a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and is an SBE
Certified Broadcast Radio Engineer, Certified Broadcast Network
Technologist and was selected as the Seattle Chapter 16 Engineer of the
Year in 2019.


The post Hubbard Seattle Appoints New Chief Engineer appeared first on
RadioInsight.