Tag: iHeartMedia

No “Salary” for Rush? What this means for local talk radio hosts.

  So, four more years is what — The release didn’t specify that. Because I told everybody involved I don’t want any terms announced. I have never, by the way, released that kind of information about my arrangement here. Those numbers have always come from other people. My parents, my dad  always told me, “you…

What Happens to Talk Radio in November?

Translation: If you’re going down, you might as well go down in a memorable way. Donald Trump sure is memorable and the same could have been said about talk radio some 20 years ago. Conservative talk radio and the Republican party are connected, once again trying to energize their common “base.”  Each are equally disconnected…

AM “Revitalization” Destroying AM Radio

Bob Pittman, the head of iHeart Media, said this when announcing the company’s name change from Clear Channel Media + Entertainment. I can’t imagine former Clear Channel CEO Randy Michaels ever saying something like this. Ouch. It’s going on three years since the Federal Communication Commission (F.C.C.) announced plans for “AM Revitalization.”  Then, late last year, the…

iHeart Media’s “Momma Ain’t Happy”

You know what they say, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”  Generally speaking this phrase, from America’s south, means a “family” looks to Momma to keep it organized and functioning. If someone gets out of line, Momma will not be pleased. For iHeart Media, two of their “Momma’s” are investment bank Goldman Sachs and a…

Why Your Favorite FM Station Doesn’t Come In As Good Anymore

A lot can be learned from data and tracking it. For example, in radio and television, there are Nielsen ratings. You analyze ratings by the week, month or over a year to develop and see a trend. Is the station or program going up or down? Trending up is good. Trending down is bad. One…

Idea? “Local” Morning News from Another City. Brilliant!

I’m sure you’ve read the media trades where consultants and experts say listeners, viewers and readers want authenticity, they want “real.” The unbelievable claims of being “the best” or “the most” doesn’t cut it with media savvy consumers anymore. But, radio? It just keeps on keeping on, ignoring consumer needs, wants and demands and continues…

The Business of Being Rush Limbaugh

After news broke about the Rush Limbaugh Show getting kicked to the curb by WRKO-AM in Boston, Nielsen radio market #10, I received about a dozen emails asking when I was going to comment.  So, here goes. First, understand the “business of business is business” and the “business of money is money.”  And it’s money…

Radio’s PPM “Voltair is not fair!” Or is it?

I’ve been reading a lot about the Telos/25-7 Systems’ Voltair “black box” that some claim gives an unfair advantage to radio stations trying to game Nielsen’s PPM methodology.  The box allegedly increases the chances the embedded PPM “watermark” on a station’s signal will be detected on a panelist’s meter. Is the Voltair unfair?  I guess…