Industry News

WMAL-FM, Washington Raises $400k-plus for Fisher House

Cumulus Media’s WMAL-FM in Washington, DC raises more than $413,000 during its 21st annual “WMAL Operation Fisher House Radiothon” held on November 30 and December 1. The broadcast event featured WMAL hosts’ interviews with families of injured veterans that have benefited from the donations made in past radiothons. Over the past 21 years, WMAL listeners have donated more than $8.7 million to support the efforts of the Fisher House Foundation, which provides housing to familiesim of injured military members and veterans who are undergoing treatment. Group homes at Bethesda, Walter Reed, the VA, Dover AFB, and at military and VA medical centers around the world offer a comfortable place for loved ones to live while remaining close to their injured family members. Fisher House Foundation chairman and CEO Ken Fisher says, “For an incredible 21 years, WMAL and its audience have given to military and veteran families through Fisher House Foundation. We are overwhelmed and grateful for the dedication and incredible generosity in support of our nation’s heroes and their loved ones.” WMAL PD and Cumulus Media VP of news/talk Bill Hess comments, “Year after year, our listeners step up with support for injured veterans and their families. As the Fisher House Foundation approaches its 100th house worldwide, it’s rewarding to know our listeners play such a large role in the organization’s ability to serve the families of our wounded servicemen and women.”

Industry News

Cumulus Promotes Beth Coughlin to Regional VP

Cumulus Media promotes Beth Coughlin to regional vice president for Buffalo, Erie, and Syracuse markets. She currently serves as vice president/market manager for the Syracuse operations. Theim company operates news/talk WHLD-AM, Buffalo; sports talk WRIE-AM, Erie; and sports talk WSKO-AM, Syracuse as well as 11 music-formatted stations. Cumulus Media president of operations Bob Walker states, “We are pleased to expand Beth’s responsibilities over these three key markets for Cumulus. Her deep experience and effectiveness as a leader make her a natural choice for this enhanced role.”

Industry News

Round Four of November PPMs Released

imThe fourth of four rounds of ratings information from Nielsen Audio’s November PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including Austin, Raleigh, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nashville, Providence, Norfolk, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Greensboro, Memphis, and Hartford. The survey period covered October 12 through November 8. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In Milwaukee, iHeartMedia news/talk WISN adds a full share for a 10.7 share (weekly, 6+ AQH share) finish that keeps it ranked #1, while Good Karma Brands news/talk WTMJ loses 1.9 shares for a 7.7 share but remains ranked #2. In Nashville, Cumulus Media news/talk WWTN-FM is flat with a 5.7 share and remains ranked #5, while iHeartMedia news/talk WLAC-AM inches up one-tenth and remains ranked #19. In West Palm Beach, Hubbard Broadcasting news/talk WFTL adds four-tenths for a 2.7 share and stays locked in the #9 rank, while iHeartMedia talk WZZR-FM adds two-tenths for a 2.0 share and climbs to the #11 rank, and iHeartMedia’s news/talk WJNO is flat with a 1.2 share but falls back to the #15 rank. See Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets here.

Industry News

Cumulus/Signal Hill Release Podcast Download – Fall 2023 Report

Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights are releasing the Podcast Download – Fall 2023 Report that looks at the latest podcast audience trends. Some of the findings include: 1) Podcast consumers continue to embrace YouTube as the number one podcast platform, especially with podcast discovery;im 2) Audio is powerful. Podcast consumers spend a significant amount of time on YouTube listening to podcasts without watching the video; 3) Since 2019, YouTube and Spotify have been growing among podcast newcomers at the expense of Apple Podcasts; 4) More than half of the weekly YouTube podcast audience say they have listened to the same podcasts in another place; and 5) Podcast consumers who watch video podcasts often have eyes on the screen. More than 6 in 10 look at the screen at least some of the time, even during ads. Since October 2021, podcast watchers have been increasing their time spent with eyes on the screen. See more about the study here.

Industry News

Air Staff Cuts at KNBR, San Francisco

According to numerous reports from Bay Area media outlets, Cumulus Media’s sports talk KNBR, San Francisco has let go a number of staffers, including former programmer Lee Hammer, morning show personality Paul McCaffrey, evening host FP Santangelo, and some in the digital department.im McCaffrey has been co-host of the “Murph and Mac” show with Brian Murphy, who appears to still be employed with the station. The dismissal of Santangelo spells the end of the evening call-in show that’s been part of the station for the past 51 years. Station program director Adam Copeland– who also co-hosts the afternoon show with Tom Tolbert – said on the program, “It’s been a really difficult day. I love this building, I love this station, I love working with you, Tom, and I’ve listened to you for years. I love a lot of people. I love the guys we let go of today. I’m looking forward to the future, but I really think we need to tip our cap and applaud the work that those guys have done.” Read the SFGate piece here.

Industry News

“Goldy” Retires from WFNC, Fayetteville, North Carolina

Today (12/1) was the last day on Cumulus Media’s news/talk WFNC-AM, Fayetteville, North Carolina for Jeff “Goldy” Goldberg. He closed out his 45-year radio career – the last 18 years of which haveim been spent at WFNC – with a special broadcast of “Good Morning Fayetteville” called, “Goldy’s Last Hurrah.” He tells Bill Kirby Jr. at CityViewNC, “Since I announced my retirement a few weeks ago, the outpouring of love and the good wishes from not only my listeners here in Fayetteville, but my listeners in Washington D.C., has been overwhelming. It has been a privilege and a joy to live out my dream for these last 45 years, and to have a second chapter like the one I’ve had here in Fayetteville exceeded my wildest dreams.”

Industry News

Round Two of November PPMs Released

imThe second of four rounds of ratings information from Nielsen Audio’s November PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including Washington, Boston, Miami, Seattle, Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis, San Diego, Tampa, Denver, Baltimore, and St. Louis. The survey period ran from October 12 through November 8. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In Washington, Cumulus Media’s news/talk WMAL-FM is up six-tenths for a 4.6 share (weekly, 6+ AQH share) finish that lifts it to the #6 rank, while Hubbard Broadcasting’s all-news WTOP-FM declines seven-tenths to a 7.4 share as it falls to the #3 rank after 10 months at #2. In Seattle, Bonneville’s news/talk KIRO-FM adds half a share to finish with a 4.7 share that lifts it to the #6 rank, while Lotus Communications’ all-news KNWN-AM/FM rises four-tenths for a 2.6 share good for the #18 rank. In Phoenix, iHeartMedia news/talk KFYI falls seven-tenths to a 3.3 share that leaves it ranked #11, while Bonneville’s news/talk KTAR-FM tacks on three-tenths for a 2.7 share finish that lifts it to the #14 rank. See Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets here.

Industry News

Cumulus Podcast Network Contracts with Barometer for Brand Safety & Suitability

Cumulus Media announces its Cumulus Podcast Network is now providing brand suitability and safety measurement through Barometer, which provides brand-suitability measurement and contextual targeting unique to the podcast space. Cumulus says that this allows marketers and media agencies toim be able to review podcasts to ensure they meet their brand’s safety and suitability standards. Brands are also able to monitor their ad-buys during and after the campaigns to ensure their standards are being upheld. Westwood One SVP, sales and digital partnerships David Cohn comments, “We are proud to provide Barometer’s transparency and accountability to the marketplace. Brand marketers now represent 61% of U.S. podcast revenue. Advertisers deserve a brand-suitability solution that is designed for the unique attributes of podcast content rather than the legacy systems that were designed for display and online video.”

Industry News

Round One of November PPMs Released

imThe first of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s November PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, San Jose, and Middlesex-Somerset-Union (New Jersey). The November 2023 survey covered October 12 – November 8. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In New York, Red Apple Media’s news/talk WABC dips one-tenth for a 3.0 share finish and remains ranked #11, while iHeartMedia’s news/talk WOR adds one-tenth to finish with a 1.3 share and rises to the #22 rank. In Los Angeles, iHeartMedia’s news/talk KFI rises six-tenths to a 5.1 share that lifts it to the #4 rank. In Chicago, Nexstar Media’s news/talk WGN falls two-tenths to a 3.4 share good for the #10 rank, while Cumulus Media’s news/talk WLS-AM is steady at a 1.5 share but rises one notch to the #23 rank. See Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets here.

Industry News

WWO: Studies Show AM/FM and Tax Prep Services a Good Match

The latest blog post from the Cumulus Media | Westwood One’s Audio Active Group contains data from five studies that indicate AM/FM radio is a good medium to advertise tax preparation services. Some of the findings include: 1) AM/FM radio is an ideal medium for the tax preparation category: Heavyim AM/FM radio listeners are 39% more likely to pay $301+ to have their taxes prepared and show greater familiarity, interest, consideration, and usage of tax category brands; 2) AM/FM radio ads drive site traffic for tax preparation brands: In the LeadsRx attribution study of a tax preparation service’s multi-wave campaign, AM/FM radio generated between a 43% to 47% increase in website traffic; 3) Branding early and often in tax preparation service ads drives more site traffic: LeadsRx found the top three creative executions that drove site traffic for a tax preparation service had the marketer’s brand name within the first five seconds of the ad; and 4) compared to other radio formats, a 2023 tax prep campaign on news/talk and sports stations realized a higher percentage share of interactions than the percentage share of their Nielsen ad impressions. See the blog post here.

Industry News

Gallenbeck to Lead Cumulus Media in Reno and Eugene

Sales and management pro Tricia Gallenbeck adds responsibility for Cumulus Media’s Reno market toim her Eugene, Oregon management role and becomes regional vice president. Cumulus operates news/talk outlet KKOH-AM, Reno; news/talk KUGN-AM & sports talk KUJZ-FM in Eugene, plus six music brands. Cumulus president, operations Bob Walker says, “We are thrilled to expand Tricia’s responsibilities and welcome her back to Reno. Her experience and relationships in the market are unmatched.”

Industry News

WLS-AM, Chicago’s “Round Trip with Colleen Kelly” Celebrates 100th Episode

Cumulus Media’s news/talk WLS-AM, Chicago is celebrating the 100th episode of its resident weekend travel show, “Round Trip With Colleen Kelly,” this Sunday (11/12) with a special program that will air atim 1:00 pm (instead of its usual 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm air time). The program is hosted by travel expert Colleen Kelly, who is cost, creator, and executive producer of the popular Emmy-nominated PBS series, “Family Travel With Colleen Kelly,” and is a digital contributor to National Geographic. WLS program director Stephanie Tichenor says, “Chicago loves to travel. Colleen has been giving our WLS-AM audience travel tips and tricks for over 100 episodes. We are so excited to celebrate this milestone with her as she continues to share her experiences from all over the world.” The series is also co-hosted and produced by Megan Kudla, as well as technically produced and edited by Lane Thoelcke.

Industry News

Cumulus Ups Adam Copeland to PD for Bay Area Sports Stations

Cumulus Media promotes KNBR, San Francisco afternoon drive co-host Adam Copeland to program director for its three sports talk stations – KNBR-AM/FM, KGO-AM, and KTCT-AM. He’ll continue in his on-air role on the “Tolbert & Copes” program. Copeland joined KNBR in 2009 as an intern in theim promotions department at KNBR and was later hired at KNBR as a part-time board operator. In 2017, Copeland was promoted to full-time producer of “KNBR Tonight,” was then named host of “The Leadoff Spot,” and served as producer/board operator of the “Murph and Mac Show.” In 2018 he began co-hosting the San Francisco Giants pre-game show on KNBR and then joined KNBR’s coverage of 49ers pre- and post-game shows. Cumulus San Francisco and Los Angeles regional VP and market manager Larry Blumhagen says, “We are excited to have Adam Copeland as program director for these iconic stations. In his active role as a KNBR on-air personality, Adam has a connection with our listeners and a unique grasp of what they want from our platforms.”

Industry News

WJR, Detroit Announces New Drive Time Programming

Cumulus Media announces additions to the morning and afternoon drive dayparts at news/talk WJR, Detroit. First is the all-new “JR Morning with Guy, Lloyd, and Jamie” program airing from 6:00 am to 9:00 am and starring Guy Gordon, Lloyd Jackson, and Jamie Edmonds. The station says, “The dynamicim team of award-winning journalists brings a fresh perspective to mornings while delivering a perfect mix of news, sports, and entertainment.” Also, station traffic and weather anchor Renee Vitale becomes co-host of “First Thing with Mike Parsons” from 5:00 am to 6:00 am. The station is pairing Detroit Lions great Lomas Brown with WJR’s Sean Baligian for the 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm “Sportswrap with Lomas Brown and Sean Baligian” program. Cumulus Media regional VP and market manager Steve Finateri comments, “‘JR Morning with Guy, Lloyd and Jamie’ plus ‘SportsWrap with Lomas Brown and Sean Baligian’ as bookends to our current big-name local daily shows on WJR has given ‘The Great Voice of The Great Lakes’ more prime time firepower than at any time in the past 20 years!”

Industry News

Round Two of October PPMs Released

imThe second of four rounds of ratings data from Nielsen Audio’s October PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including Washington, Boston, Miami, Seattle, Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis, San Diego, Tampa, Denver, Baltimore, and St. Louis. The survey period was September 14 through October 11. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In Washington, Cumulus Media’s news/talk WMAL-FM rises one-tenth to finish with a 4.0 share (weekly, 6+ AQH share) and remains ranked #7, while Hubbard Broadcasting’s all-news WTOP dropped six-tenths to an 8.1 share and stays locked in the #2 rank. In Detroit, Audacy’s all-news WWJ adds six-tenths for a 4.6 share finish and rises to the #9 rank, while Cumulus Media’s news/talk WJR rises half a share for a 2.3 share that lifts it to the #16 rank. See Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets here. Note that missing data from yesterday’s first round of markets for the San Jose and Middlesex-Somerset-Union markets has been published and is included in yesterday’s Takeaways.

Industry News

Round One of October 2023 PPMs Released

imThe first of four rounds of ratings information from Nielsen Audio’s October 2023 PPM survey has been released for 12 markets including: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario. The October 2023 survey covers the period of September 14 – October 11. Today, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian presents his Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets. In New York, Red Apple Media Group’s news/talk WABC sheds three-tenths for a 3.1 share (weekly, 6+ AHQ share) finish and remains ranked #11, while iHeartMedia’s news/talk WOR is steady with a 1.2 share good for the #23 rank. In Los Angeles, iHeartMedia’s news/talk KFI slips three-tenths to a 4.5 share and the #5 rank, while Audacy’s crosstown all-news KNX-FM falls four-tenths to a 3.3 share good for the #10 rank. In Chicago, Audacy all-news WBBM-AM/WCFS-FM climbs seven-tenths to a 5.6 share but remains ranked #3, while Nexstar Media’s news/talk WGN inches up two-tenths to a 3.6 share and steady at the #8 rank, and Cumulus Media’s news/talk WLS-AM ticks up one-tenth to a 1.5 share but drops back to the #25 rank. It should be noted that, for reasons unexplained, there is no October data for the San Jose and Middlesex-Somerset-Union markets. There is also a noteworthy reduction in data in the Nassau-Suffolk and Riverside markets. See Mike Kinosian’s complete Ratings Takeaways from this group of markets here.

Industry News

WWO: Brand Advertisers Now Tops in Podcasting Ad Spend

According to this week’s Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group blog post, when it comes to podcast revenue, brand spending now represents 61% of ad dollars, surpassing direct response (39%). This data comes from the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s eighth annual podcast revenue report. The blog post notes, “Podcast advertising revenue was born thanks to direct responseim advertising. In 2016 and 2017, direct response represented the vast majority of podcast advertising. From 2018 to 2021, the proportion of podcast ad spend was equally split between brand and direct response.” The post says there are four major implications of the shift to podcast brand advertising: 1) Targeting will become much broader: Wide campaign reach will become the priority with a goal of “being known before you’re needed”; 2) Creative will shift to become more entertaining and emotion based: The objective will be to stir passions and create positive feelings and associations with ads that people find interesting and enjoyable; 3) Brand safety and suitability measurement will become more crucial: Firms like Barometer will become powerful resources to help marketers find the right context for their campaigns with nuanced data; and 4) Measurement will focus on how well campaigns build memories to ensure brands are “easy to mind and easy to find”: Key performance indicators are brand awareness, brand consideration, and brand preference. See the complete blog here.

Industry News

Michael DelGiorno to Host AMs on WLAC, Nashville

Talk radio personality Michael DelGiorno posts news on his Facebook page that he’s taking over the morning show on iHeartMedia’s news/talk WLAC-AM/W252CM, Nashville on November 6. The 5:00 amim to 8:00 am show will be simulcast on the company’s KTOK-AM, Oklahoma City and KAKC-AM, Tulsa. iHeartMedia Nashville market president Dan Endom says, “We are thrilled to welcome Michael, a true broadcasting legend, to iHeartMedia Nashville. Michael’s extensive knowledge of the airwaves coupled with his innate ability to connect with audiences will elevate our programming to new heights.” DelGiorno served with Cumulus Media’s crosstown WWTN-FM, Nashville from 2007 through March of this year. He also previously hosted shows on KFAQ and KRMG in Tulsa.

Industry News

Cumulus Media 2023 Q3 Revenue Falls 11%

Cumulus Media Inc is the first audio group to report third quarter 2023 operating results in a year that’s been challenging for all media reliant on advertising. Today’s Q3 report reveals net revenue of $207 million, a decline of 11% over the same period in 2022. Cumulus reports net income during the quarter of $2.7 million, down 68% from a year ago. However, for the first nine months of 2023, the company reportsim a net loss of $19.8 million. Cumulus reports in segments, and for the Q3 period total broadcast radio revenue was $146 million, down 17.4% from a year ago. Spot revenue was down 15.2% while network revenue declined 22.8% from Q3 of 2022. Cumulus’ digital segment reports revenue of $37.2 million, an increase of 6.6%, year-over-year. Cumulus CEO Mary G. Berner states, “Third quarter revenue and Adjusted EBITDA finished in line with expectations with results reflecting the continued dichotomy between local imand national business lines. Despite the challenging environment, we maximized performance by continuing to focus on areas we can control, including growing each of our digital businesses, reducing costs, and improving our balance sheet through non-core asset sales and debt reduction. These actions have further improved the company’s revenue growth profile, operating leverage, financial flexibility, and strategic optionality and, collectively, position us to rebound when the advertising environment improves. While we are continuing to see weakness in national markets, as companies are starting to set their 2024 marketing budgets, we are seeing some initial indications from key national advertisers in several categories that sentiment is improving for next year. That tone, combined with the anticipation of a robust political spending cycle, gives us cautious optimism that we may be seeing the early signs of a market recovery.”

Industry News

WWO: AM/FM Radio Tops TV Among Persons 18-49

The latest blog post from Cumulus Media | Westwood One’s Audio Active Group features data from Nielsen’s Total Audience Report for Q3 of 2023 that indicates “AM/FM radio’s persons 18-49 average audience is now +5% greater than television.” Other takeaways from the research include: 1) Sinceim 2018, Nielsen’s Total Audience Report reveals the 18-49 weekly reach of live and time-shifted TV has dropped -26%. Over the same period, TV’s daily time spent is down -59%; 2) cord-cutting is a major driver of TV’s audience collapse: The MRI Simmons January 2023 “How Americans Watch TV” report reveals 51% have cut the cord; 3) While a huge number of Americans have abandoned traditional TV for streaming, AM/FM radio remains the dominant audio platform: According to Edison Research’s Q2 2023 “Share of Ear,” AM/FM radio has a massive 69% share of U.S. ad-supported audio. AM/FM radio audience shares are over 17 times larger than ad-supported Pandora and ad-supported Spotify. See the full blog post here.