Industry News

SiriusXM Reports Q4 and 2023 Full Year Financials

Satellite and digital broadcaster SiriusXM reports its operating results for the fourth quarter of 2023 and the full year of 2023. For Q4, the company reports total revenue was basically flat at $2.28 billion compared to the same period in 2022. For the full year of 2023, total revenue was $8.9 billion, down just a half percent from the full year of 2022. For Q4, SiriusXM reports net income of $350 million, a decline of 3.5% from Q4 of 2022. For the full year of 2023, net income was $1.25 billion, up 3.7% over the netim income of $1.21 billion reported for the full year of 2022. The company says, “SiriusXM added approximately 131,000 new self-pay subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2023. For the full-year 2023, self-pay subscribers decreased by 445,000 and we ended 2023 with approximately 34 million total subscribers.” SiriusXM CEO Jennifer Witz comments, “In 2023, SiriusXM laid the groundwork for future growth through the successful launch of our next-generation platform and the new SiriusXM app. Our commitment to growth was also demonstrated by strategic content investments that expanded our reach to new listeners and by staying true to our identity as a hub for curated, live and on-demand audio experiences. As we look to 2024, our guidance reflects substantial efforts and investments to enhance the value proposition of our subscription and advertising businesses, which we believe will strengthen our long-term growth profile.”

Industry News

Salem Media Group Third Quarter Revenue Falls 5%

The company releases its third quarter 2023 operating results and reports total revenue of $63.5 million, a decline of 5% from the same period in 2022. Salem reports that total operating expenses for the quarter increased 31.9% to $99.8 million, while operating expenses, excluding stock-basedim compensation expense, debt modification costs, gains and losses on the sale or disposition of assets, impairments, depreciation expense and amortization expense increased 0.2% to $61.0 million. The company reports a net loss of $31.3 million for the quarter, an increase of 163% over the same period in 2022. Salem presents operating results by segment and reveals that its Broadcast segment’s revenue was $49 million, down 4.2% year-over-year; its Digital Media segment’s revenue was $10 million, down 2.2%; and the Publishing segment’s revenue was $4.6 million, a decline of 17.5%.

Industry News

Salem Media Group Second Quarter Revenue Declines 4.2%

Salem Media Group total revenue for the second quarter of 2023 was $65.8 million, a decrease of 4.2% from Q2 of 2022. The company reports an operating loss of $4.1 million compared to operating income of $7.3 million reported in Q2 of 2022. Salem posts a net loss of $7.1 million for the second quarter of this year, compared to a net income of $9.1 million reported for Q2 of 2022. Looking at the company’s operating results by segment, Netim Broadcast revenue decreased 5.3% to $49.7 million from $52.5 million; Station Operating Income decreased 43.5% to $6.2 million from $10.9 million; Same Station net broadcast revenue decreased 5.8% to $49.4 million from $52.4 million; and Same Station operating income decreased 37.7% to $6.8 million from $10.9 million. Digital Media revenue increased 0.5% to $10.9 million from $10.8 million, and Publishing revenue decreased 3.5% to $5.2 million from $5.4 million. Salem reports that as of June 30, 2023, the company was not in compliance with its fixed charge coverage ratio. On August 7, 2023 it signed a forbearance whereby the bank agreed not to exercise remedies on the default during the month of August. Additionally, the notional amount of the revolver was reduced from $30 million to $25 million with a minimum availability of $1 million. The interest rate associated with the revolver increased by two percentage points effective July 1, 2023 through the date of the forbearance amendment.

Industry News

Salem Q4 2022 Revenue Falls 0.5%; Full Year Revenue Up 3.4%

Salem Media Group’s total revenue during the fourth quarter of 2022 was $68.8 million, down 0.5% compared to Q4 of 2021. For the full year 2022, total revenue was $205.3 million, an increase of 3.4% over the full year of 2021. The company reports a loss of $2.2 million for Q4 of 2022 and a loss of $3.2 million for the full year ofSoundCloud - Salem Media Group 2022. Salem reports in segments and for the fourth quarter of 2022, net Broadcast revenue increased 4.5% to $53.3 million from $51 million in the same period in 2021. However, Digital media revenue decreased 10.3% to $10.4 million from $11.6 million in Q4 of 2021. The Publishing segment decreased 21.3% to $5.2 million from $6.5 million in the same period a year ago. For the full year of 2022, net Broadcast revenue increased 7.2% to $205.3 million from $191.4 million in 2021. Digital media revenue decreased 1.2% to $41.7 million from $42.2 million, and Publishing revenue decreased 18.9% to $20 million from $24.6 million in 2021. Looking ahead, Salem offers guidance for the first quarter of 2023, saying, “The company is projecting total revenue to be between flat and a decline of 2% from the first quarter 2022 total revenue of $62.6 million.”

Front Page News Industry News

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Salem Media Group First Quarter Revenue Rises 5.5%. Reporting financial data for the first quarter of 2022, Salem Media Group says total revenue was $62.6 million, an increase of 5.5% over the same period in 2021. Operating income was $5 million, up 14.2% from the same period a year ago. Salem posted net income of $1.7 million in Q1 of this year compared to the net income of $0.3 million reported for the same quarter in 2021. Breaking down the company’s data by segment, net broadcast revenue increased 10% to $48.4 million from $44 million in 2021, while digital media revenue increased 7.1% to $10.3 million from $9.6 million, and publishing revenue decreased 31.8% to $3.9 million from $5.7 million. Looking ahead, Salem Media Group says that for the second quarter of 2022, it is projecting total revenue to increase between 6% and 8% from second quarter 2021 total revenue of $63.8 million.

 

The Vastness of Night. “The two most effective, engaging forms of advertising are in-theatre and overnight radio,” says Walter Sterling. “Surrounded by darkness without distractions, the audience choses to receive the advertising message in the comfort of a bed, perfectly adjusted car seat, or reclining throne. Overnight radio is 25% of the broadcast day. Twenty-five percent. A locally hosted all-night show in a major city is a gift to listeners and advertisers.” You say you can’t afford an all-night talk radio host? Read more of what Walter Sterling has to say here.

 

Tom Millikan Upped to Assistant Brand Manager for WXYT-FM, Detroit. Executive producer Tom Millikan is promoted to assistant brand manager at Audacy’s sports talk WXYT-FM, Detroit “97.1 The Ticket.” He will continue in his executive producer role for “The Morning Show with Stoney and Jansen.” Audacy Detroit SVP and market manager Debbie Kenyon says, “Tom has done an outstanding job as an executive producer and has played a vital role in the success of the station. He is very deserving of this promotion and we look forward to even greater success with Tom in his new role.” Millikan comments, “Throughout my 20-plus years in radio, I’ve been blessed with countless memories of championships and pure joy. I’m living out a dream. I wanted to work in sports radio since the format exploded in the early 90s and I’ve been blessed by the tutelage of all of my co-workers and peers. I was born and raised in Detroit and Detroit sports are part of my DNA. Listeners might not agree with my opinions or show content all of the time, but I genuinely try to produce shows that Detroit sports fans want every single day.”

 

ABC Audio Promotes Liz Alesse to VP. Rising from the director and executive producer of podcast programming position to vice president of ABC Audio is Liz Alesse. In this role, Alesse will oversee the organization’s entire audio business, including ABC News Radio, podcasts, and the entertainment content service. ABC News senior vice president of streaming and digital content Reena Mehta says, “She has been instrumental in growing and re-organizing our award-winning podcast team, developing successful content and monetization strategies, and partnering closely within the news division and across The Walt Disney Company to promote our work. Liz oversaw the successful launches of new podcasts, including, ‘Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson,’ ‘Close Up’ and ‘The Book Case with Kate and Charlie Gibson.’ She also spearheaded creating the ‘GMA’ Channel on Apple Podcasts, which holds the new ‘Good Morning America’ podcast and ABC Audio’s growing library of lifestyle, culture and entertainment on-demand audio content. Under her leadership, the team received Webby Awards, a Gracie Award, GLAAD Special Recognition honors and more.”

 

Edison Research Q1 Top 50 Podcasts Chart; Controversy Has Not Hurt Joe Rogan. The Edison Podcast Metrics chart of the top 50 podcasts in the U.S. for the first quarter of 2022 has been released and the controversy surrounding Spotify’s “The Joe Rogan Experience” in 2021 has not harmed listening; in fact, it appears to have helped it. Edison Research director of research Gabriel Soto says, “Despite a turbulent and controversial ride for Joe Rogan at the beginning of the quarter, his show not only remains the most popular in the U.S., but it has increased in listenership – distancing itself from the number two spot.” This chart by Edison ranks the 50 biggest podcasts by audience size, based on Edison Podcast Metrics (formerly known as the Podcast Consumer Tracking Report). Edison says its list is “the only podcast measurement service that measures the relative audience size and demographics of all podcast networks in the U.S. and measures based on actual podcast listening, not downloads, and does not require an opt-in from podcast networks. Some of the other podcasts making the chart connected to radio-oriented companies include: #6 “Stuff You Should Know” (iHeartPodcasts), #9 “The Ben Shapiro Show” (The Daily Wire), #18 “The Dan Bongino Show” (Cumulus Podcast Network), #31 “The Dave Ramsey Show” (The Ramsey Network), and #39 “The Mark Levin Show” (Cumulus Podcast Network).

 

TALKERS News Notes. According to data from Nielsen, Newsmax’s live coverage of former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally pushed the network ahead of CNN in audience viewership on Friday night (5/6). Newsmax says that it pulled 738,000 total viewers between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm ET, with an evening prime-time average of 579,000 viewers. CNN peaked at 645,000 viewers during Anderson Cooper’s show, drawing an average audience of 545,000 on Friday night. Newsmax adds that for the past year, is has consistently held the position as the fourth-highest-rated cable news channel in the U.S. and a top-20 cable channel in daytime, according to Nielsen…..The Independent Broadcasters Association says it is delivering on its promise to provide an efficient way for members to share local talent in which all talent made available to members by members will be on a very affordable cash basis, eliminating the need for costly barter deals. IBA executive director Ron Stone comments, “One of the most costly expenditures for independent radio is paying for syndication, whether by cash, barter, or a combination thereof. Our goal is to provide our IBA members with an opportunity to choose cost-effective talent from other IBA members and eliminate the need to give local inventory to large networks that sell to the very clients we used to do business with nationally, and at far better prices than network pricing. This, I believe, is a huge opportunity to get back inventory used against us at extremely low prices.”

 

The Economy, Russia-Ukraine War, Mark Esper Book, Midterms/Trump & the GOP, Roe v Wade, Musk & Twitter, COVID-19, and Western Drought Among Top News/Talk Stories Yesterday (5/10). The state of the U.S. economy, the high cost of food and gasoline, and concerns about a recession; Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rumors of Vladimir Putin’s poor health, and the U.S. House approves aid to Ukraine; former Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s book,  A Sacred Oath, that paints former President Donald Trump in an unflattering light; the Trump-approved primary candidates for the November midterms and Trump’s influence over the GOP; the protests over the leaked draft of a Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade; the controversial attempt by Elon Musk to acquire Twitter; the rate of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., concerns about new variants, and the Chinese zero-COVID policy; and the drought affecting the U.S. West were some of the most-talked-about stories on news/talk radio yesterday, according to ongoing research from TALKERS magazine.