Pending Business: Good News Bad News
By Steve Lapa
Lapcom Communications Corp
President
Survey says, the good news is, 49% of local direct advertisers use AM/FM radio.
The bad news is, the same survey says, 65% of that same group uses social media advertising. Advantage +16% for the digital team. The good news is, you are comfortable selling/managing digital and social media vehicles because like it or not your local advertiser is leaning in on the digital/social media advertising opportunity.
Survey says, more bad news, 54% of the local direct advertiser group is buying event-sponsorships. The good news is, you are comfortable selling/managing event-sponsorships because like it or not your local advertiser is leaning in on the event-sponsorship advertising opportunity.
Now for the closer, survey says, over 50% of these local advertisers are now budgeting only 2% of gross revenues on advertising. Thank you Borrell for the researched eye-opener and thank you pandemic for shrinking the local advertiser’s marketing dollar.
Show of hands, please, anyone reading this totally surprised? The online digital/social media advertising world has been on a double-digit growth tear as long as anyone can remember. The growth continues as AM/FM sellers stand by and watch the parade go by, sorry guys. The facts are… there are roughly 310 million smartphones in the U.S. According to the last Edison survey, 68% of U.S. homes own 1.5 radios. In round numbers 338 million radios at home. Wait, what? Are there almost as many smartphones as AM/FM radios at home? Anyone own more than one smartphone? I thought there was a radio in almost every room in your home. Not anymore, you say? Quite different from the average five radios per household when many reading this column earned their first double digit commission check as a member of that fun loving sales team. The times are a changin’ and I hope you are changing with the times. Let us start here:
Update your value proposition for “Why Radio?” Make it current and relevant to today’s media ecosystem.
Sharpen your new selling skills. Get ahead of the curve and leave your competitors in the dust.
Ask yourself, “What happened?” The numbers of smartphone users are growing. Maybe not as fast as in the past but growing. The number of AM/FM radios in the home is shrinking. Look to your leadership for some answers.
When the trend is NOT your friend, it’s time to think like the great leaders who built our country and media empires, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”
Steve Lapa is the president of Lapcom Communications Corp. based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Lapcom is a media sales, marketing, and development consultancy. Contact Steve Lapa via email at: Steve@Lapcomventures.com.
Simulcasting on 98.7 HD-2, iHeartMedia Washington, DC launches “Freedom 104.7 – DC’s Real News. Real Talk.” Senior vice president of programming Jeff Kapugi states, “We are excited to welcome a number of best-in-class personalities to ‘Freedom 104.7.’ We are confident [the station] will quickly become a favorite destination for DMV talk radio listeners.” Premiere Networks executive vice president of affiliate sales Peter Tripi adds, “We’re thrilled to have our industry-leading talk lineup join ‘Freedom 104.7 & 98.7 HD-2.’ These stellar talents will provide entertaining, unique and insightful views on the latest news, politics and events that Washington, DC listeners are looking for.” The station’s weekday lineup includes: “America’s First News” (6:00 am – 9:00 am); Glenn Beck (9:00 am – 12:00 noon); Clay Travis & Buck Sexton (12:00 noon – 3:00 pm); Sean Hannity (3:00 pm – 6:00 pm); Jesse Kelly (6:00 pm – 9:00 pm); “Our American Stories” (9:00 pm – 12:00 midnight); “Coast to Coast Early Edition” (12:00 midnight – 1:00 am); and “Coast to Coast AM with George Noory” (1:00 am – 6:00 am). Approximately six months ago (1/5), WWDC-HD2 and 104.7 translator station W284CQ became “iHeart Sports DC”; it was not listed in Nielsen Audio’s May 2023 sweep. Among persons 6+ in that ratings period, American University public radio news/talk WAMU ranks first (11.4); Hubbard all-news WTOP & WTLP “Washington’s Top News” is second (8.0); Cumulus Media news/talk WMAL “105.9 FM – Where Washington Comes To Talk” finishes seventh (4.7); and Audacy business news WDCH “Bloomberg 99.1 FM” ranks #22 (.5).
After a 22-year run with CBS News Radio, vice president/general manager Craig Swagler will leave the company this Friday (7/14). In an internal memo sent to employees this past Friday (7/7), Swagler stated that he intends to relocate to the Baltimore area to be closer to family. “As such, I have made the hard decision to step away from my role at CBS News Radio. I am incredibly thankful for my time here and all the amazing people I have had the honor to work with at CBS News. There are far too many individuals to name, but I know you all have made the last 22 years one of the most fulfilling parts of my professional journey.” Prior to being elevated to CBS News Radio’s VP/GM, Swagler was a desk assistant; production coordinator; and special events producer. He previously worked at “Saturday Night Live,” ABC Sports, and The MSG Channel.
Accusing social media giant Meta of pilfering former Twitter employees to create a “copycat” application, Twitter is threatening legal action against Meta over “Threads,” Meta’s text-based “Twitter killer” platform. In a letter addressed to Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter lawyer Alex Spiro argues that Meta used Twitter’s trade secrets and intellectual property to build Threads. Flatly dismissing Spiro’s letter, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone states on Threads, “No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee – that’s just not a thing.” Heretofore silent on the launch of Threads, Twitter executive chair/chief technical officer Elon Musk late last week backed Spiro’s claims stating, “Competition is fine – cheating is not.” In addition, Twitter chief executive officer Linda Yaccarino tweeted that Twitter is “often imitated – but the Twitter community can never be duplicated.” According to Zuckerberg, Threads drew more than 30 million sign-ups within 48 hours of last Wednesday night’s (7/5) launch; that number has reportedly now more than tripled, exceeding the 100-million mark.
Q3 of 2022. For the fourth quarter of 2022, net revenue was approximately $132.6 million, an increase of 1.6% from the same period in 2021. The company reports operating income of approximately $14.3 million for the period, compared to approximately $20.3 million for Q4 of 2021. Broadcast and digital operating income was approximately $47.6 million, an increase of 7.9% from the same period in 2021. Net income was $856,000 compared to approximately $5.3 million in net income for the same period in 2021. The company has yet to file its operating results for Q1 of this year, but its preliminary results from the quarter show same station radio segment revenue up 2.0% on a same station basis.
Afternoon News” program as co-host alongside John Mercure. WTMJ interim market manager Emily Dillinger states, “I am looking forward to fun and lively conversation about the news of the day, what it means and why it matters on ‘WTMJ NOW.’ Both Sandy and Steve are genuinely curious people who also have an infectious energy and the ability to relate to a variety of people, and I’m sure that will resonate with fans across Wisconsin.” Another tweak to the lineup it that “Wisconsin’s Morning News with Vince Vitrano and Erik Bilstad” will now air from 6:00 am to 9:00 am with a local news report at 5:00 am.
of staff often meant instability and near-daily internal leaks to the press. Now, the new iHeartPodcast ‘The Whistleblowers: Inside The Trump Administration,’ co-produced with Best Case and Ark Media, will dive headfirst into the chaos to bring listeners the inside story of the people behind some of the most explosive government revelations in American history.” Taylor is a bestselling author and the former chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He first wrote anonymously, but later revealed himself as the author after publishing the #1 bestseller A Warning in 2019. Each episode focuses on a different “whistleblower” including Reality Winner, Andrew McCabe, Alexander Vindman, Olivia Troye, Dawn Wooten, Grant Turner, and Stephanie Grisham. 
programming and spoken-word radio. Energy, enthusiasm, and experience within the genre is a must. You will be responsible for all aspects of programming including managing on-air staff, imaging, station strategy, developing and executing revenue generating sales & programming promotions, website & social media, digital content and have a strong understanding of the core audience(s). 
gained unauthorized access to a significant amount of data belonging to Townsquare Media. According to their statement, the threat actors allegedly possess a staggering 251GB of the company’s data. This includes files sourced from the company’s servers and workstations, explicitly targeting those created within the past year.” The story does not indicate how much money the hackers are asking for, but they are reportedly giving Townsquare a week to respond before making the data public. 
the company to serve as managing editor for Arizona News Radio and California Headline News, as well as afternoon anchor for California Headline News. Gilliland served in the position for almost 13 years before leaving to work for the Arizona Lottery. Gilliland takes over for the late Steve Clawson, who passed earlier this year.
Whitey Gleason back to Sactown Sports. The credibility that Whitey has with the sports audience in Northern California coupled with Chris’ passion and knowledge of the Sacramento Kings will certainly make this show a perfect fit for our ever-expanding ‘Sactown Sports’ brand.” Gleason most recently served with Audacy’s KGMZ-FM, San Francisco “95.7 The Game,” and prior to that he was part of the “Rise Guys” show on KHTK. Watkins has been with “Sactown Sports” for nine years, most recently as the host of “Chris & Co” and co-host of the “Return of the Roar” podcast. 
Westchester Radio, Inc to religious broadcaster Hope Media Group for $8.15 million. WVIP-FM has been airing programming brokered to Caribbean broadcasters. The O’Shaughnessy family still owns the company’s other station – news/talk WVOX-AM. O’Shaughnessy died in May of 2022 at the age of 84.
opportunity to mix and mingle not only with their peers, but with talent, managers, and executives; and to increase their awareness of the Broadcasters Foundation charitable mission.” BFoA president Tim McCarthy adds, “We’re very excited about this new initiative. It’s imperative that we reach the next generation of broadcast industry leaders with our message of help and hope, while giving them an opportunity to network with higher level professionals who they may not otherwise have an opportunity to meet.” The two-hour event is free, but space is limited, and advance registration is required. 
Congratulations! You’ve made to the halfway point this year.
dedicated to talk (Monday through Thursday as Friday nights belong to 
into the future. Her expertise will be instrumental in leading our continued success and delivering high-quality content across our platforms.” Most recently, Todd has been serving as chief reputation officer and SVP of global public affairs at a beauty and wellness company. During her career, she’s spent 25 years as a television news anchor and reporter working in Washington, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City, including 10 years at KSL-TV where she was a top-rated late news anchor. Todd comments, “Bonneville is a company known for being a trusted source through its commitment to excellence and delivering content that matters. I look forward to returning home and working alongside the talented team to create meaningful experiences and engage audiences across multiple platforms. Together, we will continue to build on the strong foundation and innovate in the ever-evolving media landscape.”
show, as well as NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy, ESPN television personality Suzy Kolber, and others. These layoffs come as little surprise as Disney had announced earlier this year that it would be eliminating some 7,000 positions across the entire company.
Charles Steinhauer says, “We’re excited to welcome USRN into the Gemini XIII ecosystem. We will be able to build on current successes and existing sales infrastructure to immediately grow and make Gemini a destination for producers, advertisers and sponsors looking to deliver to unique audiences. The integration of Gemini XIII’s digital expertise and podcasting prowess will result in a robust content ecosystem that provides an immersive and diverse range of audio experiences for listeners across platforms.” USRN chairman and CEO Nick Verbitsky comments, “Spencer Brown, CEO of Gemini XIII, and Charles Steinhauer have a track record of success in network radio having built Dial Global from the ground up. I am pleased that they will have the opportunity to continue to build United Stations, a company I started along with Dick Clark over thirty years ago and has been a leader in network radio.”