Major Travel Company, Collette, Forging Win-Win Partnerships with Talk Radio – Entering Deals at TALKERS 2023
When executed properly, the marriage of a popular talk show host and a good tour booking company can prove lucrative for both parties and provide listeners with unforgettable travel experiences. The travel industry’s longest running tour planner is doing just that. Collette, the oldest tour operator in North America (established in 1918), is bullish on talk radio and is proactively seeking partnerships in organizing host-led guided listener
tours that provide a significant revenue stream for stations (or syndicators) as well as world-wide free travel for their top personalities. Collette is planning a major presence at TALKERS 2023 tomorrow (6/2) at the 26th annual sold-out installment of the talk media industry conference at Hofstra University on Long Island. Jim Edwards, VP, US affinity development (jedwards@collette.com) and Paul Holly, marketing manager (pholly@collette.com) for Collette will be in attendance at the conference to discuss potential partnerships with broadcasters interested in exploring this opportunity as well as the world. Check out their website at www.collette.com.
Michael Harrison, founder and publisher of TALKERS, and the man who invented the term AOR – let’s not forget – strongly requested that I share this story about a remarkable event we experienced. Michael describes it as the “greatest promotion” he ever witnessed at a non-commercial function involving broadcasters… so I really have no choice but to accommodate him.
biography. I wrote him a letter inviting him to fly to New York to perform the scene live at our anniversary lunch at the National Arts Club. Two appealing prospects: Manhattan and the famous Club on Gramercy Park. Shockingly, he actually called and said if I would also fly his girlfriend in, he would do it! HE WOULD DO IT. Crap, now I had to do everything else. Invite all 200 wedding guests, stage a show, and not tell anyone that it was going to happen. Katie did not know.
hands are tied as anything he could say has to be approved by management. The Boston Globe reports that Shertenlieb said, “The last time he was out for an extended period, I gave an update and was gently asked for a lot of different reasons that any statement regarding him has to be approved by management. There have been statements that have been submitted, some have been approved, some haven’t been. It just turns into asking, ‘What can I say? What can I say?’ Listen, no one wants to be in this position. Fred doesn’t want to be in this position, the station doesn’t want to be in this position, I certainly don’t want to be in this position, but as of now, all I’ve been approved to tell you, because you’re such great listeners and we love you, is that he’s not here today, I’m not sure exactly when he’ll be back, but I’ve been a friend of Fred’s for years and I hope the best for him.” 
Until NASA approves company logos on rockets, the fastest billboards an advertiser can buy move at over 200 miles per hour, weigh less than seven ounces and are three-hundredths of an inch thick.
moves 
producer and director Justine Bateman. Other panelists include Ramsay Brown, chief executive officer of the A.I. Responsibility Lab, Brandie Nonnecke, co-director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, and others.” Audacy Southern California regional president 
the late Rush Limbaugh (“no one wants to replace Mickey Mantle”) but agreed to do it anyway. “This thing happened along the way where I really fell in love with the job… I didn’t really want to leave, and I don’t want to go. I didn’t really expect this and it puts me in a really weird spot… somewhere along the way this little marriage between you [the listener] and me… started out rough and rocky and it’s just become nothing but bliss for me and I just really hate to leave it.” Bongino’s addressing the matter came as CHRO and SVP human resources Todd McCarty notified managers about the ending of the mandate via an internal memo. He wrote, “After continued consideration, we’ve made the decision to end the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Additionally, we are eliminating all prior COVID-19 protocols for employees and visitors/guests to our facilities, with the exception of protocols for those who test positive. These changes are effective immediately and we ask that you communicate these changes to your teams. HR will be adjusting current job descriptions and will eliminate the requirement moving forward.” 
delist the company’s common stock pending completion of applicable procedures. Trading of Audacy’s common stock on the NYSE is suspended but the common stock will continue to be able to be traded over the counter. Audacy says it intends to appeal this determination by the NYSE by filing a written request within 10 business days after receiving the notice. Audacy chairman, president and CEO David J. Field says, “Over the past few years, we have taken a number of transformational actions to give Audacy a leading, differentiated, and scaled position in the dynamic audio space, including podcasting, streaming audio, and our leadership presence across the country’s largest markets and our unrivaled strength in sports and news radio. While we are disappointed by the NYSE’s decision, we are hopeful we will find our way back to the exchange later this year as we execute our action plans which include a reverse stock split to satisfy NYSE rules, the continued execution of our liability management plans and working with our financial advisors to refinance our debt. Further, as macroeconomic conditions stabilize, we believe we will benefit from a general market recovery and will be able to capitalize on our investments in strategic transformation that position Audacy well for the future.”
Cooper 360” with 447,000. The new 9:00 pm ET show “Chris Plante The Right Squad” pulled an audience of 325,000 impressions, defeating CNN’s “Whole Story” with 293,000. And at 10:00 pm ET “Greg Kelly Reports” took first place with 278,000 viewers, compared to Chris Wallace giving CNN an audience of just 263,000. Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy says, “Newsmax has witnessed a consistent, positive trend for weeks and we are looking forward to enormous interest in the network as we draw closer to the GOP primaries and ’24 election.”
There are media and there are media. There are platforms and there are platforms. Not all cultural artifacts are equal in terms of their utilitarian versus cultural value. Damn the tone-deaf corporate bean counters who are ripping the heart out of the spirit that gives humanity its life force! Marketplace obsolescence should not solely be determined by profit and loss. With all due respect to the idea of public service, what about the concept of loyalty? Shame on the automobile industry! Not only is it turning its back on the needs of millions of people, it is in the process of betraying one of its historic partners in not only commerce – but romance and glory. In other words, the automobile industry owes the radio industry a huge debt. The relationship between cars and radios goes a century deep and has been nothing less than a two-way street. Yes, auto industry, don’t be so hasty to save a few bucks by rushing AM (and then FM) radio out the door. You might just find in the long run that “radio” outlasts the private “car” as a fixture of human activity.
What will hurt your chances of sales success more, graduating from a low-ranked college or attending too many inefficient sales meetings?
Ever lost your phone? It’s an instant sick, sinking feeling. It’s quaint to even call it a “phone,” because it’s…everything. Including us. Like the transistor radio Boomers toted in our youth, it’s audio in your pocket.
Rich Shertenleib had taken a sick day, so the two haven’t worked together since Toucher accused his co-workers of not reaching out to him while he dealt with what was thought to be a cancer scare. He was ultimately diagnosed with leukoplakia, something that can be caused by smoking. Toucher told his listeners, “I have two pieces of advice: Do not smoke and get a second opinion. They thought that I had cancer. If you saw pictures of the original thing they took of my throat, there was a big lump on my vocal cord, like a big lump. I wasn’t supposed to talk for two weeks. And now it just turns out to be Leukoplakia.”
Westwood One syndicated series “Off The Record With Mary Turner” in which she presented interviews with and personality profiles of some of the biggest musical stars of the day. Turner and Pattiz were married in the early 80s and the two shared what friends described as a happy relationship until his death this past December at 79 due to throat cancer. Turner had her own health issue battling substance abuse in the early 90s, which she bravely overcame. She became a UCLA-certified drug and alcohol counselor and received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She went on to be appointed chairwoman of the Betty Ford Center at Eisenhower Hospital in Rancho Mirage. TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, who worked with Turner at both KMET and Westwood One says, “Mary Turner was one of the main pillars upon which the great KMET was built. Nicknamed ‘The Burner,’ she was a pioneer in album rock radio and an iconic role model for women in the industry. She was solid on the air – providing music fans a panoramic window into the culture. She related to artists with an authenticity that engendered trust and they really opened up to her.” As of press time, further details on this story are not available.
with its independent registered public accounting firm, re-evaluated the Company’s accounting for the valuation of its investment interest in MGM National Harbor (the “MGM Interest”), which the Company sold for cash proceeds of approximately $136.8 million on April 21, 2023. After further review of the Company’s accounting for its MGM Interest, it was determined that adjustments are required to the Company’s financial statements as of January 1, 2021 and for each of the annual and interim periods ended December 31, 2021 and September 30, 2022 (the “Affected Periods”), due to understatements in the value of the MGM Interest… The Company’s management concluded that in light of the error described above, a material weakness exists in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting for the Affected Periods. The Company’s remediation plan with respect to such material weakness will be described in more detail in the 2022 Form 10-K. 
company posts a Q1 2023 net loss of $35.9 million, an increase of 225% compared to Q1 of 2022. Audacy chairman, president and CEO David J. Field states, “First quarter revenues were down 5.7% with local sales significantly outperforming national as challenging ad market conditions persisted. Cash operating expenses were up 3% during the quarter but are expected to be below prior-year levels for the remainder of 2023. Notwithstanding the difficult economic headwinds, we remain steadfastly focused on delivering significantly higher future levels of Adjusted EBITDA, capitalizing on our multiple growth drivers and our differentiated premium competitive position in the dynamic audio market. We are making progress on each of our drivers, including our podcasting and digital marketing solutions businesses, our reinvented streaming audio platform, our emerging ad tech and ad products, and our enhanced national enterprise business development efforts. In addition, we are encouraged to see some positive signs in our auto business as we continue our vigorous work to weather the storm and await future improvements in market conditions.”
Broadcast Advertising revenue was $45.9 million (down 4.8% over Q1 of 2022), and Subscription Digital Marketing Solutions revenue was $21.5 million (down 1.3% over Q1 of 2022). Townsquare Media CEO Bill Wilson says, “I am pleased to share that Townsquare’s first quarter results exceeded our previously issued guidance for both net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA, due primarily to the continued strength of our digital and local advertising platform and solutions… In the first quarter, we grew cash flow from operations to $9 million, due to the strong cash generation of many of our assets, and opportunistically repurchased more than $12 million of our Unsecured Senior Notes at a discount. We ended the quarter with a strong cash balance of $42 million and maintained our all-time low net leverage multiple of 4.29x. Our growth engine has been and will continue to be our digital solutions. We believe that our Digital First business model and strategy position us to navigate the current macro-economic environment better than most, and that our revenue, profit and cash flow results will be among the best in the local media industry, particularly when compared to 2019 pre-COVID financials given our growth in revenue and profit since 2019. Our confidence is directly tied to the Townsquare team’s efforts and talent, as well as our large, growing, and profitable digital platform which contributes more than half of Townsquare’s total net revenue and profit.”
Watson, and Josh Miely. Priscilla Watson says, “What listeners will find compelling is the astounding level of control the railroad industry has over the economy, while local and state governments have no legal power to protect their citizens. As residents of the surrounding East Palestine area, living just 15 miles away, and as career content creators and multi-media journalists, we uncovered shocking evidence of industry-wide negligence and learned that derailments happen more often than one might think.”
quarter to $21.7 million compared to the same period last year. A significant part of the increase in station operating expense for the quarter was due to a $272 thousand increase in our self-insured health care costs and a $446 thousand increase in employee compensation, including payroll taxes at the station level. After a number of years of holding the company’s compensation expenses flat, we decided that adjustments in our employee compensation were warranted in consideration of the economic times and inflationary environment.” 
months. This auction to raise funds includes fun experiences on which to bid, including: lunch with Emmy award-winning actor Henry Winkler; tickets to CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”; sit with sports radio host Jim Rome in-studio or on-site at NFL’s Radio Row the week leading up to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas; and more. MBC board chair David Plier says, “It’s an exciting time for the museum and our future. The enthusiasm and generosity we have received for this fundraising effort from the broadcast community and celebrities – not just in Chicago but nationwide – has been tremendous. This fundraiser is about creating access and memorable experiences – from being a producer for a day at a major network, touring a live working newsroom or even having your voicemail greeting personalized by TV and comedy great Bob Newhart – ‘Forty for 40’ is not to be missed.”
that impact so many people on a daily basis. In addition to featuring on-air and online content across the company’s 61 radio properties, the monthlong initiative will include outreach with local community experts and in-car dashboard messaging featuring QUU RDS technology. Beasley Media Group chief content officer Justin Chase says, “Beasley is proud to put a spotlight on the importance of mental health as part of our longstanding Community of Caring program. We want our listeners to know they are not alone; mental health issues are common and there’s no reason to be ashamed. The campaign will promote the skills and tools to help cope and professional support available for treatment.”
segment’s total revenue was $223.4 million, up 4% over the same period in 2022. The company’s Multiplatform Group reports total revenue of $529 million (a decline of 7%) and that segment breaks down as follows: Broadcast Radio revenue was $383.2 million (down 7.7% from Q1 2022) and Networks reports revenue of $107.9 million (down 8.2% from Q1 of 2022). Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman comments, “We are pleased to report that our first quarter 2023 results were a bit above the high end of our Adjusted EBITDA and Revenue guidance ranges – and that more importantly, while both the macroeconomic climate and the advertising marketplace remain uncertain, the audio and digital advertising markets appeared to be stronger in the quarter than we had initially anticipated. We expect that our second quarter Adjusted EBITDA, while below 2022 levels, will be approximately double what we generated in the first quarter, and this, in combination with our Q1 first quarter performance relative to guidance, gives us confidence that our Adjusted EBITDA results will continue to improve throughout 2023, and that we will be well positioned to build further in 2024 in terms of revenue growth, profitability, and Free Cash Flow generation.”
anchoring and reporting work, Bartlett has also hosted talk shows on the station, including the long-running “WOR Saturday Morning Show.” He comments, “I loved my job and have been fortunate to have been part of this great station for all these years. I could have gone on much longer, but the time had come, where I just needed more free time. Sadly, this is not a job you can do only six months a year. I have been blessed to have had a caring radio ownership, extremely talented co-workers and a very loyal audience.” Bartlett and his wife have relocated to South Carolina where he looks forward to having more time for golf, seeing his grandchildren, and supporting the New York Giants. WOR program director Tom Cuddy says, “It’s rare in this business to encounter as versatile a radio personality as Joe: anchor, news director, and talk show host…not to mention an all-around nice guy. He will be missed not just by our listeners but by our staff.”
and streaming for everything from brand awareness to consumer purchase. Audacy chief marketing officer Paul Suchman says, “Audio holds the title as the undisputed leader of brand-building channels – working its magic with the one-two punch of massive reach and beloved and trusted personalities. But if you’re thinking of Audio as just a top-of-funnel play – good for sparking a conversation but not driving conversion – think again. The truth is the game has expanded in recent years and audio is now a truly multi-purpose platform. Thanks to precision targeting, authentic influencers whose listeners follow them across channels, and advanced measurement, marketers are uncovering the best-kept secret in media – audio’s ability to drive impact at every funnel stage.” 
It’s the most effective tactic in marketing: Free samples. And the attorneys, financial advisors, real estate agents, veterinarians, and other ask-the-expert hosts who broker time for weekend call-in shows can drum up lots of new business…IF they execute well.
Are you desperate enough to be a superstar seller or great manager?
previously was simulcast on 92.3 from March of 2012 through January of 2016 before the classic hits format “Big 92.3” was launched. Federated Media VP/GM Ben Saurer says, “In our most recent WOWO survey to our listeners, the desire for a stronger signal was the most mentioned adjustment suggested. We believe the addition of 92.3 FM will meet our listeners’ request while complimenting the legendary 1190 AM signal.”
be trusted, picking up the 2022 Personality of the Year Award from the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters earlier this month.” Station director of branding and programming Levi May comments, “Skyler is a Tulsa native and understands the landscape of our community and offers a unique perspective that you won’t find anywhere else. KRMG is dedicated to covering our community and this move shows our listeners that we follow through with our ongoing commitment to be their go-to for all things local.” Cooper adds, “I’m thrilled to expand our local news programming in the afternoons. Our listeners told us they wanted a change and we listened. We’ll keep the same news, weather, traffic, and talk that our listeners already enjoy, we’ll just be starting earlier!”
embrace the positive impact it will have on our community. With more time to share his insightful perspective and engaging personality, Joe will continue to uplift, connect, and strengthen the bonds that make our community thrive.” Kelley comments, “I’m really excited about the opportunity given to me by WDBO to help lead on-air discussions about such vital issues during such unstable times. Instead of talking points, I’ll just bring my natural curiosity about issues and life. Instead of screaming and yelling, I’ll engage our great listeners in compelling discussion about the day’s events. Instead of calling people names, I’ll welcome all opinions and ideas equally. Most importantly, I want ‘The Joe Kelley Show’ to be fun, interesting and easy-to-listen-to.”