Super Bowl, Super Radio

Networks and stations announce Super Bowl coverage

 RADIOWORLD

 

JAN 26, 2015

KJR’s “Mitch in the Morning” show will be one of the station’s programs emanating from Phoenix during Super Bowl week. It’s hard to miss the Super Bowl, on TV or radio, so overwhelming is the dedication, some would say obsession, of broadcasters with the game. Now the announcements begin: some obvious, having to do with actual game coverage, some more peripheral, every sports talker thinking they need to be on-site (maybe for a whole week!) in the Phoenix area, for the Feb. 1 game.

So it starts.

A Radio Row is being set up in the Phoenix Convention Center for everyone.

Westwood One Sports gets the glory of covering the game itself and it has a number of pregame specials and activities.

CBS Sports Radio is boasting that it has scheduled 50 hours of coverage. Jim Rome, Doug Gottlieb, Tiki Barber and Brandon Tierney will be broadcasting their shows from Phoenix during the week while John Kincade will fly in for a Saturday show.

Fox Sports Radio’s Dan Beyer and J.T. The Brick will broadcast from Radio Row while Dan Patrick and Rich Eisen will take up residence with DirecTV across from the stadium during the week. Former football player and now FSR host Lincoln Kennedy will be on Radio Row for his Saturday morning program.

Yahoo Sports Radio is getting a later start, Wednesday, but tries to make up for it originating 17 of its 24 hours a day from Phoenix. Tony Desiere, Steve Czaban, Travis Rodgers are some of the YSR personalities that will be broadcasting from there, along with the “Talk of Fame,” “Prime Cut” and “Sports Radio X” shows.

With the Seattle Seahawks participating in the Super Bowl, it’s only natural that a Seattle sports talk station make the trek to Phoenix. KJR(AM) is basically moving to Phoenix for the week with most of its daily programming airing from there along with special Saturday and Sunday programs.

Though the 49ers didn’t make the big game this year, somehow the team at Entercom’s KGMZ(FM) in San Francisco talked the brass into sending a bunch of them to Phoenix to hang out. The “Flight 957” morning show along with afternoon block of “The Wheelhouse” and “The Damon Bruce Show” will air from Radio Row. 

Radio Has Better Balance Sheets. Now What?

Radio Has Better Balance Sheets. Now What?

January 29, 2019

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We’ve been hearing it for several years, “radio’s two big companies need to clean up their balance sheets before anything significant happens in the industry.” With Cumulus well past the finish line and iHeart finishing up its reorganization paperwork, things are looking a lot better on the balance sheet front.

Over the next several days, Radio Ink will be checking in with brokers, analysts, and other executives to get their fresh take on what’s ahead for radio. Up first Managing Director for Media Services Group Eddie Esserman.

Radio Ink: How does 2019 look to you in terms of possible dealmaking now that Cumulus has restructured and iHeart is nearing the completion of its restructure?
Esserman: After just a few big deals in 2018 and the government back in business, I think there’s a lot of conversation going on right now. It’s yet to be determined what the deals may be; but I can say that I’m sure involved in a lot of conversations right now.

Radio Ink: We’ve heard a lot of chatter that the restructures needed to happen before we saw any new investment. Is that your read?
Esserman: Well, I think having those two large companies in bankruptcy sure made people considering getting into radio, and those already in, a little hesitant to new deals. But now that Cumulus is out and iHeart is on the way out of bankruptcy, it should make people feel more comfortable about the sector.

Radio Ink: Do you expect Cumulus or iHeart to sell off any stations in 2019?
Esserman: No, I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.

Radio Ink: Any chance of a blockbuster deal in 2019?
Esserman: There is always the hope and chance of that. If you look back over the last several years there has always been one or two huge ones and I don’t know what it would be or who it would be, but history and statistics would indicate that one or more are likely.

Radio Ink: What are you hearing on the deregulation front?
Esserman: There’s a lot of fog there and I hope by the NAB that some of that fog lifts and we will have some clarity. There are a lot of opinions and probably more than just a little emotion involved in this preceding. I think it will hopefully be played out this year so if anything is done, it will be done before we head into 2020 and the election.

Radio Ink: Look into your crystal ball. Who will be a much bigger company in 2020 than they are in 2019?
Esserman: You know I think Midwest, Summit, Hubbard, Bonneville are all good candidates to keep an eye on for growth in 2019.

COMMENTARY

Super Bowl Is TV's Last Big Show

• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, 8 hours ago

Another Super Bowl is upon us, and with it comes a national holiday that feels quintessentially American.

The holiday is Super Bowl Sunday. It is a secular event that unifies the country in a manner not unlike Thanksgiving. On both days, families and friends get together to eat, and watch football.

Since it is the championship game, the audiences for football are much larger on Super Bowl Sunday, understandably, than on Thanksgiving.

The foundation for this great unifying activity is television. It is the kind of television that usually comes with another word appended to it such as “traditional,” “legacy” or “linear.”

However one chooses to characterize it, so-called traditional TV is nevertheless the place everyone turns to for watching the big game every February. And most of them watch this unique singular telecast on big-screen TVs (does anyone still call them “sets”?) in a home environment.

Although the game is streamed, most people still do not tend to watch it on tiny phone screens while jogging or sipping coffee at Starbucks.

More than any other TV event each year, the Super Bowl is a communal event. People gather in groups to watch it. And even if they are not part of a particular small group, they are participating in a national group experience that encompasses all demographic, ethnic and age groups.

On Super Sunday, almost everyone (or so it seems) is doing the same thing at the same time. This differs markedly from the compartmentalized way in which so many people consume TV or other media today.

This manner of watching television has created so-called hits out of shows whose audiences would have gotten them cancelled not long ago. Moreover, TV shows are watched increasingly according to viewers’ own schedules, and not the networks’. This means the viewing experience today is less and less simultaneous -- or communal -- than it once was.

The more that TV breaks down into these smaller audience pods, the greater the significance of the Super Bowl. It is the last telecast in America that draws what used to be known as a mass audience.

Not that long ago, I used to include the Academy Awards in this kind of a discussion. I often paired the Oscars with the Super Bowl as the two telecasts each year that drew the year's biggest audiences. Although the audiences for each of them were far from the same size, both the Oscars and Super Bowl provided TV's only unifying viewing experiences across all demographic groups.

With the Oscars, this is not the case anymore. This leaves the Super Bowl as the only telecast left in all of television that has this ability. Last March on ABC, the Oscars drew 26.5 million U.S. viewers, the smallest audience it has ever had on TV. The Oscars telecast has been on a downward trend since at least 2013, when it drew 43.74 million.

While the Super Bowl ratings have dipped or increased year-to-year recently, the numbers for the big game have nevertheless remained fairly consistent for years. Last year's victory by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII had an estimated audience of 103.39 million -- down from Super Bowl LI, which had 111.319 million.

Except for last year's game and Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, the game has drawn audiences north of 110 million viewers for six of the past eight years. Clearly, this is one legacy broadcast -- and maybe the only one in all of television -- that is not steadily losing viewers to a thousand other options.

For the time being, no other media colossi have come forward -- such as Amazon, for example -- with a blockbuster bid to wrest the NFL rights away from the traditional broadcast networks. This is due to a variety of factors. But the biggest one would seem to be that the networks and their affiliates provide a platform for the game that the big players in other media cannot match.

It is kind of a miracle, when you stop and think about it. This super-sized sports event is the last great property in legacy TV that is not noticeably affected by the encroachment of new media that has disrupted so many other media sectors.

The Super Bowl even enjoys the distinction of having commercials that people actually watch, pay attention to, and talk about. How great is that?

COMMENTARY

Media Layoffs Hit Print, TV And Digital Alike

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 28, 2019

It’s January, and media layoffsare back.

You might nod your head when you hear Gannett is laying off journalists, a newspaper-focused company in a business that is still suffering. Truth is, that reality is widespread; it's beyond legacy media.

Verizon says its Verizon Media Group (formerly Oath) -- which contains AOL, Yahoo, TechCrunch, HuffPost and Tumblr -- is also seeking staff efficiency -- 7% of its employees, around 800 employees are getting sacked.

Days ago, BuzzFeed announced 15% of its staff will be nixed as the digital news publication seeks a faster approach to profitability.

Now, I’ll harken back to our good MediaPost friend, Dave Morgan, and his bold prediction -- a vision, really -- that half all TV advertising related jobs will be gone in five years.

Here’s why, among other things: Marketers will be taking more control of their media spend. Data-driven deals will continue to grow. Automated/programmatic services are rising.

The economy may still be growing -- some. But TV and media jobs? Not necessarily. Content TV/movie production? Content continues to rule -- but not necessarily as the king. Few can blue-sky where production costs will go when it comes to producing “premium” TV and movie content for any platform.

Much has to do with legacy traditional media companies, which recognize there will be much shifting to more digital media areas.

Plus, Walt Disney may possibly lay off around 5,000 staffers, due to its purchase of Fox businesses after the deal closes.

Moving to more digital media -- especially OTT -- isn’t a sure bet either. OTT platforms that have disappeared in recent years include NBC’s SeeSo, Otter Media’s FullScreen.

And considering that many others are still losing big amounts of money, such as Hulu, around $1 billion a year. You could imagine some degree of pain will continue, all the while there is overall industry growth.

Digital media might still look to save even more advertising costs.

Last year, SnapChat laid off 100 from its advertising division, which included Jeff Lucas, global head of sales for Snap, who then move to Verizon’s Oath. Here’s a big reason why: Snap gets 95% of its advertising revenue from programmatic/automated buying.

Now, Facebook is allowing cross-platform messaging with WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger.

Recession coming? Keep tuning in -- and tune up your resume.

COMMENTARY

Are TV And Video The Same Now?

• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 29, 2019

Digital video — on any platform — is now considered "television” by many viewers.

A recent study from Magna, the media intelligence/investment unit within IPG Mediabrands and IPG Media Lab, says 71% of those surveyed believe “short-form” video is “television.”

That's good news -- and bad. The positive is that consumers are still watching tons of video -- even if they are not watching that much live, linear TV — except for sports and news.

Also, platforms/devices are growing — especially new, seemingly free ad-supported on-demand -- where video can be seen on variety of devices desktop computers, smartphone, tablet, and, of course, smart TVs.

The bad? There is still much concern from traditional TV advertisers when it comes to brand-safe content. Magna has been aggressive in pursuing online video for its clients -- even in the wake of out-of-the-blue, unpredictable content problems.

Considering this, are there any other alternatives for wide-ranging reach? That’s the problem.

TV network executives somewhat reluctantly look to change the conversation — not just in reducing the amount of advertising interruptions, but offering more data-driven ROI results that digital media offers. It's the ongoing, tempting lure for marketers.

Magna looks to define different video consumers: non-linear viewers (15%), light linear viewers (29%), moderate linear viewers (28%) and heavy linear viewers (28%).

Too many commercials — or none at all? Magna found the “quality” of Netflix programming is a separate issue from viewing commercials. Only 11% cited the lack of commercials as the reason why they watched Netflix.

Magna says the key theme of the report is “Reaching the Un-Reachable.” Digital media problems don't provide the necessarily reach of potential consumers big national brand advertisers desire.

Much of the all-video-equals-TV theory assumes people watching any TV/video/screen programming and ad content cannot recognize, nor recall, when and where that content was viewed.

So TV and online video are the same thing?

Let's ask another media question: Where do you get the news regarding your favorite political leader or issue? Social media, YouTube, The New York Times?

Guessing most times you don’t remember. Does “social media” equal “journalism? See above.

COMMENTARY

All That's Good In Advertising Today

• by Dave Morgan , Featured Contributor, Yesterday

A lot of folks dump on the ad industry these days. I certainly take my shots at the business. Technology, changing consumer behaviors and consolidation and disruption across the media channels are all conspiring to make it tough to predict the future of advertising — which in part makes it an easy target of criticism.

However, this special week, with Super Bowl Sunday right around the corner, is a good time to celebrate all that’s special in advertising. This is time to spend a few moments on the counter-narrative to “advertising is a terrible business.” Just consider these few examples:

The Super Bowl. This Sunday, more than 100 million people on average will tune in to CBS to watch the Super Bowl, each and every minute of the telecast. CBS will sell $500 million worth of ads during that time. Hundreds of millions of individual laughs, shrieks and cries will be spontaneously exuded by viewers as they watch those ads, many of them with the most adorable dogs, horses and lizards that sight, sound and motion have ever captured.

Tech flight to TV and brand advertising. Companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook were built on the Internet. They have caused extraordinary havoc and headaches in and around the advertising industry. However, as The Wall Street Journal reported this morning, now that their businesses are scaled and they need to maintain and accelerate growth, the three biggest tech players have taken to TV in a big way with brand advertising. Amazon’s national TV spend alone grew 60% last year. So much for that oft-heard notion that network TV is dying.

Podcasts and cool, cheeky subway, bus and satellite radio ads. The past two decades have certainly brought some sadness to the ad world with the demise of many pages, publications, ads and energy from newspapers and magazines — institutions that most of America woke up to, delighted in, and wrapped themselves in on their couches in quiet moments. 

We mourn their passing. Fortunately, the past few years and the emergence of a whole new breed of direct-to-consumer brands have brought us a reinvention of audio and radio ads and filled our subways and buses with fun, cheeky mini-billboards that you actually want to read.

Lee Clow’s Beard. OK, maybe advertising great Lee Clow doesn’t really tweet much: @_clow is mostly about smart retweeting. But at @leeclowsbeard, we get tweets that we’re just sure that Lee would say, that represent thought bubbles springing from his brain. Like this morning:
“Dearest Client,
Of course the ad can say whatever you want, as long you don’t mind it failing to achieve anything you desire.
Love,
LCB”

There is so much that’s good in advertising today. Yes, there are changes and they are hard to predict. Yes, the changes are coming faster and faster. But honestly, folks in the ad industry shouldn't be anywhere near as “aggressively frozen” as I heard an industry leader describe them yesterday.

What do you think?

CBS wants to get bigger, so it’s thinking about a variety of mergers and buyouts

PUBLISHED THU, JAN 31 2019 • 7:00 AM EST | UPDATED THU, JAN 31 2019 • 7:03 PM EST

Alex Sherman@SHERMAN4949

KEY POINTS

• The CBS board has come to the conclusion that the company needs to add scale, sources say.
• CBS has a board meeting to hear from its bankers on merger options today, sources say.
• The CBS board intends to end its search for a CEO by the end of the first quarter

Shari Redstone, Vice Chair of CBS and Viacom and Co-Founder of Advancit Capital, speaks during the New York Times DealBook conference in New York, Nov. 10, 2016.

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The CBS board has decided the company needs to get bigger, but merging with Viacom is not enough for Shari Redstone, who has voting control of both companies, according to people familiar with the matter.

If the CBS-Viacom deal gets done, Redstone’s National Amusements would like to move quickly with a second deal, the people said. Discovery Communications is interested in selling to CBS or a combined CBS-Viacom, according to two people familiar with the matter. Redstone is open to the idea, but would also consider buying other companies, including Sony Pictures and MGM, according to people familiar with her thinking.

No talks have taken place between CBS and Discovery, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the company’s plans are private. But bankers have already pitched Discovery on merging with CBS, one of the people said. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who extended his contract with his company in July through 2023, would be interested in eventually running a combined company with CBS, according to a person familiar with the situation. Zaslav has also spoken about selling Discovery to other companies in recent years, including Comcast, said another person.

CBS plans to discuss merger options at a board meeting on Thursday. The board will listen to its bankers as they present a variety of merger options, though step one is expected to be a deal with Viacom, two of the people said.

Spokespeople at Discovery and CBS declined to comment.

It’s imperative for CBS to get bigger quickly so it has the balance sheet capacity to compete for National Football League broadcast rights, which it owns through the 2022 season. Renegotiation discussions for those rights typically take place about a year before expiration of the agreement. While CBS believes its long-standing relationship with the NFL will help cement a new deal, the company also realizes it needs to have the financial capacity to compete against enormous technology companies such as Amazon for the rights.

Viacom tried to buy Scripps in 2017 but was outbid by Discovery

A CBS-Viacom merger nearly happened last year, with the two companies agreeing to an exchange ratio, but talks fell apart over who would run a combined entity and board composition. Since then, CBS has retooled its board and former CEO Les Moonves resigned amid sexual misconduct allegations.

Redstone has long been in favor of putting CBS and Viacom together but can’t personally push for a merger for about two years, a result of a settlement between CBS and National Amusements last year that included the resignation of Moonves. CBS has a market cap of about $19 billion and an enterprise value of about $29 billion, while Viacom has a market cap of about $12 billion and an enterprise value around $20 billion.

Discovery, with a market capitalization of about $20 billion and an enterprise value of about $37 billion, could be appealing as a second step. Discovery and CBS have a mix of assets that make a combination strategically feasible and potentially compelling. Discovery’s strength is international programming and nonfiction cable stations, including the Discovery Channel, HGTV, Animal Planet and Food Network. CBS is led by the strength of its broadcast network and Showtime. Discovery could benefit from CBS’ retransmission fees and premium movie channel.

Viacom nearly acquired Scripps Networks in 2017 and was outbid by Discovery, which ended up buying the company for $14.6 billion. If a combined CBS-Viacom acquired Discovery, then Viacom and Scripps would come together after all.

The concept of putting together smaller media companies to gain scale has been long championed by John Malone, who controls more than 27 percent of Discovery’s voting rights. Malone also owns about 8 percent of Lions Gate Entertainment, another media entity that could eventually be rolled into a larger company. A CBS merger with Viacom before a Discovery deal would help Redstone keep control of a combined company.

“Not everybody is going to be able to do a global direct-to-consumer platform,” Malone said in November at Liberty Media’s annual investor day. “Many will be trying to move into that space as a supplier or a player, perhaps in some cases branded or in other cases as part of the food chain. ... I think you can expect a lot of transactions.”

A spokesperson for Discovery told CNBC the company is not for sale.

“Discovery is not for sale,” the spokesperson said. “Any reports to the contrary is not accurate. We remain extremely confident in our growth strategy in the US and globally as we continue to build the leading portfolio of superfan brands in every market around the world.”

CBS looking to fill the CEO role by end of March

CBS is actively looking for a new CEO with merger and acquisition experience and will try to choose one by the end of March, according to people familiar with the matter.

Executive search firm Korn Ferry has selected a handful of people who will be culled down to a short list of finalists over the coming weeks, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. The CBS board and Redstone, whose National Amusements controls about 80 percent of CBS’ and Viacom’s voting power, will then meet with the finalists to pick the candidate.

The CBS board has taken its time selecting a full-time CEO to replace Moonves, who stepped down in September. Six new independent directors were elected to the board when Moonves departed. Those board members have spent the last several months learning about CBS so they can help chart its future course.

If CBS moves forward with a Viacom merger, Redstone would like a CEO who can work with Viacom CEO Robert Bakish in a leadership position, with either Bakish running a combined company or being the No. 2 to a new CEO, one of the people said. When CBS nearly merged with Viacom last year, Moonves would have been the CEO and Bakish his second-in-command.

CBS interim CEO Joe Ianniello is still a candidate to become the company’s full-time chief, two of the people said.

David Zaslav, President & CEO of Discovery Inc.

Anjali Sundaram | CNBC

Ideally, CBS would like to select either a nonwhite or female CEO with experience running a large media company, one of the people familiar with the discussions said. But the CBS board may not be able to find that candidate and values experience growing companies over demographic traits, said the person. Any candidate will likely be given incentives through compensation to make the company larger — either through a merger or a sale, one of the people said.