From Radio Ink Magazine
March 26, 2009

LOS ANGELES — March 26, 2009: Los Angeles Times columnist Dan Neil, in a recent column on online advertising and newspapers, talked with Rubicon Project CEO Frank Addante, who runs an online-ad optimization company that specializes in newspaper websites. And Neil closed out the column with this quote from Addante: “I don’t want newspapers to die like radio.”

Southern California Broadcasters Association President Mary Beth Garber has written to Neil in response, saying, “By presenting Mr. Addante’s inaccurate statement as fact, you have left the reader with the impression that radio is dead. Nothing could be further from the truth.” Read More…

Posted under Newspaper, Radio, Research

Hold ‘em or Fold ‘em
From The Center for Media Research
March 24, 2009

A new 24/7 WallStreet report says that, over the last few weeks, the newspaper industry has entered a new period of decline. The parent of the papers in Philadelphia declared bankruptcy as did the Journal Register chain. The Rocky Mountain News closed along with the Seattle Post Intelligencer, owned by Hearst, and Hearst has said it will also close The San Francisco Chronicle if it cannot make massive cuts at the paper.

The report includes a list of the ten major daily papers that are most likely to fold or shut their print operations and only publish online, chosen based on the financial strength of their parent companies, the amount of direct competition that they face in their markets, and industry information on how much money they are losing. Based on this analysis, it is possible that eight of the fifty largest daily newspapers in the United States could cease publication in the next eighteen months. Read More…

Posted under Newspaper, Research

From The San Diego Business Journal
By Connie Lewis
March 18, 2009

The Copley Press Inc. has entered into an agreement to sell The San Diego Union-Tribune, the city’s only major daily newspaper, for an undisclosed price to Beverly Hills-based Platinum Equity, the paper reported March 18. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second quarter.

According to the private equity firm’s Web site, the Union-Tribune would be its first newspaper acquisition. It has specialized in the acquisition of information technology, telecommunications, logistics, metals services, manufacturing and distribution firms since its founding in 1995. Read More…

Posted under Newspaper

From Radio Ink Magazine
March 6, 2009

NEW YORK — March 6, 2009: Nielsen reports from its pilot study of its new radio ratings service in the Lexington, KY market, saying that more than 20 percent of people 12 and older in the market use only cellphones, and those no-landline homes listen to much more radio than the sample overall.

The cellphone-only homes logged 23 hours of radio each week, compared to 19 hours for the total sample, and they listened to 3.5 stations a week, compared to less than three for the sample. Not surprisingly, the cellphone-only homes also skewed younger, primarily 18-34. Read More…

Posted under Newspaper, Radio, Research, TV & Cable

From the Radio Business Report/Television Business Report – Voice of the Broadcasting Industry
March 6, 2009

“This is what works. I know because I have already found out what doesn’t work.”-Joe Vincent

In this new economy just hawking spot schedules is out. Selling big creative ideas is in. Unfortunately while most broadcast sellers have the skills to get a client on the air they still haven’t a clue about how to make commercials that sell. They leave the commercial content up to a copywriter or to the client himself. Their lives are a rollercoaster of sales made and then quickly cancelled.

Smart broadcast managers and sales people are still making lots of money…even in this wretched economy…because they have the knowledge and skill sets necessary to make sure their client’s message sells. These broadcasters have learned (most of us the hard way) that nothing causes “Cancel my schedule” calls more than ads that don’t make the client’s register ring. The client is not qualified to do his own marketing and advertising. That’s your job. You have got to learn how to do the client’s creative thinking for him. Read More…

Posted under Creative, Radio, Research

San Diego Radio Broadcasters Association member Radio stations are airing a radio campaign in the month of March for Checkoff California, a non-profit effort created and produced by Healthier Solutions, Inc. The campaign is designed to raise awareness and increase contributions to the state’s voluntary check-off program.  The check-off line item appears under “contributions” on the California state tax return. A few of the funds in California’s voluntary tax check-off program are:

• Alzheimer’s Disease/Related Disorders Fund
• California Breast Cancer Research Fund
• California Firefighters’ Memorial Fund
• California Military Family Relief Fund
• Emergency Food Assistance Program

 

Posted under Community Cuts