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National Wires (January 25, 2002)Radio & Records (includes Arbitrons): http://www.rronline.com/ - Analyst: XM Is 'Well Positioned For 2002'... XM, which had 27,733 subscribers by Dec. 31, surpassed Bear Stearns' estimate of 22,000 and fell in line with the results of satellite analyst Robert Peck's mid-December retail study. In an update issued today, Peck points out that XM started the new year "on a positive note, adding 2,000 more subscribers during the first week of January -- typically the slowest consumer electronics sales week." Peck says he had aggressively estimated 528,000 XM subscribers by the end of 2002, but now that XM CEO Hugh Panero has forecasted 350,000 by the end of the year Peck is scaling back his subscriber estimate to 349,000. "However," Peck notes, "our retail checks show demand is strong, indicating that our new estimate may be too conservative." To address the lower subscriber projections, Peck is reducing his 2002 price target on XM from $21 to $20 and reiterating his "buy" rating. "The company is off to a good start," Peck says, "showing that consumers are willing to pay for the additional programming choices and superior quality with fewer commercials."... XM Subscriber List Proves 'People Will Pay For Radio'... President/CEO Hugh Panero says that for several years he was asked if people would pay, but now that XM has more than 30,000 subscribers "the resounding answer is yes," he says. "We have proven customer demand for XM. Consumers love our service." As expected, Panero says, approximately 90% pay by credit card. "What we did not expect," he says, "was that 75% of our subscribers would elect quarterly billing in advance, 20% electing either semi-annual or yearly in advance, and only 5% choosing monthly billing." He says that on average, XM is billing just under four months of cash in advance from its customers. "If this trend continues, it will enhance our cash position and result in lower bad-debt write-offs."... XM Expects 350,000 Subscribers By Year's End... That's at the low end of analysts' projections but still hits the mark. Panero projected 70,000 subs by the end of this quarter and 130,000 by the end of Q2. Growth in the first three quarters will come from aftermarket retail, but he expects Q4 sales to be dominated by new car sales when 23 models of 2003 GM vehicles begin rolling into showrooms. He offered a snapshot of XM subscribers so far: "They're not just techies, or the traditional early adopters. They represent a nontraditional, mobile-electronics consumer and are equally distributed across age groups. In fact, it is not until you reach the over-55 group that we see subscriber percentages fall off. This is a mass-market product." Right now 80% of XM's customers are from urban environments, Panero says, because the initial product rollout was directed to national retailers with primary locations in large cities that coincided with XM's 60-city rollout - and that's proof that XM can sell in large cities where there are a lot of local terrestrial radio stations. Panero believes that subscriptions in rural markets will pick up as XM becomes more widely distributed and additional retail outlets offer the service.Kurt Hanson's Radio and Internet Newsletter: http://kurthanson.com/ - XM Satellite Radio is counting on having 350,000 subscribers by the end of the year. That projection was made by XM President/CEO Hugh Panero, in a conference call yesterday. More at his website. Radio World: http://www.radioworld.com - XM Radio Goes to the Masses (that's why I wasn't so high on XM Radio...it's a MASS appeal service!) San Diego (Jan 25, 2002)KCRW from Santa Monica has launched a translator station in Lemon Grove on the frequency of 89.9 MHz. It repeats their KCRW station originating from Santa Monica. The call letters are K210CL with an ERP at 10-watts. http://kcrw.comNational Wires (January 24, 2002)Radio & Records (includes Arbitrons): http://www.rronline.com/ - XM Loses $149.8M In Its First Quarter Of OperationRadio Online: http://www.radio-online.com/ - XM Radio Q4 Net Loss Widens...could this technology become another white elephant soon?... XM Satellite Radio reported a wider net loss for the fourth quarter losing $149.8 million ($2.26) compared with Q4 loss of $19.8 million (40 cents) in 2000. But the good news is XM added nearly 28,000 subscribers since launching in November. Inside Radio: http://insideradio.com/ - XM Satellite announces a consolidated net loss of $144 million in Q4. Good thing David Tanny didn't jump on this new risky technology... Consolidated revenue was $532 thousand. Compared to Q4 2000, XM had no consolidated revenue and a consolidated net loss of $14 million. Consolidated operating loss of $20.5 million. EBITDA for Q4 2001 totaled $113.3 million consisting of one-time costs of $26.3 million for terrestrial repeater sites, which are no longer required. Compared to $19.3 million during the same period in 2000. XM Satellite reported for year ending 2001, consolidated revenue of $533 thousand. Consolidated net loss of $284.4 million. Consolidated operating loss of $281.6 million. Compared to year ending 2000, XM had no consolidated net revenue. Consolidated net loss of $51.9 million and consolidated operating loss of $79.5 million. During Q4 2001, XM closed on a $129 million public offering of Class A common stock and a $66 million financing package from Boeing - including $35 million in new debt financing. Electronic Media: http://www.emonline.com/ - Fox's 'That '80s Show' kicks off with demo win:... The series premiere of new Fox comedy "That '80s Show" dominated its time period Wednesday night, winning among adults 18 to 49 and boosting the network to a win in the key demo for the night. "That '80s Show," which made its debut in the 8 p.m.-to-8:30 p.m. (ET) time slot, marked Fox's highest-rated series premiere of the current TV season among adults 18 to 49 with a 6.2 rating/17 share. That score was a 55 percent improvement for the time slot over what a "That '70s Show" repeat scored last week. Fox's "Bernie Mac," "Grounded for Life," and "Titus" all posted their highest ratings of the season across key measures, helping Fox to a victory in adults 18 to 49 for the night with a 5.5/14. Media Week: http://www.mediaweek.com/ - UPN Station to Carry WB Programming...WTVX in West Palm Beach will air The Frog net's entire slate Radio Ink: http://www.radioink.com/ - Lowry Vs. Britney? Clear Channel Is In The Cross-Hairs Of California Congressman Howard Berman... Berman says Clear Channel is "punishing" musicians who do not use Clear Channel outdoor by not playing the musicians' songs on CCU radio stations. Let's punch the lights out of Randy Michaels if he picks on Britney Spears through his vast radio wasteland. Broadcasting and Cable: http://www.broadcastingcable.com - Bill Gates buys Cox stake... Two entities controlled by Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates have bought a $500 million stake in Cox Communications Inc. San Diego Radio Bytes (January 24, 2002)North County Times "San Diego Radio Static" - Randy Dotinga: - Station names: Here, there and everywhereStation names: Here, there and everywhere
Imitation is the sincerest form of radio. Much of what you hear on the air is
San Diego's "Magic 92.5," "Kool 95.7," "Rock 105.3," "Star 100.7," and "Channel 93.3" all have many counterparts everywhere, from "Star 98.7" in Los Angeles to "Kool 95.7" in New Orleans.
Even the insipidly named "My 94.1" has a twin ("My 102.5") in Greenville, N.C. Unusual nicknames are rare, just like in the newspaper business, where there are a zillion local rags named "Times" or "Tribune" or "Post," and only a few with truly interesting names like "Lubbock Avalanche-Journal," "The Tombstone Epitaph" and "(New Orleans) Times-Picayune."
Every once in a while, though, a station hits the jackpot. Consider classic-rock station KGB, whose call letters are, quite simply, pretty cool.
The station was born in the 1970s, and the origin of its call letters is a bit murky, although some people like to think it stands for "Killer Green Bud."
"Everybody wants to know where it came from and why we have only three letters," said KGB program director Jay Isbell.
Actually, it's not uncommon for stations to have three call letters, although KGB is the only one in San Diego. Los Angeles is home to KFI and KNX, which are both popular locally, and you'll find a KGO in San Francisco.
Some listeners confuse KGB's name with that of the Soviet security service. In fact, Russians often order T-shirts from the station. "We have to pay the freight to get it over there," Isbell said. "To them, (the shirts) are strange and unusual."
Not every station needs a nickname. Many simply rely on their call letters ---- KSON or KOGO, for example. But even the most nondescript call letters can send a message about a station. Both KyXy and KiFM use lower-case letters ---- instead of big, bad capitals ---- to make the point that they're softer than the other guys.
A nickname can make a station stand out, or it can be a curse. "Sets 102," the nickname of a North County rock station, is a little bit of both. Sets 102, perhaps the only radio station in the county with an original nickname, got its moniker from its habit of always playing artists in sets of two or more. The station eventually abandoned the all-sets-all-the-time format, although it still plays at least one set every hour.
But there's a problem. "Sets" sounds a bit too much like another word, as a North County Times employee found out a few years ago when a pollster called to ask what she likes to listen to on the radio. Despite all her efforts, my colleague was never able to get across that she was talking about "Sets," not "sex."
Not too long ago, the station decided to play up the similarity in a series of promos. "Sets is great anywhere," purred a female announcer. She also asked, "Have you had 'Sets' this morning?"
"A lot of people were irritated by it, but our awareness went up immediately," said Keith "Madison" Miller, a morning show co-host.
Employees at another North County operation, alternative rocker "Premium 92.1," struggled with what to call their station before it debuted last spring. "People come up with the stupidest names, and we wanted to avoid those," said program director Mike Halloran.
One idea was to tweak the competition ---- the more mainstream-oriented alternative rocker "91X" ---- by dubbing the new station "92-double-X" and using "twice as strong" as a tagline. "An 'X' in a name is always a sexy thing," Halloran said.
In contrast, he said, other letters just don't sound as hip, like "B" (as in San Diego's "B94.9") and "Y" (the defunct Y-107).
"There's nothing sexy about a 'Y,'" he said.
Station officials briefly considered naming the station after a four-letter abbreviation for the mother of all obscenities, but that idea didn't gather "mo"-mentum. Finally, gas pumps inspired Halloran to support the nickname "Premium 92.1."
"One of the things that kept standing out was that when you go to the gas pumps and buy premium fuel, which is pretty much the best in town, it's 92 octane," he said. "Premium implies that it's better than the rest of the grades out there."
The name seems to be working. Although it's not even a year old, "Premium 92.1" tied with 91X among coveted North County listeners aged 18-34, according to the most recent ratings..
The San Diego Union: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/daily_index.html
- Bone marrow drive...
Several Spanish-language media outlets in San Diego and Tijuana, including TV and radio stations, are banding together to promote a countywide Latino bone marrow registry drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at two San Diego Blood Bank sites: the South Bay donor center (1717 Sweetwater Road, Suite "G" in National City) and the North County donor center (1340 W. Valley Parkway in Escondido). Latino donors must be between 18 and 60 years old and in good health. The normal $73 screening and registry fee will be waived for this drive. The supporting media outlets include television stations XEWT/Channel 12, KBNT/Channel 19, XHAS/Channel 33; radio stations "La Ponderosa" AM 860, "La Invasora" FM 99.7, "La Nueva" FM 106.5, "K-LOVE" FM 102.9, "Radio Amor" FM 94.5, "Radio Latina" FM 104.5, "More FM" 98.9, and newspapers El Sol de San Diego, Hispanos Unidos, El Latino, Frontera, the PennySaver and the Union-Tribune's Enlace.
For more information, contact the San Diego Blood Bank at (619) 296-6393, Ext. 197, or www.SanDiegoBloodBank.org...
No more Chris...
Ah, the life of some radio-show personalities. Here's what Mike Glickenhaus, vice president and market manager of Clear Channel Communications San Diego FM operations, has to say about the disappearance of Chris Williams from the "Greg, Delana & Chris" morning show on XHRM/FM "Magic 92.5":
"We just decided since all along the stars of the show were Greg and Delana, we would go with them as the leads. When Chris first started, he was the producer of the show and while that evolved, we felt that the show chemistry and dynamic worked best when it was just Greg and Delana. They will have a new producer."
Williams, who had been with "Greg and Delana" since 1997, is hosting a nighttime show on Los Angeles' KYSR/FM "Star" 98.7.
Radio Business Report: http://www.radiobusinessreport.com/
- UC Santa Barbara seeking to acquire KDB-FM...
The University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) is trying to raise $3.6M to purchase KDB-FM and maintain the station's Classical format. The university's deal with Pacific Broadcasting, which appears to be for a lower price than the station might bring from a commercial buyer, gives UCSB until 3/31 to acquire the station. According to a UCSB announcement, 21 local cultural arts and community organizations in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties are participating in the fund-raising drive...
Source: Broadcasting and Cable: http://www.broadcastingcable.com
- Congressman calls for Clear Channel investigation...
Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA), Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property, has written letters (1/22) to Attorney General John Ashcroft and FCC Chairman Michael Powell asking them to investigate - - and potentially prosecute - - Clear Channel (N:CCU) for possible antitrust and FCC violations with its Clear Channel Entertainment concert promotions division. -- Full Story --
http://www.radiobusinessreport.com/pages/daily_news.asp#Anchor-Congressma-6307
Congressman calls for Clear Channel investigation (1/23)
Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA), Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property, has written letters (1/22) to Attorney General John Ashcroft and FCC Chairman Michael Powell asking them to investigate - - and potentially prosecute - - Clear Channel (N:CCU) for possible antitrust and FCC violations with its Clear Channel Entertainment concert promotions division.
In addition, he's requesting an investigation of CCU's alleged "parking" of radio and TV stations via third party shell companies in Chillicothe, OH (RBR 11/19/01, p.2, 12/17/01, cover), Monterey (RBR 12/17/01, p. 2), San Diego, San Francisco, Hudson, NY, Catskills, NY, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and Waco, TX.
From the letter: "I write to express my serious concern about vertical and horizontal integration in the radio, television and concert promotion industries. Clear Channel's actions in consolidating these businesses has negatively affected recording artists, owners of sound recording copyrights, consumers, advertisers, and competitors in the radio and television industries...According to numerous press reports, as well as first hand accounts by affected recording artists and copyright owners, Clear Channel's consolidation of radio and concert promotions industries has had a variety of negative repercussions..."
Berman says Clear Channel punishes artists for refusing to use Clear Channel Entertainment by burying ads for their concerts and keeping their songs off playlists at CCU Radio stations. He named Britney Spears as one example, but told RBR that other artists and competitors had complained to him about CCU, but didn't want their names made public.
"We are satisfied and excited about the ways we have grown our businesses. Our company competes aggressively, fairly and totally within the law. If there is an investigation, we are confident that this will continue to be proven true," responded Clear Channel spokesperson Rebecca Allmon. Read much more from Rep. Berman in Monday's RBR.
AM 590 Changes and History...
Salem Communications has taken over ownership and programming of KSZZ in San Bernardino and renamed it KRLH, NewsTalk 590 AM.
The station is essentially a clone of sister Los Angeles conservative talker KRLA (870 AM), running such programs as Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager Michael Medved and Larry Marino.
Old timers will remember 590 AM as KFXM, the call letters used from 1929 to 1988 (1925 to 1929 it was called KFWC). KFXM was the Inland Empire's top-40 leader during the 1960s and '70s. Tennissee Ernie Ford was once a DJ there prior to top-40, and Roy Rogers and The Sons of the Pioneers were broadcast live, back when such things were done. KABC-TV Channel 7 reporter Gene Gleeson was 20 when he was a DJ at KFXM.
After dropping top-40, the station changed call letters to KRSO and tried news, followed by adult standards. It later became country KHTX before finally going Spanish with the calls KSZZ. The KFXM call letters live on through an FM station at 103.3 in Temecula.
KNX DRAMA HOUR, 9 p.m. weekdays, KNX/1070 AM: Monday, "Gunsmoke" and "Texas Rangers''; Tuesday, "Johnny Dollar" and "Dragnet"; Wednesday, "Six Shooter" and "Dimension X"; Thursday, "The Whistler" and "Philip Marlowe''; Friday, "Suspense" and "Lights Out." Saturday, it's "Jack Benny" and "Red Skelton" 9-10, various titles, 10-11. Sunday, "Lux Radio Theatre.''
KPLS/830 AM weekdays: Don Imus, 5-9 a.m., Laura Ingraham, 9 a.m.-noon, George Putnam, noon-1 p.m., Dana Roth, 1-3 p.m., "Marketwrap,'' 3-4 p.m., Michael Savage, 4-7 p.m., Bob Dornan, 7-9 p.m., Tom Marino, Troubleshooter, 9-10 p.m., Roy Masters, 10 p.m.-midnight, Neal Boortz, midnight-2 a.m..
KLAC/570 AM weekdays: Gil Gross, 5-9 a.m., Michael Jackson, 9 a.m.-noon, Jim Cramer financial, noon-1 p.m., Suze Orman, 1-3 p.m., Dr. Dean Edell, 3-4 p.m., Clark Howard, 4-7 p.m., Leslie Marshall, 7-10 p.m., Gil Gross reruns, 10-11 p.m., Michael Jackson reruns, 11 a.m.-midnight, Michael Reagan, midnight-3 a.m., Lionel, 3-5 a.m.
KNX/1070 AM named George Clooney and Leeza Gibbons as Man and Woman of the Year at its annual event recognizing local citizens and entertainers who contribute to the Hollywood community.
Trade publications report comedian Sinbad may be in line to be the new morning host on KHHT/92.3 FM. If the deal happens, Theo would move to afternoons.
L.A., CA: http://members.tripod.com/~chinesecookery/
- Don Barrett's radio website states: All Boobs - All The Time (you sure he isn't talking about the guys
running Clear Channel?)
Talk show host Rush Limbaugh told his listeners Monday that an ear implant has partially restored his hearing.
Limbaugh had an electronic device placed in his skull late last year, and the final hookup, which partially restored his hearing, took place Thursday.
"When you've had, in my case, over 50 years of normal hearing and to lose it suddenly, as I did, it's ... a shock," said Limbaugh, who went deaf last year because of an autoimmune inner-ear disease. "You adapt to it, as you have no choice, but you ought to try it."
Limbaugh, who has 20 million weekly listeners on about 600 radio stations, said his mind played tricks on him at times.
"I was hearing the soundtracks to westerns," Limbaugh said. "It was as loud as can be. It was distracting. I knew I wasn't hearing it because those noises weren't being made."
Limbaugh had continued to do his show as his hearing deteriorated and eventually disappeared, using an elaborate setup at his South Florida studio involving transcribers and computer screens to read listeners' calls.
Limbaugh said he is having to relearn how to hear. Voices are a bit fuzzy, like they have been recorded on a minicassette recorder, he said. But during one-on-one conversations, his hearing is about 90 percent normal.
"I am pretty dependent on what people's lip movements are, although that is improving every day," Limbaugh said.
Limbaugh warned his listeners that telephone calls have so far posed the biggest problem for him, saying he'll have to "wait and see" if that improves. If not, he'll still use the setup devised when he was deaf.
Limbaugh said he never was really depressed about his deafness, and was grateful there was a chance he could regain his hearing.
"I was just constantly thankful ... for the era in which I was born because that is what has made this all possible," Limbaugh said. "That and the freedom we all have as Americans to invent and create and explore all these medical marvels."
On the Net:
Rush Limbaugh: http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
Pardon the bulk mail, but if you've seen how fat I've gotten you'd understand.
KHJ book project has been off and on and off and slogging along at Hawaiian time is about to roll of the press, shrink wrapped and all.
Today's issue of R&R (Radio & Records, aka "The bible of the industry") has a rather huge layout story about this 400 page tome. A box on the top right of the glossy cover, is a tease for the KHJ book next to the R&R masthead. A full page ad for Mary J. Blige's new album comprises 95% of the glossy cover.
A color picture of the book cover fills one-third of the front page. Adjacent is the start of the story of how the book came to be. This jumps to a full page of text within, which jumps to a quarter page conclusion. AND a side bar.
Also a picture of a 1965 KHJ Boss 30 survey (Sam Riddle on cover) and a shot of two nerdy looking Boss Jocks (Real Don Steele and Gary Mack) hangin' with Sonny in Beatle haircut and 19-year-old Cher, before the acne was sand blasted away, the nose resculpted and who knows what else? As a convenience for those wishing to pursue the matter there is a full-page ad on facing page for the latest album by Cher 2002.
At the end of all of THAT people are directed to:
http://www.zapoleon.com/zms/
where there are some interesting things (and glitches, typos and "flyspecks," which distinguished historian and author Dr. Gavan Daws calls the remaining graphic annoyances.)
To those of you who urged, encouraged, scanned, emailed, housed, prodded, taped, recalled, researched and cooked for the author, etc., MANY THANKS for not letting me cop out. I hope that I have not missed you in the Acknowledgments. If so, please advise. You will receive a 93-cent discount.
Now where's the Twelve Step Program for those of us who get high on FRESH INK?
Aloha and Mahalo,
RJ
So now we learn about e-commerce, email "word of mouth" and if more than six people really give a damn.
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