Stats…Stats…Stats…
New Concord VP/Promotion Jill Weindorf
is polishing her stripes, as her very first Triple A record for the label,
Ozomatli’s Don’t Mess With The Dragon, ties with The Incredible
Ruthie Foster for Most Added honors, each scoring 19 adds. It was
neck-and-neck from start to finish, so expect more strong weeks from these two
records. Two Blues records tie for the next spot, as John Hammond’s
amazing Push Comes To Shove lands on the list again, tied with 10
Days Out, Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s fine collection of duets with an
impressive list of guests. It took 18 stations committing to each to create
the logjam, and more may still be on the horizon. Finally, the new Joss
Stone single, “Tell Me ’Bout It,” lands in the last position of honor,
with 13 adds on the board. The song just arrived at radio, meaning more growth
is imminent.
There are a few things recommended to go to the top of that very
large stack of music for the next music meeting, including “Stars And
Boulevards” by Augustana and James Hunter’s “No Smoke Without
Fire.” You’ll also want to listen to “You Can Bring Me Flowers,” by Ray
LaMontagne, “Last Night On Earth Again,” from Over The Rhine, “Tell
Me ’Bout It,” Joss Stone’s first single from her highly anticipated
forthcoming release makes the official run for Most Added, as does Matt
Wertz doing “Carolina” and “Classic Situation” by Yonder Mountain
String Band. On the “album” front, check out Sondre Lerche’s
inspiring Phantom Punch. The full list of impacting records can be
found on the Available For Airplay page of the Triple A format room at
FMQB.com.
WNKU Veteran Don Smith Passes Away
WNKU/Cincinnati chief engineer Don
Smith passed away on January 26 at the age of 88. Smith's career in
broadcasting spanned seven decades, including 21 years as chief engineer for
WNKU. A genius at solving electronic problems, Don held a number of patents
for inventions, and many devices used by WNKU were designed and built by him.
"No job was too big for Don," said WNKU PD Grady Kirkpatrick. "He
welcomed engineering challenges and was very creative at coming up with
solutions. Don was easy going, friendly and enjoyed a good laugh. He enjoyed
working at WNKU and was proud of his broadcast career in Cincinnati. He was
even more proud of his family and spoke often about his exceptional children
and grandchildren. Don will be sorely missed by all who knew him."
Meanwhile, the station is in the midst of welcoming a series of
live performers to the studio. Acoustic guitar virtuoso Willy Porter
visits on February 3, local staples Second Sister stop in on February
16, and Folk artist Lucy Kaplansky visits on February 23.
Van Morrison Honored with Award, Movie
Compilation
The U.S. – Ireland Alliance will honor Van Morrison for his
compositions used in movies at a special event in Los Angeles on February 22
to coincide with Oscar week. Al Pacino will present Morrison with the
award, which highlights the depth and breadth of his compositions. Morrison
will play a short set at the event, which is hosted by actress Roma Downey.
His work has been used in movies such as Thelma & Louise, The King Of
Comedy, An Officer And A Gentleman, Bridget Jones' Diary, Born On The Fourth
Of July and others.
To coincide with Morrison’s award, EMI Music will release a
new compilation, Van Morrison At The Movies, the previous week. It will
contain 18 of his best-known songs as used in film, plus his version of
Pink Floyd's “Comfortably Numb” that was featured in The Departed.
The album also includes “Gloria” and “Baby Please Don't Go” from his days with
Them, plus collaborations with The Band on “Caravan” (from
The Last Waltz) and The Chieftains on “Irish Heartbeat” from The
Matchmaker.
The Police Reunite For Grammy Performance
The worst kept secret in the music world is now officially confirmed, as
The Police will be reuniting and performing to kick
off the 2007 Grammy Awards on February 11. Rumors of the Police reunion
have been growing in recent weeks, with the band expected to announce a
lucrative, worldwide reunion tour the day after the Grammys. It has also been
heavily rumored that the Bonnaroo Festival will be one of the
band's stops on the reunion tour. Last week, Classic Rock station
CFMI/Vancouver reported that the trio is planning to rehearse in
the Canadian city for their tour.
The Police won five Grammys in their heyday and the announcement of their
Grammy appearance all but confirms the ongoing speculation of their return.
However, before The Police reunion can begin in full force, Sting has a
three-week tour of Europe slated for February and March in support of his lute
album.
In other Grammy news, The Recording Academy added a
few more presenters to the broadcast, including Melissa Etheridge,
Joan Baez, comedian Chris Rock
and the legendary Stevie Wonder. Also, there will be a
live collaboration between John Legend,
John Mayer and Corinne Bailey Rae, all of
whom are nominated for multiple awards. Previously announced performers
include Mary J. Blige, the Dixie Chicks,
Gnarls Barkley and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The 49th Annual Grammy
Awards will air on CBS on February 11 at 8 p.m. EST.
Triple A News Bites
Dave Doud has been named MD at WDST/Woodstock.
His call times will be Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m. Doud will continue his
weekend afternoon shift at WDST and will also provide voicing for
RadioWoodstock.Com, WDST’s free-form Internet radio station… WTMD/Baltimore
is starting its countdown of the Greatest 897 Songs of All-Time on
Thursday. The countdown will continue for about a week, and next week WTMD
also will begin its February fund drive. Therefore, PD Mike Matthews
will not be taking music calls on January 30 or February 6. If you need to
reach him, please do so via e-mail… With the “big game” coming up on Sunday,
WYEP/Pittsburgh is holding its 8th annual Alternative
Souper Bowl, where the station will collect food donations for HEARTH,
a shelter for homeless and displaced women with children. The Alternative
Souper Bowl also includes a live radio broadcast with music from local
artists The Mavens, Local Honey and Chad Sipes Stereo…
Legendary producer/musician Brian Eno has been tapped
to produce Coldplay's fourth studio album. Eno told
BBC Radio 4 in an interview that he would be working
with the Brit rockers this year. He said that Coldplay's next album "will be
very original and very different from what they've done before." Coldplay will
likely try out some of their new material on their brief tour of Latin America
next month… Lily Allen will promote her new album, Alright, Still,
with an appearance on Saturday Night Live on February 3 and an intimate
club tour that kicks off February 5 in Los Angeles. Allen also will perform on
Late Night with Conan O’Brien on February 13… John
Mellencamp says he won't be touring behind his new album,
Freedom's Road, until the fall, but the veteran rocker is planning a
"festival" style trek called The Freedom's Roadshow. He also tells
Billboard he has been collaborating with Stephen King
on a musical called The Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County,
which he expects to be working on all summer… The lawsuit between
Tom Waits and General Motors over the use
of a Waits sound-alike has been settled. Terms were not disclosed, but Waits
said in a statement that he would be donating his settlement proceeds to
charity and added, "I'm glad to be out of the car sales business once and for
all."
Arbitron Receives Accreditation For PPM
In Houston
Arbitron announced today that
the Media Rating Council (MRC)
has accredited its Portable People Meter (PPM) ratings data for Houston. Now
that the MRC has accredited the Houston data, Arbitron will meet with its
customers - broadcasters, advertisers and ad agencies - to determine a
schedule for rolling out the PPM officially in Houston. Arbitron had
previously agreed to wait until it had MRC accreditation to switch over from
diaries to the PPM in Houston.
“This is a significant milestone for Arbitron and for the radio industry,”
said Arbitron President/CEO Steve Morris. “This is the
first completely new, electronic methodology for broadcast ratings since the
set-top, push-button people meter was introduced in the late 1980s. It’s the
only personal, portable electronic meter system in the world that’s ever been
subjected to an MRC audit and has met the accreditation standards of the Media
Rating Council for a radio ratings service.”
“The MRC appreciates the extensive commitment Arbitron made to the
accreditation process for the Houston PPM service.” said George
Ivie, Executive Director, Media Rating Council. “We broke a lot
of new ground over the last two years, and Arbitron worked with us
constructively during the audit and thereafter to ensure necessary audit
committee learning took place. We know that supporting this large audit
internally and externally has been a challenge for Arbitron.”
Arbitron is also pursuing MRC accreditation for TV ratings data as well in
Houston. The MRC has ask Arbitron not to represent any TV ratings data from
the Houston PPM service as accredited until it is able to language-weight the
television ratings data by the language usage of Hispanic respondents using
MRC-approved methods and universe estimates.
Air America Announces Tentitive Sale
Liberal Talk network Air America announced that it has
signed a letter of intent to be sold to SLG Radio LLC,
which is run by Stephen L. Green, founder of the
SL Green Reality Corp. The sale is expected to close
by mid-February and saves the network from its bankruptcy troubles. No terms
of the deal were announced.
In a statement, Air America CEO Scott Elberg said, "We
are extremely pleased to have reached this agreement with Mr. Green, which
will solidify Air America’s future. When you combine Steve Green's business
skills and successes -- with his brother Mark Green's
history as a respected progressive policy voice, including as a frequent guest
and host on our network-- Air America will be in the best hands to sustain our
powerful radio voice, expand our reach and broaden the audience."
Green added, “To assure that AAR survives and thrives, we'll do three things.
First, we'll stabilize its finances. Second, we'll build on its line-up to
assure the best radio talent possible, since in the long run content is king.
And third, we'll extend this special brand by partnering with other platforms
beyond radio to make sure that Air America's content reaches the wide audience
it deserves."
Air America also announced that its biggest star, Al Franken,
would be leaving his daily talk show as of February 14. Thom
Hartmann will take over Franken's noon to 3 p.m. time slot. "We
are very sad to see Al Franken depart from Air America and wish him every
success in his next endeavor," said Elberg. "Al's brilliance, humor, and
passion put Air America on the map and we will always regard him as part of
our family."
There has been speculation for some time that Franken is planning on running
for Senate in his home state of Minnesota. He addressed the issue today on his
show, reiterating that he is seriously considering it and would make a
decision in the near future.
Clear Channel Sale Could Face More
Opposition
Earlier this month it was reported that Clear Channel's
largest shareholder Fidelity Management & Research Co.
was unhappy with the terms of the media giant's impending sale to equity firms
Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital
Partners. Now The Wall Street Journal adds that
Fidelity's complaints may have a snowball effect that could potentially halt
the CC sale and even begin a Wall Street backlash against publicly traded
companies going private.
According to the WSJ, CC and the equity firms are now
"scrambling to save what was one of the most high-profile transactions of
2006" and making a public relations push to investors to further sell them on
the deal. However, sources tell the paper that if the sale falls through, the
potential buyers will be content to let the buyout deal die out, with one
source saying "It's just another deal" to the equity firms.
The WSJ adds that the high-profile sale has grown into "a
crucial referendum" on the growing trend of taking publicly traded firms
private again. Are stockholders getting their money's worth on these deals, or
are equity firms making out by grabbing companies cheaply? Clear Channel
stockholders may feel they could get more money down the road than they can
currently, so they question the timing of the sale.
In addition to Fidelity, at least three of CC's top investors have announced
their opposition to the sale. A rejection of the deal could cause CC stocks to
drop even more, with one source suggesting to the paper that they could fall
by over $10 per share. The source added that if CC didn't sell, the ensuing
financial issues could be a disaster for the company.
Even if the shareholders will not vote for the sale, Clear Channel's board
must still recommend the sale. If not, they violate the terms of the agreement
and would incur a $500 million payout to Lee and Bain. If the sale falls
through and loses a shareholder vote, CC must pay $45 million to reimburse the
equity firms.
Clear Channel announced today that it would hold a special meeting of
shareholders on March 21 to vote on the buyout. According to Texas law, any
shareholders who do not vote will have their vote counted as a "no."
Democratic Congress To Pressure FCC
The Republican-controlled FCC is expected to feel
increased pressure from the new Democratic majority in Congress in the near
future. According to the Washington Post, numerous Senators
are planning to press the Commission on the multiple issues currently facing
the FCC, beginning with next week's Senate Commerce, Science and
Transportation Committee hearing.
Some of the issues expected to be raised by Congress include "net neutrality,"
broadcast decency standards, and of course, the hot topic of media ownership.
"They've effectively emasculated any public-interest standards that existed
[for radio and TV stations]," Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
told the paper. Dorgan is on the aforementioned committee and plans to
question the FCC on its indecency and ownership policies. "The entire Congress
for years now has been devoid of any kind of oversight," he added, noting that
Congress will force the FCC to "beat a path to Capitol Hill to respond."
The Post expects Chairman Kevin Martin
to be the focal point of the Democrats' criticisms, especially since he is an
ally of the Bush administration. The paper also
speculates on a potential rift between Martin and his fellow Republican,
Commissioner Robert McDowell. The two have not seen
eye to eye on major issues in the past and Congress may try to capitalize on
that divide.
Capitol And Virgin To Merge In U.S.
As part of EMI Group's massive restructuring plan,
Capitol Records and Virgin Records
will merge in the U.S. The labels will now be known as The Capitol
Music Group, and Virgin Records chief Jason Flom
has been promoted to head the new endeavor as Chairman and CEO. Flom will
report directly to EMI Group CEO Eric Nicoli.
Andy Slater, who had been chief executive of Capitol Records,
has stepped down. Slater is the latest top executive to leave EMI in recent
weeks after Nicoli announced a company-wide $217 million restructuring plan
that also lead to the exit of Alain Levy and
David Munns.
"The music business shows exciting growth potential, but the environment
remains extremely challenging," said Nicoli. "In order to thrive and meet the
demands of a rapidly evolving and dynamic music market, we must re-think our
operations, not only to make them efficient, but also more effective and
focused on creative excellence. By bringing Capitol and Virgin into one label
group, we will be better equipped than ever to promote and nurture artistic
talent. We remain strongly committed to developing artists in America in all
genres as this is a key repertoire source for the world, and to that end, we
will maintain our A&R focus and keep a presence in both LA and New York. This
structure will also allow us to further build our digital capability.”
Bruce Lundvall, President and
CEO of The Blue Note Label Group, will continue to
report directly to Nicoli, as will EMI Music North America COO Ivan
Gavin and EMI Music North America CFO Colin
Finkelstein.
Sony BMG Q3: CDs Down, Digital Up
Sony Corp. announced its third
quarter results for the company's fiscal year (which runs April 1 - March 31).
The profit for the quarter fell by five percent, attributed to costs involved
with launching the PlayStation 3. However, the company
raised its earnings forecast for the entire year, optimistic about sales of
digital cameras and flat-screen televisions.
Net income for Sony BMG Music Entertainment saw an
increase when compared to the third quarter of the previous year. The label
brought in $110 million in net income in the quarter, an increase of over $23
million. Sales revenue was down for the quarter by 1.6 percent compared to the
third quarter of the previous year. The company attributed the drop "to
greater contraction in physical compact disc sales than growth in digital
download sales in many markets." However, income for the label was up by 10.3
percent due to "lower overhead and restructuring costs." The label also noted
that its top selling albums for the quarter included Il Divo's
Siempre, NOW That's What I Call Music Vol. 23
and Oasis' Stop The Clocks best-of
set.
In an unrelated announcement, Sony BMG has settled with the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) over the
now-infamous “rootkit” issue, where many CD releases contained anti-piracy
software that could damage one's computer. The label will reimburse consumers
up to $150 each, who are also allowed to exchange the affected CDs purchased
before the end of 2006. According to Business Week, Sony BMG
is prohibited from installing software without a consumer's knowledge and must
advertise on their Web site that software to uninstall the program is
available. No violation of law was officially admitted by the label, and the
settlement is open for public comment for the next 30 days before it becomes
final.
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