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800.275.2840 MORE NEWS» insideradio.com THE MOST TRUSTED NEWS IN RADIO FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015 What’s behind modern rock’s slow, steady growth. Modern rock continues to enjoy steady ratings growth, thanks to a deepening well of young, melodic bands and investments made by broadcasters to strengthen their brands. The format’s ratings share of men 18-49 grew 12% during the past three years while men 25-54 increased by double that amount, Nielsen data shows. Modern rock added an outlet in Phoenix last year and moved back to a full signal in Chicago, while HD Radio-fed translator stations sprouted up from Tampa to Raleigh to Minneapolis. “What we’re seeing is the influence of today’s Millennials on musical trends and musical tastes,” says Jim Fox, OM of Entercom’s Sacramento cluster and program director of modern rock “Radio 94-7” KKDO. The generational shift from Gen X’s “Hey, wait, I’ve got a new complaint” to Gen Y’s “Shut up and dance with me” has jacked up the format’s pop quotient during the past three years and spawned cume-enhancing crossovers. “The core sound is focused, fresh and strong,” says programming strategist Greg Strassell. “Crossovers help expose the genre, making some alternative music true mass-appeal hits and giving it added cume appeal.” The pendulum shift to pop has also heightened sharing with adult alternative. Half of the 10 most played modern rock songs this week are also top 10 at adult alternative, according to Mediabase. But sharing music makes it more challenging for modern rock to have a unique musical position and enjoy the perks of “owning” artists. “It comes down to whether you are willing to fight for those songs in an environment when you could have 5-6 other stations playing them,” Fox says. With strong music to bank on, programmers focus on other brand elements. Modern rock wouldn’t be in a strong position today without a steady stream of quality music. But there’s more to it than that. Many companies have improved their brands. “Morning show development, and some re-branding and refocusing of station names to rid themselves of rock images that may have held them back, has helped stimulate consistent growth,” programming strategist Greg Strassell says. A strong music cycle is a good time to ensure other brand elements are being developed, he says. “Otherwise that music tide could go out and leave you with only the strength of what is between the music,” Strassell says. “Now is the time alternative should be building great morning shows and other brand features.” Programmers also need to keep their antenna up for the next musical shift. “If the alternative radio community doesn’t recognize when that pendulum of critical mass begins to swing in the other direction, they’ll get let behind,” warns Entercom’s Jim Fox. Today’s emphasis on pop has some programmers wondering what happened to the electric guitar in modern rock. Troy Hanson, head of corporate programming for rock formats at Cumulus Media, chalks it up to some modern rock PDs having closed minds. “You hear them complain about playing too many crossovers and not having artist ownership anymore. But that’s the danger of poo-pooing any type of rock song because it ‘sounds like an active rock song,’” Hanson says. “The audience doesn’t talk like that.” Get ready for new currency metrics for online radio. Nielsen is close to rolling out its digital radio measurement service and it apparently will come with a new set of currency metrics for streaming audio to be bought and sold on. Nielsen EVP of product leadership Megan Clarken told a press conference yesterday the company is having “some very active discussions” [email protected] | 800.275.2840 PG 1 NEWS insideradio.com FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015 about “how to handle new currency metrics” with regard to introducing its form of digital audio measurement to the marketplace. Her comment came in response to a question about the company’s total audience initiative for the TV industry, which seeks to measure the myriad ways Americans are consuming video content, from linear and time-shifted TV to subscription- based streaming video on demand services. The question had to do with how to square traditional TV metrics with those used in the digital advertising world. It’s an issue for radio too, where the currency metrics have long been cume and average quarter hour ratings. But for webcasters using dynamic ad insertion, there may be a new set of metrics more suitable for the way digital advertising is transacted, such as impressions, average minute audience and unique audience. Clarken didn’t say what metrics Nielsen will use for digital audio. “As we get closer to that, clearly we’ll make sure there are the appropriate announcements around that,” she said. “But there are active discussions going on at the moment on both the video and the audio front and we feel really good about them.” New radio royalty effort comes wrapped in FM phone debate. FM on smartphones is bad for the music industry. That’s the argument two lawmakers are making, saying consumers listening to radio for free takes money out of record labels and artists’ pockets. Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) are tying the two issues together as they reintroduce legislation that, if passed, would prohibit the FCC from putting an FM chip mandate on cell phone companies. The proposed Protecting the Rights of Musicians Act would also prohibit any broadcaster from collecting TV retransmission consent fees if they also own radio stations that aren’t paying a performance royalty for FM/AM airplay. Longtime advocates of a radio royalty, Blackburn and Eshoo first introduced the legislation during the last session of Congress, attracting no other cosponsors to their bill. With a district that represents the Nashville music community, Blackburn accuses broadcasters of singing a “completely different tune” in fighting radio royalties while demanding TV stations payments. With two bills now in circulation that target a radio performance royalty, Ted Kalo, executive director of the musicFirst Coalition, says lawmakers are “waking up to the broadcasters’ games.” So far, however, a bill introduced last week with much fanfare has failed to add any additional sponsors while royalty opponents have grown their ranks. There are currently 166 members of the House opposing a radio royalty. The National Association of Broadcasters says the latest bill “devalues the indispensable role” of local broadcasters. EVP Dennis Wharton also points out the NAB isn’t seeking an FM mandate, but rather believes carriers should voluntarily activate the chips already in handsets. “For public safety reasons alone, FM chips already in cellphones should be turned on,” he says. Nashville cues up new twists on radio-label partnerships. A pair of country acts — one a platinum-certified veteran, the other a relative newcomer — are showing what the reciprocal relationship between the radio and recording industries can look like in 2015. Cumulus Media’s partnership with Big Machine Label Group has netted a chart topping country album. “Love Somebody,” the new album from Reba McEntire issued on the Nash Icon imprint, landed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with first week sales of 58,000 units. McEntire was the first act to sign with the joint partnership between the Nashville-based indie label and radio’s second largest radio group. Her new album is getting glowing reviews and lead single “Going Out Like That” has made its way into the top 30 at country radio. Most Mediabase-reporting country stations are playing the track, with Cumulus-owned stations accounting for 55% of its total spins for the seven days ending April 22. Elsewhere in Music City, Warner Music Nashville signed singer/songwriter Chris Janson following his ascent to No. 1 on the iTunes Country Chart after he privately sent his then-independent single “Buy Me A Boat” to Premiere-syndicated morning man Bobby Bones. The next day Bones played [email protected] | 800.275.2840 PG 2 NEWS insideradio.com FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015 it twice on his show, carried on 80 country stations. Now as the latest iHeartRadio “On The Verge Artist,” Janson’s song will receive airplay on 140 country stations for six consecutive weeks, beginning May 4. The program, which selects artists based on the collective input of the company’s programmers, includes on-air exposure as well as digital and social support. Warm words for broadcasters on weather alerts. One of the arguments broadcasters have used to promote FM chips in smartphones is its reliability during an emergency. It’s that first informer role that won radio and television praise during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing this week in Washington. “I’ve certainly seen the power of local broadcasters when we’ve had the floods in Moorhead and Fargo and when we have tornadoes,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said. “It’s an unbelievable thing how many lives can be saved.” Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) credited broadcast meteorologists for saving lives when Hurricane Andrew blew a category five storm into South Florida in 1992. “Their staying on the air and sounding the alarm exactly where the hurricane was going, the devastation would have been so much more in loss of life,” Nelson said. Lawmakers are looking at how severe weather warnings can be better developed and shared with the public as part of an overall review of the National Weather Service’s capabilities. Don Hermey, chief of emergency management in hurricane- prone Manatee County, FL, told the committee that changing media habits requires new ways to reach Millennials without abandoning what’s worked for decades.