HARKER BOS GROUP
Friday Harker Roundup
Friday, October 6, 2017
Rock Radio Honors Music Of Legendary Tom Petty.
October 3, 2017
In the confusion over mistakenly confirmed reports, rock radio stations across the country paid tribute Monday afternoon to legendary rocker Tom Petty. Upon hearing from CBSnews.com that Petty, 66, had died (information they later retracted), stations all over the U.S. respectfully honored the beloved musician and longtime front man for the Heartbreakers. Petty died Monday at 8:40pm Pacific, according to multiple reports. “He suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Malibu in the early hours of this morning and was taken to UCLA Medical Center but could not be revived,” his longtime manager, Tony Dimitriades, said in a statement. The distinctively American rocker died “peacefully… surrounded by family, his bandmates and friends,” Dimitriades said.
FM Translator Numbers Climb Again In Q3.
October 3, 2017
The tangible results of this summer’s FM translator filing window for AM station owners is now coming into clear view. America’s FM dial added 122 new translators as of Sept. 30, growing to 7,575 and marking a nearly 2% jump in the number of licensed translators since June 30. The number, which follows a levelling off in the second quarter, is expected to continue climbing as the FCC sorts out hundreds of remaining applications for translators that were filed during the recent window. There’s little doubt interest in translators has continued to surge during the past year. The ranks have swelled by 613 translators from 6,962 in Sept. 30, 2016 for an 8.6% year-over-year jump.
Analyst: TV Advertising to Shrink ‘Meaningfully’ in Decade
October 2, 2017
TV advertising could drop for the first time in a non-recession year in 2017, says analyst Kannan Venkateshwar of Barclays and things could go downhill from there. “Overall, we believe over the coming decade, the $67 billion n television advertising is likely to shrink meaningfully, with $26 billion spent on cable networks and the $20 billion spent on local advertising being the most at risk,” Venkateshwar wrote in a note Sunday. Furthermore he says cable networks in their current form will be obsolete as a business model. In addition to pressure from cord-cutting, cable networks audiences are getting closer in size to those of Facebook and YouTube.
Netflix Stock Jumps as Higher Rates Announced
October 5, 2017
Netflix announced higher prices for its streaming service and its stock price promptly jumped in mid-day trading Thursday (Oct. 5). Netflix’s prices are rising to $13.99 from $11.99 a month for its premium tier, its standard plan rises to $10.99 from $9.99. Its basic plan stays at $7.99. The new price structure goes into effect in November. After the news came out, Netflix stock rose to $191.83 a share, up more than 4%. The company increased prices last year. That price increase had Wall Street worried whether the company would be able to continue its rapid subscriber growth.
Economy Factors Greatly Into Radio’s Top Growth Markets.
October 2, 2017
From the rocky Maine coastline to the Texas banks of the Rio Grande, radio’s top-growing markets of the decade represent a cross-section not only of the industry but also the American economy in which broadcasters operate. That, economists say, helps explain why some radio markets grew more than others. “There is a correlation between retail sales, population growth and income growth and higher revenue in radio markets,” BIA/Kelsey chief economist Mark Fratrik said. He explains those key indictors weaved together help to reveal which cities’ economic fabric is stronger and that in turn enables radio stations to capitalize on the health of a market.
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