Friday, April 17, 2015

READER TIPS – WHO MAKES THE MOST IN NONCOM RADIO?



My Tuesday post (LINK) showing employee compensation at several national networks and organizations got a lot of attention.  I had almost one thousand unique visitors that day – one of my highest traffic days ever.

I got messages from two people with tips about noncom workplaces where, in their opinion, people are handsomely paid.  Here they are:

1. WNYC, NEW YORK

New York is a costly place to live.  WNYC has extremely talented people. They also pay well.  I decided to find compensation information for other noncom stations in the market for comparison.

NAME
TITLE &
ORGANIZATION
ORG
LOCATION
TAX YEAR
SALARY & BENEFITS
Laura Walker
CEO,
New York Public Radio WNYC & WQXR
New York
2012
$658,016
John Hockenberry
Host, The Takeaway
New York Public Radio
New York
2012
$346,672
Brian Lehrer
Host, The Brian Lehrer Show
New York Public Radio
New York
2012
$318,984
Dean Capello
EVP-Content
New York Public Radio
New York
2012
$300,371
Leonard Lopate
Host, The Leonard Lopate Show
New York Public Radio
New York
2012
$261,430
Lewis Kennedy & Associates
Consultant, New York Public Radio
New York
2012
$167,001
Cephas Bowles*
CEO, Newark Public Radio WBGO
Newark, NJ
2012
$154,567
Ken Freedman
Executive Director, Auricle Communications
WFMU
Jersey City, NJ
2012
$93,337
* No longer in this position

I looked for, but couldn’t access, compensation info for WFUV (no disclosure documents on their website); WNYE & WBAI (not disclosed); and religious noncoms owned by Pillar of Fire and Family Stations (both a considered “churches” and are not required to disclose financial info).

2. EDUCATIONAL MEDIA FOUNDATION (“EMF”) ROCKLIN, CA

EMF is the organization behind K-LOVE and AIR-1 Contemporary Christian Music – two national formats heard in virtually every corner of the country. They own dozens of stations and translators.  EMF’s 2013 total revenue was over $141,000,000.  They pay very, very well. Here is a screenshot from their most recent IRS 990:



I found another interesting factoid: the compensation paid to EMF’s pledge drive consultant Share Media Services [LINK].  Here are two screenshots from the EMF 2013 990:






Note that Share Media was paid a percentage of pledge drive dollars they generated.  They helped raise $33,810,737 and paid Share Media $207,037 – less than a one percent commission.  Some noncom folks frown on pledge drive commissions (I don’t) but this looks like a very, very good deal for EMF.  The total EMF paid share media in 2013 was $340,180.

Share Media Services is the creation of Todd Isberner – someone I don’t know but I admire his work. Todd Isberner is a smart passionate radio pro who made the CCM format the success it is today.



Thursday, April 16, 2015

NEW RADIO BUZZ IN COLORADO SPRINGS: “K-HIGH MARIJUANA RADIO”



A friend who lives in Colorado Springs sent me a link to this story in the Colorado Springs Gazette: Springs Station Switches Format from Sports to Marijuana. I thought it was a headline from The Onion.  But no, this is really happening. Click here for the K-HIGH website.



On April 13, KREL AM 1580 became K-HIGH – news and talk coverage of Colorado’s legal marijuana industry. Some of the programs heard on K-HIGH are Wake & Bake (morning drive), High Noon (middays) and High Drive in the afternoon. Topics include the latest pot news from Colorado’s marijuana enforcement bureau, new products, medical marijuana and user reviews of new strains of 420, oils and edibles.

WHY COLORADO SPRINGS?

I lived in The Springs (as locals call it) in the mid and late 1980s.  I was working for Transtar Radio Network and volunteering at NPR station KRCC, a gutsy little noncom based at Colorado College.

Colorado Springs is a perfect place to try a station like K-HIGH for two reasons:

1. THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY STATIONS SERVING THE SPRINGS

According to Radio-Locator there are 49 FM and 39 AM stations with competitive signals serving a market of half a million people.  Because it is in the open spaces of the Rocky Mountain West, there has been ample spectrum available for new AM and FM stations over the years. More recently there have been a couple dozen signal move-ins. Transmitter sites in the foothills make even a 10-watt translator competitive.

Every commercial and noncommercial radio format is taken in The Springs. This leaves few choices for small players. So, enter something totally new: K-HIGH

K-HIGH DAYTIME COVERAGE MAP


2. DESPITE ITS REPUTATION AS A RIGHT-WING GOD-SQUAD HAVEN, THE SPRINGS IS A WIDE OPEN ROCK N ROLL TOWN

The Springs reminds me of the Russian philosopher Rasputin: In order to repent, you first have to sin – frequently. I’ve never lived anywhere where people party harder than in Colorado Springs.

When I lived there, I sometimes hung out with folks from KILO-FM, one of the most influential AOR stations in America. The call letters came from a slang term for a “brick” of marijuana.  So the love of High Times runs deep in Colorado. Maybe this is a perfect place for K-HIGH.

I have one question though: Doesn’t the FCC require a drug free workplace?  Maybe there is a waiver for The Springs.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

REMEMBERING PERCY SLEDGE



I cried a little when I read today that the great Percy Sledge had passed away.  He was 73 and died peacefully at his home in East Baton Rogue Parish, Louisiana. Check out this video on YouTube.


PERCY SLEDGE IN 1966


When a Man Loves a Woman brings back vivid radio memories for me.  Working as a rock jock, I loved new 45s from Atlantic Records.  The labels were bold black type on a cherry red background.  They seemed “heavier” than releases on most other labels – Atlantic 45s had the aura of loving warmth. Percy Sledge’s When a Man Loves a Woman was an Atlantic release.



YOU GOTTA MOVE…

There are many stories in Top 40 DJ lore about long records used/played by DJs when they needed to take a piss.  For some DJs When a Man Loves a Woman, at 3:42 [fact check me please], was one of those “excuse me, gotta pee” songs.  Others that I recall were Sky Pilot, Hey Jude, the long version of Crimson & Clover and Money.

Stairway to Heaven was always good for taking a dump.  During the long version of In A Gadda da Vita you could trip down the 7/11 and pickup some Oreos.  Alice’s Restaurant was for carnal knowledge.

The reason I am bringing this up in the context of Percy Sledge is because one night when I was on-the-air, I needed to take a piss.  So, I played When a Man Loves a Woman.

I had just started my first radio job as a KISD Good Guy at a hot, hot Top 40 hit station in Sioux Falls.  The on-air studio was located in a large glass display window on a busy street called The Window on Main Street. People would walk and drive by at all times of the day or night and see me – the DJ – live on the air.

The Window on Main Street was located in seedy neighborhood close to several notorious strip clubs. I worked the graveyard shift, so sometimes the people watching got interesting after the bars closed at 2:00am.

The night I decided to play When a Man Loves a Woman, I started the song, walked toward the glass window and surprise! A beautiful young Native American woman appeared on the other side of the glass just inches from me. 

She was singing along with Percy's voice blasting from the speaker outside the window.  So, I went with my vibe and started singing along with her – mouthing the words, sorta dancing with each other.  We both sang so passionately. We craved every word that Percy sang like they were pages from our own lives.

THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING

The record began to fade and I leaped back behind the control board, hit a station jingle, and played the next record –  Pushin’ To Hard by The Seeds. The woman outside the window was gone but I’ve never forgotten her or Percy Sledge.

KEN MILLS - KISD GOOD GUY - 1969

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

WHO MAKES THE MOST MONEY IN NONCOMMERCIAL RADIO?



ANSWER: JAMES & RUTH CAMPBELL IN GREENVILLE, SC


James & Ruth Campbell, Noncommercial Radio Broadcasters

There is GOLD in Contemporary Christian Music radio! Though you’ve probably never heard of James and Ruth Campbell they are raking in the believer’s cash in Greenville.

 James Campbell is founder and President of Radio Training Network, a fast-growing network called His Radio. Wife Ruth Campbell is his assistant secretary and made nearly $80,000 according to the most recent IRS 990.

The Campbell’s compensation is roughly 5% of Radio Training Network’s total annual revenue. (By comparison, Jon McTaggart of APM, who had the highest compensation in public radio, is paid around 1.6% of APM’s annual revenue.)

Radio Training Network owns 13 stations and dozens of translators. They are aggressively adding new stations via purchases and LMAs. Their net assets exceeded $22,800,000 as of 2012.

CIRCULAR MONEY MACHINE

His Radio is a 24/7 Christian Contemporary Music (“CCM”) machine making money from gifts, underwriters, members and concert attendees. Particularly concert attendees. According to their IRS 990, Radio Training Network reported over $1,300,000 sponsoring concerts by CCM artists, played and promoted on His Radio.

I’m sure the folks who run Radio Training Network have guidelines in place to avoid conflicts-of-interest or even payola when negotiating concert deals with the CCM artists they promote on His Radio.  Plus, they are doing God’s Work – and no one has ever lined their own pockets doing that.

COMPENSATION AT NONCOMMERCIAL RADIO ORGANIZATIONS

NAME
TITLE &
ORGANIZATION
ORG
LOCATION
TAX YEAR
SALARY & BENEFITS
James & Ruth Campbell
President, Assistant, Radio Training Network
Greenville, SC
2012
$581,183
Michael Novak
CEO, Educational Media Foundation
Rocklin, CA
2013
$557,669
Jon McTaggart
CEO, American Public Media Group
St. Paul, MN
2013
$552,684
Kinsey Wilson*
Chief Content Officer, National Public Radio
Washington, DC
2013
$446,665
Scott Simon
Senior Host National Public Radio
Washington, DC
2013
$401,380
Dave Kansas
VP, Am Public Media Group
St. Paul, MN
2013
$380,110
Alisa Miller
CEO, Public Radio International
Minneapolis, MN
2013
$299,283
Alan Mason
COO, Educational Media Foundation
Rocklin, CA
2013
$280,628
Bruce Theriault
SVP, Radio Corporation for Public Broadcasting`
Washington, DC
2012
$275,004
Jake Shapiro
CEO, Public Radio Exchange
Cambridge, MA
2013
$271,161
Doug Eichten

Greater Public
Minneapolis, MN
2013
$198,866
Eric Nuzum
VP, Programming, National Public Radio
Washington, DC
2013
$179,630
Melinda Ward
Chief Content Officer, Public Radio International
Minneapolis, MN
2013
$176,309
John Barth
Managing Director, Public Radio Exchange
Cambridge, MA
2013
$170,692
Maxie Jackson*
CEO, National Federation of Community Broadcasters
Crawford, CO
2013
$158,636
* No longer in this position

Monday, April 13, 2015

NEW ACR FORMAT TRENDS: JAZZ & NPR NEWS UP; TRIPLE A DOWN



I’ve been looking for a way to quantify changes in listening over time by stations in the five major noncommercial radio formats: NPR News, Classical, Jazz, Triple A and Contemporary Christian Music (“CCM”).

The chart below uses Nielsen Audio Weekly Cumulative Persons (estimated number of individuals age 6+ and older who listen to a station for at least five minutes during an average week) from two survey periods: February 2015 and Spring 2014, roughly 10 months apart. I selected 10 stations for each format that are 24/7 in the format and in various geographic locations. I included stations that folks feel are leaders in each format. Then I totaled the Weekly Cumes and noted the changes over time.  Below the chart is more about the results and my methodology.

ACR NONCOMMERCIAL FORMAT TRENDS

FORMAT
FEB 2015
WEEKLY CUME
SPRING 2014
WEEKLY CUME
CHANGE
ACR TREND
JAZZ
1,421,000
1,468,100
+85,000
+5.5%
NPR NEWS
4,304,100
4,131,600
+172,500
+4.0%
CLASSICAL
2,931,500
3,183,600
-249,400
-7.8
CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC
2,996,500
3,320,700
-324,200
-9.8%
TRIPLE A
1,317,000
1,824,300
-507,300
-27.8%

DATA © NIELSON AUDIO
Provided by RRC, Inc. for use by subscribers only
© Radio Research Consortium, Inc. // www.RRConline.org // RRC@RRConline.org
Format designations & trends are the sole responsibility of Ken Mills Agency, LLC. Contact us publicradio@hotmail.com

The tabulations above are for demonstration purposes and do not a reflect all listening for the formats.  Nielsen Audio and RRC generally frown on adding Weekly Cume data, so this is only a test. I’d appreciate your feedback – do you find this comparison interesting and useful?  (Please comment here or via e-mail at publicradio@hotmail.com.) Below is my worksheet showing the stations I’ve included in each format group.

Several NPR News stations had gains; Jazz was up primarily due to listening gains by KKJZ, LA.  Classical and CCM were down a bit. Triple A stations had the biggest declines.  WFUV, New York, lost about a quarter of its Weekly Cume.  I’ll leave the WHY discussion for another time.

ACR FORMAT TRENDS WORKSHEET

TRIPLE A

STATION
NIELSEN AUDIO MARKET
METRO RANK
FEB 2015
WEEKLY CUME
FALL 2015
WEEKLY CUME
SPRING 2014
WEEKLY CUME
KUTX
Austin
35
91,600
90,500
96,800
WTMD
Baltimore
21
71,300
88,100
77,900
WNKU
Cincinnati
30
58,400
55,200
66,600
KKXT
Dallas
5
252,500
263,200
283,700
WYMS
Milwaukee/Racine
34
56,100
65,600
70,900
KCMP
Minneapolis/St. Paul
16
273,500
294,700
278,600
WFUV
New York
1
322,200
416,000
444,600
WXPN
Philadelphia
8
214,400
244,900
247,900
WYEP
Pittsburgh
25
97,700
97,700
99,100
KEXP
Seattle/Tacoma
13
167,300
132,300
158,500



1,317,000
1,739,200
1,824,300

CHANGE: -507,300 (-27.8%)

NPR NEWS

STATION
NIELSEN AUDIO MARKET
METRO RANK
FEB 2015
WEEKLY CUME
FALL 2015
WEEKLY CUME
SPRING 2014
WEEKLY CUME
KUT
Austin
35
191,500
200,100
176,200
WFAE
Charlotte
24
156,500
147,700
180,200
WBEZ
Chicago
3
569,100
497,800
453,300
KPCC
Los Angeles
2
775,600
735,100
703,000
KNOW
Minneapolis/St. Paul
16
317,500
348,200
304,000
WNYC
New York
1
747,000
830,700
730,700
WHYY
Philadelphia
8
340,700
341,100
327,300
KOPB
Portland
23
275,900
319,100
308,600
KUOW
Seattle/Tacoma
13
362,100
302,400
290,300
WAMU
Washington, DC
7
568,200
589,100
658,000



4,304,100
4,111,300
4,131,600

CHANGE: +172,500 (+4.0%)

CLASSICAL

STATION
NIELSEN AUDIO MARKET
METRO RANK
FEB 2015
WEEKLY CUME
FALL 2015
WEEKLY CUME
SPRING 2014
WEEKLY CUME
KMFA
Austin
35
80,300
83,700
103,100
WCRB
Boston
10
182,400
251,600
192,000
WDAV
Charlotte
24
85,600
97,500
127,300
KUSC
Los Angeles
2
719,700
735,100
739,200
KSJN
Minneapolis/St. Paul
16
169,900
177,400
176,500
WQXR
New York
1
497,900
604,500
628,400
KQAC
Portland
23
182,200
181,400
157,000
KDFC
San Francisco
4
358,400
350,200
349,700
KING
Seattle/Tacoma
13
278,600
307,800
311,900
WETA
Washington, DC
7
376,500
394,400
395,800



2,931,500
3,183,600
3,180,900

CHANGE: -249,400 (-7.8%)

JAZZ

STATION
NIELSEN AUDIO MARKET
METRO RANK
FEB 2015
WEEKLY CUME
FALL 2015
WEEKLY CUME
SPRING 2014
WEEKLY CUME
WCLK
Atlanta
9
173,500
163,500
173,400
KUVO
Denver
20
121,700
110,100
117,200
KUNV
Las Vegas
32
47,300
55,700
44,500
KKJZ
Los Angeles
2
471,900
380,000
425,500
KBEM
Minneapolis/St. Paul
16
72,500
64,400
72,700
WBGO
New York
1
307,000
308,100
343,100
WHOV
Norfolk
43
81,000
85,700
74,600
WUCF
Orlando
33
65,500
73,500
41,600
KMHD
Portland
23
137,500
131,700
113,900
KSDS
San Diego
17
75,100
48,300
61,600



1,553,100
1,421,000
1,468,100

CHANGE: +85,000 (+5.5%)

CCM

STATION
NIELSEN AUDIO MARKET
METRO RANK
FEB 2015
WEEKLY CUME
FALL 2015
WEEKLY CUME
SPRING 2014
WEEKLY CUME
KLDV
Denver
20
289,800
324,600
311,100
KSBJ
Houston
6
934,700
781,100
809,300
KJNW
Kansas City
34
142,600
151,700
152,200
KSOS
Las Vegas
32
171,900
152,000
157,300
KTIS
Minneapolis/St. Paul
16
446,000
449,700
496,100
WPOZ
Orlando
33
345,400
327,300
377,600
KFLR
Phoenix
14
211,000
237,700
174,100
KLJY
St. Louis
22
342,300
345,900
379,800
WCIE & WJIS
Tampa/St. Petersburg
18
221,700
235,400
229,400
WGTS
Washington, DC
7
455,100
421,800
407,400



2,996,500
3,427,200
3,320,700

CHANGE: -324,200 (-9.8%)

DATA © NIELSON AUDIO
Provided by RRC, Inc. for use by subscribers only
© Radio Research Consortium, Inc. // www.RRConline.org // RRC@RRConline.org
Format designations & trends are the sole responsibility of Ken Mills Agency, LLC. Contact us publicradio@hotmail.com