Clear Channel Communications now "iHeartMedia"

[LoadStar 363]

Clear Channel Communications has just announced that they are adopting the "iHeart" brand across the entire company, renaming themselves to "iHeartMedia."

 

Putting aside any opinions about the company or their product, I still question this move. The iWhatever naming style is really played out (even Apple is no longer naming new products in that way) - it was novel back in the 90's, but now just seems really dated. That aside, "iHeart" is a little bit too cutesy of a name/brand for my taste.

 

Thoughts?

 

http://www.clearchannel.com/Pages/Press.aspx

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/16/clear-channel-i-heart-radio-rebrand/

[Samantha 2878]

Well, this is certainly an interesting branding move. It says volumes about CC and radio that the iHeartRadio portion of their business ended up renaming the entire company.

[Mrtraveler01 737]

Doesn't shock me in the least. iHeartRadio is actually a pretty popular brand whereas Clear Channel is synonymous with all that is wrong with radio today. From a branding standpoint, the surprise is that they didn't do it sooner.

[cbs2newengland 71]

Actually some stations where I live in use "An I Heart Radio station" I think both in Boston and Manchester stations in their TOH IDs. Which ones I'm blanking on but I do know WGIR-FM has done that for a while.

 

I like the brand even though I still despise their management of capital C Centralization and Capital S of Standardization and their damage to WOR 710. The branding is awesome, but it still the same ol company. Oh and many CC stations aren't even Class A, so it makes even more sense. Way to go!

[24994J 5276]

 

Actually some stations where I live in use "An I Heart Radio station" I think both in Boston and Manchester stations in their TOH IDs. Which ones I'm blanking on but I do know WGIR-FM has done that for a while.

 

Same at their Chicago stations.

[ToriElectra 291]

And on their Lehigh Valley/NW NJ stations, too.

[cbs2newengland 71]

 

Putting aside any opinions about the company or their product, I still question this move. The iWhatever naming style is really played out (even Apple is no longer naming new products in that way) - it was novel back in the 90's, but now just seems really dated. That aside, "iHeart" is a little bit too cutesy of a name/brand for my taste.

 

Thoughts?

 

http://www.clearchannel.com/Pages/Press.aspx

http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/16/clear-channel-i-heart-radio-rebrand/

 

I disagree. It's not outdated, Apple is making outdated. Actually the cutesy name really shows its personality - something that is missing in EVERY WALK OF life lately.

[Action Newsroom 1150]

I figured this would happen sooner or later.

Starting with the fact that the stations I have in Philadelphia refer themselves as "An iHeartRadio Station".

Also because the app has been a runaway success; I'm surprised they didn't do this sooner than now.

[rkolsen 1678]

I disagree. It's not outdated, Apple is making outdated. Actually the cutesy name really shows its personality - something that is missing in EVERY WALK OF life lately.

It's cute in a kitschy sort of way showing the end user that it's main focus is media or radio. But I like it.

 

Apple though seriously needs to continue moving away from the iNames - the APPLE TV and APPLE Watch as prime examples. Just rename the phone division using that scheme and they'd be set.

[cbs2newengland 71]

then what about the iMac?

 

what's with the rebellion against "i"? I don't get it.

[LoadStar 363]

 

then what about the iMac?

 

what's with the rebellion against "i"? I don't get it.

 

As I said, it was novel back in 1998 when the iMac and iBook came out. The internet was still something new for most people, and Apple sold the iMac/iBook saying "the i stands for Internet."

 

But then they used it to death. iMovie. iPhoto. iWeb. iTunes. iPod. iPhone. iCal. iCloud. iDVD. iLife. iWork.

 

Then others joined the bandwagon, naming everything iWhatever. It's overused and tired, especially after 15+ years. Sometimes, I get it... the products are named that way to reflect that they work with iPhone (although I'd often argue that it is a lazy way to do that). Other times, though, the i is completely meaningless, just included simply because Apple made it cool to name your product that way.

[24994J 5276]

Putting the 'i' prefix on a brand to ride the coattails of Apple is still not as bad as the 'My' prefix that the Fox stations slapped on their websites after the MySpace acquisition.

[Jess 1110]

I still remember the painful MySpace product placement in "Funny People". (I still remember the painful experience of watching that film.) Where Willie Nelson yells "Fuck Facebook!"

 

.....yeahhhhhhhh.

[cbs2newengland 71]

Speaking about branding, why in the hell did CC push the format of "News Radio" to all their stations? I knew many did 14/15 years ago and it's an insult to markets that really do have an all news format.

 

CC was better off using the "Rush Radio" name since many do air Rush Limbaugh's show, it actually to be fair made the stations stand out.

 

Some of their stations do news, but its not long form and during the 6 minute break to the shows, are filled with commercials, and a 30 forecast from the local TV partner. Then many times during their breaks they use national feeds from The Wall Street Journal radio network, and other generic 60s fillins. I guess its "news" but it's not very high quality or professional in my opinion.

 

I think the holdout is WOR because they are in a market where there really is an all news station (WCBS and WINS) and WOR will probably go generic in the coming years too, because their news quality has gone a notch or two down since CC bought them,

[sanewsguy 509]

 

Speaking about branding, why in the hell did CC push the format of "News Radio" to all their stations? I knew many did 14/15 years ago and it's an insult to markets that really do have an all news format.

 

I agree with the quality of the news being poor, but Lance Venta with RadioInsight made a good point on the boards over there:

This is all part of the de-emphasis of Conservative Talk in the marketing of stations due to the negative connotations Limbaugh & Company bring to sales efforts. Clear Channel has begun emphasizing “Newsradio” as the branding of some of their similar Talk stations for the same reasons.

[NEOMatrix 1295]

Over in Youngstown, WKBN-AM has branded itself "NewsRadio 570 WKBN" (Cleveland with "NewsRadio WTAM 1100" as well), yet only has 3 minutes of local news and a 30 second weather from WKBN-TV. At nights and weekends, there is ABSOLUTELY NO LOCAL NEWS and repeats the local weather until 6am.

[Rusty Muck 4167]

Speaking about branding, why in the hell did CC push the format of "News Radio" to all their stations? I knew many did 14/15 years ago and it's an insult to markets that really do have an all news format.

 

CC was better off using the "Rush Radio" name since many do air Rush Limbaugh's show, it actually to be fair made the stations stand out.

The "Rush Radio" name was probably the dumbest name for a radio station. You've effectively turned away an entire section of the population who will never listen to Rush. And considering his public relations disasters in recent years, the abandonment of "Rush Radio" was not a surprise. Stations like WRNO have dropped it because their ratings have cratered.

 

It's the same thing with "Fox News Radio" as a brand. It repels more listeners than it retains.

 

As for WOR, they have no news department. It was outsourced to Total Traffic when the sale from Buckley was consummated. The station is a total shambles whose sole strength is Mets baseball.

[cbs2newengland 71]

 

The "Rush Radio" name was probably the dumbest name for a radio station. You've effectively turned away an entire section of the population who will never listen to Rush. And considering his public relations disasters in recent years, the abandonment of "Rush Radio" was not a surprise. Stations like WRNO have dropped it because their ratings have cratered.

 

It's the same thing with "Fox News Radio" as a brand. It repels more listeners than it retains.

 

As for WOR, they have no news department. It was outsourced to Total Traffic when the sale from Buckley was consummated. The station is a total shambles whose sole strength is Mets baseball.

 

Well I'm torn to make a stance, because I know die hard right of center people, and I know many liberals personally who are just bitter, and only listen to NPR - so why would CC care about an audience that doesn't listen to AM radio?

 

Entercom did the same thing to WRKO, thinking their Class "C" (i.e. a horrific signal for day/night) would compete against WGBH and WBUR, and most far left liberals can't tell you where WBZ is on the dial! They started a wrecking ball about 8 years ago and it's only caused them more hell, etc. So why should PDs worry so much of alienating an audience if they can't name the AM station off their mind?

 

I don't get the Fox News Radio branding pissing off listeners, where is this sourced? I respect the network, of the alum and roster of professionals, Dave Anthony (Boston media alum), Rod Fritz (ex WRKO ND, freelanced before going to 1030) and Sal Gingrasso (the great voice for the 7PM drive on 880 - not sure if he's still w Fox.)

 

I guess I see things differently or what.

 

In terms of WOR, I thought they did some in house, but I guess its only gotten worse since the beginning of the year. Great job CC!

[Rusty Muck 4167]

I don't get the Fox News Radio branding pissing off listeners, where is this sourced? I respect the network, of the alum and roster of professionals, Dave Anthony (Boston media alum), Rod Fritz (ex WRKO ND, freelanced before going to 1030) and Sal Gingrasso (the great voice for the 7PM drive on 880 - not sure if he's still w Fox.)

 

I guess I see things differently or what.

I'll just cite the former operations manager for iHeart Cincinnati, Darryl Parks, regarding the "Fox News Radio" brand...

 

Many stations are affiliated with Fox News Radio, which takes its name from the Fox News Channel. Before I go any further, I want to say I think Fox News Radio does a great job. High story count, concise writing, excellent use of sound and exceptional anchor performance. They’re pretty good. But, it’s a brand you probably DON’T want to name your station after.

 

A few years back I was discussing this with one of the high level programming executives at Clear Channel. I explained it’s not a good idea to call a station Fox News 550KFYI, as was the case a few years ago with this Phoenix station, or Fox News 970WFLA in Tampa.

 

Here’s why:

 

1. No one is questioning Fox News (Channel) is a huge brand to a segment of the audience. The important word here is segment, a group made up of much older consumers. If the goal is to get Persons 25-54 shares, naming a station after Fox News is problematic since the brand doesn’t resonate with people under 50.

 

2. Fox News (Channel) is liked by people who lean “conservative,” a group of people less likely to take part in ratings surveys. I explained this in a previous blog called “Ratings are your Report Card.”

 

3. The PPM rewards “employed listening.” That’s Nielsen code for “younger people,” as the PPM is less likely to reward listening to radio stations for groups 55 and over.

 

If achieving high ratings is the goal for a talk or any radio station, it makes little sense to co-brand Fox News with the station name or call letters. Remember the only thing that matters is your “Report Card.” Your ratings. Higher ratings mean higher revenues. And that’s Rule #1.

Thus, my referring to the brand as repelling.

[cbs2newengland 71]

 

I'll just cite the former operations manager for iHeart Cincinnati, Darryl Parks, regarding the "Fox News Radio" brand...

 

 

Thus, my referring to the brand as repelling.

 

I'm surprised that affiliates were allowed to use "Fox News" as their station brand, I would highly bet that would violate the terms of the affiliation agreement.

 

OTTH, the people that are getting hurt the most? The young demo. Politics has little do to with it, its mostly the damned generation of Gen Y ("Y" as in young forever!) These people never grew up on the idea of watching local or the national cable news channels (except for the people on this board, and maybe couple people by the scores.) Gen-Xers grew up almost solely around MTV, but they were smart enough to branch out to other mediums. These people grew up being dumbed down watching those silly 90 second clips that have no media calories whatsoever, and its these people that will rule the future and if you thought they were young and dumb - don't be surprised to see them remain the same in the coming decades.

 

The millenial generation can span as old as 36, and many aren't growing up to be ether center of left or right of center. Until they s*it out kids and have a real job and get married, these people will remain acting like man/woman children and we will have to continue to interface with these guppies.

 

I don't mean to be rude, I just know one too many of these Gen Y people, and it really insults me personally these people can't smarten up, get a man/woman - get married, have kids and pay taxes/bills and stop living like its sophomore year in HS - when you were in sophomore in 1997. Grow and man up, please!

[TVNewsLover 727]

I'm surprised that affiliates were allowed to use "Fox News" as their station brand, I would highly bet that would violate the terms of the affiliation agreement.

 

OTTH, the people that are getting hurt the most? The young demo. Politics has little do to with it, its mostly the damned generation of Gen Y ("Y" as in young forever!) These people never grew up on the idea of watching local or the national cable news channels (except for the people on this board, and maybe couple people by the scores.) Gen-Xers grew up almost solely around MTV, but they were smart enough to branch out to other mediums. These people grew up being dumbed down watching those silly 90 second clips that have no media calories whatsoever, and its these people that will rule the future and if you thought they were young and dumb - don't be surprised to see them remain the same in the coming decades.

 

The millenial generation can span as old as 36, and many aren't growing up to be ether center of left or right of center. Until they s*it out kids and have a real job and get married, these people will remain acting like man/woman children and we will have to continue to interface with these guppies.

 

I don't mean to be rude, I just know one too many of these Gen Y people, and it really insults me personally these people can't smarten up, get a man/woman - get married, have kids and pay taxes/bills and stop living like its sophomore year in HS - when you were in sophomore in 1997. Grow and man up, please!

Talk about making lots of generalizations. Isn't this slightly off topic too?

[cbs2newengland 71]

 

Talk about making lots of generalizations. Isn't this slightly off topic too?

 

looks like you didn't follow the recent discussion.

 

The little rant was in reference to Myron's post about the 25-54 demo with some CC stations using "Fox Radio" branding. Read it and you'll get it.

[TVNewsLover 727]

looks like you didn't follow the recent discussion.

 

The little rant was in reference to Myron's post about the 25-54 demo with some CC stations using "Fox Radio" branding. Read it and you'll get it.

I did follow the topic. I get you weren't the first one to go off topic. Nonetheless, you're still making a lot of generalizations.

[Rusty Muck 4167]

Over in Youngstown, WKBN-AM has branded itself "NewsRadio 570 WKBN" (Cleveland with "NewsRadio WTAM 1100" as well), yet only has 3 minutes of local news and a 30 second weather from WKBN-TV. At nights and weekends, there is ABSOLUTELY NO LOCAL NEWS and repeats the local weather until 6am.

WKBN 570 has no news department to speak of. Their local newscasts are voice-tracked from the iHeart Cleveland studios (that was always the case since 1999, but until last year, 'KBN had one or two staffers in Youngstown... not anymore, though).

 

WTVN 610 is another station that has only one staffer in their newsroom - Matt Bruening, and he divides his time equally between WTVN, WTAM, WLW and WBEX (in his hometown of Chillicothe). And WTVN is in THE STATE CAPITAL.

[sanewsguy 509]

 

WKBN 570 has no news department to speak of. Their local newscasts are voice-tracked from the iHeart Cleveland studios (that was always the case since 1999, but until last year, 'KBN had one or two staffers in Youngstown... not anymore, though).

 

WTVN 610 is another station that has only one staffer in their newsroom - Matt Bruening, and he divides his time equally between WTVN, WTAM, WLW and WBEX (in his hometown of Chillicothe). And WTVN is in THE STATE CAPITAL.

 

For now WOAI has a decently sized news department. WOAI has a nine-person news department. I guess only the best for iHeart's first station... Well it comes at the expense of KQXT and KZEP who have one local DJ a piece, 92.5 K-BUC which is just automated out of another city, Hot 104.5 also has no air talent (yet).

 

KJ97 was lucky enough, as Clear Channel's 2nd station, to have all live and local DJs, I think as recent as last year, but are now to down to two, on morning drive and middays. They used to have Travis Moon doing afternoons but was replaced very recently with Scotty K (from Power 96.1 in Atlanta), and they have Big D from 101.3 KDWB doing nights (that's how ridiculous this is, two guys from different CHR stations, one 2,000+ miles away, do a quarter of the day on a country station).

 

Moon left to take a job with the St. Jude Children's Hospital in Nashville in the Radio Development department. Guess you can't blame him from leaving the blood bath that is iHeartMedia.

 

If I do listen to any of their stations I listen to Q101.9 only because the other AC in town, Cox's Magic 105.3 has shifted in a Hot AC direction the past few years and I don't particularly care for any of the hit music coming out today. If there's one thing I can give CC credit for, they do know how to program an AC station. Q101.9 will even air 70's music sometimes but they try to lean away from that. They are good about 80's and 90's music though. But I try to avoid Clear Channel (or commercial radio in general) if I can. I don't desire to work in commercial radio and Clear Channel is the reason why. They're the reason I generally don't follow it either, because it's honestly sad what's become of it.

 

Occasionally I'm forced to listen to Mix 96.1 and it used to be a good station before Clear Channel decided to go buy hundreds of stations across the country. But now it's just so generic. I could put Z100 in New York or Q102 in Philly and put it next to Mix 96.1, not tell anybody what station it is, and they probably can't tell the difference. That's how canned the format sounds.

 

Most of the time there's not even a DJ. I think I hear sweepers and commercials more than I hear DJs and music.

 

L&L Alpha's CHR KTFM rips off KIIS' logo and they're not even owned by CC. But, at least all their DJs are live and local. I would rather listen to three local DJs and automation overnights, than have a DJ on all hours of the night like KXXM who has one local DJ and everything else is either syndicated or voicetracked.

 

Fortunately we don't have to put up with Cumulus or CBS Radio. Cox, Alpha and Univision are the other major clusters in town. Univision has two English stations here, one plays Tejano and the other is urban. The urban station does well for Univision and everybody except Dana Cortez is local (Cortez is out of Albuquerque as the morning personality for the Univision urban station there, and voicetracks middays for KBBT; KBBT's morning guy returns the favor and voicetracks middays for that same Albuquerque station as well).

 

As for Alpha and Cox, let's just say they definitely have more of a commitment to local radio than CC. Everybody on their stations is live and local so I feel more comfortable listening to their stations than CC's and they don't sound as canned and generic.

 

Going back to WTVN, well, WNCI there has a full fledged local morning show, so maybe they get priority over a full news department. It's like Clear Channel says you can only have so many people per market cluster, decide where you want to use them. And pick wise, we will not fill their position if they leave. (Columbus and San Antonio are similar size markets so I would think the staffing levels are about the same).

 

I'm so glad we don't see this crap in TV...yet.