[Updated]: Cumulus Names Mary G. Berner As CEO; McVay Takes Over For John Dickey
[Updated]: EVP of Content & Programming John Dickey has exited Cumulus. Mike McVay is taking over all responsibilities from Dickey, under the title VP of Programming, according to Radio Ink.
[Original post, Sept. 29, 2015 at 3:39 p.m.]:
Mary G. Berner has been named Chief Executive Officer of Cumulus Media Inc., effective Oct. 13, 2015. She will succeed Lew Dickey, the company’s founder and CEO who has decided to serve as Vice Chairman and will continue as a director of the company.
Berner was most recently President and CEO of the Association of Magazine Media (MPA). She served as CEO of Readers Digest Association from 2007-2011, and before that was CEO of Fairchild Publications. During her career, she has led brands including Glamour, TV Guide, W, Women’s Wear Daily, Allrecipes.com, and Every Day with Rachel Ray.
Jeffrey Marcus, Chairman of the Board of Cumulus Media, Inc. and a Partner at Crestview Partners, said, “We are delighted that Mary has agreed to serve as our new CEO. Mary is a proven executive, with over 30 years of experience in media driving results in multi-platform advertising and content driven businesses. Not only has she successfully built and transformed some of the best-known consumer and b2b media brands and companies in the world, she has demonstrated an ability to turn around a company’s performance and build value for shareholders.
“Under Lew Dickey’s leadership, the Cumulus team has built a formidable national and local footprint, becoming the second largest operator of radio stations in the country, with more than 460 stations across 90 markets, approximately 8,500 broadcast radio affiliates and numerous digital channels serving over 225 million listeners nationwide. However, maximizing the value of these assets requires making them work together effectively and efficiently. At a time when the media landscape continues to undergo seismic transformation, Cumulus needs a broad based media operator who can leverage its outstanding resources – from its core strength in radio to its growing presence in digital, experiential and other emerging platforms – and capitalize on the industry’s strong fundamentals. The board has had the benefit of seeing Mary in action and is fully confident that she is the right leader for Cumulus,” Marcus added.
Berner stated, “I am honored to have been asked to lead Cumulus Media and am eager to work with the board and the company’s talented teams to implement Lew’s vision of building the next generation multi-platform media company. As the director who led the Operations Review Task Force established by the board, I have insight into the issues that Cumulus faces, but I also know the operational leverage that can be generated by first focusing on execution. Radio is a powerful and unique medium – the number one mass reach medium in the U.S. – and Cumulus possesses all of the elements to be one of the industry’s winners. I look forward to bringing a renewed focus on operating excellence at all levels and in all functions to help Cumulus realize its potential and generate improved financial performance and increased value for shareholders.”
Bobby Karl Works The Room: Blake Shelton Celebrates Five No. 1s
Pictured (L-R): BMI songwriter Tommy Lee James, ASCAP songwriter Brent Anderson, BMI songwriter Wade Kirby, ASCAP songwriter Ryan Hurd, producer Scott Hendrix, BMI songwriters Phil O’Donnell and Andrew Dorff and ASCAP songwriter Mark Irwin. (Front Row) ASCAP songwriter Josh Osborne, BMI affiliate Blake Shelton, ASCAP songwriters JT Harding and Josh Kear.
BOBBY KARL WORKS THE ROOM
Chapter 508
All hail the majesty of Blake Shelton.
Which is to say, “Blake Shelton Week” in Nashville concluded with a humongous celebration of his five most recent No. 1 hits. BMI and ASCAP combined forces to laud the 11 songwriters who penned those tunes at a Thursday afternoon whoop-dee-do at Losers on Division Street (Sept. 24).
“It’s just another week for Blake Shelton,” said BMI”s Bradley Collins. “He throws a street party and 10,000 people show up,” which referred to Wednesday’s phenomenal event on Music Row (Sept. 23). Then there was the star’s fifth-anniversary celebration as an Opry member on Tuesday (Sept. 22).
“Welcome to the five-headed No. 1 party,” Collins added to greet us at this latest of the three Blake bashes.
“Thank y’all for being here at the world’s LONGEST No. 1 party,” said Blake when all the speeches were said and done.
He was so gracious, standing and smiling for an hour and a half while the writers and their many publishers accepted accolades and spoke. He even shouted greetings to the pedal-tavern folks ambling by outside the bar.
BMI’s Collins, Leslie Roberts and David Preston tag-team hosted with ASCAP”s Michael Martin, Mike Sistad and Beth Brinker. The five honored chart-topping Blake hits were “Doing What She Likes,” “My Eyes,” “Neon Light,” “Lonely Tonight” and “Sangria.”
Before the presentations started, Blake posed for LOADS of snapshots with folks. Hiding behind Wes Vause, the Today Show’s Hoda Kotb crept up and popped out to surprise the megastar.
“I’m single now!” Blake exclaimed, grabbing her and planting a kiss. She took a selfie with him.
Collins told the crowd that the five songs being honored had spent 200 weeks on the charts collectively. Wow. He first brought up Wade Kirby and Phil O’Donnell for “Doing What She likes.” This is Kirby’s second No. 1 and O’Donnell’s third.
Kirby recalled that the song was written during a deer hunt. In fact, the song so consumed them (plus it was raining) that no deer were ever harmed.
Pictured: (L-R): (Back Row) BMI’s Bradley Collins, Round Hill’s Mark Brown, WMG’s John Esposito, producer Scott Hendricks, HoriPro’s Courtney Crist, Lee Krabel and Butch Baker. (Front Row, L-R): BMI songwriter Wade Kirby, BMI affiliate Blake Shelton and BMI songwriter Phil O’Donnell.
Next up, Roberts brought on Andrew Dorff, Josh Osborne and Tommy Lee James, the team behind “My Eyes.” Thanks to Kenny Chesney’s chart-topping “Save It for a Rainy Day” this week, Dorff now has four No. 1’s. James has seven of them. ASCAP’s Martin brought on Osborne, who has eight.
Dorff signed with BMI when he was just 12 years old. His father is L.A. songwriting star Steve Dorff.
“He has 12 No 1’s, so I have eight to do to catch up.” said Andrew. The songwriter has three Labrador dogs. “I gotta pay for dog food, so this is important,” he quipped.
James said, “This is a really hard song to sing. There’s no place to breathe in it. But you [Blake] made it sound effortless.”
Preston kept Dorff on stage and added Josh Kear and Mark Irwin for “Neon Light.” “You guys know it’s ‘Blake Shelton Week,’ right?” said Preston. “Well, today is ‘Andrew Dorff Day,’” because of Dorff having two No. 1 hits to celebrate.
Sistad introduced Kear and Irwin. This marked Kear’s 11th No. 1 hit, and he was ASCAP country songwriter of the year in 2013.
“Here’s to one-chord songs,” said Kear of “Neon Light.” “It’s great to hear them on the radio.”
Dorff added that the song was written with Blake in mind: “Thank you for taking my career to the next level. And I want to thank the city of Nashville.”
ASCAP’s Brinker took over to introduce Ryan Hurd and Brent Anderson for “Lonely Tonight.” Both songwriters were celebrating their first No. 1 hit.
Pictured: (L-R): (Back Row) Branden Bosler (Promotion Coordinator), Chad Schultz (Nat’l Dir. Radio & Interactive Mktg), Mallory Opheim (Regional Promotion Manager), Blake Shelton. (Middle Row) Lou Ramirez (Regional Promotion Manager), Mark Niederhauser (Regional Promotion Manager), Kristen Williams (VP Promotion), Rick Young (Regional Promotion Manager), Kevin Herring (SVP, Promotion). (Front Row) Katie Bright (Director, National Promotion), John Esposito (President & CEO, WMN)
“This is the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Anderson. “Now I want another one,” said Hurd, who is a Belmont graduate and looks like a Sunday-school picture of The Good Shepherd. I am told he is an aspiring recording artist.
J.T. Harding, Josh Osborne and Trevor Rosin are the co-writers of “Sangria.” Rosin is on the road becoming a star with Old Dominion (“Break Up With Him”), so he wasn’t there.
Because of his double chart toppers, we were informed that it was also “Josh Osborne Day.”
But the ebullient Harding stole the show. “On the count of ‘3,’ let me hear you say, ‘Blake Shelton for President!’” he exclaimed to the crowd. So we did.
“Everything I say is gonna wind up in a tabloid, so it doesn’t matter what I say,” said Blake. Last week, the scandal sheets said he was hooking up with his fellow judge on The Voice, Gwen Stefani. This week, they screamed that he would die if he didn’t go to rehab.
For the record, he seems lean, trim and wonderfully fit. Not to mention enduringly charming.
He pointed out that Gwen Sebastian was his vocal foil on “My Eyes” and that Ashley Monroe was with him on “Lonely Tonight.” He added, “Thank you, songwriters, for giving me the chance to sing your songs.”
“Blake, this means so much to these songwriters that you’re here,” said Sistad. “So thank you for making the time for this.”
The CMA’s Brandi Simms presented medallions to all of the honored songwriters. Ron Cox of Avenue Bank announced that his company will make donations on behalf of all the songwriters to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
Needless to say, publishers were there in abundance. Kent Earls, Butch Baker, Mark Brown, Travis Gordon, Dave Pakula, Mike Owens, Kos Weaver and Robin Palmer were among them.
We sweltered on the outdoor deck of Losers. It was an unseasonably warm 89 degrees. Even the ever-affable Blake complained about the lack of air conditioning.
But persevering were Ron Huntsman, Pete Fisher, Brandon Blackstock, Narvel Blackstock, Frank Rogers, Heather Byrd, Cindy Watts, Mike Vaden, Hank Adam Locklin, Preshias Harris and, natch, Scott Hendricks and Music Row personality-plus John Esposito.
Frankly, I felt exhausted. I bet Blake did, too. But a grand time was had by all.
Blake Shelton celebrates at yesterday’s No. 1 party.
No. 1 Party: Back-To-Back Chart Toppers For Sam Hunt
Pictured (L-R): Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Sam Hunt, Zach Crowell, and Jerry Flowers.
It was a double celebration at The Crying Wolf in Nashville as ASCAP hosted a party to honor back-to-back (and the second and third consecutive) No. 1 songs for Sam Hunt yesterday (Sept. 23).
“Take Your Time” and “House Party” became Hunt’s second and third straight chart toppers (following his debut single “Leave The Night On”) and the songwriters and producers were recognized along with Hunt.
Mike Sistad of ASCAP first spoke about “Take Your Time,” which was written by Hunt, Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally and was produced by McAnally and Zach Crowell. Sistad stated that McAnally has been very busy since his first No. 1 back in 2010. Since then, he has become an accomplished songwriter and producer. “Take Your Time” is his 13th No. 1 song. Osborne has now been credited with eight No. 1 songs.
McAnally stated, “I could stand up here and say a million good things about Sam and Josh. It’s been fun to watch this from the very beginning. Nobody deserves this or even ‘gets it’ like Sam.”
Osborne added, “On top of all these accolades, it has been a lot of fun to write with Shane and Sam.”
Also taking time to offer congratulations were members of Universal Publishing, Three Mules Music and Black River Publishing.
Sistad returned to the stage to say that “House Party” marks Hunt’s fifth No. 1 song as a songwriter along with his third as an artist.
Pictured (front row, L-R): McAnally, Flowers, Hunt, Crowell Pictured (back row, L-R): ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, UMPG’s Kent Earls, Three Mules Music’s Chris Hunter, ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, UMG’s Royce Risser, Warner/Chappell’s Ryan Beuschel, Hunt’s manager Brad Belanger, and Combustion Music’s Chris Farren and Kenley Flynn
The hit was written by Hunt, Crowell and Jerry Flowers. Ashley Gorley of External Combustion Music texted in his words of thanks and congratulations while challenging Crowell to make a speech that lasted more than five seconds. The remark got a laugh from the crowd while Crowell, accepting for his second No. 1 as a songwriter, spoke for about 10 seconds while simply thanking everyone involved.
It was a special day for Flowers, as he celebrated his first No. 1. Flowers has been a part of Keith Urban’s band for 22 years. Flowers said the best part of being a writer on this song was that Urban now introduces him each night on stage as “the guy that wrote ‘House Party’ by Sam Hunt.”
Crowell and McAnally were producers on this song as well.
Universal Music’s Royce Risser spoke and said the has never seen a career take off like Hunt’s. Members of the Country Radio Broadcasters offered statistics of radio airplay for both songs before Hunt took to the microphone. He stated that there are so many people that are thankful for these songs. “The songs have provided jobs for the crew that is on the road with us. And each night on stage, I see that these songs are providing joy to the fans that come out to see us play.”
Pictured (front, L-R): Osborne, McAnally, Hunt, Crowell. Pictured (Back, L-R): ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, Black River’s Dave Pacula, UMPG’s Kent Earls, Three Mules Music’s Chris Hunter, UMG’s Royce Risser, Hunt’s manager Brad Belanger, and Smacktown Music’s Robert Carlton and Robin Palmer
David Friedman Joins UMG Nashville
David Friedman
Universal Music Group Nashville announced today that David Friedman has joined the company as Vice President of Promotion. He fills the role previously held by Katie Dean, who was recently named VP of Promotion for MCA Nashville. Friedman will help facilitate national radio promotion for all four label imprints which includes Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville.
“For as long as I can remember I have wanted to work with David,” says Royce Risser, UMG Nashville SVP of Promotion. “His experience and relationships with country radio make him the perfect fit for our team at UMG. I am absolutely ecstatic to have him join us.”
“I can’t begin to describe how excited I am to join such an all-star team at UMG Nashville and to work with their amazing artist roster,” exclaims Friedman. “Capitol Nashville is where I got my start in promotion sixteen years ago so it’s a bit of a homecoming for me. Many thanks to Royce and the entire promotion staff for this wonderful opportunity!”
After starting his career at Capitol Records Nashville, Friedman spent the last 15 years at Sony Music Nashville, first with Arista Nashville and most recently with Columbia Nashville.
A graduate of Emory University, the Pennsylvania native lives in Nashville with his wife, Amy, and their two children.
David can be reached at [email protected].
Nielsen: 75 Percent Listen Online, Radio Still Leads Discovery
According to the new Music 360 2015 report, Nielsen’s fourth annual study of U.S. music listeners, 91% of the national population listens to music, spending more than 24 hours each week tuning into their favorite tunes. While total listening figures are roughly the same as last year, the report shows changes in the ways people access music.
75% of Americans listen to music online in a typical week, up nearly 12% from last year. While Americans streamed more than 164 billion on-demand tracks across audio and video platforms in 2014, they streamed 135 billion in the first half of 2015 alone, up more than 90% from the same period last year.
Music listening is becoming more mobile, with 44% report using smartphones to listen to music in a typical week, a 7% increase over last year. Listening on desktop computers decreased.
Radio continues to be the No. 1 source of music discovery in the U.S, with 61%. Word of mouth is also important, particularly for teens (65%).
Twelve percent of respondents say they discover music through live events, up more than 70% from last year. Americans spend more than half of their music related expenditures on events each year, and 50% of Americans say they’ve attended a live event in the last year.
Eleven percent of Americans have attended a music festival in the past 12 months, with Millennials comprising 44% of all festival goers.
Big Loud Records Heads North With New Radio Promo Hiring
Nikki Jimenez. Photo: Noel Pennington
Big Loud Records is rounding out their newly formed radio promotion team with Nikki Jimenez joining the label as Northeast Region Director of Promotion today (Sept. 15). Jimenez will report directly to the label President Clay Hunnicutt and can be reached by email at [email protected] or via phone at 615-329-2729.
“Nikki is another key building block to our future at Big Loud Records,” remarks BLR’s Hunnicutt. “Her drive, experience and energy will make her a favorite throughout the Northeast and I can’t wait for her to get started.”
Jimenez began her radio career in 2004 at Entercom in Memphis, Tenn., where she handled six formats including Hot AC, AC, Rock, and Sports Talk as an Account Executive. She then served as Promotion Coordinator for Memphis ABC and CW TV station affiliates. Prior to making the move to Big Loud Records, she worked with Cumulus (formerly Citadel) as the Director of Marketing & Promotions for WGKX, WXMX, WRBO, and WKIM for the past five years.
“The thrill is real! I can’t even describe how amazing it feels to know that I will be working alongside a group that shares the same passion for music and radio that I do,” shares Jimenez. “The music and the people at Big Loud Records give me the confidence to know that there is no better team for me to be a part of.”
Big Loud Records is the newly launched label founded by manager Seth England, producer Joey Moi, songwriter Craig Wiseman, manager Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and radio veteran Hunnicutt.
Industry Pics: Kelsea Ballerini, Carrie Underwood, Steven Tyler, The Band Perry
Black River’s Kelsea Ballerini Surprises Country Radio
Black River Entertainment’s Kelsea Ballerini surprised radio broadcasters across America with the news that they are finalists for the CMA Broadcast Personality and/or Station of the Year.
Pictured (L-R): Jeff Stevens, ABC Radio Vice President and General Manager; Kelsea Ballerini; Andrew Kalb, ABC Radio Executive Director of Programming and News Coverage; Fletcher Foster, Iconic Entertainment Chief Executive Officer.
Carrie Underwood Showcases CALIA Line at New York Fashion Week
Carrie Underwood, along with Dick’s Sporting Goods, hosted a special presentation of her new CALIA by Carrie Underwood line, as the brand’s New York Fashion Week debut.
Carrie Underwood showcases a bag from her CALIA line.
Steven Tyler Performs For “Front and Center”
The critically-acclaimed music series “Front and Center” and the Country Music Association (CMA) had a special taping of the CMA Songwriters Series with Steven Tyler. Tyler, who is set to release his first-ever country album early next year, performed acoustically at the Melrose Ballroom for an exclusive “Front and Center” episode set to air in early 2016.
Joining him onstage were hit songwriters Nuno Bettencourt, Marti Frederiksen, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Lindsey Lee, and Eric Paslay.
Pictured (L-R): Lindsey Lee, Nuno Bettencourt, Steven Tyler, and Eric Paslay perform at the “Front and Center” taping of the CMA Songwriters Series Thursday at the Melrose Ballroom in New York. Photo: Bill Bernstein
The Band Perry Visits With Westwood One’s NASH Icon
Westwood One’s NASH Icon afternoon host Scott Gaines had some fun with the newly CMA-nominated The Band Perry during an invitation–only event in Dallas. They talked about new music and more during their playful time together.
Pictured (L-R): Neil Perry, Scott Gaines, Kimberly Perry, Reid Perry