Assistant editor Paul Maloney has been named Editor of
RAIN:
Radio And Internet Newsletter, effective today. Kurt
Hanson will remain as Publisher and continue to oversee
RAIN
Publications, Inc.
Maloney (pictured here in the
RAIN-perfected "take
your own photo" pose) will report for the publication from
this week's
Radio
Ink Internet Conference in Santa Clara, CA.
"The authority and responsibility Kurt's passed along
mean a great deal to me," Maloney commented. "I know how
much people think of what Kurt's done with
RAIN over the
past year, and I pledge to do my best to uphold that tradition."
As reported in RAIN (
here),
Hanson recently returned to
Strategic
Media Research as Interim CEO. He founded SMR, the leading
independent radio research firm in 1980. Its products include its
'STAR'
program of callout research, auditorium tests, format search studies,
AccuTrack telephone-based ratings, and telemarketing services.
Maloney joined RAIN this past summer as a member of
the publication's crack staff of interns.
He has ten years of radio experience, most recently as Program
Director of KFMZ in Columbia, MO. He has web design experience with
ABI Development (now
Evomedia.net).
Maloney received his bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism from
the University of Illinois in 1991.
"I'm looking forward to meeting as many of RAIN's readers
as possible at the Radio Ink event this week," said Maloney.
BY PAUL MALONEY
The hard times that have fallen upon the New Economy have made
no exception for
GlobalMedia.
After hitting the
eight-dollar
mark this past Spring (52-week high 9 5/8), their stock closed Wednesday
afternoon at 7/32. Recently, 25 percent of staff was cut to to shore
up losses.
Then last Thursday, Global announced the resignation of four
board members as part of a deal that infused the company with $1
million of cash from a complex stock arrangement (in
RAIN,
here).
That money will keep Global's doors open for another month or so,
but then what?
Shortly on the heels of that news, the Vancouver-based streaming
company announced the appointment of board member
Barr
Potter (pictured) to the position of President/COO (reported
in
RAIN here).
So, what does he bring to Global at this critical moment?
Company directors are betting that Potter's diversified resume will
be just the right combination of experiences
that's
necessary for a point-man (or woman) in this new industry. Potter's
history includes the CEO and Chairman positions at various media
business companies. He's been involved in major motion picture financing
and production, and has significant international experience in
sales and marketing in the content and media world. In an exclusive
interview with
RAIN (which was "guided" by company
Director of Marketing Kay Richards), Potter says "I was the
business side of show business."
In the Spring of 1999, Potter was approached by Global, which
needed an executive outside of the company who was well versed in
the media content world. Potter, impressed with Global's business
plan and confident in its outlook, accepted a position on the board
of directors.
"I knew I wanted to get more involved with Net. I knew
that new technology would soon have a profound impact
on content and media, and I wanted to get involved with the revolution
before it was too late." Potter says. "I became a very
proactive outside director on the board. I found myself being more
and more pulled in this direction."
Recognized by the new media community for his talent and
experience, Potter became more immersed with the Internet side of
the business. He joined the board of directors of
ClassicMovies.com,
a media-rich online retailer of classic films. He would eventually
broker the deal that partners ClassicMovies.com and Global.
"So I actually made the decision to leave film and content
world," Potter says of his move to the new
position
at Global, "for full time in Internet tech space." He
calls the new arrangement "the classic example of convergence
of content and technology."
Potter declined to comment on the new stock arrangement,
as well as the new structure of the company's board. However, he
did say of the new management dynamic with the CEO, "We're
at a critical juncture. It really was a situation where the company
needed additional senior management to accomplish several things
at once. Bringing me in enables CEO
Jeff
Mandelbaum (pictured) to spend his time in the financial
community, and provides an experienced executive like me to operate
the company and see that we continue to function smoothly. It's
the best of all possible worlds, no one person could do both. I
thought being involved full time would be a great benefit to Global
Media."
Potter also chose not to reveal the company's next move aside
from securing funding to carry the firm into the new
year, nor any new business arrangements with current streaming clients.
But he and Richards did give a glimpse of some new direction for
Global.
"We're getting involved in projects like
WorldHockeyNet.
It's exciting for Global, as this is an opportunity to create another
revenue stream for the company," Potter explained. "We
have up until recently relied heavily on advertising revenue and
e-commerce for cash flow. We need to consider including other revenue
streams to move forward. Consulting and developing unique and compelling
high profile sites like WorldHockeyNet, and to build on that model
in the future, is our plan."
The site launches January 29.
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From CNet News: "Infinity Broadcasting, Clear Channel
Communications and other radio companies may face
new
fees for playing music over the Internet, pending a decision as
early as this week by the U.S. Copyright Office.
"The Copyright Office, part of the Library of Congress,
is weighing two issues: whether stations must pay record companies
when they put music programs on the Internet, and whether surveys
of customers' musical tastes mean an Internet-based broadcaster
is "interactive" and subject to even more fees.
"At stake are millions of dollars in royalties to companies
such as Bertelsmann's Arista Records and Seagram's Universal Music
Group as they protect their $40 billion business worldwide.
Radio stations dispute having to pay for Web programs, citing exemptions
from royalties for over-the-air broadcasts...
"The music industry argues that rebroadcasts should
trigger new fees because the Web site is making a digital copy of
the radio station's signal during the Webcasting process...
"The Copyright Office will announce a decision about
radio stations broadcasting on the Internet as soon as this week,
Register of Copyrights Marybeth Peters said."
Read this entire story
here.
Congratulations to the our three winners of free registration
to this week's
Radio Ink Internet Conference. Our winners
are:
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-- Mel White, Supertracks |
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-- Gary Sarner, WQAM/Miami |
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-- Dave Martin, BuySellBid.com |
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Thanks to all of those who read and enjoy
RAIN, and who've
recommended us to their friends and colleagues. To find out more
about this valuable learning and networking opportunity, visit the
Radio Ink Internet Conference site by clicking
here.
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