Who’s Betting On Radio In 2018?
If the radio industry were a poker game, some of its players would be running out of chips. Will a major player pull out an ace? Or toss in the cards? Who is willing to join the game? Who is willing — and able — to bankroll players, and what’s in it for them?
Understand what’s fueling the rumors and learn the realities of how today’s financing deck is stacked at Forecast 2018. Forecast has assembled a veteran panel representing media financial strategists, brokers, bankers, and private equity to offer a candid look at the industry today.
“Prospects for Radio as an Investment in 2018: The Real Street Talk” will answer many of your questions. What must companies do to attract private equity? Are investors still looking at radio as the primary asset? Will the coming year bring old names back into the business? Who may be exiting, and who has the financial backing to increase their holdings? It’s a discussion that both broadcasters and investors will want to hear as they strategize for the future.
Moderator:
Jeff Warshaw, founder and CEO of Connoisseur Media, is a lifelong broadcaster. He built his first station while still a student at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1993 Warshaw founded Connoisseur Communications Partners LP, a 39-station group he later sold to Cumulus Broadcasting in 2000 for $258MM. In 2004 he formed Connoisseur Media, which now operates 39 radio station brands and digital assets in 11 markets. Warshaw is respected industrywide for his outspoken candor, and his spirit of innovation and long-held principles of integrity, accountability, and improvement remain core values of the company and guide its team members. Warshaw serves on the boards of the NAB, the RAB, and the Broadcasters Foundation of America and is a member of the Nielsen Advisory Board.
Panelists:
David Benjamin is president and CEO of Benjamin Media Investments, based in Carmel, CA. In May 2013, Benjamin sold Triad Broadcasting Company, founded in 1999, for which he also served as president and CEO; Triad operated 50 radio stations across 11 states. He has served as a board member of the NAB and the California Broadcasters Association, and is a former president of the Oregon Association of Broadcasters and a former member of the board of directors of the RAB. Benjamin has served on a number of boards on the Central Coast, including, the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and Stevenson School.
Arthur Burns is managing director/media and communications corporate finance for Citizens Capital Markets. He has been involved with the media and communications industries for his entire career. After graduating from Fairfield University, he worked at Capital Cities/ABC Radio for two years before attending business school at New York University. Upon graduation, he started a career in finance covering the media and communications industries that has spanned multiple roles, including equity research and equity capital markets, leveraged finance, and corporate finance.
Eddie Esserman is managing director of Media Services Group, where he has been a director since 1998. He began his broadcast career in high school as an announcer with a keen interest in engineering. Esserman holds a BS degree from Georgia Tech; after graduation, he worked for the Pacific and Southern group of stations and managed sales departments for two Atlanta stations before becoming VP/GM for Shamrock Broadcasting’s WFOX/Atlanta. In the mid-1990s Esserman managed one of the country’s first large market duopolies in San Francisco. He then acquired and operated stations in Macon and Savannah. He now owns stations in small rated and unrated markets and is an owner of a telecom tower company with towers in the Southeast.
Brian McNeill is a founder and managing general partner of Alta Communications. He specializes in identifying and managing investments in the traditional sectors of the media industry, including radio and television broadcasting, cable television, outdoor advertising, and other advertising-based or cash flow-based businesses. McNeill currently serves or has served on the boards of some of the most significant companies in the radio and television industries, including Radio One, Telemundo Communications Group, ACME Communications, and Next Media Group. He joined Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. as a general partner in 1986, where he focused on the media and communications industries. Previously, he started and managed the Broadcasting Lending Division of the Bank of Boston.
Seating is limited — register today!
Forecast 2018
November 15, 2017
Harvard Club
New York
www.radioinkforecast.com
