Media Info Bureau

It’s 2019, and to mark the new year featured columnist Ken Benner has pledged to de-clutter his 60+ years of collected broadcast industry documents. He's in his second month of shredding, and just uncovered an item he challenges anyone "to find anything so pathetically and disgustingly over-complicated in the massive historical files of FCC regulations."

According to the latest NuVoodoo Ratings Prospects Study, that answer could very likely be "no." In fact, nearly half of respondents indicate that they've had problems when asking smart speakers to play one of their favorite AM or FM stations. What else did Carolyn Gilbert, NuVoodoo President/CEO, uncover?

To the surprise of few, a new accord between Viacom and AT&T-owned DirecTV was reached prior to Monday's Opening Bell on Wall Street. This ensures Viacom's cable channels stay on the DBS provider. Here's what Michael Nathanson has to say about the new pact.

Noted financial analyst Brian Wieser wants to know why Google parent Alphabet’s revenue growth decelerated. It recorded its lowest rate of annual advertising revenue growth in several years during Q1. This could be of keen interest to broadcast media C-Suite leaders.

On May 9, the FCC issued a Report and Order that set in stone new procedures used to resolve interference complaints against FM translator stations. This article breaks down the changes to the FCC’s existing FM translator interference complaint procedures.

"It all began in the summer of 1964, when hundreds of radio and television stations received an envelope addressed simply to the 'Chief Engineer,' postmarked Cleveland, Ohio." That's how columnist Ken Benner begins his latest installment -- a tribute to the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

After exponential growth in adoption of streaming between 2010 to 2016, the share of adult TV viewers who stream at least some of their TV content has plateaued for the past three years at around 65%. That's according to a just-released report from Horowitz Research.

As IP networks gain a foothold within broadcasting, broadcast control systems are becoming more complex by necessity. Futuresource Consulting’s Adam Cox, an imaging and pro video analyst, shares with RBR+TVBR his take on the broadcast landscape and the rise to prominence of broadcast control solutions in IP environments.

While there are costs and revenue synergies to be delivered and assets to be divested, Wall Street analyst Michael Nathanson thinks that the structural pressures facing the industry will negatively weigh on ViacomCBS’s basic and premium cable networks as cord cutting and the attendant pressures likely accelerate. With that said, there is one big unresolved issue facing ViacomCBS.

New research shows that nearly 60% of children are multi-tasking while watching TV - an increase of just over half when compared to the same survey conducted six months prior. While the results indicate that TV is still the dominant platform for TV and video viewing, it raises questions around current engagement levels in a multi-platform world.

Longtime Boston-based radio programming consultant Clark Smidt has combed through the April Nielsen Audio ratings results for his home market. There, as in other locales where the PPM is used, cume -- the number of people actively tuning to radio -- has tumbled since the COVID-19 pandemic began. But, Smidt believes ratings are only part of the story radio can tell.

Two esteemed Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth attorneys on July 30 chatted with three FCC political programming experts on the specific requirements and latest developments in the FCC’s political broadcasting rules. This includes such subjects as equal time, lowest unit rates, PAC ads, BCRA, and record keeping. Here's a review of what they discussed.

Nearly $460 million entered the national TV marketplace in the first half of 2020 from 110 first-time national advertisers across 59 categories. That's the big takeaway from a new report released Tuesday (10/13) by the VAB. We've got more highlights for you.

Is a mix of subscriber-fueled video on demand services primed to replace the traditional MVPD? Futuresource Consulting’s Tristan Veale in December 2020 presented this question, and his findings which highlight the shifting content consumption habits of consumers across the globe remain pertinent today.

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