Media Info Bureau

Alternative FCC inspector Ken Benner advises you to back up everything you say and do in writing, if FCC penalty avoidance is wanted

Some 87% of Gen Zers are worried for the environment and the planet, according to the 2019 Porter Novelli/Cone Gen Z Purpose Study. The study, surveying Americans ages 14-22, examines this emerging generation's expectations of and attitudes toward company involvement in social and environmental issues. It could shape the programming on your radio or TV station. 

In July 2008, Natalie Swed Stone, U.S. Director of National Audio at OMD chatted with RBR+TVBR to discuss solutions-based issues and problems for the radio industry. Stone touched on such subjects as free ad-supported options for satellite radio, the PPM and networking HD Radio multicasts. One decade on, we revisit Stone's interview to see where the radio industry has gone, and if what was predicted and advised came to fruition today.

It seems there’s an epidemic of filler words in the United States, notes veteran public relations executive and "Zoom expert" Rosemary Ravinal. But, she notes in this column, "is the gaggle of you know, like, ah, uh, etc. that peppers our public speaking a problem in other languages as well?" The answer is yes.

In 2018, average daily viewing time for TV stood at 2 hours and 55 minutes in the 94 countries studied by Eurodata TV Worldwide. That figure was one minute shorter than in 2017, and this "overall stability" conceals disparities between different regions of the world.

Audacy Corp. has teamed with Veritonic in conducting a study designed to how to make commercials "most effective," whether they be on broadcast or on-demand channels. What was the study's biggest finding? There are four key features maximize intent to purchase, recall, and brand favorability.

Did the FCC make the right decision?

The Ahmaud Arbery case drew national attention and condemnation for its racial overtones. In Brunswick, Ga., a local radio element surfaced that Media Services Group Managing Director Eddie Esserman — himself a licensee in the Brunswick area — believes is overlooked.  It involves a Talk radio station owned by iHeartMedia.

Among the many e-mails forwarded to the RBR+TVBR Editorial Tiki Hut over the Christmas and New Year's holidays was an easy-to-digest 49-slide presentation from Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget. The topic of this popular PowerPoint? "14 Things You'll Want to Know About the Future of Media." Radio and TV C-Suiters who haven't seen the details should take five minutes to read our report, and then take an aspirin, advises RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.

Rich Redmond serves as Chief Product Officer for GatesAir, responsible for product engineering