Intelligence Briefs

In June, Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner and his wife, Karen, were engaged in a 100+ station alternative broadcast inspection tour during which there was substantial concern about translator compliance. He writes about his experiences in this exclusive column.

At the center of the dispute is STELAR’s compulsory license, which permits satellite providers to retransmit some broadcast signals at regulated prices without consent. Cutting to the chase, Phoenix Center's Chief Economist asks if broadcasters should charge whatever retransmission fee the market will bear.

Does local media still matter? Who knew that the answer to this question would come while riding the F train from LaGuardia Airport to midtown Manhattan, by way of a first-time traveler to New York City who offers play-by-play of his local high school baseball team on the radio.

What's the last truly great contest a radio station has had? Our editor-in-chief recalls a February 2017 Safeway visit in the Phoenix area while walking through New York today. Nothing immediately came to mind. That's a problem, and he says it's a C-Suite issue.

This is the dawning of the age of the Antenna. Cord-cutting is driving viewership of over-the-air television, and with NEXTGEN TV set to bring addressable advertising, it could be the MVPD that loses out -- and not the broadcast TV station owner -- in the coming decade. A new Horowitz Research study notes that as the streaming video wars heat up, opportunities for broadcast TV growth will emerge.

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.

Of the 57 pages of informational handouts Alternative Broadcast Inspector and Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner also carries with him when visiting every radio or TV station is one that he's pleased to share with RBR+TVBR readers today.

Analyst Michael Nathanson believes that while the industry is under siege from accelerating cord-cutting and audience erosion, "Fox’s laser focus on live sports and news content is the right strategy to drive higher per subscriber pricing and more stable viewership trends."

Ahh ... the Public File booklet. Everybody loves that required 34-page item that must be provided, at no charge, for anyone asking for it, right?  Well, like it or not, Ken Benner says it is an "absolute must read for all of us involved to any extent in broadcasting." And, it's just been "substantially updated."

With discussion heating up that NBCUniversal's Peacock will abandon a subscription tier and stick with an ad-supported platform, there's much anticipation -- and apprehension, for some -- as to what will transpire for video-fueled media in 2020. If you're a broadcaster or MVPD operator, this report is essential reading.

In America's five largest cities, some 48% of residents now speak a language other than English at home. If you own a broadcast media property, in particular in such locales as Chicago, Houston, or Phoenix, perhaps offering content appealing to these consumers would be prudent.

When's the last time your broadcast TV or radio station demonstrated how YOUR BRANDS can connect you with more customers than any other media company? If this is done during each client interaction session, that's great. But, what about over a three-day "must attend" event?

The online video market as a whole is working "to put the nail in the coffin of broadcast TV," says a just-released State of Online Video report that purports to reveal that over-the-top video delivery vehicles are making headway. Is this report yet another biased look at digital TV?

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. 

One common question presented to Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner in his quarter-century of work as an Alternative Broadcast Inspector is this: How can we be more financially successful with our station(s)? He has one simple answer: Content, content, content.