Intelligence Briefs

Reports surfaced last week that advisers to the administration are calling for the U.S. to embrace China-style nationalization as our path to 5G. That’s like looking to Cuba as inspiration for reforming the U.S. health-care system, says FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr.

After a "rollercoaster" end to 2018, the Q4 media earnings season was essentially a "snoozer" in the eyes of top Wall Street financial analyst Michael Nathanson. As his team processes its post-4Q earnings takeaways, it sees very little changes to 2019 expectations.

"Welcome to the world of trade-offs," writes James Pethokoukis. "Facebook is the imperfect creation of one group of imperfect humans used by other imperfect humans -- lots of them." But, the American Enterprise Institute columnist and policy analyst writes, that doesn’t have to be the end of story.

Each year, the Mentoring and Inspiring Women in Radio Group compiles and analyzes the number of women in radio broadcasting who are rising to the ranks of management. The latest study has been released, and here are all of the top-line details you should know.

A column by John Wells King and Erwin Krasnow, "How To Lose Your Station's FCC License," has become a reader favorite worthy of encore appearances at RBR.com. Independent Alternative FCC Compliance Certification Inspector Ken Benner read it, and offers additional thoughts on keeping one's license.

On Dec. 28, 2017, RBR+TVBR published what has emerged as one of its most popular Media Information Bureau columns. The title of this piece by John Wells King and Erwin Krasnow says it all. It remains one of our most requested columns, and we are pleased to share it anew.

Tucson-based Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner just submitted a fresh column focused on FCC Reg.  §73.2080. What is that? You better read this column, because he believes it is important for radio and TV station owners -- and that this rule needs FCC transparency now.

Whether you like it or not, broadcast media C-Suiters, the "smart TV" is capturing more homes than ever. Just how many homes are acquiring these internet-connected devices, allowing viewers to seamlessly view Netflix, Amazon Prime and other OTT services just as easy as a cable or over-the-air channel?

A new study by the ANA Educational Foundation concludes that recruiting and retaining racially diverse talent continues to vex marketers due to a disconnect between the resources invested in diversity initiatives and a lack of inclusiveness felt by diverse workers. Could media be suffering from similar challenges?

We grew up trusting our friends, teachers, newspapers, radio hosts and TV news announcers. Now, say two scholars, "we are now living in the post-trust era." What does this mean for the content appearing on many radio station websites? What about what's being said from a broadcast TV stations news anchors?

Following a recent change of residence, our editor-in-chief invested in a $21 digital TV antenna and hooked it up to a television set in his home office. What was the result? He says it's best to perhaps stick with a MVPD if you truly want the TV service everyone deserves -- or, at least an vMVPD.

With another FCC spectrum auction in the books, broadcasters may want to know the value of their spectrum usage rights and the likelihood that they may have an opportunity to monetize their spectrum soon. This column offers some valuable insight into why demand for commercial spectrum remains strong.

It was early in 2010 when a husband and wife ownership team thought it would be a good idea to commemorate people they had worked with for many years. The Peels handed master control for what is today KTVH-12 in Helena, Mont., in the 1960s. Their idea was discussed with many. Today, we recall their legacy.

"Research is not cutting it in terms of addressing which media platforms are most effective for advertisers," declares Horowitz Research SVP Adriana Waterston. That's why she believes it's time for marketers to take a new approach to how it think about advertising effectiveness. Take notes, radio and TV execs.

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?