Intelligence Briefs

Fifty years ago, on July 15, 1968, longtime Boston radio industry figure Clark Smidt had the pleasure of signing on a 3kw FM radio station operated by the University of Hartford. Today, he recalls many of his experiences since then while assessing the present state of radio in New England in this special column penned for the Media Information Bureau.

The NAB on Thursday was one of the first groups to offer a comment on the party-line approval of an NPRM that will likely set in motion reforms to the FCC's "KidVid" rules. Now, NAB EVP/Legal and Regulatory Affairs Rick Kaplan has spoken up, and he's practically praised the FCC for proposed legislation that appears to have little opposition.

As many broadcast television executives will note, interactive TV is more common than ever. As such, individual consumers have more input than ever when it comes to the things they enjoy watching — and highly dislike. That said, advertisers have rushed to respond to this personalization trend, and noted media ecologist Jack Myers warns "the days when mass reach is king are rapidly coming to a close." What does this mean for you?

Featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner is infatuated with government "complexification." We're sure it's not in our dictionary, but it is a fitting word Benner uses to describe something so confusing, you will end up sending a check to the U.S. Treasury out of sheer frustration and lack of comprehension. In this column, Benner tackles the FCC's efforts to improve EEO compliance.

The latest installment from featured Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner is all about the money. Specifically, Benner has combed through all of the Alternative FCC Compliance Certification Inspections he and his wife conducted over a 15-year period. The amount of dollars that broadcasters didn't have to pay to the Federal Communications Commission, as a result of a forfeiture, is staggering.

Cavell Martz's Gary Cavell and Garvey Schubert Barer attorney Erwin Krasnow both believe potential owners can learn a lot by being observant when walking around a station. Here are some great pieces of advice, in an encore Media Information Bureau column you don't want to miss.

Another day, another gunfire-fueled tragedy. This time, the murder of five staffers of a newspaper in Annapolis, Md., hit home for RBR+TVBR's Editor-in-Chief. Numb and not yet ready to deal with the mourning yet again of victims of gun violence, he tuned to a Class A FM serving Maryland's state capital just before 10am Friday. "Radio provided the perfect way to grieve and soothe the soul," our editor writes.

This is what every radio station should accomplish, says Gary Begin, the owner and consultant of Sound Advantage Media. "Think of rebranding not as an occurrence, but rather a procedure," he notes in an encore Media Information Bureau column that still holds high relevance to readers today.

Until Tuesday's Form 314 filing of an asset purchase agreement that gives control of an AM-FM combo in Iowa to a new entity created by the stations' office manager, the owner was ready to turn off the transmitters. It's not a unique scenario, Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner notes. Many questions go through the minds of station heads faced with a tough business challenge. Here, he reviews how to perhaps best answer them.

In late May, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson took notice of a report from eMarketer with the alarming-to-radio headline "Young, in Debt, and (Maybe) Holding Back on Purchases." Today, the Los Angeles Times offered its readers a Bloomberg report largely echoing this statement. If that's the case, why are so many radio stations chasing listeners that have no money to spend, when few are targeting their parents?

If you have sales reps who claim to have a "hot prospect," only to find that the buyer can't or won't buy, this column is just for you. In this latest Media Information Bureau installment from expert sales trainer Barrett Riddleberger, five questions that you should ask your salespeople about each new opportunity are discussed and explained. It's great learning for your sales team!

Just shy of two years ago, Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson agreed to take over the reins at RBR+TVBR. In doing so, he pledged that RBR+TVBR would not be another of the many radio industry trade publications to continuously offer glowing commentary about the "great" state of the business. Guess what? He's got something to say about the "pathetic" lack of presence radio presently has in two markets ripe for opportunity.

This Media Information Bureau installment is one that featured columnist Ken Benner promises will be welcomed by all stations with FM translators. It offers two significant items of interest: a source of information to determine compliance, and a means to self-certify and, quite frankly, save a good chunk of money.

In this Media Information Bureau column, noted D.C. communications attorney Erwin Krasnow shares his insight on what the FCC's decision makers actually read, if hefty fines are truly meant to fuel the FCC budget, and if the Commissioners "have unbridled discretion to make public interest determinations," among other hot topics.

Two weeks ago, the CRTC published a digital report on the future of programming in Canada. The report proposes to the federal government in Ottawa "new tools and regulatory approaches to support the production and promotion of audio and video content made by and for Canadians." What does the CRTC want? A digital creative levy. Could the FCC be thinking about the same thing?