Intelligence Briefs

"Until the broadcasting industry takes the initiative to sever the Congressional chains of bondage over the FCC, it will continue to endure massive abuses with preposterous fines, fees, forfeitures, legal expenses, frustration, wasted time and wages for employees desperately attempting to address compliance for the licensees they work for." That's a common refrain from Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner. What irks him today? Capitol Hill abuse and an Arizona senator are the focal points of this latest effort from Tucson-based Benner.

The age-old concern for just about every employer, Media Information Bureau columnist Kelly Orchard notes, is this: “Where are all the good candidates? Why can’t people just come to work and do their job?”  Orchard discussed the topic with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson at a NAB 2018 Broadcast Leadership Training reception held Sunday night in Las Vegas as one of several unofficial opening events tied to the 2018 NAB Show. She took her ideas to paper, and pens this report on how to find the best person for whatever job you seek to fill.

"TV now means much more than producing stories for the 5 o’clock news," say two Knight Foundation executives who have teamed to share some key findings from the organizations new study, “Local TV News and the New Media Landscape." In short, television is a key source of news. But, audiences are slowly shrinking. What can your stations do to prevent an audience drain from your newscasts?

We've read much about cord-cutting in recent months. But, just what is the potential financial impact from any current and anticipated loss of cable TV subscription cancellations? It's big, the eighth edition of Research & Markets' North America Pay TV Forecasts report finds.

Why should broadcast media owners and executives take a closer look at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? Featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner knows why. On Monday, it became known that President Trump wants to weaken the independence of the CFPB. That could sound the alarm for Washington watchdogs who wonder if the White House also wants to weaken the independence of the FCC.

Nielsen on Monday released its April 2018 cable network Universe Estimates, and there's one thing in particular that sticks out for Pivotal Research Group Senior Research Analyst/Advertising Brian Wieser. The "bottom line" on the new UEs: there's an ongoing decline in traditional pay TV network penetration rates, led by lower traditional MVPD subscription levels.

In September 2017, Toyota teamed up with one of America's biggest Urban stations for an experiential marketing effort that placed its redesigned Camry at the center of its sales efforts. What transpired is another tale about radio's ability to deliver strong results for brands looking to build relationships, along with profits. This story comes courtesy of NYMRAD - New York Market Radio.

In this guest Media Information Bureau column, Fincons Group executives Greg Jarvis and U.K.-based Oliver Botti discuss how traditional broadcast TV and OTT each have significant strengths, but have "limitless" opportunities when combined.

"Media channel buyer bias must end." "Junior buyers need to be better educated." Sound bytes from a meeting with Entercom President/CEO David Field? Nope. That's what top radio industry executives are moaning about in Australia, based on a study conducted in Great Britain.

"Our work in traditional media has seen its challenges," notes broadcast leadership expert Kelly Orchard. "The recent bankruptcies of two of the largest radio broadcasters, as well as mergers, acquisitions, and transitions, are main topics as I continue to engage in conversations with my colleagues. Their opinions are as varied as the size of their radio markets." In this column, Orchard reviews "the good, the bad and the ugly" of the radio industry, while reviewing today's top concerns for smaller markets and, in particular, family owned stations.

One of the most important documents for any radio or TV station is FCC form 854-R. This is the tower registration form required for each tower over 200 feet and puts into writing the coordinates to be reported to the FAA for tower-beacon light outage. The registration number on this form is required to be prominently displayed on or close to the tower, with large enough numerals to be read from the closest public access to the tower. In some cases, rented towers owned by non-broadcast entities and the tower owners were not aware of this requirement. Here's what Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner has to say about that faux pas.

"Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own."  One Forbes contributor, former Media Life editor Gene Ely, just penned a guest commentary with the provocative headline "In The IHeartMedia Bankruptcy, Expect A Major Selloff Of Radio Stations." Really? We asked top D.C. attorneys and one broker for their opinions. Here's what they say.

The D.C. Circuit has just issued a long-awaited decision involving the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). According to Scott Delacourt and Eva Reed of Wiley Rein LLP, this has "widespread implications for broadcasters and other media companies that rely on modern calling equipment (including text messaging) to reach their audiences." How could this decision, which resolves an appeal of the FCC’s 2015 Omnibus TCPA Order with a unanimous panel but a split decision on the merits, impact your radio or TV station?

Among the dozens of e-mails Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner dumps each day with nary a glance was one that caught his attention well before hitting the "delete" key. The note to Benner suggested the FCC was about to focus on AM directional antenna compliance. "I normally keep pretty good track on what the current FCC fine-focus is, and this was news to me," Benner says. "I could locate nothing from the commission or the various publications I scan each week." Is AM directional antenna compliance a new concern to put on your radar?

In this guest Media Information Bureau column, Tribe Pictures CEO and Creative Director Vern Oakley discusses how "fake news" is old news and why "fake video" is the new threat — thanks to emerging technology that will allow the manufacturing of authentic-looking video your staff may not be able to flag as phony. Reading this could very well keep your stations' integrity in check.