Intelligence Briefs

As RBR+TVBR continues its look back at 2017 and peek into what will make headlines in the next 12 months, we reviewed the total number of broadcast radio and TV transactions seen since January. Given all of the talk about what the FCC under Chairman Ajit Pai would do for the deal-making market, was 2017 a disappointment for brokers? Here's what Robert Heymann, Chicago-based Director for Media Services Group has to say about that.

Aside from the NPRM approved last week that could loosen the national broadcast TV ownership cap, what else is the FCC likely focused on for 2018? Gus Hurwitz, a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute specializing in telecommunications and technology law, high-tech industry regulation, and cybersecurity, has provided a look at the top 5 issues the FCC will now focus its attention toward.

Despite all of the political theater, a "brief recess due to security concerns" as Chairman Ajit Pai delivered his statement, and dramatic dissents from Democratic FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel, the Commission today in a 3-2 vote approved an Order that in the GOP majority's view "restores Internet Freedom" by removing Title II classification of broadband internet access service after two years. What's next, assuming there is no roadblock for the removal of Title II classification? Here's what Boston College Law School professor Daniel Lyons has to say on the subject.

“What am I required to keep for records to be legal?” is the most frequent question Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner receives. Thus, he's penned a column that answers this question as best as possible. Here's what he has to say.

The 2017 edition of the PwC Sports Outlook, which updates PwC’s perspective on the sports industry, including recent results and potential opportunities and challenges to future industry growth, has been released and is now available for public consumption. This year’s edition refreshes PwC's five-year revenue forecasts through 2021 within four key segments of the North American sports market: media rights, gate revenues, sponsorship, and merchandising. Here are all of the details, as your media properties may include broadcast stations that offer sports talk or sports play-by-play -- and may account for a significant portion of your company's quarterly revenue.

A Dec. 1 announcement that was widely ignored by the broadcast media trade press caught the attention of RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson. Why? Because this news, from Sirius XM, deals with something radio stations across the U.S. should have been doing for the last 25 years. It's another reason why broadcast radio still has a long way to go to be as local as industry leaders proclaim it to be.

Over the course of the next few weeks, RBR+TVBR will be turning to media brokers and communications attorneys for their take on what's in store for broadcast media owners in 2018, while taking a look back at 2017 and sharing their thoughts on what's happened for radio and TV industry executives. We begin this series with thoughts from Garvey Schubert Barer partner Erwin Krasnow.

In May 2016, Garvey Schubert Barer attorney Erwin Krasnow explained the role of brokers and buyers. Here, we revisit his advice on what he believes are typical questions to ask when selecting a broker.

If you were to scribe a letter to the head of the Federal Communications Commission, asking Ajit Pai to consider some of the top issues facing your broadcaster TV or radio stations, what would you ask? Look no further than the following letter addressed to Pai, sent by our own Media Information Bureau featured columnist and Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP) guru Ken Benner.

In a lengthy speech delivered today in Washington, D.C., at the Media Institute, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai discussed America's broadcasters and newspapers. He discussed social media, and the internet, as the coming of Net Neutrality has resulted in personal attacks at Pai's home against his children. This led Pai to ask, "Is social media a net benefit to American society?" His response? "Given the increasingly important role that social media plays in our daily lives, this is a question that all of us, including groups like the Media Institute, need to grapple with."

How often do viewers of your TV stations or listeners of your radio stations unintentionally watch, or hear, a commercial? Silly question, right? A similar question is being asked about digital ads by a highly influential newsletter -- and it gives more ammunition to the TVB and RAB to go out there and fight for dollars that are rightfully theirs.

In this column, Barrett Riddleberger, CEO of xPotential Selling, reveals two critical pieces of information about an underperforming sales rep. If the manager had access to this information during the hiring process, they would not have hired this sales rep. Instead, they would have kept looking for a better sales candidate.

For all of the chatter about how AM and FM radio station access via a smart home device could be a godsend for a stagnant industry, one tech expert has thought little about connecting radio's audio streams to "internet of things" technology powered by voice commands. This may present an opportunity for a unified radio push.

The Washington, D.C. conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute has played the role of chief influencer at the FCC since the transition in power from President Obama to President Trump. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Mark Jamison -- an individual who questioned the very existence of the Commission in late October 2016 -- is in favor of the abandonment of Title II classification for broadband. It's an important topic for broadcast media groups, and here's why Jamison is pushing for the end of "net neutrality."

This column is not to be construed as professional legal advice, says featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner. Rather, he says, "it is simply a good faith effort to assist a common sense understanding of what appears to this writer and others as an unnecessarily over-complicated item of legislation." Let's learn more about the Issues & Program (I&P) Report Public File Folder, shall we? If not, we could be in for more payments to the U.S. Treasury or the FCC. Neither are necessary if we follow the rules.