Intelligence Briefs

Pandora has just published the 2018 edition of its annual Definitive Guide to Audio. Our ever-skeptical Editor-in-Chief took a look at some of the highlights, and eagerly agreed to share them with RBR+TVBR readers. Why? It shows that radio is "far from dead," but is full of salacious "findings" that paint AM and FM as a home for AARP members and few who didn't grow up watching ALF in prime-time.

Pivotal Research Group has analyzed trends associated with the use of television alongside commercial share trends for national media owners in the U.S. through the end of September 2017 and for Q3. This was done by Senior Research Analyst/Advertising Brian Wieser after complete data became available Monday from Nielsen. What's Wieser's conclusion? Viewing on internet-connected device is rising rapidly. But, overall viewing is sliding.

The holiday gift-giving season is about to begin, with Christmas decorations nearly ready to go on display at retailers across North America -- even as Halloween is still half a month away. One big item likely to be on many Wish Lists is a smart speaker, and a newly released study shows Q4 sales of smart speakers will likely approach 12 million units globally. Of the two leading brands in this space, one is a clear winner. Learn what this means for your radio station's plans to win back the home.

At some point, every owner will decide that it is time to sell its station. Just as the owner of a house would not put the house on the market without engaging in a little fix-up and clean-up, the owner of a broadcast facility should not simply turn the station over to a broker without preparing the station for sale. While planting rose bushes in the front yard may help in the sale of a house, it is likely to be useless in attracting prospective broadcast station buyers. There are, however, a number of things that the seller can do to prepare a station for sale.

The NAB on Tuesday said it's sending 10,000 battery-operated radios to Puerto Rico for distribution to those impacted by Hurricane Maria. It is being paid for by "multiple U.S. broadcasters," the NAB and the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations (NASBA). The move reiterates the importance of AM and FM radio in the time of emergencies. It also deflects from the deafening silence of some of the radio industry's biggest players on the push for FM chips in iPhones.

Is it true, or false, that the heavier the modulation, the further an AM radio signal will reach? Featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner says it is a widespread fallacy. Yet, some radio stations remain unconvinced. The result is a cacophony of audio assailants that can perhaps be easily preventable. 

"Building brands people love" is the marketing tag line associated with Oath, the parent company of AOL and Yahoo! owned by Verizon. But, what is its purpose? A Thursday evening marketing mixer in Miami sponsored by the company delivered one glaring answer: Oath is about gnawing away at ad dollars going to radio and TV, and building a bigger case for digital media.

Clients of Media Information Bureau featured columnist Barrett Riddleberger, an expert sales training coach, often ask him the following question: "What are good interview questions to ask sales candidates?" A previous column on the topic proved so popular that's he has followed it up with another 10 revealing interview questions to present to sales candidates.

A RBR+TVBR reader reached out to featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner, recalling how he inspected nearly all of Alaska's broadcast radio and TV stations as an independent Alternative FCC Compliance Certification Inspector. "It was clear from the start of our conversation that my best interests were not intended by this person," Benner says. But, he listened, as this reader inquired how Benner could "certify" a station that was recently the recipient of a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture from the FCC. Here's what Benner had to say.

Doug Ferber of DEFcom Advisors LLC and Erwin Krasnow of Garvey Schubert Barer have created a special podcast series exclusively for RBR+TVBR members based on a series of articles centered on the topic "Broadcast Deal Myths Debunked." In this fourth episode, Ferber and Krasnow discuss the topic of cash flow multiples, "The Perfect Yardstick."

Pay-TV subscribers across the U.S. are growing increasingly satisfied with over-the-top streaming TV services vs. traditional cable TV. But, a trio of associated J.D. Power studies released Thursday (9/28) indicate they also are spending nearly an hour more a week watching regularly scheduled television programming than they did two years ago.

The "merits and flaws" of the $40 billion programmatic advertising market — especially the risks of digital display ads appearing alongside objectionable content — have emerged as key concerns among both marketers and advertisers. That's just one of the key takeaways from detailed findings of research conducted in 2017 by the CMO Council and Dow Jones on the impact of programmatic media buying and automated digital advertising placement on brand reputation, consumer perception and customer trust.

Mark Jamison, a visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute’s Center for Internet, Communication, and Technology who serves as Director and Gunter Professor of the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida, has been vocal about his desire to reform the FCC. In this Media Information Bureau column, Jamison shares his thoughts on radio spectrum, and how it could be increased.

NPR and Edison Research in June released The Smart Audio Report. The research showed one clear finding: Voice-activated smart speakers are becoming a must-have device in U.S. homes. In fact, 42% of smart speaker owners consider their device "essential" to everyday life. NPR and Edison have just released more original research from the report.

Any Certificate of FCC Regulatory Compliance is not worth the paper it’s printed on without the conditions upon which it was issued. Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner addressed this premise with the first such certificate he issued following a station inspection when the “mock” inspection program was initiated. "So how do we document a legitimate certificate of compliance that is required to be posted in the station’s reception lobby so as to be readily visible should an official FCC inspector visit your station?," he asks. That's the subject of this column.