Intelligence Briefs

In the view of Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner, the FCC's cooperation in support of the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP) has always been helpful. "It was my policy to visit the Commission's Compliance Bureau in Washington, D.C., every three years to update my part of the program," Benner says. In this column, he recalls his first such meeting — with then-FCC Chairman Michael Powell.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously passed H.R. 3388, the "SELF DRIVE Act of 2017," by voice vote. This is good news to columnist and blogger James Pethokoukis, who shares his thoughts on why the act is beneficial to all Americans. Could it be great news for broadcast media companies, or a harbinger to AM and FM station owners that increased competition for attention is on the way?

More than two decades ago, RBR+TVBR featured columnist Ken Benner was invited to the office of the president of a state broadcasters' association. He was told that a new means of compliance certification was being considered. It sounded like a good idea to Ken. Was it?

RBR+TVBR Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner has some thoughts on how some radio stations have forgotten how to use the power of auditory messaging to best reach consumers. It could be one reason why Madison Avenue, and its many millennials, don't think of radio as the ROI delivery machine it truly is. Learn if your stations are on the right track by reading this column.

In February 2010, as part of our coverage of Valerie Geller's series "In Case of Emergency," we offered a hypothetical scenario of what were to happen if the Flood of the Century arrived at your radio stations, and at your community. As new horrors unfold in Beaumont, Texas, which Thursday afternoon lost its water supply, we are pleased to offer from the RBR+TVBR archives this column on what to do when the worst shows up on your doorstep.

The late, great comedian Jerry Lewis sat for an interview while in his 90s with a staff member from The Hollywood Reporter. The interview is known as "7 Painfully Awkward Minutes with Jerry Lewis." Many people commenting on the interview blamed Lewis for the awkwardness. Sales training expert Barrett Riddleberger didn’t see it that way.

For featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner, there is nothing more gratifying than lending a helpful bit of encouragement, information, or suggestion to a colleague in need of assistance. On the other hand, he notes, "there is nothing more disgusting than taking advantage of your colleague by picking his pocket for simple assistance." This sets the tone for his latest commentary.

The FCC recently asked how it should define "advanced communications capability." As American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Mark Jamison points out, that's broadband. He finds this a curious question, "because it presumes that the FCC should define broadband." On that note, he asks, "Don't customers define broadband every day? Why not simply watch what they do?" It's an interesting philosophy any broadcast media company actively using digital platforms should take note of.

On a day when a total eclipse of the sun commanded the attention of Americans across the U.S., it reminded us of what could happen if a station were to suddenly go dark, due to a powerful act of Mother Nature that suddenly silences a transmitter. We ventured into the RBR+TVBR archives to provide you with a great column from Cavell, Mertz & Associates President Garrison Cavell, who reminds everyone in the C-Suite of the one thing they shouldn't forget after paying for those building repairs, equipment parts, and the replacement equipment.

Is the 1990s simply horrible and unworthy of a radio station of its own that you can profit from? That's what some consultants may say. That's what some owners may say. RBR+TVBR's Editor-in-Chief disagrees. He believes there's a "throwback" format out there that can make you money. All it takes is thinking like a millennial.

What is the Dear Ol' Dad of the ABIP Universe chatting about now? Featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner wants to discuss radio and TV engineer licensing. Why? He remembers a time when there was "cataclysmic woe and cry" over what he calls the "massive over-regulations pertaining to everyone in every profession." Broadcast licensee membership organizations were among the loudest "cry babies." The "D.C. Kleptocracy" heard their cries. Fasten your seat belts for what promises to be another interesting read. 

From job growth picking up and income lagging behind to weak housing investments and the current political climate, consumers are being bombarded with a slew of mixed indicators that are making them less willing to open their wallets and spend. That's the important takeaway for broadcast media sales executives and the C-Suite from a newly released study from IRI.

Walk into nearly any bar, gym, airport or office these days and you’re likely not only to find a TV, but also viewers of all sorts with their eyes glued to the glass. These consumers, out of the confines of their homes, are no less important to networks and advertisers when they’re out and about. This latest insight piece from Nielsen sheds new light on what's being watched away from the home.

With all of the excitement over radio's renewed place in the home thanks to Smart Speaker devices such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home, it still loses — badly — in the one place you're most likely going to sleep and shower that you don't live in: The hotel. Here's what RBR+TVBR's Editor-in-Chief has to say on the subject, and why you should rally around him now.

What the heck is 'CTCSRPAB'?? For one, it has nothing to do with the CRTC, Canada's equivalent of the FCC. However, it has everything to with the FCC and how to avoid a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture. Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner explains what that acronym stands for in this column, which results from a request from an RBR+TVBR Member.