Media Info Bureau

The shifting of social media strategy and outlets--the game will never stop changing. The second you might think you have an inkling of how to do something new questions arise. Do I pay for sponsored posts on Facebook?

At the bottom of the Great Recession, radio had lost $5 billion of revenue, from over $20 billion in 2007 to

Ten years ago – on March 15, 2004 – Advertising Age published an editorial titled, “TV spots need a ratings systems.” That editorial said: “Eight-five percent of marketers are interested in commercial ratings for TV audience measurement, according to a survey released by the Association of National Advertisers.”

Part one of this guide, “Obtaining Information from FCC.gov With

The television industry is experiencing more consolidation than ever. Recently, Yahoo shut down IntoNow and

The National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations began its life in 1985 as the Broadcast Executive Directors Association or “BEDA.” Even before the formality of incorporation, the Executive Directors of the State Broadcasters Associations had a long history of collaboration and interaction going back to the 1930s with the formation of the first State Broadcasters Associations.

Pioneers get shot. While there are many who counsel entrepreneurs to “embrace failure” or “be true to your passion”, most of the time entrepreneurs who pave the way with a new business model or even just a new business feel all alone and vulnerable. Of course, with greater risk there is greater reward and everyone knows that, but let’s be honest – most people are risk-averse. It’s much more comfortable to take a path that is well-worn. So, it’s no wonder that getting radio advertising prospects to commit to a test or a campaign is so difficult. They are terrified of something “new and unproven” or wasting their precious marketing resources. As someone who has seen the radio industry up close for more than 30 years, I have some advice for radio station sellers:

We stick our heads in the sand and go about fighting for our rates that we feel we deserve, or we can accept the realities of our situation and take a proactive approach to ensure our future success. The realities in the traditional media (and this is coming from a person who has worked in the traditional medium of radio since he was 21 years old) is that our competition is better than ever. Social media allows small businesses to tell their great stories and market their businesses for less and less paid advertising. Pandora, behavioral targeting, SEO, you know all of them in the digital marketing world. They all have great advantages to them. We are well past the crossroads in my opinion. And if we don’t accept the realities of the situation we may be able to “hold” onto our jobs and advertising outlets for a few more years but most people aren’t in the business of just “holding” onto their jobs.

As a good federal agency, the FCC is adept at producing prodigious amounts of paper and for decades it has been a worthy customer of the Government Printing Office. But due to the rise, complexity and increasing utility of the internet, much of the Commission’s commerce has moved online. If you have business to conduct with the Commission, unfamiliarity with the electronic transactional environment in which the FCC operates can severely hamper your efficiency, or worse, place you at a serious disadvantage.

Support for the Local Radio Freedom Act continues to be strong in the House and the Senate. Currently, more than 186 members of the House are on record in opposition to a performance tax. However, the NJBA is convinced that a stealth attack on free over-the-air-radio is very possible. In New Jersey, Local radio is very important and the prospect of a Performance Tax is akin to a Death Tax for broadcasters.

There’s been an open debate within the Streaming Audio, Advertising and Radio community for

At the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations (NASBA) meetings on 2/24, RBR-TVBR

At the annual NASBA conference in DC 2/24, there was an EAS Summit to go over some of the big issues broadcasters are facing on a state-wide and nationwide basis. Under laws going back to 1951, radio and television stations are already required to participate in the national Emergency Alert System and many stations – called Primary Entry Points (PEP) – have protected, government‐funded circuits connecting them to emergency command centers in Washington and in their states.

As we experience here in Tennessee every day and for the past