Media Info Bureau

Video communication engages two senses of our five: sight and sound.  But how can we stimulate the other three with the existing digital technology?  Longtime public relations pro Rosemary Ravinal says it can be done through the memory of how things taste, feel and smell. "Video calls favor what we see over what we hear by a ratio of 90 to 10%," she says. 

WARC has teamed up with iHeartMedia for a just-released study on media consumption and audio investment in the U.S. According to the report, "The Investment Gap: Understanding the Value of Audio," domestic consumers spend 31% of their media time with audio. But, brands allocate just 8.8% of their media budget on "audio," let alone Radio.

As social media and technology companies face criticism for not doing enough to stem the flow of misleading information on their platforms, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that some 48% of U.S. adults get news on social media sites “often” or “sometimes,” a 5 percentage point decline from 2020. 

What you wear during a virtual meeting can bring your confidence and executive presence to another level, veteran PR professional and "Zoom expert" Rosemary Ravinal notes in this column. "Large numbers of office workers continue to work remotely with video conferencing at the heart of the workday," she says. "So, the image you project can be critical to your success."

A "major evolution in response to the rapid digitalization of audio consumption" is about to take place for radio ratings across some of the biggest metropolitan areas in the world. How so? Live streaming data is to be integrated into a new multimillion-dollar hybrid measurement system. This effort doesn't involve Nielsen, however.

According to Kagan estimates, top cable networks lost about $179.5 million in affiliate fees since 2013 from cable carriage disputes that resulted in blackouts that were eventually resolved. Cable network owners risk affiliate revenue loss in hopes of producing a more favorable deal with traditional multichannel operators, S&P Global Market Intelligence's Ron Marcelo reports.

Why are you not you using a green screen when you Zoom? Public relations veteran Rosemary Ravinal recently conducted an informal poll on LinkedIn. What did she learn? More than 80% of respondents do not use a green screen with a virtual background. "That was disappointing, but not surprising," she says in this column.

In this RBR+TVBR Observation, our editor-in-chief takes a bold step by asking some big questions about the quest by the NAB and a host of radio broadcasting companies for more deregulation. Is it really what will help the radio industry solve its ad sales ills?

Although global car sales were heavily impacted in 2019 and 2020, long-term market growth is expected, with car ownership growing strongly in emerging markets as developed market demand recovers. What does this mean for automotive audio trends? Software is evolving as e-vehicles, including autonomous cars, are on the rise.

With four months remaining of 2021, it is abundantly clear that the “normal” workplace pre-pandemic is a thing of the past. For PR veteran and "Zoom expert" Rosemary Ravinal, this means video conferencing will become a fixture of workplace culture to varying degrees. "Your professional future may depend on how well you navigate the virtual environment." It’s time to get serious, folks.

At a company gathering on Sunday, RBR+TVBR saw for the first time a portable HD Radio. Who even knew it existed? The bigger, perhaps more depressing question, is this: Who cares? There's a reason why we ask, and it is one the radio industry's leadership may wish to read at their leisure today.

Organizations often launch diversity and inclusion initiatives as strategic imperatives to create more equitable and inclusive work environments. While it’s the right thing to do, it’s often assumed that there’s immediate buy-in across the board. That’s not always the case, however, culturally integrated market research agency ThinkNow says.

Borrell Associates has just completed the analysis of its annual local advertiser survey, conducted in April, May and June. The findings are now available for all to digest. What's the biggest takeaway?

"Those who utilize these technologies and end-resulting capabilities can more fluidly understand their audiences, how those audiences are reacting to creative content and ultimately drive attribution models resulting in real-time, data enhanced and directional outcomes." That's the conclusion of AdImpact VP John Link, who offers an exclusive thought piece for RBR+TVBR.

Who knew that building awareness and inspiring consumers to get fit could benefit from a multiplatform marketing agreement with a company focused on audio content creation and distribution via streaming and broadcast platforms? It's the latest innovative ad sales partnership inked by iHeartMedia.