Media Info Bureau

Stream this, radio and TV C-Suiters: With an estimated 270 million Americans viewing their smartphones about 14 billion times per day, the smartphone continues to reign supreme as consumers' preferred device for online actions, as well as for controlling and monitoring many daily activities—including consumption of your stations.

Donald J. Vucasovich is a name that's not widely known among radio historians or, for that matter, many who believe they know a thing or two about the "legends" of broadcasting. Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner feels otherwise, and offers this tribute to a most gifted individual whose career includes many years on the AM radio dial in Big Sky country.

Ask anyone in the radio industry what the biggest boost has been in the past year for audience building, and you'll likely get two responses: podcasts and Smart Speakers. It is the latter that is "bringing radio back in the home." Now, there's evidence that suggests radio broadcasters' sales coffers could further grow thanks to the nascent use of Smart Speakers as a shopping tool. For that to happen, it must take eyeballs away from the top consumer shopping aide of today -- also a radio industry must.

That’s the suggestion of featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner, who believes the time has come for a Political Action Committee representing broadcast media. Why? It appears obvious to him that the nation's television industry executives are struggling with how to handle "their massive, unprecedented income from the midterm Congressional elections."

It’s 1999, and Julie Benezet is the new director for a fledgling dot-com called Amazon. Her challenge: to figure out how to lease just the right real estate in just the right places, to help the company survive and thrive. She has no idea what the future will bring. Her new book, "The Journal of Not Knowing," recalls her challenge and offers C-Suiters the opportunity to "chart a course where there is none."

Forget about Election Day. The holiday shopping season has already started, and retailers are anticipating a banner year for sales. According to newly released data from eMarketer, low unemployment, strong income growth and high consumer confidence will combine to make the 2018 Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa shopping season an exceptionally strong one for retailers. Both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailers are poised to benefit.

More than ever, connecting with multicultural consumers through "inclusive marketing" is a must among CMOs seeking to build brand longevity while reflecting the reality of America today. For P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard, this means starting from within, and ensuring that the internal composition of a company matches the audience it seeks. Is radio and TV far behind on this effort?

Take a look at the list of top luxury brands. More than half have been around for more than 100 years. How have they maintained this amazing track record? By escaping the confines of the crowded and cluttered world of needs-based advertising, says guest Media Information Bureau columnist Graeme Newell. Could learning lessons from the luxury brand category help maintain your station's brand allure for decades to come?

Here's a news item we fully thank NAB voice Dennis Wharton for bringing to the attention of RBR+TVBR. Hipster news organization VICE took a bold step forward in trying out something on Facebook that has mushroomed into a potentially major problem that only extends the problem of fake news -- and ad manipulation -- on the social media Goliath. It's great news for radio and TV.

"It is amazing how much you can learn from only a few minutes on this site," Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner says of the FCC's digital gateway to all of its rules and regulations — FCC.com. More importantly, Benner notes, a visit to the Commission's website can potentially save substantial forfeitures, consent decrees, frustrations and legal expenses. 

In February 2016, RBR+TVBR offered insight and exclusive details on how the upcoming spectrum auction and subsequent television repack can affect FM owners. With the NAB's filing of comments on Friday slamming the Commission for how it plans to reimburse FM radio stations, we are pleased to revisit this Media Information Bureau column from a senior RF engineer at Dielectric.

The latest radio listening data from RAJAR, the United Kingdom's source for ratings that's owned by the BBC and the British version of the RAB, is out. Why should U.S. broadcast media care? The digital share of all radio listening has nearly doubled in seven years, and has surpassed 50%. Is America set to follow the U.K.?

Wondering what device your in-home radio listening will most likely be heard on? A new consumer survey shows that nearly one in four smart speakers will answer to requests directed to an AI-powered female by the name of Alexa.

A 24-hour excursion to New York inspired RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson to pen a column about his latest Uber, Lyft and hired driver experience when it came to the audio entertainment of choice each ride provided. In every instance, for the first time, a local radio station was playing. It led Adam to two conclusions: Radio is alive in New York, and marketers need to know this.

We aren't just in a new "golden age" for TV shows. Nielsen has just declared that we are in a "golden age of audio." Really?! Check out the highlights from its just-released Audio Today 2018 report focusing on network radio. It has some incredible new data on smart speaker home penetration, and the percentage of all radio listeners who tune to a network affiliated station every week.