Media Info Bureau

Does your group of radio stations make it easy for a potential client, or an everyday listener, to pick up the phone and speak with someone who can attend to a query? If so, it may be a rarity, Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson notes. Consider this an RBR+TVBR Observation worth responding to.

There's no better media for reaching consumers on a local level than radio ... right? Here's some more ammo to strengthen this argument in an age where digital media is destroying your revenue potential and direct mail continues to siphon those dollars away from your stations. "Any brand, including large national brands, can be local, and local can be anywhere in the minds of Millennial and Gen Z consumers."

Featured Media Information Bureau columnist and alternative broadcast inspection specialist Ken Benner has received several requests in recent weeks for information on how to follow in his footsteps. Benner has obliged, and today offers RBR+TVBR members details on how to become an independent ABIP inspector, or one under state broadcaster association programs.

The use of digital technology has had a long stretch of rapid growth in the United States. But, a new analysis of data from the Pew Research Center shows that the share of Americans who go online, use social media or own key devices has remained stable over the past two years. What does this mean for marketers -- and, perhaps, for radio and TV sales execs?

Once every so often, RBR+TVBR's Jefe, Eric Rhoads, will forward an item deemed noteworthy to the newsroom. On Thursday, Mr. Rhoads came across an item that grabbed our attention. The article puts into perspective how consumers are using media, and the biggest eye-opener deals with music streaming revenue -- competitive info that could be of keen interest to radio broadcasters.

The sales manager’s goal is to have 100% of their sales team consistently at or above quota. If there is a gap and one or more sales reps are not hitting their quota, then the source of the problem must be identified and fixed. Here are eight questions expert sales trainer Barrett Riddleberger offers to find out why your sales rep is not achieving their sales goal. 

The ongoing drive for ever-higher resolutions has been a familiar story in the world of video acquisition for many years. But, after IBC 2018, talking about the practical application of 8K is no longer taboo, notes broadcast research analyst Chris Evans. In this report, he addresses whether the world -- and U.S. TV companies -- are ready to tackle the next gen delivery of video programming.

There is some good news for broadcast and cable TV industry C-Suiters still obsessed with finding ways to curb that so-called "cord cutting." Customer satisfaction of residential wireline companies is on the rise, according to a new survey conducted by J.D. Power. Here's the bad news: The top service providers, according to J.D. Power, aren't MVPDs but DBS providers.

Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner is back with another great column designed to prevent your station's accounts payable department from writing a hefty check to the U.S. Treasury or FCC in response to a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture. 

What does a productive coaching session look like with your sales rep? Media Information Bureau featured columnist Barrett Riddleberger has some guidelines to offer that are designed to improve your sales leader's performance as a coach.

We know that the car is the No. 1 place where radio stations are consumed. It turns out that it is the leading locale where all audio content is consumed, new data from Edison Research find. Meanwhile, the percentage of audio consumption attributed to a soon-to-be-combined SiriusXM and Pandora was offered -- and it is significant.

According to a chief executive of a trucking company, the U.S. "is in the midst of a serious multi-industry labor shortage." Is this not an excellent opportunity for the radio business to strut its stuff and put on a real job fair, strutting its stuff far beyond the 2018 Radio Show in Orlando? Here are "5 Ways To Help You Avoid Today’s Labor Crunch," as they could aid you in the recruitment process.

On Thursday, the House E&C Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing on the “State of the Media Marketplace.” It just so happens that the NAB has filed comments with the FCC on competition in the audio programming marketplace, as part of the Commission's preparation of a Congressionally-required communications marketplace report.

As part of its efforts to strategize revenue growth prospects for local TV, BIA Advisory Services has examined the Total Addressable Markets (TAM) for broadcast television, versus digital platforms. "It's a tale of two cities," BIA notes in a newly released report that outlines the level of broadcast revenue growth expected by 2022 -- and the total gain in digital revenue expected for local TV.

On September 6, Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner offered readers details of his conversation with a regional Commission engineer who agreed to provide an outline of what, in his view, are the most significant items he looks for when visiting a station during a random inspection. It turns out the FCC engineer had more to share. Here's more from Benner that could help your stations avoid costly forfeitures or U.S Treasury consent decree payments.