Media Info Bureau

The 11th Edition of the NAB Engineering Handbook is now available to radio stations across the U.S., and we received a copy. Who better than to peruse it and offer some first thoughts on the latest edition of this essential tome than Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner. We handed the keys to the RBR+TVBR Reading Room and Library to Benner, and he's filed his first report on what's inside the big, heavy book.

For all of the chatter about how AM and FM radio station access via a smart home device could be a godsend for a stagnant industry, one tech expert has thought little about connecting radio's audio streams to "internet of things" technology powered by voice commands. This may present an opportunity for a unified radio push.

The Washington, D.C. conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute has played the role of chief influencer at the FCC since the transition in power from President Obama to President Trump. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Mark Jamison -- an individual who questioned the very existence of the Commission in late October 2016 -- is in favor of the abandonment of Title II classification for broadband. It's an important topic for broadcast media groups, and here's why Jamison is pushing for the end of "net neutrality."

Verizon predicts a record-breaking year when it comes to online spending, with sales expected to reach at least $3.97 billion dollars on Black Friday alone. That’s $2.5 million dollars a minute. This forecast is great news for businesses of any size looking to make money this holiday season, which is extra incentive for your sales solutions team, AEs and GSMs to make the most of Black Friday.

This column is not to be construed as professional legal advice, says featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner. Rather, he says, "it is simply a good faith effort to assist a common sense understanding of what appears to this writer and others as an unnecessarily over-complicated item of legislation." Let's learn more about the Issues & Program (I&P) Report Public File Folder, shall we? If not, we could be in for more payments to the U.S. Treasury or the FCC. Neither are necessary if we follow the rules.

"There are plenty of overly burdensome regulations out there that are holding back U.S. entrepreneurship and ingenuity. But if people call them out and fight back, change is possible." Those words concluded a speech delivered Friday in New York at the Cato Institute Policy Perspective 2017 luncheon by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. In his view, less regulation can foster business growth. It was the crux of his keynote address, which we are pleased to offer to RBR+TVBR readers.

Still don't think taking a "mobile first" approach to attracting consumers is important for your media operation? Consider this nugget of data taken from Deloitte's just-released 2017 Global Mobile Consumer Survey: Close to 264 million Americans use their mobile phones 12 billion times per day. Smartphone penetration reached 82% overall in 2017. One would be remiss, however, to state that this is the result of Gen Z and Millennials. This growth is from a different generation -- one that knows radio more than any other.

In the smart home, voice will serve as a prime differentiator in the user experience. A new Parks Associates white paper presents market strategies for long term success in the voice technology market. Among the key topics: New opportunities for voice in connected products. This is information all radio industry C-Suiters need now.

One week ago, attendees at the ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference in Miami Beach heard a lot about millennials, and Gen Z consumers. One session was even titled "The Multicultural Millennial Effect - How Big of A Deal Is This?" It's a very big deal if you're a radio broadcasting company, says RBR+TVBR's Editor-in-Chief. But, the spark for this column didn't come from this conference's panel discussion. Rather, it came from Trivia Night at a craft brewery where none of the millennials recognized songs you've probably heard thousands of times. The solution? Let go, and embrace the '90s.

For well over 50 years, featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner has communicated directly with the FCC on what he calls a "friendly good faith basis, with never a problem" He's asked them for suggestions. They've asked Benner for propositions and recommendations. Such communication has led to what he considers "significant common-sense changes" on more than occasion, he writes. Unfortunately, there's another enabler at play. That would be Congress.

Doug Ferber of DEFcom Advisors LLC and Erwin Krasnow of Garvey Schubert Barer have created a special podcast series exclusively for RBR+TVBR members based on a series of articles centered on the topic “Broadcast Deal Myths Debunked.” In this 10th and final podcast in this series, Ferber and Krasnow discuss "Murphy's Law" and "The Greater Fool Theory." In short, they do not apply to broadcast deals.

Prashant Gandhi, a former partner at McKinsey, presently serves as the Managing Director/Head of Digital Payments at JPMorgan Chase & Company. Gandhi penned a thought leadership piece on the things brands need to answer in order to be successful with a "customer first approach." Can radio and TV C-Suite executives glean any insight from this Gandhi's thoughts?

A NuVoodoo Media Services study released this week debunks any thought that AM and FM radio stations are receptacles of "fake news." That's the stuff of TV and websites. But, there is some "fake news" out there that concerns radio, and RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson has something to say about it.

Tony Rogers is a white guy, raised in Texas in the 1970s and 1980s. He's a son, brother, husband, and uncle. He's also a master of attracting multicultural consumers, as SVP/CMO for Walmart. Rogers could also be you, and all it takes is moving on a path that combines both a rational and emotional perspective on consumer attraction — it's a route that uses the name of a popular band at many a radio station today: The Head and the Heart.

Picture this: You are the steward of a 70-year-old brand. This brand's success is bigger than ever, with a more than 40% market share. No, we're not talking about a big News/Talk radio station on the AM dial. But, we should be, based on what was delivered Monday morning in a powerful Keynote Address at the ANA Multicultural Marketing & Diversity Conference from P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard.