Media Info Bureau

Ooyala has just released its Q2 2017 Global Video Index, and there's a glimmer of hope for broadcast radio and TV C-Suiters intent on scraping away at some of those digital ad dollars: Mobile video plays have plateaued after 22 quarters of strong growth, increasing just over 1% since Q1 this year.

In the words of Boston radio broadcasting veteran Clark Smidt, the 2017 Radio Show — held last week in Austin, Tex.— was a winner. Some of the reasons, says Smidt, were "proximity, accessibility, the program, a user-friendly hotel and a quality crowd." In a special "thank you" to the RAB and NAB, Smidt penned an exclusive RBR+TVBR column lauding the two industry lobbying groups for a great conference.

Broadcast Deal Myths have long been a popular Media Information Bureau topic with RBR+TVBR readers, thanks to the insight and analysis offered in a clear, concise manner by Garvey Schubert Barer attorney Erwin G. Krasnow and DEFcom Advisors CEO Doug Ferber. Krasnow and Ferber have now developed an exclusive podcast series focused on the myths often tied to transactions, and we are pleased to offer the first in the series exclusively to RBR+TVBR subscribers.

In the view of Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner, the FCC's cooperation in support of the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP) has always been helpful. "It was my policy to visit the Commission's Compliance Bureau in Washington, D.C., every three years to update my part of the program," Benner says. In this column, he recalls his first such meeting — with then-FCC Chairman Michael Powell.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously passed H.R. 3388, the "SELF DRIVE Act of 2017," by voice vote. This is good news to columnist and blogger James Pethokoukis, who shares his thoughts on why the act is beneficial to all Americans. Could it be great news for broadcast media companies, or a harbinger to AM and FM station owners that increased competition for attention is on the way?

More than two decades ago, RBR+TVBR featured columnist Ken Benner was invited to the office of the president of a state broadcasters' association. He was told that a new means of compliance certification was being considered. It sounded like a good idea to Ken. Was it?

“The so-called ‘retail apocalypse’ makes for a great headline, but it’s simply not true." That's according to Greg Buzek, president of IHL Group, which has released a research report that declares, "A lot has been made in the mainstream news about the death of retail. But it is fake news." The 34-page White Paper, "Debunking the Retail Apocalypse," gives pause to broadcast media sales executives and members of the C-Suite, as brick-and-mortar retailers represent a healthy advertiser category that could grow through the use of radio.

Here's some more ammo to fuel "fake news" reports stating that America's youth don't consume the radio and prefer digital sources for music and entertainment: Data released Friday from Nielsen Audio shows that teens that were 12 years old in 2011 increased their average listening to AM and FM radio by an hour in 2017.

RBR+TVBR Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner has some thoughts on how some radio stations have forgotten how to use the power of auditory messaging to best reach consumers. It could be one reason why Madison Avenue, and its many millennials, don't think of radio as the ROI delivery machine it truly is. Learn if your stations are on the right track by reading this column.

In February 2010, as part of our coverage of Valerie Geller's series "In Case of Emergency," we offered a hypothetical scenario of what were to happen if the Flood of the Century arrived at your radio stations, and at your community. As new horrors unfold in Beaumont, Texas, which Thursday afternoon lost its water supply, we are pleased to offer from the RBR+TVBR archives this column on what to do when the worst shows up on your doorstep.

The late, great comedian Jerry Lewis sat for an interview while in his 90s with a staff member from The Hollywood Reporter. The interview is known as "7 Painfully Awkward Minutes with Jerry Lewis." Many people commenting on the interview blamed Lewis for the awkwardness. Sales training expert Barrett Riddleberger didn’t see it that way.

For featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner, there is nothing more gratifying than lending a helpful bit of encouragement, information, or suggestion to a colleague in need of assistance. On the other hand, he notes, "there is nothing more disgusting than taking advantage of your colleague by picking his pocket for simple assistance." This sets the tone for his latest commentary.

The FCC recently asked how it should define "advanced communications capability." As American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Mark Jamison points out, that's broadband. He finds this a curious question, "because it presumes that the FCC should define broadband." On that note, he asks, "Don't customers define broadband every day? Why not simply watch what they do?" It's an interesting philosophy any broadcast media company actively using digital platforms should take note of.

Is getting a sale as good as getting "the sale"? Sales pro and Media Information Bureau contributing columnist Barrett Riddleberger says no. Why? You may have had one of our AEs sell something, but they could have easily left more on the table for the buyer to consider, while leaving dollars on the table. 

On a day when a total eclipse of the sun commanded the attention of Americans across the U.S., it reminded us of what could happen if a station were to suddenly go dark, due to a powerful act of Mother Nature that suddenly silences a transmitter. We ventured into the RBR+TVBR archives to provide you with a great column from Cavell, Mertz & Associates President Garrison Cavell, who reminds everyone in the C-Suite of the one thing they shouldn't forget after paying for those building repairs, equipment parts, and the replacement equipment.