Media Info Bureau

Here's a question that every radio and TV sales professional should ask not only potential clients, but also those who have used traditional media — a.k.a. "old media" — for years. You may get a blank stare, or a giggle. But, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson believes it's an important question that illustrates a point the TVB and RAB may want to elucidate on: About 20% of connected adults always use an ad blocker, new research finds.

No matter the size of the media company, one universal truth of sales failure is lack of formal accountability within the sales team. When this Media Information Bureau columnist mentions the word, managers get red and sales people get fire in their eyes. But why? We wait too long, he says.

There's a lot of negative press about the President of the United States. In the view of Roslyn Layton, a Visiting Fellow at AEI's Center for Internet, Communications, and Technology Policy, many tech media conform to this trend. Why? In her view, recent news stories on the FCC have been characterized by a focus on drama over analysis.

Have U.S. consumers become a bit less materialistic than they've been in recent years? New research from GfK suggests that's the case. What can a radio station glean from this study, in particular with its contests and giveaways designed to lure and keep listeners?

Hiring salespeople is difficult. In this latest installment in a series of columns from expert sales coach Barrett Riddleberger, he identifies once again a group of sales candidates who, when hired, fail to meet expectations. Yet, they all have one thing on common: they interview well.

The recently concluded FCC spectrum auction "of a big chunk of old broadcast TV airwaves" was supposed to make the big mobile firms bigger and reduce competition in broadband. In the eyes of AEI Visiting Fellow Bret Swanson, that's the assessment of "activists and a few self-interested parties." As he writes, the "alarmist theory" that went into the auction didn't pan out.

According to a study of close to 5,700 respondents across all Nielsen Audio PPM markets, nearly 60% of likely PPM panelists listen to radio at work. It's far more than the number of those who predict they wouldn't participate in a Nielsen Audio survey, NuVoodoo Media Services finds.

"Eventually, asking our voice assistant to track down a fact or order more cat food will become a normal, everyday interaction – the same as asking it to dim the lights." That's a conclusion from ReportLinker, which late last week released the findings of a May 4 online survey of 508 respondents. Will asking our Amazon Echo or Google Home device to tune to a specific radio station also become a "normal, everyday interaction"?

Now in their seventh year, the digital upfronts continue to shake up the media and advertising industries. But, the relatively novel concept of online TV audiences is still uncharted territory for most buyers. Many still have questions about how to most effectively allocate dollars across TV and digital media. A June 2012 report from comScore remains relevant, and we've traveled into the RBR+TVBR archives to present it once again for our members.

As a Futuresource Consulting analyst sees it, the smartphone will likely remain the most important personal electronics device for consumers for the foreseeable future. As technology progresses, however, we won't rely on or be limited to the smartphone forever. What could this mean for broadcast media's C-Suite?

With the FCC today launching an NPRM that would strip net neutrality regulations, South Dakota Republican John Thune has a suggestion. "My preference would be to begin bipartisan work on such legislation without any further delay." The Chairman of the powerful Senate Commerce Committee made the comment on the floor of the Senate today. Here's what else Sen. Thune had to say on what he believes is the restoration of an open internet.

Better and more transparent audience measurement is a demand advertisers are delivering to Facebook, which has a bug in its system. According to The Wall Street Journal, some clients are getting refunds after this bug led the social media giant to overstate clicks on marketers' websites when accessed via a mobile device. Facebook says it's a minor glitch. What do radio and TV executives have to say, and will they use the bug as part of their own "repellent plan"?

In a continuing series from expert sales coach Barrett Riddleberger, a group of sales candidates who you might hire, but fail to meet expectations, are identified. These candidates all have one thing on common: they interview well. "You struggle to hire good salespeople but experience frustration when they fail to achieve their sales goals," Riddleberger says. Here is another example of a type of sales candidate you’ll want to avoid.

How are automation and data revolutionizing local TV ad buying? Atlanta-based Videa has some thoughts on the subject. "We offer order stewardship services, and avails are delivered to the buyer in seconds," Videa explains to first-timers seeking to learn more about its client solutions. Now, the Cox Media Group-owned programmatic TV marketplace has released a White Paper that suggests the shift to computerized client solutions is the new norm for any TV sales executive.

This week saw the NewFronts, the digital media version of the Upfronts. One of the presenters, Trusted Media Brands, announced seven new video series aligned with its Taste of Home, Reader's Digest and The Family Handyman / Haven Home Media properties. Thus, it stands to benefit from the success of digital media. It could explain why it has drafted a study suggesting that short-form pre-roll is set to grow in a big way. Is it "fake news," or is this something radio and TV broadcasters need to be concerned about?