Radio News

Will the stuff of science fiction swiftly become the reality for car drivers across the U.S. who purchase a vehicle with a next-generation dashboard? That question — and how the "connected car" will impact the radio broadcasting industry — was one of the first to be addressed at the 2017 Radio Show, the annual conference produced by the NAB and RAB that began in Texas's state capital on Tuesday afternoon.

In the early 2000s, Dick Broadcasting Co. was among the many owners of AM and FM stations that decided to pare down their assets amidst a great wave of consolidation triggered by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Now, following a year of discussions, this radio broadcaster has decided to grow again. It just acquired three station groups in the Carolinas from Alpha Media.

Multicultural marketers and the owners of such companies as Urban One and Univision Radio will hardly be surprised with the just-released findings from Nielsen Audio, which says "the national radio audience continues to diversity." Do CMOs seeking Latinos, Asians and Blacks care enough to increase the sliver of ad dollars going to AM, FM and their digital components? Are they even seeing this data, we ask in a RBR+TVBR Observation.

New Mexico is known as the "Land of Enchantment," and American General Media is certainly enchanted over its acquisition of four FM stations in the state's main DMA. That deal just closed, with Kalil & Co. as the exclusive broker in the transaction, and it's the lone news to report ahead of the 2017 Radio Show in RBR + TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY.

As part of what a New England broadcast company calls "a unique strategic alliance to drive regional and national ad revenue," it's inked a brand new national ad sales representation agreement with the largest independently owned radio rep firm in the U.S. 

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.

As the startling effects of Storm Harvey continue to unfold, Andrew Curran, President/COO of DMR/Interactive, late Thursday penned an open letter to radio regarding the parallels between generosity following a natural disaster and radio listening. "I believe this will resonate," Curran says. We are pleased to share with RBR+TVBR readers his letter, in its entirety.

One of the nation's top "sharks" will be participating in an in-depth chat with his mentor and a top marketing expert that promises to give Forecast 2018 attendees key insights and a fresh perspective on branding strategy.

The NAB's EVP/Communications, Dennis Wharton, immediately responded to a White Paper from Larry Miller, a professor of Music Business at New York University-Steinhardt Department of Music & Performing Arts Professions who declares that "broadcast radio is struggling to remain relevant as consumers embrace streaming platforms." Here's what Wharton has to say about Miller's report.

The Queen City's ESPN Radio affiliate is exchanging hands. That's the lone deal in RBR+TVBR's TRANSACTIONS TODAY for Aug. 31, 2017, wrapping up a tepid month for deals as Congress nears the end of its summer recess.

A data-driven email marketing software and consulting business focused on the collection and use of first party data for the media industry founded by Ruth Presslaff has been acquired by a St. Louis-based provider of private-label online audience engagement and interactive content platforms.

A Notice of Unlicensed Operation (NUO) was sent by the FCC's Enforcement Bureau to a Baptist temple in the 49th state of the union that's been involved in the community since 1956. Agents from the FCC's Los Angeles and San Francisco offices investigated.  RBR+TVBR spoke with an individual connected to the unlicensed signal, and we’ve got an update on the situation.

That's the question being asked by Roslyn Layton, a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. In a column published today, she believes a review of the stories focused on the Ajit Pai-led FCC "exposes bias and misinformation."

Brown Broadcasting Service Inc., a corporation comprised of Brown University students who represent the station management and the board of directors that includes one Brown student, has followed through with a plan first announced in March that shifts the programming of Alternative WBRU-FM 95.5 in Providence, R.I. to audio streaming only. 

Beasley Media Group has teamed up with two radio industry tech companies, a veteran radio programming executive, and one of the nation's leading broadcast media colleges in creating what's being hailed as "a talent incubator and farm system for aspiring broadcasters."