Industry News

It’s been a long time coming, but it appears automotive advertising dollars are returning to spot television just in time for springtime sales.

No less than three automotive brands can be found in the latest Media Monitors Spot Ten TV report, from iHeartMedia.

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TORONTO — If you thought recent mergers in the U.S. broadcast television industry were huge, hold on to your hats — and watch those Loonies and Toonies that are about to be exchanged between two of Canada’s largest media conglomerates.

Rogers Communications — founded 59 years ago by Ted Rogers with his establishment of CHFI-FM in Canada’s largest market — is merging with Shaw Communications in a deal valued at $20,840,000,000 in U.S. dollars.

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The author is executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

New reports on listening habits brought on by the pandemic are must-reads for stations. Even as states and the federal government are reviewing existing policies related to COVID-19, new audience habits may be here to stay. And, with that, our past ways of talking about radio may need to adjust.

On March 11, The Infinite Dial’s latest findings were released. The longtime initiative of Edison Research has been the gold standard when it comes to seeing where listening habits are as well as indicators for the future. Some of the dire discoveries presented opportunities, too.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Is OnlyFans Music’s Next Royalty Model?]

In-car listening has dropped from about the same time last year. Seventy-five percent of the more than 1,000 respondents participated in this survey said they tuned in via their vehicles in the last month. That’s a significant decline from the 81% who listening in their cars in 2020. Bear in mind, however, that the number of people in autos dipped by five% from last year.

Considering the spike in streaming service subscriptions, rivals like satellite radio and other entertainment, radio’s draw among Americans remains solid. These numbers could grow as vaccinations become more available by summer.

Sixty-two percent of Americans listen via the web at least weekly. Online listenership, researchers say, is at an all-time high. Such a statistic may prompt your station to think about how it markets itself on the air. If your promos are more focused on “tuning in,” could you be missing out by not talking up online options? Smart speaker adoption continues to grow. Are your spots telling your loyal fans how they can find you there?

Also, AudiGraphics discussed audience metrics with Current. Most interesting is the return of in-home listening to radio. This isn’t your grandparents’ old-time living room radio, though. Smart speakers and connected devices have made streaming your favorite radio station easier than it’s ever been. Where people used to listen on their commute, AudiGraphics points out they’ve simply shifted to catch the news and other programming they enjoy through alternate means. A question to thus ask is how your station is recognizing those listeners.

The storm cloud in this research is primarily for news and talk-based radio, especially noncommercial ones. It’s not entirely surprising, though. With election day long gone and media attention away from the Jan. 6 violence, more listeners are skipping the news in favor of other programming. AudiGraphics highlights the drop in listenership for NPR stations especially. Given NPR’s prominence, one would have to think these trends will impact any station rooted in news/talk. If you are a station that leans on news and public affairs programming, you might consider reviewing the figures closely.

While stations do their best to deliver a consistent quality of service, the technology around us changes every generation, and faster. Our ability to evolve with our audience can only prove beneficial.

The post Community Broadcaster: Off Road appeared first on Radio World.

In the past 14 months, William Langer Gokey arranged a series of transactions that would ultimately lead to his departure as a radio station licensee in the Michigan market of Petoskey.

Now, Gokey has moved forward with the last of these six deals.

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The Federal Communications Commission weighed in on a series of complaints, petitions and supplements that were filed by stations complaining that an LPFM is interfering with their stations.

In the end, the FCC dismissed some of the complaints and petitions but mandated that stations work together to determine exactly what is causing the interference.

In October 2020, New River Community Church, Manchester, Conn., filed a petition for reconsideration on a Media Bureau decision that found that its WYPH(LP), was continuing to interfere with second-adjacent channel WDRC(FM) in Hartford, Conn., owned by Red Wolf Broadcasting Corp.

[Read: Fla. LPFM Gets Interference Notice]

In that decision the Media Bureau concluded that not only did WYPH fail to eliminate the interference it was allegedly causing, it also failed to prove beyond a doubt that its station was not the culprit in this interference situation.

Other parties began to weigh in too. Red Wolf Broadcasting filed a supplemental letter alleging that WYPH’s operations were causing interference to the over-the-air reception of its station, while Saga Communications of New England, which is licensee of WAQY(FM) in Springfield, Mass., also filed an interference complaint.

What’s key to understand is that FCC rules spell out a series of second-adjacent channel minimum distance separation requirements for LPFM stations — but only if the LPFM station demonstrates that its proposed operations will not result in interference to any authorized radio service.

As it stands, WYPH is currently licensed to operate under an approved second-adjacent channel waiver since it is short-spaced to second-adjacent channel stations WDRC and WAQY. But if the commission receives a complaint that an LPFM station is causing interference — even if they are operating with an approved second-adjacent channel wavier — the station must suspend operations until the interference is eliminated or the LPFM can prove that it is not the source of the interference.

And to be clear: any claim of interference must be from a disinterested listener who can prove their name and address and can pinpoint a location at which the interference occurs.

Over the course of 2016 and 2017, New River Community Church received a green light for both the second-channel adjacent waiver and a construction permit for WYPH.

Moving ahead to January 2020, Red Wolf filed a complaint alleging that WYPH’s operations were causing interference to the over-the-air reception of WDRC. That led the FCC to order WYPH to cease operations until it resolved the interference issues.

New River responded to say that the listener objections were not bona fide complaints because Red Wolf solicited and scripted those complaints with listeners. The licensee also suggested that on/off testing be conducted by a third-party engineer and that those test results be submitted to the Media Bureau to confirm whether WYPH is the source of interference to WDRC.

The back and forth began in earnest. New River said Red Wolf would not agree to participate in testing. New River also said that Red Wolf had tried to oust WYPH from its tower site to attempting to lease the entire tower for FM purposes.

Red Wolf replied to say that WYPH was operating with the wrong antenna, which violates FCC’s rules. Specifically, after its permit was granted, WYPH installed a two-bay half-wavelength antenna, a Shively 6812B-2. Red Wolf said that WYPH’s operations with this antenna is causing interference to both Red Wolf’s station WDRC and to Saga’s station WAQY.

New River responded by saying it was “three years too late” for Red Wolf to object and that New River’s engineering report only showed predicted interference, not actual interference.

Then Saga Communications joined in, filing an interference complaint alleging that if WYPH is allowed to resume operations, it will continue to cause interference to Saga’s WAQY. Saga asked the FCC to keep WYPH from resuming operations until the Shively antenna is replaced with a Nicom antenna.

The FCC weighed in with decisive decisions. It reaffirmed the Media Bureau decision that said that New River failed to show that its station was not the source of interference. Until New River eliminates the interference or shows that it is not causing it, the station cannot resume broadcasting, the FCC said. The commission also dismissed New River’s assertion that interference complaints were not bona fide. The bureau also reprimanded New River by failing to conduct certain on/off tests in conjunction with Red Wolf.

But New River still has the opportunity to prove that its station is not the source of interference by beginning to conduct those on/off tests. The bureau ruled that the two broadcasters — New River and Red Wolf — must jointly cooperate in a test to formally determine the source of the interference. The two have 90 days to submit those results to the bureau. The bureau also denied Red Wolf’s request to rescind WYPH’s license because the filing was not done with in a proper time frame. The commission also reviewed Saga’s complaint and found that Saga failed to submit any valid listener complaints to prove interference.

The post FCC Resolving New England Interference Case appeared first on Radio World.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An FCC Enforcement Bureau Advisory related to obligations under the Communications Act to comply with the Sponsorship ID laws requiring disclosure of program sponsorship when airing paid-for programming has been dispatched.

Also released Friday by the Commission: a Public Notice as a reminder of the obligation to place sharing agreements into the public file.

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The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB), the Native American Journalists Association and the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) on Friday came together to submit a letter to the House Judiciary Subcommittee supporting the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA).

This, if passed after several unsuccessful bill introductions, would create an antitrust safe harbor allowing news producers to negotiate with digital platforms over the carriage terms of their content.

Tied to the bill’s reintroduction in Congress was a Friday House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law hearing titled “Reviving Competition, Part 2: Saving the Free and Diverse Press.”

On behalf of the NAB, which supports the JCPA, Graham Media Group President/CEO Emily Barr testified before the Subcommittee.

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The FCC, under former Chairman Ajit Pai largely fueled by Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, opened the door to a potentially game-changing proposal for an industry desperate for its own addressable advertising solution.

Thanks to technology developed by GeoBroadcast Solutions, the company behind Maxxcasting — which brings “fringe” FM signals a city-grade contour — has developed a scheme that splits, if you will, an FM station by zones.

Proponents say it’s a great way for some radio broadcasters to better compete with local digital media. Opponents including the NAB and groups representing multicultural broadcasters warn such a plan could present harm to niche ethnic stations already struggling to survive while destroying an already fragile rate structure at bigger stations.

Whether broadcasting remains broad or can get narrower saw GeoBroadcastSolutions, the MMTC and NABOB all state their case to the Commission on Friday.

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New York – Management Consultant/Director
New York Market Radio Committee (NYMRC)

(Short Term)
The independent consultant/contractor will contract with the New York State Broadcasters Association, Inc. (NYSBA). The consultant will advise the NYSBA leadership and the New York Market Radio Committee (NYMRC) a subcommittee of NYSBA. The primary task is to advance the profile of the local radio industry in New York City. Ability to creatively and persuasively educate the advertising community about the continued influence of radio in Market #1 is essential to the role. Also the skill to engage with the press to tell the success story of FM/AM, along with the growing power of digital audio, is a key as well. The consultant will be responsible for developing overall strategy of elevating New York radio from ideation to execution. If you love and appreciate local radio and can become its biggest advocate, then this position is for you. This short term independent contract position is intended to last for six months, but may be extended.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work closely with NYSBA leadership and the NYMRC to craft and execute a fully integrated communication plan to support local radio, including strong use of social platforms.
• Liaise with the leadership of the New York City based radio broadcasters to better understand their needs for industry advocacy.
• Identify key advertising industry relationships to build and/or strengthen bonds with local radio broadcasters.
• Interface with the press, both industry and general market, to communicate the compelling stories of impact from New York City radio. This includes proactively seeking public speaking engagements.
• Responsibly manage an operating budget provided by NYSBA to accomplish NYMRC’s goals efficiently.
• Manage the NYMRAC digital footprint, along with drafting press releases.

QUALIFICATIONS:
• Minimum seven (7) years’ experience in a leadership role in local media, preferably radio.
• Knowledge of New York City advertising, media, digital and communications landscape.
• Self-starter who is detailed orientated and can deftly manage multiple stakeholders to garner consensus.
• Creative problem solver, who can build a step by step solution to areas of focus.
• Comfortable presenting to and interacting directly with clients and media.

CONTRACT AMOUNT – Negotiable
REPLY DEADLINE – April 30, 2020
CONTACT – David L. Donovan, President NYSBA, 1805 Western Avenue Albany, NY 12203 at (518) 456-8888 or ddonovan@nysbroadcasters.org

It is the policy of the New York State Broadcasters Association, Inc. when contracting to comply with all federal, state and local law, policy, orders, rules and regulations which prohibit unlawful discrimination because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability or marital status.

Publication of the latest The Infinite Dial report by Triton Digital and Edison Research is nudging the series to the quarter-century mark, with the first release taking place in 1998. The current edition tracks media consumption in a year that was full of surprises. A recent online presentation hosted by Tom Webster, senior vice president at Edison Research and John Rosso, president of market development at Triton Digital, summarized this year’s key findings.

The broad view of 2020, according to Webster and Rosso, is that all media took a hit during the disruptive period starting in March, with layoffs, lockdowns and many beginning to work from home. The good news is that by January 2021, when The Infinite Dial’s telephone survey of 1,507 people was taken, things had pretty well returned to normal, with the expected growth being seen in most areas.

Smartphone ownership experienced rapid growth from the time of its introduction in 2009 through 2017, when it began to plateau as the market approached saturation. Nevertheless, the numbers went from 85 million owners in 2019 to an estimated 88 million in 2021. Webster and Rosso speculate that this increase may have been driven largely by Apple’s introduction of the second generation iPhone SE in April.

Not all devices are enjoying an uptick in popularity, according to Triton and Edison’s data. Tablet ownership peaked at 56% of the U.S. population in 2019, and has since declined to an estimated 51% for the current year. At the same time, the data suggests that internet-connected watch ownership seems to have hit a plateau. In 2018 and 2019, 17% of the U.S. population owned one, and the estimated number only rose to 18% for 2021.

In the no-big-surprise department, smart speakers seem to have had another good year. The Infinite Dial’s numbers suggest that ownership jumped from 27% in 2020 to an estimated 33% for this year. Webster and Rosso add that the researchers dug a bit deeper to try and understand why there was this much growth. When this same question of ownership was asked of those who are employed full- or part-time and work from home, the number jumped from 33–49%. Correlation, as they say, is not causation, but it makes one wonder if the economic upheaval of 2020 might not have had a positive effect on smart speaker sales.

Further signs of smart speaker growth, according to The Infinite Dial 2021,  may be found in data on number of smart speakers in a household. In 2018, the first year that numbers were collected, 67% of respondents owned one smart speaker, 22% owned two, and just 11% owned three or more. Ownership for the current year is 47% owning one, 19% with two, and 34% with three or more. Webster and Rosso posit that this data suggests many first-time buyers are starting out with two or more smart speakers.

The post Despite Disruptions in 2020, Media Consumption Trends Upwards appeared first on Radio World.