RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast

Many people know Rollye James from her long career as a talk radio personality, which currently includes following the famed John Landecker — or Chicago White Sox games — on Nexstar Media Group's WGN-AM in Chicago. Yet, few realize that James and husband Jon Cornell own an AM/FM combo in Globe, Ariz., just east of Mesa and the sprawling Phoenix metro. What has that experience been like? James resp...

Upstate South Carolina is a vibrant, diverse region of the U.S. that’s home to Denny’s corporate headquarters, a large BMW plant and a particularly successful Hard Rock station: 93.3 The Planet. It’s the home of the Rise Guys, a morning show that has established itself as a strong brand in this part of the world. As such, this podcast is all about branding ... and beer, as Steve Sinicropi, the Sen...

It has certainly been an exceptional year for broadcast TV. From social justice protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, local over-the-air television has played an outsized role in bringing consumers vital information, while also protecting their staff from harm. How has this helped broadcast TV in making its case to advertisers and marketers? That's just one question TVB President/CEO Steve Lanzano t...

For the fifth year in a row, Andrew Curran, President and COO of DMR/Interactive penned an "Open Letter to Radio." In it, he says, “Radio has long been resilient, but as families go back to school and people are back in their cars more often, there’s a significant opportunity to form listening habits and drive daily cume.” With cume sliding dramatically at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in PP...

What role have Alpha Media’s flagship stations played in informing and entertaining listeners across Oregon’s biggest market, and how have the stations worked with clients in “the rebound” from COVID-19 shutdowns? We get the exclusive answer from President/CEO Bob Proffitt, who also shares positive stories from two Ohio markets where Alpha has stations in this fresh RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, spons...

it’s been an interesting eight months, and in Iowa it’s been a bit more newsworthy thanks to something that hasn’t received a lot of news coverage yet was particularly devastating – the Derecho damage in the Hawkeye State. How did it impact the listeners and clients of KZIA-FM and its two FM translator stations? Julie Hein, CEO of KZIA Inc., in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, shares all in this exclus...

The subject of captioning has emerged in recent months as a big one for broadcast TV. It's also become an increasingly necessary tool for radio broadcasters looking to do more in the digital space with video. There are certainly some captioning trends out there in the marketplace, and in this fresh RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, ENCO's Pittsburgh-based Media Solutions Account Manager Bill Bennett share...

In years past, MTV and Spring Breakers very much knew about Panama City Beach, Fla. By the 2000s however, the wild events faded in a region many refer to as "The Forgotten Coast." Then, on Oct. 10, 2018, life changed for all across Bay County as Hurricane Michael devastated the area. The damage was horrific… but the Federal response and recovery efforts were lacking. Many media outlets, including...

It's a very special day for the RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, as it is not only National Radio Day but also the 100th anniversary of the very first broadcasts of WWJ-AM 950 in Detroit. As part of our salute to WWJ and radio, RBR+TVBR has placed its focus on Detroit, and much of its local media. For the latest Podcast, we engaged Detroit Public Media President/CEO Rich Homberg in a conversation that sp...

Frontier Media in February 2017 became the first licensee of a radio station in the U.S. to be 100% foreign owned. At the time, there was zero opposition to the request, which the FCC granted. Now, Richard Burns is the proud -- and successful -- owner of stations in Alaska and along the Texas/Arkansas border. What’s this Australian's perspective on ownership, especially given the much-different at...

Many media industry professionals know Omar Thompson for his many years as a marketing and creative teams leader at ABC Radio Networks, and as a marketing and advertising VP at Premiere Networks some 20 years ago. Today, he's a Principal for Dallas-based marketing strategy firm 1Nine Marketing & Media, which works with brands on the proper content in their creative that can best strike a chord wit...

Radio broadcasting company Magnum. Media has uniquely focused on markets within the state of Wisconsin. And, it's growing -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged ad revenue across much of April and May. Were there any concerns with moving forward with the company's latest station acquisitions? What advise do those running this family-owned operation have to share? Reid Magnum agreed to answer tho...

We’ve reached August, and it has been nearly five months since the COVID-19 virus began its rampage across the U.S. Today, media companies are reporting second quarter earnings featuring big revenue dips, but stories of sequential improvements from April. Now, many are eyeing Washington for relief, and that can come in various ways. What is perhaps the biggest topic of interest in D.C. for radio a...

Over the past several months, WYBN-14, a low-power TV station, has distinguished itself from other stations serving New York's Capital District by offering eight digital multicast networks including COZI TV, Buzzr and This TV to viewers. Now, that same value proposition is being made available to those in the Mid-Hudson Valley, a part of the vast New York City DMA that until now has been devoid of...

Your company has uniquely focused on one of the fastest-growing locales in America. Then, the novel coronavirus arrives. What has the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic done for business over the last four months? That's what we learn from Darrell Calton, Chief Executive Officer of privately held local radio broadcasting company Iliad Media Group, in this freshly produced RBR+TVBR InFOCUS podcast hos...

You likely know vCreative for its media workflow offerings, with cloud-based technology in place for such companies as Univision, Entercom, Cumulus Media, Townsquare Media and Urban One. Now, vCreative is seeking to build on its radio industry success by reaching out to broadcast television. That’s what brings President/COO Susie Hedrick on to the latest RBR+TVBR InFOCUS podcast, hosted by Editor-...

RBR+TVBR readers recently learned that LTN Global’s video transport network services were being used for the first commercial deployment of ATSC 3.0 in the U.S., in Las Vegas. What is the significance of this, and what does this represent to the TV broadcaster? "It's very significant," Chief Technology Officer and head of strategy Alan Young says in this fresh RBR+TVBR InFOCUS podcast. "The rollou...

Until recently, a Boston audio operation branded as "The Urban Heat" could be heard on an AM radio station and FM translator it used via a time brokerage agreement. But then, things took an odd turn when the station owner found himself in financial troubles, and decided to silence the station, along with two others he owns. That didn't stop Marv Neal, the Station Manager for "The Urban Heat," from...

Larry Lewis (pictured), who with his wife Kim are also the newest minority owners of a TV station, recently filed to purchase a Class A TV station serving the Tennessee Valley of northern Alabama. Why did they buy the property? What sort of programming and advertising plans are in the works? Find out in this great 10-minute audio report with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief in this brand-new RBR+TVBR InFO...

Entercom has taken a big step toward greater accuracy in the traffic reports and weather updates offered to stations by its wholly owned Traffic Weather Information Network (TWIN). That’s because Entercom recently adopted a Desktop Video Wall platform developed by Vancouver-based traffic camera solutions company Vizzion. How did this partnership come about, and is it a first between Vizzion and an...

“The broadcast industry can use their powerful voices to improve the lives of their listeners.” How are these words from broadcast industry veteran Kelly Orchard, who holds a Master's in Psychology, perhaps more important than ever? Learn by listening to this fresh RBR+TVBR InFocus podcast, hosted by editor-in-chief Adam R Jacobson.

Are FM translators no different than FM boosters? If they are equal, in the eyes of the FCC, shouldn't both be considered as GeoBroadcast Solutions seeks Commission approval on a proposal to bring unique programming to an FM booster? It's a hot topic, and the legal counsel in Washington representing the Broadcasters is John Garziglia, the well-respected attorney at Womble Bond Dickinson's D.C. off...

Earlier this month, RBR+TVBR received a rather intriguing press release from a Northern Virginia-based business and network engineering consulting services firm that has worked closely with the broadcasting industry for years. It heralded the launch of a new practice division for Widelity Corporation, "one that could save radio and television stations thousands of dollars in FCC fines." What, exac...

How is Marketron working to help bridge digital and over-the-air radio together, for the benefit of advertisers, consumers and station owners? It's a question CEO Jim Howard liked very much, because Marketron believes advertisers are thinking different about consumers. That's because many are asking the following question: How can we interact with the consumer in a way that will meet a client's ad...

Late last week, just in time for Juneteeth, "emotion AI" television advertising research  Realeyes released some intriguing data regarding consumer response to brands that rolled out Blacks Lives Matter-themed creative. Were the ads well received? With front-facing cameras used to measure the attention and emotion of opt-in viewers the hallmark of Realeyes' studies, it looked at several themed cam...