RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast

This was the week that was in Washington, D.C.: the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the FCC being told by a Federal court it has 90 days to complete its 2018 quadrennial review of its ownership rules, a government shutdown averted as two FCC Commissioners unanimously won new terms from Senators, a growing battle over "net neutrality," and the unprecedented ouster of Speaker of the U.S....

Brian Weiss, the Vice President of Entertainment Programming and Multicast Networks at TEGNA, joins RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson from Atlanta on this edition of the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot. FM, to share details on the continued growth of the company’s “Daily Blast Live” program, which is entering its seventh season, and other projects that he’s squarely focused on for growth....

The reclassification of broadband under Title II is one of the divisive FCC regulatory policy matters of the last decade. It was authorized under the leadership of former Chairman Tom Wheeler, and later erased by ex-Chairman Ajit Pai. On Tuesday, empowered with an all-important third Democratic vote, Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel revealed that she's introducing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking tha...

Across the next 13 months, political ad spend will be huge, based on study after study being released of late. While this is a welcome boost for radio and television broadcasting companies, what will the likely impact local media advertisers be? To learn more, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam Jacobson catches up with Frequence Chief Executive Officer Tom Cheli. He shares the latest on why omnichannel...

As MundoNow CEO Rene Alegria sees it, the new MundoNow Project is designed to bring together Hispanic users across the internet "that reflect today’s Latino identity, better monetize partner sites with digital assets, and bring authentic reach and scale to brands in the process." Does this suggest that Spanish-language digital and linear media are doing a poor job of offering content that reflects...

It’s a busy day for TVB, the national trade association representing local broadcast television across the United States. The organization is hosting its Executive Summit live at Studio 8H inside the famed 30 Rock complex in Midtown Manhattan. Our correspondent Renee Cassis is attending, and you can look for our exclusive coverage at RadioTVBiz.com from 4pm Eastern on September 12. To learn a litt...

"I'm super excited to be continuing to show women across the country that you can reach whatever goal you want." That's what Carrie Hofmann tells RBR+TVBR about her appointment, starting on October 2, as President and General Manager of WLTX-TV, the TEGNA-owned CBS affiliate serving Columbia, S.C. Hofmann presently serves as News Director of TEGNA's NBC affiliate in Charlotte, WCNC-36. As she prep...

On September 7, the U.S. Senate was scheduled to vote at long last on the confirmation of an individual nominated by the Biden White House to fill the vacant fifth seat on the Federal Communications Commission. Once she takes the chair, what will Anna Gomez's arrival at the FCC mean, with respect to potential regulatory policy shifts for broadcast radio and TV? Veteran Washington, D.C., communicat...

Accurate audience measurement continues to be a hot topic among marketers and broadcast media executives, especially now that digital consumption of radio and television programming is eclipsing that of linear channels. As radio and TV companies seek to get the most trustworthy data in front of their advertising clients, where that data comes from remains a big consideration point. Where is Comsco...

IBC2023 has emerged as a major global marketplace for broadcast technology companies, both those based in the U.S. and companies that seek to expand their business in North America. To learn more about the importance of this event to broadcast media companies in the United States, RBR+TVBR's Editor-in-Chief chats with public relations professional and Weekly Tech Roundup correspondent Brian Galant...

Content. Community. Culture. Those "three C's" are integral to the leadership of both CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures President/CEO Wendy McMahon, who began her career in brand marketing at storied Gray Television-owned CBS affiliate WTOC-11 in Savannah, Ga. With a bigger role at CBS given to McMahon just days ago, McMahon says she's always craved opportunities in which she can contin...

Social issues of the day? "Those holes are being filled and are being served by other competitors in the market," says Darrell Calton, CEO of Iliad Media Group, who made sure that his company's radio stations in Boise and Twin Falls, Idaho, were a "safe space." He also made it clear that he wanted a group of stations that served a populace "from birth to death," as he is in a business to matchmake...

How is a four-station radio group serving Southwestern Colorado, technically within the Albuquerque TV market, hooking listeners and advertisers now that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic has largely subsided? Four Corners Broadcasting Regional Manager Ward Holmes shares his story in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot. FM.

One year ago, it was believed that TEGNA would be owned by Standard General, the hedge fund led by Soo Kim. That transaction dissolved thanks to a FCC Media Bureau decision for a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge to answer lingering questions bureau chief Holly Sauer had regarding the deal.  Today, TEGNA is proving to its investors that it can go at it alone just fine. In the second...

It is an indisputable fact that ad-dollar allocation to media superserving African American consumers has increased over the last three years, as the community is finally being recognized for its economic power and influence. That said, has Black-owned media has benefited to the same extend as total market broadcast television and radio companies that may not be Black-owned, but actually capture t...

Closing the digital divide. It's a topic that the FCC under Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has put front-and-center, but getting to where the U.S. is today with respect to broadband infrastructure involved former acting Chair Mignon Clyburn and ex-Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. What they had to say on the subject, along with key topics impacting multicultural and minority radio and television br...

According to recently released data from BIA Advisory Services, local advertising is expected to reach $161.7 billion in 2023, a decrease from the previous estimate of $165.7 billion. BIA attributed this to a decline in digital advertising and a slow start to the economy this year. The conclusion got Tom Cheli, the nine-year CEO of ad sales automation and workflow company Frequence, thinking about...

Four years ago, Ron Stone founded the Independent Broadcasters Association. Today, one of the key tenets of the IBA is how to make more money. This includes cash giveaways — an incentive that has attracted more listeners, thus increasing the chances an advertiser will sign a deal for a member station. What's next for the IBA? Stone shares where the organization is heading in this fresh InFOCUS Pod...

The Managing Partner of media brokerage Patrick Communications joins RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson to discuss the state of the transactions marketplace as the second half of 2023 begins. Are their new trends Greg is seeing? Is the TV marketplace seeing the same activity as Radio? Greg shares his thoughts in this 10-minute audio report, presented by dot. FM.

Steve Shine, a Partner in the Indiana general practice law firm Shine & Hardin, wrote to the Radio + Television Business Report in May to offer his kudos to a column that appeared at RBR.com discussing the importance of local broadcast radio versus SiriusXM Satellite Radio. That sparked an ongoing dialogue about the key role of AM and FM radio in the communities where Shine & Hardin seeks new busi...

It's pronounced like "apple at'cha," and it is a unique offering bringing three locally produced shows and a slate of PBS programming to an area of rural Southwestern Virginia. But, don't call it a PBS Member station. Introducing "PBS Appalachia Virginia," which bowed on June 10 as an online-exclusive digital offering that enjoys MVPD distribution, filling a void in one of the few places in the U....

Richard Stern, the Chief Executive Officer of TuneIn, the streaming audio platform with a global presence, returns to the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot. FM, to address questions surrounding AM radio’s future in the vehicle with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.

On May 22, A former NTIA figure who in January became a Senior Advisor for International Information and Communications Policy at the U.S. State Department was officially nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a FCC Commissioner. For Anna Gomez, the path to being sworn in as the fifth Commission could be smoother than that for the polarizing Gigi Sohn, the individual the White House stuck wi...

For two hours and 45 minutes on Tuesday morning, the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing focused on the importance of AM radio. Taking center stage for broadcasters on Capitol Hill: J Chapman, a.k.a. Jerry Chapman, the President of Woof Boom Radio. Chapman's stations serve five cities in Indiana and Ohio, and his testimony served as an i...

How AI can aid audio content creation and distribution companies is a topic that is hotter than ever, thanks to ChatGPT and a variety of new products for radio and podcasters that automates perhaps mundane human tasks. For Super Hi-Fi's Los Angeles-based co-founder and CEO Zack Zalon, partnerships with ElevenLabs make AI "an automation layer" that in some respects still requires a human. That said...