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Wednesday, March 12, 2014
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Radio’s still in Millennial’s evolving media mix.
Radio’s bread and butter are 25-54 year-olds, the demo most formats shoot for and most advertisers covet. But Millennials, all 77 million of them, are waiting in the wings. Radio’s still very much in their orbit fresh data shows. But like all traditional media, takes a back seat to the Big Kahuna of the Millennial media mix: user-generated content.
CBS Radio’s new role may be adding heft to CBS.
Talk of scaling back the size of the radio division remains on CBS chief Les Moonves’ lips — he again says the company would consider selling some of the smaller markets it operates in “if there was the right opportunity.” But there’s a new reason to keep it besides the often-referenced cash that CBS Radio generates. Namely, it helps make CBS less prone to takeover. MORE
Programmatic buying comes to broadcast radio.
After building a server-based automated ad-delivery system, Jelli has taken the next step toward bringing machine-based ad sales to radio. The company has launched SpotPlan, which claims to be the first programmatic buying platform for radio. MORE
Ad buyers uneasy about automated buying.
If radio sellers aren’t entirely sure what programmatic buying is all about, they have plenty of company. In Madison Avenue media shops there’s also some uncertainty. A new STRATA survey of buyers finds six-in-ten think there’s no unified definition of what programmatic buying actually means. Just 2% think the issue’s settled. MORE
FCC to take a fresh look at multilingual EAS.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, a group of minority media groups urged the FCC to look at updating EAS rules to bring alerts to listeners in languages other than English. They thought the devastating storm would spur action. Now, nearly a decade later, the FCC says it will “refresh” the record on multilingual EAS. MORE
Entravision’s new outreach is Latina mothers.
Hispanic immigrants have helped boost the U.S. birthrate with an average family size bigger than the overall population. Therein lies the new Entravision opportunity: Latina moms. The company has launched a new digital content vertical in TodoBebe.com, with plans to extend the brand to its radio and TV properties. MORE
Saga sketches out more ‘metro stations’ in 2014.
Saga Communications has been one of the most aggressive companies in using a combination of translators and HD subchannels or AMs to expand its footprint in several of the 25 markets where it operates. That will continue into 2014, the company said yesterday, as it outlined plans to spend up to $1 million building out new “metro stations” as CEO Ed Christian thinks the industry should brand them to make them more comprehendible to ad buyers and listeners. MORE
Digital dashboard hold promise, but at a price.
The next generation of digital dashboards will have a built-in internet connection, eliminating the need to connect a smartphone. But convenience comes at a price, and it remains to be seen if consumers are willing to fork over more to mobile carriers. AT&T has put a price on what it will cost for its soon-to-launch 4G LTE-equipped dashboard, at least for Audi drivers. MORE
FCC reform effort now in Senate’s hands.
The U.S. House late yesterday passed a bill that Communications Subcommittee chair Greg Walden (R-OR) believes will increase the “transparency, predictability, and accountability” of the FCC. The same cannot be said for Congress however, and it appears the Senate may not take up the bill. MORE
‘Sun’ to set in Reno.
Americom Broadcasting soft AC “Sunny 106.9” KRNO, Reno, NV is dropping the branding it’s used since the mid-1990s. Owner Tom Quinn tells KOLO-TV that later this month they’ll rebrand as “More FM.” Like another station that made the same shift to “More FM” — Philadelphia’s former “B-101” WBEB — Reno’s “Sunny” has had solid ratings. Nielsen says it was tied for No. 1 (12+) in the Fall 2013 survey. MORE
Journal introduces new brand identity.
Image is everything, not just for radio brands but also for the companies that own them. Believing it was time to update how it represents itself to investors, employees and the public, Journal Communications has trotted out a new company brand. MORE
