Radio+Television Business Report

It’s official: Procter & Gamble Co. was the top parent advertiser in the U.S. for the second year in a row, thanks to millions of spots airing on the radio and TV stations and cable TV channels offering local drop-in capabilities across 2021 tracked by iHeartMedia-owned Media Monitors.

According to Media Monitors, which saw its co-owned radio industry trade publication and public relations operation share the news before its widespread distribution, P&G aired more than 26 million spots on radio, local cable and broadcast TV last year.

And, for the second consecutive year, the consumer products goods (CPG) firm increased its year-over-year instances. In 2021, Procter & Gamble aired 14% more instances (26,398,691) than it did in 2020, when it ran 22% more spots (23,154,642) than 2019.

At the same time, GEICO is once again the top advertising account. The insurer aired a total of 5,945,084 instances across radio, local cable and broadcast TV. Although it was the top advertiser on broadcast TV, it ranked second on local cable and fourth on radio.

“With some of the world’s most trusted household brands like Tide, Gillette and Crest, it recognizes the value of reaching out to consumers during challenging times such as the current pandemic,” said Media Monitors President/CEO Philippe Generali. “The brand has continued to increase its reach and use advertising to boost sales.”

Here’s who advertised the most on radio, local cable and broadcast TV. RADIO Procter & Gamble was the number one parent advertiser on radio. The CPG company allocated more of its spots to radio (9,097,535) than to local cable or broadcast TV, and aired 71% more instances year-over-year on the medium. In 2020, it aired just 5,318,812 spots on radio. The US Government (2), which had ranked as the number one on radio for both 2020 and 2019, fell to number two. COVID-related government advertising dropped slightly, to 5,372,010 in 2021 from 5,857,218 in 2020. Job search service INDEED was the top radio account, with 2,532,634 instances, having just barely made it into the top 10 for 2020. Progressive Insurance aired fewer spots in 2021 than it did in 2020, dropping to number two with 2,296,537 instances. Babbel, the language-learning service and a newcomer to the list last year, rose to number three from number five in 2020. GEICO (4) and The Home Depot (5) each dropped one spot in the ranking. Top Parent Advertisers in Radio Top Accounts in Radio LOCAL CABLE On local cable, the top three parent advertisers of 2020 retained their positions in 2021, with Procter & Gamble once again at number one. With over 8.5 million instances, Procter & Gamble aired more spots than communication providers Comcast Corporation (2) and Charter Communications, Inc. (3) combined. Other top parent companies also were focused on personal care, including GlaxoSmithKline, PLC (4), L’Oreal USA, Inc. (5) and Unilever, PLC (9). Meanwhile, the battle for share-of-voice among three insurance providers rages on. Among the top 5  accounts were: Liberty Mutual Insurance (1) with 3,051,031 spots, closely followed by GEICO (2) with 3,035,714 instances. Progressive (5) trailed slightly, airing over 1.8 million spots. After its release in early 2021, Discovery+ shot to number three among the top 10 accounts with 2.8 million instances. This was enough to drive parent company Discover, Inc., into the top 10 ranking of parent advertisers in the medium. For parent advertiser Amazon.com, Inc., 3,051,527 instances were enough to lift the e-commerce company into the top 10 at number seven. With 1.4 million spots aired, Amazon.com also entered the ranking of top accounts at number 10. Top Parent Advertisers in Local Cable Top Accounts in Local Cable BROADCAST TV After being #1 on Radio and #1 on Cable, P&G did the “hat trick” in 2021: on broadcast TV, it is also the top parent advertiser. Procter & Gamble aired nearly four times as many spots as number two Johnson & Johnson. Together, the two firms aired almost as many spots (a total of 11,024,353) as the eight other parent companies in the top 10 combined (a total of 12,050,439). Broadcast TV, like local cable, also reflected a trend for self-care. In addition to Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal USA, Inc. (6), and Unilever PLC (7) led the top 10. In addition, healthcare-focused organizations were strongly represented in the top parent company advertiser rankings. Among the top 10 were GlaxoSmithKline PLC (3), the US Government (4) and AbbVie, Inc. (9). Insurance companies topped the rankings of advertising accounts, with GEICO holding the number one spot, followed by Liberty Mutual Insurance (2) and Progressive (4). However, five of the top 10 advertising accounts were related to health and personal care. Procter & Gamble-owned Tide (6) and Downy (7) were followed by Dupixent (8), Neutrogena (9) and Colgate (10). “We’re only going to see growth in the self-care sector,” said Generali. “The ongoing need to self-protect from the pandemic combined with increased stay-home time means that people are taking even more time to focus on themselves. They’re going to be looking for brands that reflect their lifestyles for the coming year.” Top Parent Advertisers in Broadcast TV Top Accounts in Broadcast TV

He’s responsible for all aspects of the NAB member experience, including content, programming, networking and “other engagement strategies that provide value to members and their businesses.”

Additionally, he will work closely with broadcast leaders and representatives “to identify the needs of the industry and develop timely and pertinent solutions to address these issues.”

Introducing the incoming VP of Member Experience for the broadcast media industry’s chief advocacy organization and biggest voice on Capitol Hill.

His name: Bradford Caldwell. He begins his new role on February 1 and reports to EVP of Industry Experience April Carty-Sipp.

Caldwell is taking a new position at the NAB, but is absorbing duties currently held by NAB SVP of Member Services and Operations B.J. Corriveau. He retired at the end of 2021.

“As a third-generation broadcaster, Bradford knows what it takes to operate stations on a day-to-day basis,” NAB President/CEO Curtis LeGeyt said. “He is well-respected by his peers and our membership will benefit greatly as he helps NAB continue serving the needs of the broadcasting community.”

Caldwell previously served as CFO of East Arkansas Broadcasters (EAB), which owns and operates 31 radio stations in Arkansas.

Caldwell has served as a member of the NAB Radio Board of Directors representing Arkansas and Tennessee and is a past chairman of the Arkansas Broadcasters Association. He is currently chairman of the Cross County, Arkansas Community Foundation and a past president of the Cross County, Arkansas Chamber of Commerce. He is also a past board member of the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has reappointed a Copyright Royalty Judge focused in economics to a six-year term.

With the decision, this judge will have spent 15 years on the Copyright Royalty Board.

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New York Festivals TV & Film Awards has added two individuals to its Advisory Board. One is the CEO of WaterBear Network. The other is the Editor-in-Chief and Chief Sustainability Officer for Mediacorp Singapore.

Ellen Windemuth, of WaterBear Network, is being joined by Mediacorp Singapore’s Walter Fernandez.

They join a 16-member Advisory Board panel. Their experience and expertise provide “a futurist’s view of the evolving television and film industry to NYF’s TV & Film Awards.”

The deadline to enter the 2022 Television & Film Awards competition is February 1.  To view entry details and competition rules and regulations visit HERE. For a complete list of 2022 categories, visit HERE.

All Entries in the 2022 competition will be judged online and screened by NYF’s TV & Film Awards award-winning Grand Jury panel.  Award-winning entries will be showcased at the Storytellers Gala.

To view the 2021 TV & Film Awards winner’s showcase visit: winners.

It’s a free, ad-supported app owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group that offers access to live and on-demand newscasts from its own stations and partner broadcasters from more than 165 DMAs across the U.S.

As of today, it is the latest built-in app to appear on Samsung Smart TVs.

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For those who believed the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to uphold the Pai Commission’s “modernization” of its cross-ownership rules by allowing one entity to own a newspaper and a radio or TV station in the same market for the first time since the mid-1970s was a bad thing, a major deal involving a Windy City institution may come as sour news.

Yet, the FCC under former Chairman Ajit Pai may have helped save a Chicago daily while, at the same time, put the wheels in motion on a unique collaboration between a newspaper and Chicago Public Media — a model that could help save print publications in other markets from extinction.

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In the face of a pandemic and ensuring the company’s broadcast TV stations covered COVID-19 with all the resources they needed, Emily Barr has delivered for Chicago-based Graham Media Group’s local television stations, found in Houston, Detroit, San Antonio, Orlando, Jacksonville, and in Roanoke, Va.

She’s also become a familiar figure on Capitol Hill, thanks to her role as the NAB’s Television Board Chair. Now, Barr is ready to perhaps relax, as the fourth-ranked executive on Broadcast Television’s Best Leaders rankings for 2021 has announced her retirement.

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When it comes to local audience measurement, Nielsen isn’t the only source for ratings and consumer data anymore. Entravision Communications recognizes this, as it is signing a new agreement giving it access to Comscore‘s “next-generation linear audience measurement service” as its local audience currency in one of its television markets.

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A SVP of Performance Sales and a VP of Performance Sales have been added to the C-Suite at the audio content creation and distribution company formerly known as Entercom.

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He started his career at WBT in Charlotte in 1952. Twenty-six years later he would become President of the Broadcast Division of Allbritton Communications, former owner of such stations as ABC affiliate WJLA-7 in Washington.

Now, many across the Nation’s Capital and around the U.S. are paying tribute to Thomas Cookerly, who has died at the age of 94.

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The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation has extended the final deadline to submit entries for the 47th annual Gracie Awards to January 27, 2022.

The Awards celebrate programming and individual achievement by, for and about women in television, radio/audio and digital media.

“We know the circumstances of the past two years led to delivering content to audiences in ways we never expected, which is why we are more committed than ever to honoring the remarkable work that has been created by, for and about women,” said Becky Brooks, President.

Entry information can be found HERE.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate Judiciary Committee has set Thursday (1/20) to markup the Open App Markets Act. The bipartisan bill, introduced in August 2021, is focused on promoting competition in the app market currently dominated by Apple and Google.

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Sinclair Broadcast Group‘s annual Diversity Scholarship program is now accepting applications for the 2022 school year.

The primary goal of the scholarships is to help students from diverse backgrounds, who reflect Sinclair’s audiences nationwide, complete their education and pursue careers in broadcast journalism, digital storytelling, and marketing.

“Through our annual scholarship program, we hope to develop the next generation of journalists, and continue our commitment to increasing diversity in the broadcast industry to better reflect the communities we serve,” said Chris Ripley, Sinclair’s President/CEO.

The program has provided more than $100,000 in tuition assistance during the last six years.

Applicants must be a current college sophomore or junior at a four-year undergraduate college or university. Students from all 50 states can apply at www.sbgi.net/scholarship.

Deadline for submissions is Saturday, April 30.

With an eye toward improving streaming, CBS News has made several leadership appointments.

At the same time, there are new leaders in place at CBS Newspath, the CBS News-affiliated affiliate newsgathering service.

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As the video streaming market grows more complex and dynamic, the greater the value of audience measurement.

That’s one of the key points of a new thought leadership report from KANTAR. “Media Trends and Predictions 2022” looks at five key themes for the media industry this year.

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By Rob Dumke

New year, new MVPD impasse.

Last week, Dish subscribers across a slew of Midwestern states lost access to local television stations owned by Block Communications. As is the case with such disagreements, both sides are blaming each other.

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Until August 2021, he served as the Market President for iHeartMedia in Huntsville, Ala. That’s when he departed to form his own broadcast media company.

Now, the new entity has filed paperwork with the Commission for its first two properties.

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With the 2022 NAB Show now marking the “big return” for many a broadcast media technology vendor, CP Communications has perhaps emerged as one of the more active players of late. In this RBR+TVBR Winter 2022 Special Report preview, CP CEO Kurt Heitman shares his excitement about what lies ahead for the company in 2022 with Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.

The conversation is the centerpiece of the latest InFOCUS Podcast, where Broadcast Media comes to Talk. It’s less than 15 minutes in length — the perfect size to go with your morning coffee, afternoon walk, or evening wind-down. Listen now!

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Kurt Heitman” on Spreaker.

FELTON, CALIF. — A company founded 49 years ago as a radio broadcast technology services provider that today specializes in RDS encoders, AM/FM modulation monitors and off-air monitoring equipment for AM / FM / HD / DAB+ / RDS / Internet Radio is bringing to market two new HD Radio modulation monitors.

Inovonics says the new 551 and 552 HD Radio Modulation Monitors are to be released in February. And, the company says the monitors incorporate the necessary features for station setup, regulatory compliance and remote monitoring.

The model 551, with its 7-inch TFT Touch Screen, displays all the essential modulation data in a graphic format on the front panel, as well as the remote Web interface. In addition, full-time audio outputs are available for FM and digital channels HD1- HD4. The model 552 is designed for remote installations where information is accessible via the graphic Web interface and is available at a more modest price point.

Inovonics President/CEO Ben Barber commented, “When we look back over the past two years of development, we have made great strides in designing a complete and comprehensive FM/HD Radio Mod Monitor. With the dynamic web interface that can be remotely accessed from any smart phone, tablet, or PC, and its SNMP capabilities, these two products take innovation to a new level.”

For more information about price and availability, please contact Inovonics Sales Department via e-mail at sales@inovonicsbroadcast.com || Tel: (+1) 831-458-0552

Broadcast Pix has rolled out a new feature-rich software release for its entire range of  integrated production systems. V9.0 software is now available on all new Broadcast Pix systems, and as a free download to all users with a current support contract.

Apart from the usual bug fixes and minor enhancements, the V9.0 release includes some “significant new features,” ones the company says will benefit all production environments.

GuestPix
GuestPix integrates remote guests connected via their browser with any other video elements in the switcher, including full automation and timing by including them in Macros.

A user logs in through a link using an authentication code and then shares their webcam or desktop, allowing users to see a preview of what is being shared, along with the return program output, including audio with automatic mix minus for echo cancellation.

Integrated Intercom and Chat
Remote crew members such as a camera or graphic operator can talk to the switcher operator like a traditional intercom system through their browser, using their local mic, speakers or headset. Additionally, they can open a chat window and message the switcher operator or control room using IM, with the ability to leave, but still pick up conversations when they reenter. The chat session can also be saved to a text file for later use.

Enhanced Automation

Macro Timer
Schedule a Macro to trigger at a set time or on a recurring basis
Macros can be enabled and disabled without deleting them
Status bar shows a timer icon at 2 mins and a counter at 30 secs prior
Automatically start a production (i.e., a church service or meeting)

Show-Based Camera Control Setting
Works with all IP cameras using the Sony camera control protocol
The camera control and its settings can now be show-based
Simplifies operation for multiple setups of different room configurations
Reduces errors and increases flexibility
Presets are saved locally with unlimited presets, plus export and back up with the show

Broadcast Pix CEO Graham Sharp said, “We are very excited that this major software release will enable our users to do more – include remote guests, improved team collaboration, and enhanced automation within their live productions – at no additional cost. These rich new features build upon our tradition of offering the most powerful yet easiest-to-use live production solutions available today.”

Version 9.0 software is now available on all new BPswitch, ChurchPix, RadioPix and StreamingPix systems and is also available as a free update for existing Broadcast Pix users under warranty or a support contract. To learn more, visit www.broadcastpix.com.