Industry News

G Networks announced a partnership with Text Groove to offer text messaging to U.S. radio stations on barter.

“One of the many benefits of the Text Groove platform is its ability to enable text messaging on a station’s existing studio phone number (landline, toll-free or VoIP), enabling immediate listener text interaction,” the company said in its announcement.

It quoted G Networks Chief Development Officer Rich O’Brien saying the technology was designed for radio station contexts specifically, to encourage listener interaction.

The announcement was made by Curtis Machek, CEO of Text Groove, and Warren Friedland, president of G Networks.

Text Groove launched in 2017 and says it has some 300 stations using its service in Canada and the United States. It says it has the ability to text-enable any landline, toll-free or VoIP phone number.

G Networks is a network audio company, part of media ad sales firm Gen Media Partners.

The post Text Groove Partners With G Networks appeared first on Radio World.

These are good times for RadioDNS, it seems.

“Anyone can implement our open standards without needing our involvement or agreement,” said Project Director Nick Piggott in a press release previewing the organization’s upcoming annual General Assembly.

“That means they’re growing in use, both visible and invisible, across a growing number of areas of the radio industry globally. RadioDNS has established itself as a valuable and reliable resource.”

RadioDNS will hold its 16th General Assembly virtually on Feb. 23; it is open only to members. (See a list of members.)

“Our standards have been widely adopted by broadcasters, manufacturers and service providers, and are now proving valuable across the entire industry, not just hybrid radio,” the not-for-profit organization stated.

“As hoped and intended, our standards are now part of commercial offerings which create differentiation and competition but without creating unnecessary implementation costs and complexities.”

The service is free, and can be adopted by broadcasters directly or through a service provider.

Among other topics at this month’s assembly, RadioDNS will present its plans to develop hybrid radio functionality further.

Among organizations joining RadioDNS in the past year are IEEE BTS, Gracenote and NXP.

The post RadioDNS Readies for General Assembly appeared first on Radio World.

Joining RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson on the latest InFOCUS Podcast is Paul Kelly. He’s the Chief Revenue Officer for A Million Ads, and has two decades of experience leading creative and commercial teams for such organizations as Viacom.

Paul shares his insight and knowledge on audio advertising, and how it’s so hot, LinkedIn is getting in the game.

What can Radio glean from this? You’ll learn more in just 11 minutes.

Listen to “The InFOCUS Podcast: Paul Kelly” on Spreaker.

Thanks to the efforts of Volker Moerbitz, the longtime Research Analyst with the Kagan arm of S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Media & Communications broadcast sector advisory services, a full review of the 2021 transactions marketplace has arrived.

The biggest takeaway: “Cautious optimism” abounds, as year-end deal numbers for 2021 are higher than that seen in 2020.

That’s the overall portrait, however, fueled by television.

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Radio Azadi journalist Mohammad Homayoon Hewad at work in Kabul (from the Radio Azadi website)

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is noting the 20th anniversary of the relaunch of broadcasts to Afghanistan in the Dari and Pashto languages.

“RFE/RL’s broadcasts resumed less than five months after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. and nearly a decade after the Dari and Pashto services were closed down in 1993 as part of an overall restructuring of RFE/RL operations following the end of the Cold War,” the organization noted in a press release.

“Despite last year’s withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and return of the Taliban to power, Radio Azadi continues to serve the Afghan people as a trusted and reliable source of news, analysis, and responsible discussion – on radio and, especially, on digital platforms.”

RFE/RL President Jamie Fly was quoted saying Radio Azadi has been “a trusted friend and partner to the Afghan people, in good times and bad.” He said the service’s work is important now “when so many of the achievements of the past twenty years are at risk.”

Radio Azadi marked the anniversary with a video report about the past 20 years, a photo gallery of journalists and a video of colleagues sharing experiences.

The organization said that its journalists “have endured death threats and other forms of harassment from Taliban and Islamic State forces, trends that intensified prior to the Taliban takeover.” It said four colleagues lost their lives in bombings in the past four years.

“The changing reality of producing journalism in Afghanistan forced RFE/RL to take dramatic steps to protect its staff, including the closure of its Kabul bureau, and evacuation of threatened local journalists from the country. Many former Radio Azadi staff remain in Afghanistan, ineligible for refugee status under U.S. government or international resettlement programs. Their situation remains highly tenuous.”

The post RFE/RL Marks Radio Azadi Anniversary appeared first on Radio World.

When it comes to sports networks, nearly all involve a MVPD and are regional in their approach. This includes the Bally Sports RSNs owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the Baltimore-based media company that has taken a front seat on the rollout of ATSC 3.0.

A few miles to the southeast of Charm City, a local media company that has a formidable presence in the First State and across the Delmarva region is about to launch its own sports network. Only, it is to be a digital multicast piggybacking on its CBS affiliate.

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On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee will play host to a “Zoom video webinar” devoted to the “American Music Fairness Act,” proposed legislation that would impose additional royalties on music played by AM and FM radio stations across the U.S.

While the “AMFA” support is dwarfed by that of the “Local Radio Freedom Act,” and no companion legislation for “AMFA” has yet to emerge in the Senate, one advocating pushing for the bill’s passage is calling for the board of directors of two of the nation’s biggest radio broadcasting companies to discuss “how music creators should be paid when their songs are played on AM/FM radio.”

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It’s nearly earnings season for the nation’s broadcast media companies, and ahead of those reports SiriusXM Holdings Inc. on February 1 released its fiscal health review for the final three months of 2021.

How did SiriusXM fare? It surpassed revenue expectations, as the company shared a positive outlook for investors. Better yet, a special dividend is on the way for shareholders.

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If 2021 wasn’t a big year for your radio or television stations, with respect to advertising dollars and reaping stronger-than-ever marketing budgets, then the forthcoming years may be cloudy unless strong growth beyond retransmission fees for broadcast TV and political dollars for over-the-air television and radio no longer drive revenue.

That’s perhaps the biggest takeaway from the just released WARC Global Marketing Index for 2021.

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A small broadcaster with TV stations in its home market of Salisbury-Ocean City, Md.; adjacent city Dover, Del.; Bowling Green, Ky.; Glenwood Springs, Colo.; and two Georgia markets has just agreed to acquire a construction permit for a low-power television station in one of those markets — a move that bolsters its presence there.

It’s another LPTV deal that sees Bob Heymann, of the Chicago office of Media Services Group, serve as the seller’s broker.

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