Industry News

A “deluge’ of ads from expanded legalized sports betting and the return of midterm political ad spending in 2022 are expected to aid U.S. broadcasters’ rebound from the pandemic.

That’s the key conclusion from S&P Global Market Intelligence Senior Research Analyst Justin Nielson, who works in the Kagan arm.

Just how rich will spending in the 2022 midterm elections be? And, is legalized sports betting truly the dollar magnet companies such as Audacy perceive it to be?

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Roz Clark

In the Dec. 8 issue of Radio World we salute one of the industry’s top engineers, Roz Clark. (Read our full story about him and his accomplishments.)

It’s hard for me to believe, but Radio World has now been recognizing outstanding radio engineers for 18 years. Some awards tend to be given to recipients at the end of their career and understandably so. But when our publisher John Casey and I created the Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award, we wanted not only to honor technologists but to focus on those who are doing good work right now in the industry.

I hope we’ve lived up to that. 

Making my annual phone call to notify a recipient is one of the best parts of my job. I’m also proud of our circle of recipients. They include some of engineering’s leading names, chosen at the peak of their careers, as well as some who were “on the way up.” And I appreciate the camaraderie that I’ve seen grow between our past honorees. 

This time of year can be a little bittersweet, because I remember making those calls to friends who have since passed away, namely John Lyons and Barry Thomas. 

But if John were here, I know exactly what he would do now. He would bust on me for being “follicly challenged,” just like himself; he would compliment me on our choice this year; and then he would call or email Roz Clark and tell him: “Congratulations to Number 18 from Number 3! Welcome to the family!”

If you have someone in mind who deserves to be considered in the future, I welcome your suggestion. Email me at radioworld@futurenet.com.

Happy holiday season!

The post In Search of Excellence appeared first on Radio World.

Radio World is taking an in-depth look at “The Infinite Dial UK 2021” report this week.

On December 2, 2021, Edison Research unveiled “The Infinite Dial UK 2021,” detailing U.K. consumer views on radio and media. In this fourth part of a five-part Radio World series, Edison Research President Larry Rosen discusses the survey’s findings on in-car media and online audio brand awareness.

The report is based on 1,000 telephone interviews with U.K. residents 16 and older, during the fourth quarter of 2021.

In-car media

Larry Rosen started this section by looking at “Audio Sources Currently Ever Used in the Car.” In the U.K., “overwhelmingly the leader, as you would expect, is AM/FM/DAB radio. 72 percent of people who say they’ve been in the car in the last month, say that they’ve used the radio,” he said.

[Read more of our coverage of the “Infinite Dial” report]

In-car CD players came a distant second at 37 percent, owned digital music at 29 percent, online audio at 26 percent and podcasts at 15 percent

Rosen then compared in-car media usage in the U.K. vs. the U.S., employing slightly different categories: AM/FM Radio (U.K. 72 percent vs. U.S. 75 percent), CD player (U.K. 37 percent vs. U.S. 35 percent), online audio (U.K. 26 percent vs. U.S. 33 percent) and podcasts (U.K. 15 percent vs. U.S. 30 percent).

The fact that the U.K. has half the in-car podcast listenership of the U.S. (based on percentages) caught Rosen’s attention. “I would have to guess as to why that is,” he said.

A Comparison of U.K. vs. U.S. Usage of In-Car Media (Courtesy Edison Research)

Maybe it’s easier to do it [listen to podcasts] given the state of technology in the cars in the United States,” he said. “It could be just further development of podcasts” in the United Kingdom.

Moving forward, Rosen said that 18 percent of U.K. consumers 18+ (no reason was given for this changed age metric) reported using in-dash entertainment systems in their cars. This broke down to 20 percent for the 18–34 age group, 18 percent for 35–54, and 18 percent for 55+.

In contrast, in-dash entertainment system usage by US 18+ consumers was 20 percent in the U.S., compared to the U.K.’s 18 percent. “Maybe that couple of points difference would explain a little bit of that podcast differential,” he said.

Online listening in-car using a mobile phone was also documented during the webinar. The 16+ U.K. usage percentage was 38 percent (compared to the US 16+ rate of 49 percent). The breakdown by U.K. age group was 41 percent for 16–45, 40 percent for 35–54, and 34 percent for 55+.

The U.S.’s 49 percent vs. the U.K.’s 38 percent may be explained by the U.S. being “a bit more of a car culture,” said Rosen. “People [in the U.S.] are more likely to have longer commutes and spend more time in their cars.”

Online brand awareness

When it comes to recognizing online audio brand names, “the best-known brand in among these that we asked about is Spotify, with 71 percent of everyone in the U.K. saying that they are aware of that name,” said Rosen. “Spotify is followed somewhat closely by Amazon Music (65 percent), BBC Sounds (63 percent) and YouTube Music (62 percent).”

(Spotify, along with Bauer Media UK, was a sponsor of the survey.)

The 16+ respondents to the Infinite Dial UK 2021 survey also cited being aware of Apple Music (55 percent), Audible (37 percent), SoundCloud (34 percent), Deezer (26 percent), Radioplayer (21 percent), TuneIn Radio (19 percent) and Tidal (6 percent).

U.K. 16+ Awareness of Online Audio Brands (Courtesy Edison Research)

Next, “we asked everyone if they’ve used these brands in the last month,” said Rosen. “Spotify is the market leader at 30 percent, with everyone in the U.K. saying they’ve used Spotify, followed by BBC Sounds at 21 percent, YouTube Music at 14 percent, and on down the list.”

This list includes Amazon Music at 10 percent, SoundCloud and Apple Music at 7 percent each, TuneIn Radio at 4 percent and Radioplayer at 1 percent.

As for weekly usage? “Spotify is the clear market leader here: 28 percent of everyone in the U.K. saying they have used Spotify in the week before we called them,” said Rosen. “In second place is BBC Sounds at 16 percent, YouTube Music at 11 percent and single digit percentages for these other brands down the list” (Amazon Music and Apple Music each at 6 percent, SoundCloud at 5 percent, TuneIn Radio at 3 percent, and Radioplayer at 1 percent).

In Part Five of Radio World’s summary of “The Infinite Dial UK 2021,” we’ll look at podcast consumption in the U.K.

Part 1: “First-Ever ‘Infinite Dial UK’ Survey Provides Insights for U.K. Radio”
Part 2: “‘Infinite Dial UK’ Details U.K. Radio Listening, Ownership”
Part 3: “‘Infinite Dial UK’ Digs into U.K. Online Audio”
Part 4: “‘Infinite Dial UK’ Looks at In-Car Media”
Part 5: “U.K. Likes Podcasts Finds ‘Infinite Dial UK’”

The post ‘Infinite Dial UK’ Looks at In-Car Media appeared first on Radio World.

The FCC Media Bureau said today, Dec. 8, it will proceed with adopting new foreign-sponsorship identification rules despite pushback from the National Association of Broadcasters. Several other groups joined the NAB in claiming the new requirements would be especially burdensome for small broadcasters.

The FCC adopted amended foreign-sponsorship identification rules in April to specifically target situations where a station broadcasts material sponsored by a foreign governmental entity. The new rules require disclosure of leased programming sponsored by foreign governmental entities.

The FCC said its modified regulations further the critical goal of transparency and it applies them to foreign governments, political parties and their agents.

[See Our Business and Law Page]

The NAB, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) this summer asked the commission to stay the order while their petition for review was pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The groups’ lawsuit claims the FCC adopted “unnecessary and overly burdensome rules that violate the Communications Act, the Administrative Procedure Act and the First Amendment.”

Today’s FCC Order Denying Stay Petition officially ends the quest by NAB, MMTC and NABOB to delay implementation of the updated sponsorship identification regulations: “We find that the Petitioners have failed to make the required four-part showing to support such extraordinary equitable relief. Accordingly, we deny the request to stay the effectiveness of these rules,” the FCC wrote in the most recent order.

“Petitioners have failed to establish that broadcast licensees will suffer irreparable harm” in implementing the FCC Report and Order on foreign-sponsorship identification, according to today’s FCC filing. “We also find that the costs of compliance to broadcast licensees are not severe enough to be cognizable as irreparable harm.”

The commission, which believes the petitioners’ pending lawsuit is unlikely to succeed on merits, will now move forward with modified regulations “which seek to eliminate any potential ambiguity to the viewer or listener regarding the source of programming provided from foreign governmental entities.”

Although foreign governments and their representatives are legally prohibited from holding a broadcast license directly, foreign governments have contracted with broadcast station licensees to air programming of the foreign government’s choosing or to lease the entire capacity of a radio or television station without adequately disclosing the true source of the programming, according to the FCC.

The on-air disclosure would be required at the time of a broadcast if a foreign governmental entity paid a radio or television station, directly or indirectly, to air material. The old rules did not specify when and how foreign government sponsorship should be publicly disclosed.

The NAB, MMTC and NABOB maintain they support the FCC’s goal of public disclosure of foreign government-sponsored programming, but argue the new regulations impose rules on broadcasters “which collectively have many thousands of contracts for the lease of time to air programming — onerous requirements to make specified inquiries of, and conduct independent research on, all the entities with whom broadcasters currently or will in the future have lease agreements.

“The broadcaster must determine (and then announce) whether the sponsor of the programming is a foreign governmental entity or its agent, even if the leased programming (such as an infomercial or local religious broadcast) poses no colorable risk of foreign sponsorship,” NAB said.

The organizations said at the time it filed its lawsuit in September the rules would do little to address the problem of foreign interference in elections.

The organizations argued in an updated brief filed Tuesday night with the court that the FCC lacks the authority to impose the investigatory requirements mandated by the order. In addition, the organizations argued with the FCC’s justification for its rules is lacking as the commission cited only a few examples of foreign governmental entities sponsoring undisclosed broadcast programming as the reasoning for requiring every broadcast station to conduct inquiries for every existing or new leased programming agreement.

“The order also fails to address the problems with undisclosed foreign governmental programming on cable systems and the Internet, which is where the issue primarily exists, the brief argued,” according to the NAB.

In a statement to the press today, the groups said: “NAB, MMTC and NABOB strongly urge the Court to overturn the FCC’s flawed decision requiring overly burdensome investigations by every broadcaster into every sponsored program. While we share the Commission’s goal of ensuring the public understands when listening or viewing programming supplied by foreign governmental entities, the FCC’s order fails to adequately, sensibly or fairly achieve this objective. We appreciate the Court’s consideration of this issue and believe it will agree that the Commission overstepped its bounds.”

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post FCC Denies NAB Stay Petition on Foreign-Sponsorship ID Rules appeared first on Radio World.

Broadband iTV Inc., the Austin, Texas-based company that considers itself as one of the pioneers of video-on-demand, has filed a dismissal of its patent infringement lawsuit against DISH Network LLC relating to video-on-demand, set-top box and related technologies.

In a brief statement, BBiTV CEO Clifton Kagawa said, “We are pleased to have the litigation completed and are proud of BBiTV’s patented technologies. BBiTV developed and owns a portfolio of more than 70 issued U.S. patents, comprised entirely of technologies developed by BBiTV inventor and Chief Technology Officer Milton Diaz Perez (pictured, top left), based on his work over several decades. BBiTV developed the underlying technology that all of its patents were derived from, and BBiTV has not acquired any of its patents from third parties,” explained Kagawa.

BBiTV is represented by lead counsel Robert Kramer and his team at the law firm Feinberg Day Kramer Alberti Lim Tonkovich & Belloli LLP.

FROM THE RBR+TVBR ARCHIVES:

Pioneering VOD Firm Wins ‘Patent Constructions’ Lawsuit Adam Jacobson A company that considers itself to be one of the pioneers of video-on-demand technology has claimed a small victory in its fight against AT&T, DirecTV, Dish Network and Amazon for copyright infringement of four patents covering streaming media innovations specifically tied to VOD services using the set top box and mobile app technology. A VOD Pioneer Files Another Patent Infringement Suit RBR-TVBR A company that considers itself to be a VOD pioneer in December 2019 filed a patent infringement actions against AT&T, DirecTV and Dish Network — actions that involves four patents covering streaming media innovations specifically tied to VOD services using the set top box and mobile app technology. Now, this same company has sued Amazon. A VOD Pioneer Slaps AT&T With A Patent Infringement Suit Adam Jacobson A company that considers itself to be one of the pioneers of video-on-demand technology has filed a patent infringement action against AT&T — an action that involves four patents covering streaming media innovations specifically tied to VOD services using the set top box and mobile app technology.

He’s the head of Forever Communications and once was known for his role leading Keymarket Communications.

Now, he’s giving a sizable sum to a Pennsylvania private university for the creation of a state-of-the-art media center for students aspiring to achieve success in the fields of radio, video, podcasts, live streaming, and other forms of broadcasting.

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In a deal that’s just been consummated and filed for approval with the Commission, Salem Media Group is adding to its properties in Tampa-St. Petersburg by agreeing to acquire a Class B AM radio station in the market.

The facility, licensed to Brandon, Fla., will help Salem bring a third radio brand to the second-largest market in the Sunshine State. It comes with an FM translator.

And, if these call letters sound familiar, it is because Salem spun the AM and FM translator to this party just two years ago.

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A Class A digital TV station serving the Nation’s Capital, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, has deployed NEXTGEN broadcast transmissions, making it the first facility in the market that’s home to the FCC.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — As previously reported, the filing window for applications for new noncommercial educational FM new station construction permits closed on November 9.

Some 1,282 applications were received; all were reviewed to identify singletons — applications that are not mutually exclusive with any other application filed in the window and can be accepted for filing. Some had defects, the Media Bureau says. And, those defective singleton applications have been dismissed.

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“The reality is: It’s hard out there for broadcasters.”

So said FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington, speaking to a meeting of the Ohio Association of Broadcasters.

For the second time in a month, the Republican commissioner made public remarks that were notably sympathetic to radio and TV companies and their struggles when competing with big tech.

“Consider, you know, the smaller broadcasters. The folks who have one, two, or half a dozen stations. Consider how difficult it is for them to achieve efficiencies of scale — consider what their margins look like because they’re smaller operators. Now, is there a single online video platform that is a mom-and-pop operation? Of course not! Every single one is either backed by a massive tech platform, deep-pocketed venture capitalists, or a major network. If not, it’s out of business in a year. …

“Those platforms are competing with mom and pop broadcasters — or, shoot, even established station groups — with operating efficiencies, margins and capital markets backing of which broadcasters dare not dream,” Simington continued.

“Can we seriously think, at this moment, with the arrows pointing in the directions that they are, that we should be making it harder for these small, regulated entities to operate? You are all already burdened by a raft of regulations designed for a bygone era while your insurgent online competitors have functionally none of the same constraints. Should we now turn the screw?”

[See more of our coverage of the FCC.]

Simington noted that the FCC will soon again consider media regulation in a quadrennial proceeding. Echoing frequent arguments made by the NAB about how the commission defines broadcasters’ marketplace, Simingon said that the commission needs to recognize that online media platforms are growing rapidly “and threaten dominance over traditional media platforms,” and that “broadcast advertising revenue has flatlined, having been siphoned off from higher margin online platforms.”

The commissioner said he is “not necessarily” arguing for more regulation of big tech — “Not everything is a regulatory problem. Maybe this one is. I don’t know” — but he said regulators need to be “clear-eyed about where the power has shifted. It is away from broadcasters. Away from networks. Even away from traditional MVPDs. And toward online platforms. And if we are going to talk about serving as a check against uncontrolled concentration of media power that is presumably antithetical to consumer welfare — well. The conversation need not end at online platforms, but it must at least start with them.”

His full text is posted.

Comment on this or any article. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Simington: Don’t Turn the Screw on Broadcasters appeared first on Radio World.