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Commission Also Seeks Comment on Ways to Remove Barriers to Broadcasters Offering Consumers Innovative ATSC 3.0 Enabled Services

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The 2020 NAB Show New York, which was slated for Oct. 21–22, is following suit with the NAB’s spring conference and going virtual.

The announcement came in the form of a letter from NAB’s Executive Vice President of Conventions and Business Operations Chris Brown. He said that the decision is based on surveying of the show community and consultation with state and local officials in New York, as well as the Javits Convention Center, where the event was scheduled to take place.

The event will take place this fall, though no specific date was provided at this time.

Among the things expected to be included in the program will be Post|Production World Online, produced in partnership with Future Media Conferences, TVNewsCheck’s TV2025 and other conference programs. Exhibitors are also expected to be able to share product information, demonstrations and make announcements. Educational content and virtual network opportunities will also be provided, per the announcement.

“Our goal for the digital experience is to provide a valuable forum for the industry to restart, refocus and reengage,” said Brown.

Additional details are expected in the coming weeks.

The NAB Show Express drew a reported 40,000 participants.

Brown concludes his letter by saying that both the 2021 NAB Show in Las Vegas and 2021 NAB Show New York are expecting to take place in person.

In addition to the spring edition of the NAB Show, IBC and Cable-Tec Expo are among the industry conferences that are going virtual this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

The post NAB Show New York Switched to Virtual Conference appeared first on Radio World.

Click on the graphic for a larger version.
A Nielsen study done as the coronavirus crisis was escalating in March found that 83% of consumers said they were listening to as much or more radio as they were before 
the pandemic.
Credit: The Nielsen Co.

Should brands stop advertising during a pandemic? Can they afford not to?

One thing I’ve been wondering is how consumers have been feeling about advertising nowadays, with so many folks out of work, anxious about the future and suspicious or judgmental about a retailer’s motives.

I headed to one of my go-to sources for marketing trends, eMarketer. For the uninitiated, eMarketer is a subscription-based service that aggregates research studies and presents its own take concerning trends.

In this case, eMarketer concluded that consumers didn’t feel that brands should stop advertising during the pandemic. It stated that while “consumers don’t expect brands to abandon advertising, brands should rethink their strategies. Campaigns that were planned pre-pandemic may no longer be appropriate as consumers clamor for information about how the crisis is being handled and how they can stay safe. That includes information about how brands are responding to COVID-19.”

It doesn’t take a research project to know that more people than ever were spending time watching television this spring; just look at Netflix’s growth numbers. But what about listening to radio?

Radio is at its best when there’s trouble, supplying vital information and entertainment.
— Radio Advertising Bureau

According to Nielsen, which researched the question in late March, eight in 10 people said they were spending the same or more time listening to radio as a result of circumstances surrounding the pandemic. “Sixty percent of American adults 18 and older hold radio in high regard and trust it to deliver timely information about the current COVID-19 outbreak.”

Or, according to the Radio Advertising Bureau, “Radio is at its best when there’s trouble, supplying vital information and entertainment.”

Mindset of Support
Practically speaking, where does this leave local radio, for this crisis or the next one? The glass is most definitely half-full.

Listenership is healthy. Radio advertising still produces results and radio can make all the difference in delivering important local information and entertainment.

While there is no question that advertising will be soft until normalization, there are things to be done now that will benefit both your station and your business community.

Begin with the mindset of supporting your loyal clients and consider approaching the challenge differently than ever before.

During the Great Depression, my grandmother, who operated a clothing store in a small industrial Pennsylvania town, gave her customers credit when times were hard. Now, as opportunities to open retail expand, many businesses will be struggling to regain footing or even to survive. Your willingness to offer advertising credit for a few months could make a significant difference in generating revenue for local retail.

Perhaps you could take one or two days of the week on which you air advertising “on credit” — say, a Sunday/Monday. First, as can be typical, some of the spots would be bonus ads for your best clients. Then, you would air a limited number of units-on-credit — in effect maximizing inventory on your bonus/credit days — for clients who will defer payment for 60 days. You can rotate these clients weekly for equitable distribution.

Could you consider scheduling a limited number of “on credit” remote broadcasts? Perhaps the retailer could compensate the talent with goods/trade, or the “remote” could simply be a phoner with one of your DJs interviewing that business owner about what’s going on with their store or chain. Or you might creatively put several businesses together in a 30-second commercial that focuses on a campaign strategy, such as “Minneapolis Strong: We’re In This Together.”

Another approach might be to shift your attention more toward clients in the service and other industries, who are not reliant on foot traffic. Could you get set up to text coupons or special offers that are promoted on-air? Is there anything you can do to feature businesses that are reopening by using your social platforms or websites?

Naturally, the content of the advertising must reflect the current situation, so you must ensure that copy suitably addresses such topics as social distancing, safety, delivery, special hours of operation and other directives that are unique to the client.

Who Had Their Back?
Working from my dining room table, it’s easy for me to suggest a shift in sales strategy and to be generous with your advertising units. I’m aware that owners and groups will be concerned about setting precedents. However, this time will pass and when that happens, strong relationships will surely drive success.

These are unprecedented times. Perhaps your team developed better ideas than my suggestions. I highly encourage serious discussion about how your station can help stimulate the local economy without destroying your own business, now or in the next business crisis. Letting staff go and totally automating is certainly the most direct approach in cutting expenses, but it does nothing to set stations up for the future. It breaks my heart that some will have no choice.

I will say that my grandmother’s customers never forgot her generosity. Even when larger, name-brand stores with lower prices opened to compete against her, she never lost her loyal customer base. She made a solid community connection, the goal of radio stations everywhere. Especially nowadays.

Comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line.

The post This Is the Time to Make Connections appeared first on Radio World.

Westwood One uses the term “remarkable” in describing results of a second study by Nielsen about U.S. consumer sentiment on COVID-19 and their purchasing intentions.

The radio network discussed this survey on its blog, where it frequently points to data about the reach and impact of radio and of radio advertising.

[Read: Radio Listening Audiences Rebound Despite Pandemic Impact]

In its latest, Pierre Bouvard, the chief insights officer for Cumulus Media and Westwood One, compared answers given in a Nielsen survey in late May with one conducted at the end of April. “While only a month separates the two studies, the shift in American attitudes on reopening of the economy and a return to normalcy is remarkable.”

A graphic from the blog post cites J.D. Power data indicating weekly auto sales have recovered sharply since the beginning of April.

It said so-called “ready to go” optimists perceive less risk, feel safer and indicate their cities are emerging from the COVID-19 crisis. These optimists and heavy AM/FM radio listeners “are opening up the economy, with strong lifts in spending on both essentials and nonessentials.”

Home improvement, home services, professional services and auto dealers will be the beneficiaries of strong spending from AM/FM radio listeners, “far greater than from TV viewers,” it said.

Also, it found, driving has increased overall, which in turn has caused AM/FM radio listening to “recover and grow.”

Read the post.

 

The post Bouvard: More People Are “Ready to Go” appeared first on Radio World.

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Kongsue Xiong

The MMTC hopes you can help a fellow broadcaster whose business was damaged during the recent protests in St. Paul, Minn. It asks for possible equipment donations or other support.

Kongsue Xiong is an immigrant from Laos, an American citizen and a minority broadcast owner, according to the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council. He began working with MMTC, it said, when KFXN(AM) was donated to the organization by iHeartRadio. The station serves the large Hmong-American community in St. Paul with news, talk and entertainment.

[Read: MMTC Incubates New Minority Radio Owners]

“Kongsue ran the station for many years under an LMA; in 2014 he became the licensee and operator of the station. Today he is facing a difficult time keeping his station on the air and dealing with damage to his building, which is an unexpected expense,” MMTC stated in an email. “In the past weeks, prior to the protests his equipment began to fail; he now has to invest in restoring his studio building from the protest damage.”

“MMTC is seeking to assist him to get over this hurdle by soliciting on his behalf radio gear to be donated to Asian American Broadcasting. Please let us know how you might help, reach out to Suzanne Gougherty or David Honig.”

 

The post MMTC Seeks Donated Gear for Broadcaster Hit by Protest appeared first on Radio World.

Super Hi-Fi is celebrating being named winner of the 2020 Midemlab competition for music tech startups in the Music Distribution and Discovery category.

The company has been in the news for its AI-based technology that it says “creates unique audio experiences by weaving together discrete audio elements and music into perfectly-produced, highly engaging listening experiences.”

[Read: iHeart’s Tech Strategy Puts Spotlight on “Super Hi-Fi”]

The technology is used by iHeartRadio, Sonos, TargetSpot and other media companies.

Zack Zalon is co-founder and CEO of Super Hi-Fi. He was quoted in the announcement saying “We believe that differentiation will be the primary driver of growth for the streaming music industry in the coming years, and this award is an excellent proof point that our vision is starting to break through.” Super Hi-Fi noted that past Midemlab winners include familiar names like Soundcloud, Kickstarter, The Echo Nest, NextBigSound and Asaii.

The upcoming June 24 issue of Radio World features an interview with Zack Zalon about Super Hi-Fi’s business and technology.

 

The post Super Hi-Fi Snags Midemlab Honor appeared first on Radio World.

Keyur Parikh has been promoted to become vice president of engineering at GatesAir, succeeding Tony Kobrinetz, who retires.

Parikh most recently was director and VP/GM of the company’s Intraplex Product Group; Ted Lantz now takes on that role.

The manufacturer said Parikh will have “increased responsibilities across engineering team management and system software development for all product lines.” He reports to CEO Bruce Swail.

[Read: GatesAir Boosts Global Sales Team]

“Parikh is the chief architect of GatesAir’s Intraplex IP networking products, and led a global development team that introduced several award-winning products,” the company stated. “His innovations include Intraplex NetXpress, which broke ground in 2005 as the industry’s first IP audio and data multiplexer; the IP Link family of codecs, GatesAir’s flagship product line for the Intraplex business today; and Intraplex Ascent, GatesAir’s first cloud-based transport platform, introduced last year.” It noted that he holds patents for media transport and synchronization over wide-area IP networks, and is a past recipient of Radio World’s Industry Innovator Award.

Swail was quoted saying Parikh did “an excellent job managing a fully integrated Intraplex business unit while maintaining the brand’s industry leadership position.” Swail noted Parikh’s background in software development and systems engineering, saying it is “consistent with GatesAir’s continued product evolution from hardware to software-oriented platforms.”

Radio World welcomes announcements of hires, promotions and retirements of radio technology and engineering professionals. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “People News” in the subject line.

 

The post GatesAir Promotes Parikh to VP of Engineering appeared first on Radio World.

Photo: King Golden

While NAB’s official move into its new headquarters in Washington, D.C., are on hold, the association’s old office is in the process of starting anew.

Photos, credited to King Golden, show that renovations have begun on NAB’s previous headquarters at 1771 N St. NW near Dupont Circle. According to a report from Washington Business Journal, Stream Realty Partners is overseeing the renovation that will include a new facade, rooftop deck and other common-area amenities.

[Read: NAB Buys New Building For $62.8 Million]

Kyle Luby, managing partner for Stream Realty’s D.C. region, told Washington Business Journal the location can be one of the “most unique trophy buildings” in D.C.

At the time of the original report, the expected completion date was February 2021, but it is unclear if/how the coronavirus pandemic may have impacted that deadline.

NAB had planned to move into their new offices, located at One M St. SE, near Nationals Park, this spring, but dates were impacted because of COVID-19. No move-in date has been announced.

 

The post Renovations Underway at Old NAB Headquarters appeared first on Radio World.

Radial Engineering has shipped its new BT-Pro V2 Bluetooth DI. The unit is intended for feeding smartphones, tablets and other Bluetooth devices to a PA system, studio interface or powered speaker.

Expected applications include production and project studios, houses of worship, installed sound (gyms, dance studios), live sound, presentations or any environment where providing audio and music playback via Bluetooth connection is desired.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

According to Radial, the new V2 edition of the BT-Pro provides “significantly improved audio quality and range.” Since many users need to connect multiple devices in a single room, each BT Pro-V2 ships with a unique ID. The new BT-Pro V2 can now be powered by either 48V phantom or a USB-C connection.

Like the original, the BT-Pro V2 includes an output level control with an output range from mic level to line level. It also features mono-sum, pair/reset switches, and a 3.5 mm headphone output. An updated chassis design makes the BT-Pro V2 more durable and extends the Bluetooth connection range.

The BT-Pro V2 has a unique identifier that shows up as a six-digit numerical code, allowing users to connect an iPhone to the PA without having to search through drawers looking for wires.

Info: www.radialeng.com

 

The post Radial Launches BT-Pro V2 Stereo Bluetooth DI appeared first on Radio World.

Issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $1500 to Family Unity Outreach Ministry, Inc. for failure to timely file a license renewal application for Station WMBT-LP, Gainesville, Florida