Hurricane Milton was a devastating storm, and the impact to communities across Charlotte and Sarasota Counties in Florida, including Englewood, were hit particularly hard. Yet, Fiorini Media-owned radio stations WENG in Englewood and WCXS in Arcadia were on the air, providing emergency news updates and even taking a pause Sunday for coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' win against the New Orleans Saints.In this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.fm, Market Manager and WENG morning host Kerri Black shares how the storm impacted the area, what the stations did to keep the lights on, and what her team did to ensure the safety of staff while providing vital information to the community.
Based in Memphis, Howard Robertson, CEO and Founder of Spotset Radio Network, is laser-focused on bringing political advertising to Black radio.With the Power of Urban Radio Forum scheduled for October 9-11 in Washington, D.C., it’s a perfect time for stations targeting African American communities to step up their voter outreach efforts and increase their electoral ad dollars.How they can do it is Robertson’s specialty, and he wonders if the Harris-Walz campaign is truly capitalizing on the ways Black-owned media can connect with consumers. To learn more, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson welcomes Robertson to this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.fm.
For the last decade it has worked with such brands as Wix, Dollar Shave Club and 23 and Me. Over the last six months, Juice Media has grown, as it seeks to extend its reach into digital marketing, media measurement and attribution across growth channels.To learn more about Juice Media and its efforts, in particular, in the linear media space, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson welcomes its President, Mark Zamuner, to the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
WFMZ-69 since 1976 has served the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania with local news coverage and syndicated fare including Judge Judy. It's a rarity in the modern age, but the unaffiliated player remains important to an important segment of the Philadelphia DMA. That's why getting DirecTV streaming coverage, in addition to its long-running availability on the traditional DBS provider satellite lineup, is a big deal for station owner Maranatha Broadcasting.To learn more about WFMZ-69 and how it continues to thrive and not get overlooked by national companies, station President/GM Barry Fisher, Past Chairman of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters, joins RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson on this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
Harker Bos Group earlier this year released the audio edition of its State of Spanish-Language Media 2024 report. Now, it has released its video division, and it is chock full of takeaways that are of value to all across the television industry.To discuss the possible “whys” behind the data and the findings, we welcome Sean Bos, VP of Branding and Research at Harker Bos Group, to the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
For nearly 100 years, a Class A radio station with a 50kw signal which at night can be heard across multiple states and Canadian provinces has officially served listeners from Minneapolis. Now, ahead of its official October 2 centennial, Audacy is celebrating a century of service at WCCO-AM 830. To learn more about the continued importance of the AM radio station and the role it plays, Adam R Jacobson welcomes WCCO Brand Manager and Program Director Brad Lane to the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
He began his career in May 1995 as a Retail Merchandising Manager for Target in the Rio Grande Valley and would later manage all consumer bi-national and regional promotional and event marketing activities for Tecate, Dos Equis, Sol, Bohemia and Cerveza Carta Blanca. That led to positions across the Hispanic advertising and marketing industry on both the agency and client level, with positions at The Clorox Company and, most recently, at Procter & Gamble Co., where he served as Senior Brand Manager for North America in the Multicultural Media unit. Now, he’s joining HRN – Hispanic Media Networks – as Chief Cultural Officer.To learn more about his shift to HRN, we’re pleased to welcome Lupe de Los Santos to the inFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.fm.
The dynamics related to this "blackout" and how privately held DirecTV views the future of the television business model seemingly appeared to be the focus of an "analyst call" hosted by the Chief Financial Officer for the direct broadcast satellite company. From the get-go, the session, which did not include an opportunity for journalists' query, saw Ray Carpenter offer a one-sided, biased viewpoint on one of the touchiest subjects impacting TV stations today: retransmission consent, and what constitutes fair compensation."Price gauging" and "a lack of flexibility" programmers "institute" on distributors were just some of the comments Carpenter lobbed at The Walt Disney Co., which saw its station go dark across DirecTV and U-Verse channel lineups on Sunday at 7pm Eastern. While there are always two players involved in a carriage fee negotiation process, MVPDs have consistently pointed fingers at broadcast TV station owners as the guilty party when the loss of TV stations — by law — must come in the absence of a fresh retransmission consent agreements.On Tuesday morning, Carpenter and DirecTV took it up a notch, and the RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, is pleased to offer excerpts from the DirecTV analyst call — giving the broadcast media industry an opportunity to hear for themselves the DBS provider's view on retransmission consent.
There are few people in the radio industry who understand New York’s Capital District, the Hudson Valley and communities on the edge of the Berkshires and Adirondacks than Chuck Benfer. Since March 2023, he’s served as Chief Operating Officer of Pamal Broadcasting, after leading the company’s Albany-Schenectady-Troy stations for a year. He’s spent decades traveling up and down I-87 at radio stations across the region, working at competing stations to what today are his own.Pamal's stations continue to excel, with tremendous ratings and revenue success for some heritage Adult Contemporary and Top 40 brands. How does the company founded by Siena College Class of 1966 member Jim Morrell do it? Find out in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
In early August, longtime radio personalities Stan & Haney announced that they will be retiring at the end of the month. The duo have enjoyed a decades-long run in Southwest Florida at WRXK – "96K-Rock" – the Fort Myers, Naples and Marco Island FM owned by Beasley Media Group.What made Stan & Haney iconic in this region of the Sunshine State and what learning lessons do they have to share about the power of local radio? To find out we welcome Stan Nawalaniec to the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
When it comes to Cumulus Media, a focus on mid-sized markets has yielded some considerable success when it comes to local radio leaders. In market No. 34, Kansas City, the company has locked in the top two slots in the Nielsen Audio ratings month after month.How has this translated to ad revenue, community connectivity and keeping Radio relevant in the Paris of the Midwest? Those are just some of questions RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson asks Cumulus RVP Donna Baker in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
On June 27, a novel new over-the-air television brand that seeks to bridge the divide between Republicans and Democrats with “bite-sized videos and informational text” to the “purple majority” made its debut in Milwaukee. Now it is coming to a Columbus, Ohio TV station.To learn more about PurpleTV and the man behind it, we welcome Matthew Davidge to this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.Davidge is also known for his role at low-power TV station owner Roseland Broadcasting, and for TV station owner SagamoreHill Broadcasting. And, he also offers his thoughts on the future of TV and his perhaps incendiary comments about what he thinks of broadcast TV commercials.
Jim Loftus is now seven months into his role as CEO of Times-Shamrock Communications.Before joining the company, where he spent nine years as Chief Operations Officer earlier in his career, Loftus served as the Chief Operations Officer of 7 Mountains Media. Before that, he served as President/CEO of WBEB-FM in Philadelphia under the ownership of Jerry Lee.How are things going for this owner of radio stations, out-of-home and digital media in Northeast Pennsylvania, as well as radio stations in Milwaukee and a stand-alone operation in Baltimore?Loftus shares all in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
From Pensacola to Key West and from Jacksonville to Naples, local radio and television provide entertainment, sports, news and vital information to consumers across the Sunshine State. Many of these stations are members of the Florida Association of Broadcasters, led by Pat Roberts.The President/CEO of the organization was among its inaugural Hall of Fame inductees, honored at a reception in June, and Pat later joined us on the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, to talk a little about the vital importance of live and local broadcasters to Florida.
In a major ruling announced on June 28 by the Supreme Court of the United States, the power of the executive branch of the federal government in carrying out regulatory policies placed into effect by agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission has been diluted, giving more power to the courts.One day earlier, in another case, the Supreme Court ruled in a matter involving the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission that has put federal agencies such as the FCC on notice that their reliance on Administrative Law Judges could soon be coming to a conclusion.To help explain how these very important rulings could impact radio and television broadcast station owners, Frank Montero, the esteemed Partner at Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth in Arlington, Va., sits in on the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, to best explain to radio and television industry executives what could transpire for broadcasters in the wake of these two decisions.
It has been one year since Adam Symson, President and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Co., explained why he believed a “bold new approach to serving” the broadcast television company’s local communities through a news initiative focused on “strengthening the economic sustainability” of its newsrooms while improving news coverage was needed.The changes were highly noticeable. Some great people lost their jobs, while others were welcomed in to the company. An initiative to train longtime print journalists for jobs in broadcast TV news was launched. There was some head scratching from competing station leadership in some markets, while in other markets Scripps was quickly earning accolades for its efforts.How is this “renewed commitment to community news” playing out 12 months later? That’s the focus of this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.Joining RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson to discuss Scripps’ local news initiative today are two people highly engaged in the process.Chris Nagus serves as Senior Director of Storytelling and Content Strategy, and he’s been traveling across the U.S. to help train and coach local news reporters.He’s joined by Karen Lehr, who holds the role of Executive Reporter for “Idaho News 6,” KIVI-TV in Boise, Idaho. She has been with the Idaho News 6 team for more than a decade, moving to Boise from Orlando in 2013.
It has been a tumultuous eight months for the FCC when it comes to Radio. While many in the industry expected AM and FM to be on Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s back burner, the frequency and speed of regulations and actions taken concerning radio have led to surprise and concern.While not addressing the most recent movements on AI or the FM duplication rule change, the newest Commissioner — Anna G. Gómez — did discuss two key issues to radio on Wednesday at the Hispanic Radio Conference in San Antonio. Gómez's opening keynote came following a heartfelt introduction from Spanish Broadcasting System founder and Chairman and President/CEO Raúl Alarcón Jr., and this Radio + Television Business Report InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, offers her address in full.
On the afternoon of Monday, June 10, the FCC turned back the clock, in a way. In another 3-2 party-line vote pitting Democratic victors against Republican dissenters, the Commission reinstated section 73.3556 of the Commission’s rules (the radio duplication rule) for commercial FM stations.What does this mean for radio broadcasting companies across the U.S.? Why after more than three decades did the Commission on June 5 adopt this order on reconsideration?To answer those questions and provide a full analysis of why the FCC restored a rule that dates to 1992, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson welcomes Foster Garvey Office Managing Director and Principal Brad Deutsch to the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.
It’s been three weeks since Pio Ferro, the new Senior Vice President of Programming and Content for Meruelo Media, settled in to beautiful downtown Burbank to take on a position that puts him in charge of what comes out of the speakers for four FM radio stations in Southern California.What's Ferro's vision for the stations, that sees him working alongside President/CEO Otto Padrón from eighth-floor offices in a building with a prominently displayed mural that reads “Laugh Loud. Play Hard”?In this exclusive chat, Ferro opens up about working for a privately held broadcast group, how great content can drive revenue and advertiser ROI, and why a Foo Fighters/Becky G mashup may not be the best of ideas in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, that comes on the eve of the 2024 Hispanic Radio Conference.
What makes Colorado Springs morning hosts Woody and Bobby standout air personalities in a world where syndicated wake-up shows and reduction-in-force initiatives due to tough economic realities dominate the headlines? Find out in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.