Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
“Tough times never last, tough people do.” Dr. Robert H. Schuller
There is no doubt that we are all experiencing a difficult and stressful time. Natural disasters and current events have everyone unsettled. Staying up to date on local news is important – whether you are impacted by the events or not.
Author: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB
As we leave one decade to enter another, we couldn’t be prouder of the progress that radio has made to continuously deliver first-class and relevant content to listeners any way they wish to consume it. Among consumers today, audio is hot and radio is hotter. Advertisers from Main Street to Wall Street are tapping into radio’s incredible power and unique attributes. Why? Because radio is emotionally engaging, personal and measurable with the ability to deliver ad messages in a safe and receptive environment.
Continue reading “Radio’s Top 10 to Usher in 2020”
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Small businesses. They are the heartbeat of America and Main Street. Despite the current trend of online shopping, consumers across the country still love to support and shop at small businesses where they live and work. This Saturday, we celebrate small businesses across the country.
Continue reading “Local Driving Business”
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
In mid-July, a local newspaper that has been in existence for 233 years announced that it would be cutting its print version to only three days a week. In an interview, the director of one of the local universities responded: “It’s devastating to communities. Not only do they lose their news, it erodes everything else in terms of civic participation.”
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Today is Memorial Day. It is a time when we remember and honor those who have died protecting and serving our country. It is also the unofficial kickoff of the summer season – with parades, picnics, barbecues and family gatherings.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Last week was National Small Business Week. According to the U.S. Census, there are nearly 30 million small businesses. Small businesses play a crucial role in their local communities. They have a positive impact on the job market, help defray costs/taxes and provide consumers with product/service alternatives. They also help shape and influence the community – just like radio.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
There’s no doubt that technology is impacting all industries. When it comes to the auto industry, the impact has been tremendous. From interactive dashboards to navigation systems to on-board safety features. Despite all these features, certain drivers still want simplicity and just be “able to turn their radio on or off” according to Tom Payton, AVP, Marketing Operations with American Honda Motor Company.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Radio is an extension of every part of us. It’s our ears that listen. It’s our fingers that touch the dial or app. It’s our eyes when we want to know the traffic. It’s our heart when we hear the songs that we grew up with, and it’s our soul when we hear of any devastation in a local community.
Radio is an incredible force and impacts listeners like no other medium does. A look at some of the figures that pertain to radio helps to both quantify and qualify radio as a powerful medium.
Contributors: Larry Rosin, Co-founder & President, Edison Research; Megan Lazovick, Vice President, Edison Research; Laura Ivey, Director of Research, Edison Research
We last left you with the findings from the latest study commissioned by the Country Radio Broadcasters in recognition of the 50th Country Radio Seminar, Understanding Parents, Teens, and Country Music. To refresh your memory, the study focuses on the nature of relationships between teens and their parents, how they bond over music, and how each one influences the other.
How can radio stations, advertisers, and agencies attract and engage with tomorrow’s “money demo?” Continue reading “Why Teens Matter, Part Two: Targeting Tomorrow’s Money Demo”
Authors: Tammy Greenberg, SVP/Business Development, RAB & Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that another year has gone by. Right now all of us are working toward our resolutions for 2019 — both personal and professional — as well as remembering the numerous highlights of 2018.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
Of all generations, millennials have had the greatest influence on the advertising and marketing world. Their views and opinions and how they communicate amongst each other shifted how advertiser brands engage with them. According to an early study conducted by Harris and Eventbrite, millennials would choose to spend money on experiences versus things and the greater majority had participated in live events in the past year – like concerts, festivals, themed sports, etc.
While millennials, as a target audience, may have been a catalyst to the growth of event/experiential, it is now an important component of many brands’ marketing campaigns – regardless of age groups. Marketers will spend nearly 21% of their overall budgets on event/experiential in 2018 compared to 19% in 2017, according to a 2018 report by Event Marketer.
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
At Nielsen’s recent Consumer 360, the theme was Confronting What’s Next. There were discussions and presentations on reaching multicultural audiences, using data, artificial intelligence, building brands and more.
There was a lot to be learned from each of the panelists and brand presentations. But, keeping true to the core of the event, it all boiled down to understanding and reaching the consumer. More importantly, it was clear that this is the age of the consumer. The consumer is in control, and wants and expects to be heard. The consumer is at the center of it all.
Author: Erica Farber, President and CEO, RAB
Last week, radio lost one of our great medium’s most passionate heroes – Joseph (Joe) Bilotta.
Joe spent 40+ years in the radio business with the majority of them as Buckley Broadcasting’s CEO, overseeing legendary radio stations like WOR-AM in New York and WDRC-AM/FM in Hartford. As a radio broadcaster, Joe considered himself a very lucky man and as professionals in the radio industry, we all consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have had Joe as an advocate, mentor, challenger, supporter and friend. Continue reading “The Passion of a Radio Broadcaster”
Photo courtesy of Tammy Greenberg
Author: Annette Malave, SVP/Insights, RAB
On May 29, Starbucks closed over 8,000 company-owned stores for anti-bias training. This closing was prompted by a racial-bias incident which took place in April. Since that time we have all watched Starbucks working hard to protect its brand and maintain the strong connection they have with their consumers as a “third destination between home and work.” This connection is the very essence of their business model according to their website: “We make sure everything we do honors that connection – from our commitment to the highest quality coffee in the world, to the way we engage with our customers and communities to do business responsibly.”
Using videos as the training platform, Starbucks employees (or “partners”) heard from Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz and board member Mellody Hobson. Also on the agenda was Common, a well-known hip-hop artist, actor and activist — underscoring the value that a respected personality/celebrity from the community brings.
Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times reported on the shuttering of a chain of Eastside community newspapers. One article even went so far as to say, “Local and regional newspapers that serve Southern California are going through tough times, leading some to question whether traditional newspapers can survive.” Radio has always been there – now it is even more valuable! The importance of local radio to the local community can’t be understated.
The challenge for local Newspapers has been how to sustain a newsroom and make a profit when print advertising is fleeing to lower-cost space on the Internet. Most digital ads are concentrated on Facebook and Google, not newspaper websites. These two Internet giants take in 60 percent of online ad revenues.
Radio was shown as the most trusted platform used after the impact of hearing about “fake news” in political coverage. See below for the Kantar “Trust in News” study where it was revealed ‘mainstream news media’s’ reputation remained largely intact while social media and digital-only news platforms sustained major reputation damage. In addition, Facebook and other digital platforms are not designed to promote civic connection, but rather communities of interest often unmoored from particular geographies.
It’s incredible to believe that 2017 is coming to a close. The year just seemed to fly by.
There were so many events that took place around the world this past year and many of these events left a mark in the world of pop culture. Similar to events that shaped pop culture, there were events that shaped and influenced how radio is perceived. Continue reading “2017 – It’s Been An Incredible Year”
Today’s blog post is courtesy of Jim Thompson, President of the Broadcasters Foundation of America
Radio broadcasters are a central part of everything that happens in our communities. Across all formats, radio reports on monumental events — both local and national. Radio is there to share in the joy that emanates from parents and their teens when the high school football team wins a home game and the happiness that radiates from children when the playground in the town’s park is finally completed. Radio is also there to express the sadness that strikes a community when disaster hits. Radio is a medium that connects emotionally like no other. It is an industry that cares and, with its unique emotional and local connection, it is always there to help!
But what happens when something tragic occurs to someone in the radio or television industry? When it is the general manager, the afternoon air talent, or even a retired broadcaster who falls on hard times? That’s when the Broadcasters Foundation of America steps in.
Continue reading “Granting Hope to Fellow
Broadcast Professionals”
July 4th. On this day 271 years ago, the Declaration of Independence was signed. In commemorating the occasion, we celebrate our collective patriotism and most importantly, remember all those who have and continue to protect and serve our country.
During this holiday like so many others, radio stations across the country will celebrate, honor and recognize those who have served and continue to serve – both overseas and in our communities. Radio as a live and local medium has the ability to bring listeners of like minds, passions, interests and lifestyles together. Radio celebrates with its listeners every day.
Radio, the top reach medium, provides news, traffic, music to the over 247 million listeners every week. Radio delivers content that listeners want wherever and whenever they want it, but radio is also more than that. Radio is part of the community.