RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast

Closing the digital divide. It's a topic that the FCC under Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has put front-and-center, but getting to where the U.S. is today with respect to broadband infrastructure involved former acting Chair Mignon Clyburn and ex-Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein.

What they had to say on the subject, along with key topics impacting multicultural and minority radio and television broadcasters, was the focus of this year's annual Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) Former FCC Chairs' Symposium.

Former Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate served as moderator for the discussion, hosted by President/CEO Robert Branson.

What did Adelstein and Clyburn have to share? They offered their thoughts alongside the pioneering former FCC Chair Dick Wiley during the July 25 Zoom event, which saw Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) skillfully ignore a "bomber" who interrupted his address with expletives and a death threat.

In this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, RBR+TVBR is pleased to offer excerpts from the conversation.

According to recently released data from BIA Advisory Services, local advertising is expected to reach $161.7 billion in 2023, a decrease from the previous estimate of $165.7 billion. BIA attributed this to a decline in digital advertising and a slow start to the economy this year.
The conclusion got Tom Cheli, the nine-year CEO of ad sales automation and workflow company Frequence, thinking about how its local ad partners have benefited from an omnichannel approach during this period — something that could benefit broadcast radio and TV.
Tom Cheli joins us on the Podcast to share more of his thoughts on the subject.

Four years ago, Ron Stone founded the Independent Broadcasters Association.

Today, one of the key tenets of the IBA is how to make more money. This includes cash giveaways — an incentive that has attracted more listeners, thus increasing the chances an advertiser will sign a deal for a member station.

What's next for the IBA? Stone shares where the organization is heading in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

The Managing Partner of media brokerage Patrick Communications joins RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson to discuss the state of the transactions marketplace as the second half of 2023 begins. Are their new trends Greg is seeing? Is the TV marketplace seeing the same activity as Radio? Greg shares his thoughts in this 10-minute audio report, presented by dot.FM.

Steve Shine, a Partner in the Indiana general practice law firm Shine & Hardin, wrote to the Radio + Television Business Report in May to offer his kudos to a column that appeared at RBR.com discussing the importance of local broadcast radio versus SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

That sparked an ongoing dialogue about the key role of AM and FM radio in the communities where Shine & Hardin seeks new business. Shine, who appears on WOWO-AM and is widely known for his appearances on local radio and TV for many years, joins Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson on the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, to share more on the continued value of commercial radio — especially in this corner of Indiana.

It's pronounced like "apple at'cha," and it is a unique offering bringing three locally produced shows and a slate of PBS programming to an area of rural Southwestern Virginia. But, don't call it a PBS Member station.

Introducing "PBS Appalachia Virginia," which bowed on June 10 as an online-exclusive digital offering that enjoys MVPD distribution, filling a void in one of the few places in the U.S. where over-the-air broadcasts for the public television system were absent.

To learn more about the launch, RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson spoke with VP/GM Julie Newman, a former news anchor for WCYB-5 in the Tri-Cities, Tn.-Va. She shares details about the launch in this exclusive conversation downloadable now in the latest InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

Richard Stern, the Chief Executive Officer of TuneIn, the streaming audio platform with a global presence, returns to the InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM, to address questions surrounding AM radio’s future in the vehicle with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.

On May 22, A former NTIA figure who in January became a Senior Advisor for International Information and Communications Policy at the U.S. State Department was officially nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a FCC Commissioner.

For Anna Gomez, the path to being sworn in as the fifth Commission could be smoother than that for the polarizing Gigi Sohn, the individual the White House stuck with and ultimately withdrew due to her controversial tweets and past experience as a lobbyist. What is the chatter, if any, in Washington right now concerning Gomez, and when a confirmation hearing is expected?

That's the first of several timely questions surrounding Gomez's future, and that of the FCC, asked by RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson to Marc Martin, a partner and firmwide chair of the communications industry group at Perkins Coie, in this InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM.

For two hours and 45 minutes on Tuesday morning, the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing focused on the importance of AM radio. Taking center stage for broadcasters on Capitol Hill: J Chapman, a.k.a. Jerry Chapman, the President of Woof Boom Radio.

Chapman's stations serve five cities in Indiana and Ohio, and his testimony served as an important endorsement of AM radio for those on the committee who asked about kHz-based broadcasts and their service — not only in times of emergency but also as a vehicle for multicultural, Talk radio and religious programming.

His comments contrasted from those of Scott Schmidt, VP of Safety Policy for the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. As far as Schmidt is concerned, having free alerts sent to drivers in a time of an emergency is suffice — and that led Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-Ohio) to ask questions regarding Radio to Schmidt.

RBR+TVBR offers an audio snippet of the hearing in today's InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM. It's just a small example of how Members of Congress and the radio industry, supported by the NAB, are united in combating groups such as Schmidt's who believe AM's role in delivering essential information in a time of need is no longer essential.

How AI can aid audio content creation and distribution companies is a topic that is hotter than ever, thanks to ChatGPT and a variety of new products for radio and podcasters that automates perhaps mundane human tasks. For Super Hi-Fi's Los Angeles-based co-founder and CEO Zack Zalon, partnerships with ElevenLabs make AI "an automation layer" that in some respects still requires a human.

That said, AI-powered products from Super Hi-Fi offer the promise of accomplishing "anything a radio producer can do," and personalized radio "with the likeness of voice talents" in a segment of the industry Zalon says is shrinking.

For more on what Super Hi-Fi is bringing to radio, and how it isn't a job killer but efficiency opportunity to AMs and FMs, click below to enjoy this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.FM and hosted by RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.