RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast

it’s been an interesting eight months, and in Iowa it’s been a bit more newsworthy thanks to something that hasn’t received a lot of news coverage yet was particularly devastating – the Derecho damage in the Hawkeye State.

How did it impact the listeners and clients of KZIA-FM and its two FM translator stations?

Julie Hein, CEO of KZIA Inc., in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, shares all in this exclusive RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, sponsored by Dot.FM.

The subject of captioning has emerged in recent months as a big one for broadcast TV. It's also become an increasingly necessary tool for radio broadcasters looking to do more in the digital space with video.

There are certainly some captioning trends out there in the marketplace, and in this fresh RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, ENCO's Pittsburgh-based Media Solutions Account Manager Bill Bennett shares fresh insights about its positive benefits for broadcast TV, and perhaps even a hint as to whether or not radio broadcasters are investigating benefits from this technology.

In years past, MTV and Spring Breakers very much knew about Panama City Beach, Fla.

By the 2000s however, the wild events faded in a region many refer to as "The Forgotten Coast." Then, on Oct. 10, 2018, life changed for all across Bay County as Hurricane Michael devastated the area. The damage was horrific… but the Federal response and recovery efforts were lacking.

Many media outlets, including Gray Television's NBC and CBS affiliates -- WJHG-7 and WECP-LP 18 -- were greatly impacted by the storm. Six months later, Federal aid had yet to arrive. The station's News Director, WJHG veteran Donna Bell, sprang to action along with her team. The result: aid arrived, and the stations' efforts on Saturday netted the Gray TV pair a Service to Community Award from the NAB Leadership Foundation.

In this exclusive audio interview with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson, Bell shares the experience of living through a hurricane, and the recovery efforts her stations helped bring forth on the Florida Panhandle.

It's a very special day for the RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast, as it is not only National Radio Day but also the 100th anniversary of the very first broadcasts of WWJ-AM 950 in Detroit.

As part of our salute to WWJ and radio, RBR+TVBR has placed its focus on Detroit, and much of its local media. For the latest Podcast, we engaged Detroit Public Media President/CEO Rich Homberg in a conversation that spans from life at a PBS Member station to running a Classical/Jazz FM with ideas and recipes for success built on a 12-year tenure as WWJ's VP/GM.

Frontier Media in February 2017 became the first licensee of a radio station in the U.S. to be 100% foreign owned. At the time, there was zero opposition to the request, which the FCC granted. Now, Richard Burns is the proud -- and successful -- owner of stations in Alaska and along the Texas/Arkansas border.

What’s this Australian's perspective on ownership, especially given the much-different atmosphere seen today in locales such as Juneau, Alaska, compared to then?

"A friend of mine once said, 'There are no good radio stations, only good radio people,' and I think that is absolutely right," Burns tells Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson in this fresh RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast.

Learn more about how Burns' ownership of radio stations is "a dream come true" by listening now to this audio report!

Many media industry professionals know Omar Thompson for his many years as a marketing and creative teams leader at ABC Radio Networks, and as a marketing and advertising VP at Premiere Networks some 20 years ago.

Today, he's a Principal for Dallas-based marketing strategy firm 1Nine Marketing & Media, which works with brands on the proper content in their creative that can best strike a chord with multicultural consumers.

Thompson is a panelist on the August 19 Black Media Symposium, and he spoke with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson ahead of the event in this fresh InFocus Podcast.

How are marketers are responding to Black consumer needs? Get the answer in this 10-minute listen!

Radio broadcasting company Magnum.Media has uniquely focused on markets within the state of Wisconsin. And, it's growing -- even as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged ad revenue across much of April and May. Were there any concerns with moving forward with the company's latest station acquisitions? What advise do those running this family-owned operation have to share? Reid Magnum agreed to answer those questions in the latest RBR+TVBR InFOCUS podcast, hosted by editor-in-chief Adam R Jacobson.

We’ve reached August, and it has been nearly five months since the COVID-19 virus began its rampage across the U.S. Today, media companies are reporting second quarter earnings featuring big revenue dips, but stories of sequential improvements from April. Now, many are eyeing Washington for relief, and that can come in various ways.

What is perhaps the biggest topic of interest in D.C. for radio and TV broadcasters?

We get the latest on Lowest Unit Rate regulatory policy, the FCC's station license renewal period now underway and the political file rule, among other things, from Brad Deutsch, Office Managing Director and Principal at Foster Garvey, in this fresh RBR+TVBR InFOCUS Podcast.

Over the past several months, WYBN-14, a low-power TV station, has distinguished itself from other stations serving New York's Capital District by offering eight digital multicast networks including COZI TV, Buzzr and This TV to viewers.

Now, that same value proposition is being made available to those in the Mid-Hudson Valley, a part of the vast New York City DMA that until now has been devoid of any over-the-air broadcast signals.

What opportunities does this bring to the station's ownership? Dan Viles, the man in charge, speaks with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson about that in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast!

Your company has uniquely focused on one of the fastest-growing locales in America. Then, the novel coronavirus arrives. What has the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic done for business over the last four months?

That's what we learn from Darrell Calton, Chief Executive Officer of privately held local radio broadcasting company Iliad Media Group, in this freshly produced RBR+TVBR InFOCUS podcast hosted by Radio + Television Business Report Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson.