Headlines
With A Political Spending Surge Predicted, Radio Awaits Rest Of 2024
A familiar narrative has emerged among radio companies reporting their first-quarter earnings this month: Political advertising revenue is lagging for some, but the cash floodgates are — hopefully — expected to burst wide open as the 2024 calendar inches closer to November.
Is Sinclair Looking To Back Out Of Local TV? Not Entirely
Sinclair Inc. -- one of the biggest U.S. TV station groups -- wants to get smaller, perhaps by 30%, according to reports.
BIA
Navigating the Shift: Exploring the Surge in CTV Advertising and Its Impact on Local Markets
As the digital landscape continues to evolve at an unprecedented rate, marketers and advertisers are faced with both new challenges and new opportunities. In the latest surge within the industry, there’s a significant pivot toward Connected TV (CTV) advertising as traditional media budgets are getting reallocated.
FCC
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: May 6, 2024 to May 10, 2024
Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information
Television
Survey: TV Declines as Preferred Source of Local News
32% said local stations were their top choice, a major decline from 42% in 2018, according to Pew Research Center
PBS to Provide Dynamic Local Audience Data to Member Stations
PBS has received a “significant grant” from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to provide its member stations with Nielsen Local Dashboards, which give them access to in-depth audience data.
Multicast Is Maturing And Studios Are Taking Notice
Some of broadcasters’ diginets have greater reach than many cable networks and are attracting general market advertising as well as original, first-run and off-network syndicated programs.
Radio
PQ Report: Radio Use Expected To Grow In 2024, Powered By Election Coverage, Trump Trials
While PQ Media's just-released annual “Global Consumer Media Usage Forecast 2024-2028” shows overall radio usage in the U.S. off 0.7% in 2023, to 11.4 hours per week, the medium is expected to be back in the plus column this year, up a projected 1.1%, fueled by coverage of the Presidential and Senate elections, as well as the trials involving former President and Republican candidate Donald Trump.
New Measurement Capabilities For Radio Illuminate The Medium’s ROI
One reason radio’s share of ad spend historically hasn’t matched its share of media usage has to do with advertising attribution. Radio's broadcast nature makes attaching a digital pixel for tracking individual listeners from exposure to purchase an impossibility.
Verticals
Don’t Start Counting Marijuana Advertising Dollars Yet – Cautions Despite Possible Changes in Its Federal Classification
In recent weeks, we saw press reports on a recommendation from the Attorney General to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana – reclassifying it by moving it off Schedule I (an illegal controlled substance with no medical uses and a high degree of potential abuse) to Schedule III, where many other drugs, including some requiring a prescription, are listed.