Our Latest Industry Blogs

There’s no shortage of angry, frustrated people in the world – especially on social media. And when you or your station is attacked, the easy response is the swift response. But when the attacker is the CEO of one of the world’s most successful companies, it may require a different response that’s usually more effective, especially when the bully in question is none other than Elon Musk. How do you and/or your station respond when the going gets tough and those trolls come out of the woodwork?

We are all hoping for a strong second half for local radio this year. Of course, hope is not a strategy. But innovation is. And today’s blog focuses on what one broadcast company known for its small market portfolio has been strategically doing to create a major impact in the market they serve. Could your company, cluster, or station pull off a similar feat? Let’s find out.

Welcome to “Halftime 2024.” This 4th of July holiday marks the mid-point of the year. As this holiday full of barbeques and fireworks is upon us, I’ve got four fundamental questions to answer for our radio stations, our companies, and ourselves. Enjoy your time off and today’s post.

The deluge of new media and technology compels us to think differently, whether you’re an FM radio station in Minot or you’re Microsoft. Last month, the CEO of the latter challenged the industry and his own company to be more relevant or face the inevitable thinning of the media and technology herd. In today’s post, I’ve taken that charge seriously, providing three good examples of how to pivot a career and make it work. Will it be inspiration to you at this time in your career cycle? You tell me.

Radio’s issue with AI – or vice-versa – get more interesting with each passing week. The newest episode comes from television where a certain high-profile network sports personality has given his permission to use his voice for a high-profile marketing campaign around the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. There are major implications with using the AI voice of a superstar talent for promotional purposes, something radio broadcasters will eventually have to deal with, probably sooner rather than later.

The COVID ordeal is one we’d all just aa soon forget. But the pandemic resurrected QR codes, a safe, clean way to access restaurant menus. And from there, the technology was reborn. Today’s blog post shares the newest research results for QR codes – who’s using them and what they use them for. For radio, they might prove to be a free promotional tool during an economic time when marketing budgets are at a premium or they no longer exist.

This week has been packed with stories about innovative tools and creative outputs being developed with AI models. Intertwined with copyright controversies and fears of privacy and job loss, we are witnessing real advancements in how AI customizes content for users and enhances ad creativity for good causes. Dive in to discover how AI is…

If you get frustrated by “experts” who are never held accountable for their predictions, today’s #TBT post is for you. In June of 2019, we called on a certain media pro to forecast the revenue pie for that year – and for the next FOUR YEARS. Who knew a major pandemic would throw a monkey wrench into everything? But for this flashback post, we turned the clock back to see how he did – COVID and all. To find out this savant’s identity and to see how his predictions fared, click on READ MORE.

Public radio stations around the country are trying to regain their equilibrium in the face of rising deficits and difficulties monetizing their digital assets. But there’s one glaring opportunity few have truly leaned into that could exploit and enhance one of its true “superpowers.” Problem is, the competition sees it, too.

Yesterday’s blog post quesitoned whether the oft-stated myth – “Radio survived TV in the 1950s so it wlll reinvent itself in the Internet Age” – holds water. Today’s post is a more granular look at the specific digital content radio organizations have created during these past 30 years – and what will transpire moving forward. And I pose questions – 17 of them, in fact – every content creator and media executive should ask before greenlighting new media products. This is an interative process. I’m hoping to hear from many of you because this is truly a community effort. In fact, that may be the only way for radio to address its current set of daunting challenges.