Headlines

Having faced hurricane disasters in the past, JVC Broadcasting's stations in Long Island and Florida were prepared when the coronavirus crisis took hold. There have been challenges, of course, and the JVC CEO explains what they were but also tells us why he's optimistic. LISTEN

The one-day Radio Cares radiothon held last week for Feeding America, heard on thousands of radio stations across the country, raised over $500,000. The money will provide 5 million meals for Americans living with hunger.

The NAB has released new public service announcements focused on a message of hope and encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PSAs direct people to WeAreBroadcasters.com/Hope, which provides mental health resources and tips for practicing wellness.

This was a stand-alone event for 101.1 ESPN in Peoria. The station held a one-day radiothon last week and raised $10,000 for the Peoria Area Food Bank.

With nearly 80,000 commercials airing on radio stations across the country, the United States Social Security Administration was the number one advertiser on radio last week, according to Media Monitors.

(By Buzz Knight) Once we return to some form of normalcy look for companies of all types to place greater importance on using data along with their brightest strategic thinkers to inform how they can plan for every conceivable scenario in the future.

Both Robert Feder in Chicago and The St. Louis Post-Dispatch are reporting big layoffs at Hubbard stations in those cities. In St. Louis, 26-year sports talker Bernie Miklasz was one of 20 let go. All of the layoffs are being blamed on the coronavirus situation.

Steve Goldstein, Amplifi Media, pulls no punches with some frank perspective on radio, podcasting, and how both have handled the pandemic crisis in our latest coronavirus update hosted by Radio Ink Publisher Deborah Parenti. He also offers some smart speaker listening tips every radio station needs to consider to better compete on that platform. LISTEN

This Thursday, Beasley Media Group stations in Fayetteville, Augusta and Charlotte will host a free 30-minute webinar to help restaurant owners and managers directly impacted by the pandemic.

(By Randy Lane) I value my decades-long friendship and creative partnerships with Bert Weiss of The Bert Show and Kevin Rolston of The KVJ Show (Kevin, Virginia & Jason). During this time of unprecedented change, true innovators like Bert and Kevin step up to the task.