Headlines

(by Michael Dudding) My last submission to Radio Ink said “don’t get me started on telephone numbers” in ads. Since only 0.24923% of Americans have a photographic memory, the phone number within a commercial is probably forgotten long before the commercial ends.

(By Bob McCurdy) Last week an AE and I were involved in a conversation with an advertiser who was looking to get a better handle on the listening habits of the “digital streamer,” specifically the Pandora and Spotify listener.

(By Ronald Robinson) What radio’s talent base wants more than anything else is to be treated like tamed and subdued livestock, and to be housed in the cramped quarters of a dilapidated petting zoo somewhere out on a secondary highway.

Ten years and counting. WGN Radio has again been named Chicago Market Station of the Year at the 2017 Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome Awards, which were held on June 8 in Champaign. In addition, Tribune Media President of Broadcasting Larry Wert was honored as IBA’s “Broadcaster of the Year” at the ceremony.

Yes the money is nice but the company also gets three board seats, including the Chairman's seat, and a big piece of the company. Here's how the investment will work.

(By Michael Dudding) What am I missing? Do percentages mean more than dollar figures? I'm talking about commercials that offer discount percentages versus dollar savings. I believe copy writers restrict sales by using "save X percentage" instead of "saving X dollars."

Buddy Shula hopes so and he's banking on it. He recently purchased WECK AM/FM in Buffalo, which is now known as “Buffalo’s Very Own.” Shula's goal: To be a model for the industry in getting back to localism and generating revenue that can be attained through a locally focused strategy.

(By Georgia Beasley) One of the harshest critiques I receive regarding Millennials is our lack of focus. I can’t deny having my fair share of “squirrel” moments, but as I begin to explore this concept more deeply, I admit that I’ve already tweeted, posted a video to my Snapchat, refreshed my work email, refreshed my personal email, texted my mom, and loved 12 pictures on Instagram.

That's what the FCC says after a complaint was filed for an unlicensed signal at 104.5-FM in Brooklyn. Agents found the pirate at 53 Sea Lounge Bar & Restaurant in Mount Vernon, NY. The owner, George Brown, was found to be operating the station and given 10 days to explain to the government why he's operating an unlicensed operation. Read the FCC notice HERE.

Two more members of the House of Representatives have joined as cosponsors of a resolution that opposes any new performance fee, tax or royalty on radio. The Local Radio Freedom Act now has 187 cosponsors in the House and 22 in the Senate. The latest to sign on in the House are Reps. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina and New Jersey's Donald Norcross.