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(Bob McCurdy) Big data is getting a lot of headlines and has made the process of purchasing media more sophisticated over the past several years, as everyone is searching for ways to maximize the impact of their marketing spend.

(By Ronald Robinson) Very seldom, when I am visiting with old friends who are not involved in radio, do I bring up any of the material I discuss in this space. Somehow, I did touch on it when having a coffee with a good pal. He listened to some of the points I regularly make here, paused briefly and said, “Psy-Ops.”

(By Ryan Wrecker) There’s a misperception that producing digital audio is only “worth it” if thousands of people are ready to consume it, but that way of thinking has become antiquated. Many talents justify their passion for producing digital content with an “If you build it, they will come” philosophy, but for our own sake, we need podcasting to become so much more.

(Paul Weyland) Selling — and this is my definition — is simply the modification of the behavior of another person, without that person’s necessarily knowing that his or her behavior is being modified, in order to arrive at a mutually beneficial conclusion. Would you go along with that?

Milt McConnell, SVP/Market Manager of Portland has been promoted to VP, National and Group Sales Strategy. Lisa Decker joins Alpha Media to fill the role as Portland SVP/Market Manager and Amy Leimbach moves into VP Sales, Portland- Live Performance Lounges.

This one dates back nearly a decade and involves a contest KDND Sacramento held that lead to the death of one of its listeners. The hearing, regarding the license renewal of KDND Sacramento, stems from the 2007 contest called “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” in which the contestant who was able to drink water at regular intervals for the longest time without urinating or vomiting won a Nintendo Wii. Contestant Jennifer Strange died after the contest.

Remember all those high hopes radio executives had for political advertising revenue that was supposed to come to radio but didn't? Now look who's turning to radio in the home stretch of this presidential election: Hillary Clinton. But it's not by purchasing ads...

That's according to Zenith Media, which also says 75% of global Internet use will be mobile next year. The predictions are part of Zenith’s new Mobile Advertising Forecasts. Mobile use of the Internet has increased from 40% in 2012 to 68% in 2016, and Zenith is forecasting it to reach 79% by 2018.

For the next several weeks we'll hear exactly how radio's public companies performed in the third quarter, as they report earnings. We also like to check in with companies who have smaller groups, operate in medium and smaller markets, or simply do not report to Wall Street. Ben Downs is responsible for 10 stations in Texas for Bryan Broadcasting, where he’s been for 26 years as Vice President and General Manager. Here's how Ben and His team are doing in the state of Texas...