KBA WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

AI IN MEDIA WEBINARS

COMPLIMENTARY TO KBA MEMBERS

Join us for an exclusive two-part 'Ask Me Anything' (AMA) series with Futuri executives Daniel Anstandig (CEO) and Sophie Fry (CIO), as they provide insights into the current state of AI in media, setting the stage for an engaging open-floor discussion. Gain practical knowledge on leveraging AI to diversify revenue streams, streamline content repurposing, and strengthen community engagement.

Join one (or both!) of our interactive sessions, where Daniel and Sophie will answer your burning questions, both pre-submitted and live, offering expert insights into the practicalities and possibilities of a Human/AI Hybrid business model for radio and TV. Discover innovative tools and behind-the-scenes processes that can help you connect more deeply with your local community, diversify and drive revenue streams, and streamline content repurposing.

Learn how to maximize the potential of high-performing talent while optimizing time and resources. This program is not just about weathering the challenges of the media industry; it's about laying the groundwork for a resilient, thriving media company that can lead the way in a rapidly evolving digital era. Whether you're looking to fine-tune your strategy or revolutionize your approach, this AMA series with Futuri’s top minds is an unmissable opportunity to equip your media business for success.

AM RADIO IS VITAL

REPORT SPOTLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF RADIO

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) recently released a report detailing the public safety importance of AM radio, which serves as the backbone of the Emergency Alert System. NAB is releasing the report as momentum grows in Congress for legislation to ensure AM radio is accessible to the public in all vehicles.

“When disaster strikes, AM radio has proven time and again its invaluable role as a source of factual, authoritative, up-to-the-minute information that saves lives,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “It is also a home to a diversity of programming that is often unavailable on other mediums and particularly important to otherwise underserved communities. It is critical that Congress address the need for AM radio capability in vehicles to ensure Americans can turn to local AM stations when they need them the most.”

AM radio serves local communities in two vital ways during emergencies: through the dissemination of emergency alert signals and by providing a reliable source of trusted news. The report highlights AM radio’s unique role in the Emergency Alert System (EAS), the national public warning system commonly used by state and local authorities to deliver critical emergency information over television and radio. The EAS relies on broadcast stations to relay emergency messages, with more than 70 radio stations – the vast majority of which are AM stations – serving as Primary Entry Points that initiate the message and spread it to other communications medium across the country.

AM radio also connects diverse communities with programming in multiple languages and serves as a lifeline in rural America where cellular and broadband access can be unreliable.

The report documents AM radio’s critical role in natural disasters when other communications networks fail, including examples of stations’ response during the Maui wildfires, the Tubbs Fire in northern California and an outbreak of tornadoes in Arkansas. Listeners recount how they heard about the emergencies through their local AM radio stations, which allowed them to evacuate to safer areas, stay informed after the danger had passed and learn authoritative information in the face of misinformation on online platforms.

The report urges the full House and Senate to support the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. This legislation would require the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring vehicles manufactured in or imported into the U.S. to have devices installed that provide access to AM radio. In addition to 240 members of Congress, the bill has support from emergency management officials, communications professionals and groups representing rural, elderly and other diverse communities.

REVENUE REPORTS DUE TO ASCAP, BMI & SESAC BY APRIL 1ST

We often write about issues concerning the royalties paid by radio stations for their various uses of music. It is not just paying the royalties that are important, but stations must also observe all of all the other obligations under each of their license agreements. The Radio Music License Committee asked us to remind commercial radio stations of one of those obligations – the requirement that commercial radio operators report their prior year’s annual station revenues to the Performing Rights Organizations – ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. As commercial radio stations pay their royalties to these organizations based on a percentage of the revenues earned by the station, the PROs need this information to compute the royalties that are owed. Because of the importance of the information, there are penalties in each of the license agreements for stations that don’t timely report their income. The deadline for reporting the revenue under the agreements with each of the three PROs is April 1, 2024, so stations need to report this information in the next two months. READ MORE

EDWARD R. MURROW AWARDS

DEADLINE TO ENTER IS FEBRUARY 13TH

The deadline to submit your entry for the 2024 Edward R. Murrow Awards is Tuesday, February 13th @ 5pm eastern time.

Since 1971, RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards. Among the most prestigious in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community. Murrow Award winning work demonstrates the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession. Click HERE for more.

THIS WEEKS MEMBER PIC

25 AND COUNTING

Congratulations to Bill Meck, WLEX-TV Chief Meteorologist. Earlier this week Bill logged his 25th year with the Lexington television station.

We want to promote YOU! Send us your staff additions, promotions and special events. Email Chris at chris@kba.org

UNCOMFORTABLE QUESTION

What do your clients and prospects think of you? We’ve frequently discussed the importance of taking our own advice and building your personal brand. As we teach our advertisers the Four Keys of Advertising Success (Reach, Frequency, Consistency, and Compelling Creative), maximize the power and impact of their marketing efforts. Today, we turn that focus on you and building your personal brand. While there are many ways to deploy the Four Keys strategically, we’ll share one tool today. We call it “Seeding.”

For any plant to grow, you must first plant a seed. This sounds ridiculously simple. However, we constantly try to “grow” business relationships without first planting seeds. Seeds can come in many different forms: People talking about you, people reading about you, or any exposure potential clients have to you in a “non-selling” mode.

I want to focus specifically on the process of intentional and focused seeding. This is the practice of finding an article or information you know will be significant, relevant, or interesting to your client. Bear with me, its old school, but it WORKS!

You photocopy the article.
Use a highlighter to mark a few of the key points.
Staple your business card to the top left corner.
In some white space, you handwrite a note to the client: “Kevin, I thought this article may be of interest to you.”
Sign it, put it in an envelope, hand address it, and send.

Handwriting is KEY to standing out. It shows you took the time to do this personally, not some autoresponder or email database blast. Can you “seed” by email? Sure, but not nearly as effectively, and the impact is far more remarkable when you use regular mail.

If you plan your prospecting and lead development efficiently, you will get optimum results if you send 3-4 “seed” pieces before you make initial contact. Two things happen:

The client is already “familiar” with you.
You have a specific reason to make the call (to discuss the content of one of the articles.)

A warm prospect call that starts with, “I wanted to talk to you about that article I sent about focusing on the middle third of your team for maximum growth potential,” is much different from a cold call that begins with: “I’m calling today to see if I can help develop your sales team with some state of the art, blah blah blah

Focusing on the Four Keys and starting a seeding system can be a significant first step to becoming known before you are needed. It allows us to practice what we teach our advertisers about the importance of marketing. You are the product. You know how to market, but have you ever created a strategy to market yourself? If you’re willing, make a list of the top-ten prospects on your list, and seed them over the next 3-4 weeks. We’d love to share your success.

Happy Planting!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development at the Radio Advertising Bureau. You can also connect with him by email JSchmidt@rab.com or on Twitter and LinkedIn.