Reports On Media Jobs Show Mixed Results

Media industry layoffs are poised to reach an all-time high in 2020 due in large part to the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Hill citing new research.

An estimated 28,637 cuts were reported in the industry by late October, Variety, citing data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, reported, nearly as many as the record 28,803 reported in the media sector in 2008. By comparison, the sector saw just over 10,000 job losses in 2019 and 15,474 in 2018.

Job losses spiked in May during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. After a June drop-off, layoffs increased again over the summer, dropping to pre-pandemic levels in September and October, Variety noted.

Several major media conglomerates, including ViacomCBS, Comcast, Disney, iHeartMedia and AT&T, have announced cuts throughout the year.

NBCUniversal laid off 5 percent of employees in its television and streaming departments and has broader plans to cut 1 in 10 workers, according to Variety.

Even amid the cuts, the number of new media jobs is up compared to 2019, according to the research. The industry has posted 1,586 hiring announcements in 2020 thus far, more than double the 622 posted during the same period in 2019.

Despite the number of job losses, the media industry barely cracked the top 20 industries for layoffs, according to the data. The leisure industry led with 845,945 layoffs, followed by retail with 179,520 and transportation, with 159,674.

U-K Radio: TSL Jumps In November

New research published by Radiocentre shows that UK commercial radio listening has been significantly boosted during the November lockdown as workers spend more time at home, reports RadioToday.

More than a third of commercial radio listeners are tuning in for an extra one hour and 53 minutes each day compared to the period before the April lockdown.

This compares to the leap in commercial radio listening that occurred during April, when Radiocentre’s research showed that 38% of listeners tuned in for one hour 45 minutes a day longer than during the pre-lockdown period. Slightly fewer people increased their listening in November compared to April – 34% rather than 38% – perhaps reflecting that this time around people feel less confined to home.

Radiocentre has commissioned agency DRG to conduct regular research among sample groups of 1,000 commercial radio listeners to examine how the pandemic has changed attitudes, shopping behaviour, and listening habits over the past nine months. The research, Staying Connected During the COVID-19 Crisis, shows a consistent and large increase in claimed commercial radio listening as people adapt to spending more time at home.

The November survey shows that the biggest increase in listening is among people who have been forced to work from home throughout the coronavirus crisis. Some 40% of them tuned in for an extra 128 minutes a day in November.

The research also identified a new group, called Adaptors, who returned to work over the summer at the end of the first lockdown but have gone back to working from home or on to furlough for November’s lockdown. Some 43% of adaptors are listening to an extra 124 minutes of radio each day compared to before the April lockdown.

The latest figures reveal that people are increasingly turning to radio for companionship and emotional support during November’s lockdown: 90% of respondents said they listened to commercial radio because “it keeps me company”, 82% because “it makes them happy,” while nearly 85% said listening to the radio “improves my mood.” All of these measures have increased since the original study in April, suggesting that radio is playing a valuable role in supporting people’s mental wellbeing during enforced isolation.

Hot 100: BTS Debuts At The Top

The music industry has a hot new format, one that can generate huge sales, demonstrate fan loyalty and dominate the weekly charts.

The NY Times reports: It’s called the compact disc.

This week, the K-pop superstars BTS opened at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart for the fifth time with their latest release, “Be,” which had the equivalent of 242,000 sales in the United States, according to Nielsen Music. Of that total, 177,000 were for copies sold of the eight-song LP as a complete album. Two versions were available: a $9 digital download and a $51 “deluxe edition” CD that came with a photo book, seven postcards, a poster and other goodies.

Last week, AC/DC topped the chart with a similar strategy, selling its latest CD, “Power Up,” in a $49 box that displayed the band’s logo in neon and played a guitar riff from a built-in speaker.

The CD format has been dying a slow death for years. In 2019, just 52 million albums were sold on CD in the United States, down from a peak of 943 million in 2000, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. But some acts, like BTS, have found ways to move discs by super-serving fans with collectible packages, even as streaming remains the default format for most listeners. In its opening week, “Be” had 49 million streams.

Several Conservative Websites Fail to Grow

Six prominent conservative websites in TheRighting’s top 20 failed to grow their audience in October 2020, according to TheRighting’s exclusive analysis of mobile and desktop traffic based on Comscore data. TheRighting’s research showed that five conservative websites experienced year-over-year (YOY) declines in unique visitors. They include the Daily Caller (-27%), the Washington Examiner (-18%), RushLimbaugh.com (-14%), the Daily Wire (-8%), and Newsmax (-4%).

Foxnews.com had a zero percent increase in unique visitors from October 2019 to October 2020 making it the first time since August 2019 that the website failed to register a YOY percentage increase in unique visitors. In October 2019, Foxnews.com attracted 100,914,000 unique visitors and in October 2020 the site drew 100,799,000.

“The traffic numbers for several prominent conservative websites were surprisingly soft in October,” said Howard Polskin, President and Chief Curator, TheRighting. “I was expecting a big surge in traffic in the weeks leading up to one of the most consequential and controversial presidential elections in U.S. history. I based these assumptions on the dramatic events that dominated the October news cycle including President Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization, the Supreme Court hearings, the Biden and Trump town halls, and the final presidential debate. The weaker-than-expected audience numbers suggest fatigue among right-wing news consumers when it came to the latest developments in the election and the battle against the pandemic.”

Despite failing to register a gain in unique visitors in October 2020, Foxnews.com still led all conservative websites. However, CNN.com drew almost 46,000,000 more unique visitors than Foxnews.com for the month and it posted a 17% YOY traffic increase with 146,737,000 unique visitors. The New York Times Brand attracted 97,045,000 unique visitors (+11% YOY), followed by the Washingtonpost.com with 92,183,000 unique visitors (+10% YOY). TheRighting tracks those three mainstream websites on a regular basis.

Leaders in Growth Among Top 20 Conservative Websites for October 2020 (by unique visitor percentage increase from year ago):

• Bongino.com (+1,101%)
• PJ Media (+291%)
• The Federalist (+211%)

Each month, TheRighting examines Comscore data on dozens of prominent conservative websites that post original content. TheRighting ranks the top 20 conservative websites on the basis of unique visitors and also provides data on whether unique visitors have increased or decreased year over year. That information is posted on the Metrics section of TheRighting’s website.

TheRighting also publishes a listing of Who’s Who in Conservative Media as well as an A-Z Guide to Right-Wing Media and updates both of them regularly. The guides feature descriptions about prominent right-wing media personalities and websites.

Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Custom-defined list, including, but not limited to Foxnews.com, Breitbart.com, DailyCaller.com, WashingtonExaminer.com, WesternJournal.com, Washingtontimes.com, Total Digital Audience, October 2020, U.S.

Broadband Usage Spikes Thanksgiving Day

Spurred by Zoom's removal of data limits across its platform on Thanksgiving Day, U.S. broadband usage surged vs. Thanksgiving 2019, according to Mediapost citing estimates released Monday by OpenVault.

While that might not seem surprising giving the pre-/-post pandemic comparisons of the two Thanksgivings, usage also soared vs. the prior Thursday, as well as the average of the previous eight Thursdays.

According to OpenVault, U.S. broadband traffic peaked between 10 AM and 3 PM (EDT) when usage paced 29% ahead of average consumption during the same time period across the previous eight Thursdays.

Fresh Off the Press: SBG Adds i-News To Roster

i-News brings listeners unbiased, news updates at the top and bottom of each hour every day of the week. The news network features national journalists including: John Hunt, Jessie Paniagua, Chris Barnes and Wendy King.

“i-News Network has been specifically designed to help radio stations stay relevant in the news cycle,” said Sun Broadcast Group COO Danno Wolkoff. “The network news service delivers content that your listener’s want and need every hour with a fresh new sound from experienced journalists. Plus, sales departments can still sell local advertising and sponsorships for each newscast delivered.”

i-News President John Hunt said "It has been an exciting journey building i-News to bring listeners the entire story in an unbiased way. We look forward to our sales and distribution partnership with the talented team at Sun Broadcast Group."

i-News believes in presenting all sides to a story. In these times of a pandemic, racial strife and major economic challenges, listeners need to know the full truth. It's time for news to be presented for all listeners to consume...The next generation is here.

Check out how i-News could sound on your station by clicking here.

LA Radio: Ryan Seacrest Lists Home For $85M

Ryan Seacrest doesn't spend much time in L.A. these days ... he's living in New York where he co-hosts "Live with Kelly and Ryan" ... so he's decided to sell his home, according to TMZ.

The TV and iHeartMedia personality Ryan is putting the Bev Hills home he bought from Ellen DeGeneres back on the market. We've learned he's listing the estate Monday for $85 million ... amazing since he bought it for $39 mil back in 2012. He spent another $2 mil on an adjacent property.

The estate is spectacular ... one of the great resort-like compounds in the city. It has 5 structures, set between gardens and water features. It's amazing for indoor/outdoor living.

The main house is 9,000 square feet with 4 bedrooms, 6 baths and a gourmet chef's kitchen that opens to an outdoor pizza oven. It has a movie theatre, a spa, an incredible world-class gym and a master suite with its own meditation garden. It even has a super cool bar/lounge.

The house, and especially the pool and teak pool house, gives sunbathers a jetliner view of L.A.

Meanwhile, The L-A Times reports media mogul David Geffen just sold land for almost $34M. Geffen is selling empty 1-acre lot in the ultra-exclusive Billionaire’s Row enclave to investor Randall Van Wolfswinkel.

When Geffen bought it last year, the vacant lot came with plans for a 24,500-square-foot modern mansion designed by architecture firm Shubin Donaldson. Blueprints called for seven bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, a bowling alley, nightclub, bar, theater, salon, gym and a giant 140-foot swimming pool — but so far, nothing has been built.

Perched on a hillside, the property boasts sweeping views that stretch from downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean.

Disney Plans To Air NFL On Freeform Channel

Walt Disney Co. is airing an NFL wild-card game in January on five of its TV networks, including its female-focused Freeform channel, as part of an effort to broaden football viewership, reports Bloomberg.

For several years, the entertainment giant has simulcast postseason matchups on both its ESPN cable network and its ABC broadcast channel. This time it’s going further by putting the game on Freeform, a channel formerly known as ABC Family that targets younger women. Disney also plans a unique broadcast of the game on ESPN2.

The move helps Disney get more yardage out of its contract with the National Football League -- and shows that the company is serious about attracting new fans to the sport. That may help when it comes time to negotiate new licensing deals in coming months.

Of course, everything about this season is still up in the air -- with the league postponing a Thanksgiving game and practices due to COVID-19 outbreaks. The San Francisco 49ers aren’t even allowed to play in their stadium because of new virus restrictions locally. And networks may have to scramble to deal with more canceled games as the season winds down.

Disney hasn’t yet finalized plans for who will be hosting playoff coverage on the additional channels. The programming could resemble a more family-friendly watch party on Freeform or a more detailed analysis of the plays on ESPN2. The company also will broadcast the game in Spanish on its ESPN Deportes network, as it has done in the past.

Rights to NFL games, the most valuable property in television, begin coming up for renewal at the end of next season and networks are expected to bid aggressively for the events, which deliver one of the few audiences in the tens of millions. The bidding is expected to be fierce even though ratings on most sports have been down this year, due in large part to the election and the crowded schedule that leagues were forced to adopt during the pandemic.

Dec 1 Radio History

➦In 1931...Gene Autry, nicknamed The Singing Cowboy, debuted this weekly show on WLS Chicago.

From 1940 to 1956, Autry had a huge hit with a weekly show on CBS Radio, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. His horse, Champion, also had a CBS-TV and Mutual radio series, The Adventures of Champion. In response to his many young radio listeners aspiring to emulate him, Autry created the Cowboy Code, or Ten Cowboy Commandments. These tenets promoting an ethical, moral, and patriotic lifestyle that appealed to youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts, which developed similar doctrines. The Cowboy Code consisted of rules that were "a natural progression of Gene's philosophies going back to his first Melody Ranch programs

Autry is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for film, television, music, radio, and live performance.


➦In 1941...WNEW (now WBRR, NYC) moved to 1130 AM. WNEW had been on 1250 AM and shared time with Newark station WHBI. In March 1941, WNEW and WHBI were both reassigned to 1280. Then, on December 1, 1941, a swap of call letters and frequency took place between WNEW on 1280 and WOV on 1130. WOV moved to 1280 (to later become WADO) and WNEW moved to 1130 and assumed full-time status.

For most of its first 70 years on the air, WNEW was known for its popular adult music selection as well as its staff of radio personalities including Martin Block, Dee Finch, Gene Rayburn, Gene Klavan, Al "Jazzbo" Collins, Ted Brown and William B. Williams. WNEW is credited with pioneering the role of the disc jockey, as well as for developing the modern morning radio show format and debuting the first all-night radio show. In addition to its music and entertainment programming, WNEW featured an award-winning news staff and became "The Voice of New York Sports" for its coverage of New York Giants football team as well as the New York Rangers hockey and New York Knicks basketball.  After years of declining ratings and management changes in the 1980s, WNEW was purchased by Bloomberg L.P. in 1992 and changed call letters to WBBR on December 15.

The station's origins go back to 1922 as WAAM in Newark, and 1925 as WODA in Paterson. The two stations merged, taking the new call sign WNEW to represent NEWark, NEW Jersey. The city of license changed from Newark to New York City only after the station's ownership changed hands.

Newspaper ad  - 1984

WNEW was acquired in 1934 by advertising executive Milton H. Biow and watch manufacturer Arde Bulova, under the name The Greater New York Broadcasting Company. It also acquired the Manhattan broadcasting studios which had been constructed for the recently failed Amalgamated Broadcasting System. New York socialite Bernice Judis was hired as WNEW's first General Manager, making her a rare female executive during the "Golden Age of Radio." The call sign remained the same, to represent "the NEWest thing in radio."


➦In 1972...Paul McCartney and Wings released "Hi, Hi, Hi." The BBC banned the song for its supposedly suggestive lyrics and because of their assumption that the title phrase, "We're gonna get hi, hi, hi," was a drug reference.

➦In 1995...FCC scrapped the need for the Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit requirement to operate a broadcast station.

➦In 1997...Westinghouse Electric Corporation, founded in 1886, sold most non-broadcast operations; renamed itself CBS Corporation, until it was acquired by Viacom.

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAY:

• Actor-director Woody Allen is 85. 
• Singer Dianne Lennon of the Lennon Sisters is 81. 
• Bassist Casey Van Beek of The Tractors is 78. 
• Singer-guitarist Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult is 76. 

• 

  Ashley Monique Clark is 32
  

  Drummer John Densmore of The Doors is 76. 
• Actor-singer Bette Midler is 75. 
• Singer Gilbert O’Sullivan is 74. 
• Actor Treat Williams is 69. 
• Country singer Kim Richey is 64. 
• Actor Charlene Tilton is 62. 
• Model-actor Carol Alt is 60. 
• Actor Jeremy Northam (“The Tudors,” ″Happy, Texas”) is 59. 
• Actor Katherine LaNasa (“Longmire,” “Deception”) is 54. 
• Actor Nestor Carbonell (“Lost,” ″Suddenly Susan”) is 53. 
• Actor Golden Brooks (“Girlfriends”) is 50. 
• Comedian Sarah Silverman is 50. 
• Singer Bart Millard of MercyMe is 48. 
• Actor David Hornsby (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) is 45. 
• Guitarist Brad Delson of Linkin Park is 43. 
• Actor Nate Torrence (“Hello Ladies”) is 43. 
• Singer Mat Kearney is 42. 
• Drummer Mika Fineo of Filter is 39. 
• Actor Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) is 38. 
• Actor Ilfenesh Hadera (“Godfather of Harlem,” “She’s Gotta Have It”) is 35. 
• Singer-actor Janelle Monae is 35. 
• Actor Ashley Monique Clark (“The Hughleys”) is 32. 
• Singer Tyler Joseph of Twenty One Pilots is 32. 
• Actor Zoe Kravitz (“Insurgent,” ″Divergent”) is 32. 
• Singer Nico Sereba of Nico and Vinz is 30.

Chairman Ajit Pai To Depart FCC

Ajit Pai

Ajit Pai formally announced Monday that he will leave his position as chair of the Federal Communications Commission on Jan. 20, reports The Hill.

Stepping down from the FCC when a new president is inaugurated is an agency tradition.

Pai, a Republican promoted to chairman by President Trump, has had a tenure mired in controversy.  

His most notable decision, the repeal of Obama-era net neutrality rules that allowed the commission to go after service providers that discriminate against certain web traffic, is likely to be overturned shortly after Democrats have a 3-2 majority.

Other decisions, like overseeing the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, will be harder to reverse.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission, including as Chairman of the FCC over the past four years,” Pai said in a statement.

He highlighted some of his other achievements in Monday’s statement, including “closing the digital divide” and designating 988 as the new number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

President-elect Joe Biden will now have the opportunity to either promote one of the two Democrats on the commission — Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks — or bring in a new chair from outside the FCC.

Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr, who still has several years left on his term, is unlikely to depart. The other seat is up in the air.

In a prepared statement released Monday morning (11/30), Pai said, “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission, including as Chairman of the FCC over the past four years. I am grateful to President Trump for giving me the opportunity to lead the agency in 2017, to President Obama for appointing me as a Commissioner in 2012, and to Senate Majority Leader McConnell and the Senate for twice confirming me. To be the first Asian-American to chair the FCC has been a particular privilege. As I often say: only in America.”

Pai also said he “deeply appreciates” the chance to have worked alongside the FCC’s talented staff. “They are the agency’s best assets, and they have performed heroically, especially during the pandemic. It’s also been an honor to work with my fellow Commissioners to execute a strong and broad agenda. Together, we’ve delivered for the American people over the past four years: closing the digital divide; promoting innovation and competition, from 5G on the ground to broadband from space; protecting consumers; and advancing public safety. And this FCC has not shied away from making tough choices. As a result, our nation’s communications networks are now faster, stronger, and more widely deployed than ever before.”

Pai continued, “I am proud of how productive this Commission has been, from commencing five spectrum auctions and two rural broadband reverse auctions in four years, to opening 1,245 megahertz of mid-band spectrum for unlicensed use, to adopting more than 25 orders through our Modernization of Media Regulation Initiative, to aggressively protecting our communications networks from national security threats at home and abroad, to designating 988 as the three-digit number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and much, much more. I’m also proud of the reforms we have instituted to make the agency more accountable to the American people. In particular, for the first time ever, we’ve made public drafts of the proposals and orders slated for a vote three weeks before the agency’s monthly meetings, making this the most transparent FCC in history.”

FCC: Clyburn Or Rosenworcel Likely To Be Chair

Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel

The Federal Communications Commission will soon shift to Democratic control, and speculation has already begun about who will assume the chairmanship under the Biden administration, reports Variety.

Jessica Rosenworcel, the senior Democrat on the commission, is widely considered to be one of the leading candidates to succeed Ajit Pai in the powerful regulatory post. She has been vetted twice and would likely have a smooth path to confirmation, which would be a key consideration assuming the Senate remains in Republican hands.

“I think Jessica Rosenworcel probably has the best chance of becoming chair,” said John Orlando, former head of global government affairs at CBS. “The ease of her getting confirmed is far easier than anybody else.”

She also has the backing of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. He issued a statement to Variety praising Rosenworcel’s work on net neutrality and on expanding broadband access to low-income students since she joined the commission in 2012.

Another possibility is Mignon Clyburn, who served on the commission from 2009-18. A former newspaper publisher, Clyburn is the daughter of House Majority Whip James Clyburn, whose endorsement proved critical to Joe Biden’s win in the Democratic primary. Mignon Clyburn has been named to Biden’s transition team for the FCC.

But relationships are also important, and Biden could select someone other than a current commissioner to chair the regulatory body. Edward “Smitty” Smith, a partner at DLA Piper in Washington, is one such possibility.

Gomez and Smith

Smith is a D.C. native who served as an adviser to former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. He was also a bundler for Biden’s presidential campaign, and hosted a fundraiser for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the fall of 2019. (Harris’ husband, entertainment attorney Douglas Emhoff, works in DLA Piper’s Los Angeles office.) Along with Mignon Clyburn, Smith was named to the Biden FCC transition team.

Another name that has been floated is Anna Gomez, a partner at Wiley Rein, a major D.C. law firm. She was an official at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration until 2013, and prior to that worked for a dozen years in various roles at the FCC. She has also been named to the Biden transition’s agency review team for the Department of Commerce.

With a 3-2 majority, the Democratic commissioners are widely expected to work to restore net neutrality.

Radio Vet Bill Hendrich to Retire From Cox Media Group

Bill Hendrich

Cox Media Group today announced the retirement of EVP, Radio Bill Hendrich, effective December 31, 2020. Hendrich will remain in an advisory capacity in 2021.

“Bill’s retirement comes with a wealth of gratitude and mixed emotions”

Throughout his career with CMG spanning three decades, Hendrich has served as EVP, Radio, overseeing programming, operations and sales for the company’s radio stations. He also has oversight of CMG’s Radio Revenue team and Radio Digital team.

“Bill’s retirement comes with a wealth of gratitude and mixed emotions,” said Dan York, President & CEO, CMG. “In the time I have known him, he has shared his exceptional passion, focus and leadership from which our company, and our industry, has immeasurably benefited. Bill’s legacy of decisive leadership, his personal style and his deep experiences in radio and beyond will inform our work well into the future.”

“Although I’m retiring from CMG, I will remain an active and passionate supporter of this great company,” said Hendrich. “For the past 31 years, I have been able to work with the best and most talented team in the radio industry. With NewCity Communications, Cox Enterprises and Apollo, I have been a part of three outstanding companies–each bringing valuable and innovative ideas to keep radio viable in today’s media landscape. I look forward to continuing our work together in an advisory capacity to help the team at CMG serve their audiences, customers and communities with best-in-class services. I joined a great company in 1989 and I get to leave that same great company with pride 31 years later. I am a lucky man.”

Prior to his current role, Hendrich led integrated Radio and TV in multiple major media markets for CMG. He also led the company’s Healthcare Acceleration efforts that helped CMG’s markets and advertising sellers succeed in healthcare by developing proven marketing solutions that meet the needs of local healthcare practices, physician groups, and locally-owned and operated hospitals. Hendrich has also previously served as the VP and Market Manager of CMG’s six-station radio group in Jacksonville, Florida. In that position, he oversaw all sales, programming, digital and business operations for the group. Hendrich has also served as VP and General Manager of CMG’s AM580 WDBO and WWKA FM in Orlando for 10 years and oversaw the internet sales and operations for CMG Orlando.

NuVoodoo Turns On New OTT Video Marketing Tool

NuVoodoo Media Services, a data-driven media marketing, programming and content intelligence provider, announces the launch of an effective and budget-friendly new marketing tool for radio stations – one that is helping NuVoodoo clients reach and influence likely ratings participants at home, supported by results from a recently completed study of 3,400 radio listeners. The new tool, OTT Video Marketing, is supported by recent NuVoodoo research findings that those people most likely to participate in PPM ratings are watching OTT TV at a more significant rate than the majority who would never carry a meter. Details of NuVoodoo’s research findings and new OTT Video Marketing tool designed to help boost radio listening in the time of COVID are available at: https://nuvoodoo.com/webinars/. 

OTT stands for “over the top” and refers to streaming media offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms and is accessed on personal computers, apps on mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets), digital media players (including video game consoles), integrated Smart TV’s or TV’s connected to the internet through a device like Roku, Google Chromecast, and others.

Since the lockdown in March, Mike O’Connor, EVP, Marketing, NuVoodoo Media Services, and his team started seeing TV screens becoming a significant placement for YouTube ads. One particular YouTube metric really stood out: the conversion to video views lasting 30 seconds or longer. In the world of digital video, 30 seconds is just about forever. That was the first indication of a huge upshift in the time spent watching OTT content.

While there are lots of options for advertisers in OTT, NuVoodoo wanted to know if the reach is big enough to justify the marketing expense. To get the facts, NuVoodoo fielded over 3,400 interviews across all PPM markets among adults 18-54 the first weekend in November, and discovered that there is a tsunami of video viewing going on.

Specifically, NuVoodoo split OTT viewing into two buckets: those watching OTT on Smart TV’s and connected devices like Roku, Google Chromecast, etc. (labeled OTT-CTV) and those watching OTT on smartphones, tablets or computers (labeled OTT-Mobile/Comp). Groups of just under 1/3 a piece are spending 10+ hours per week with OTT in both modes.

O’Connor noted: “This is a BIG change. We watched years ago as Emmy nominations drifted from the broadcast networks to premium cable channels … and now we watch as they drift from premium cable channels to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and on and on. Even now, you can see that the groups spending 10+ hours a week with Cable or Satellite TV or Broadcast are smaller – about a quarter for Cable/Satellite and a fifth for OTA (over the air). “ 

He added: “As we suspected, gender and demographics matter. Men are more likely than women to watch 10+ hours a week on Cable/Satellite and Over-the-air TV – primarily due to live sports. While digital-native 18-34’s are most likely to spend 10+ hours a week consuming OTT content on a computer, tablet or smartphone.”

Among those people most likely to participate in PPM ratings - which NuVoodoo has identified using proprietary questions developed to mimic the process of empaneling respondents (labeled “PPM Yes”) - about 50% a piece are spending 10+ hours a week using either OTT/Connected TV or OTT content on a non-TV device. Those are big numbers compared to the overall sample (or the large subset of the sample who would reject the opportunity to carry a meter – the PPM No’s here).

O’Connor observed: “Note the columns labeled PPM 60 - the subset of the PPM Yes group who say they listen to broadcast radio at least an hour – 60 minutes – per day. If you’re going to make a splash in the ratings, you need to connect with those heavy listeners from the ratings sample – and viewing of OTT/Connected TV is mammoth.”

O’Connor and the NuVoodoo marketing team use third-party targeting from the Nielsen marketing cloud to reach the most likely ratings respondents, delivering OTT video impressions based on heavy format and daypart listening. The result is a cost-efficient mix of OTT impressions across the spectrum of devices to keep budgets reasonable. 

Carolyn Gilbert, President, NuVoodoo Media Services, commented: “With half of those likely to accept a meter spending well over 10 hours a week watching long form linear TV on a connected device (and a third over 25 hours a week!), OTT Video Marketing has become our best weapon for boosting client ratings in 2020’s stay at home environment. For the time being, we’ve sidelined some of our tried-and-true tactics like workplace telemarketing in favor of this powerful new strategy, and the results have been terrific. The data in the video we’re sharing validates the client ratings pops we’ve been seeing consistently this fall.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, visit: https://nuvoodoo.com/webinars/ or contact Carolyn Gilbert, President, NuVoodoo Media Services, at: cg@nuvoodoo.com or at 888.9VooDoo (888.986.6366).

Podcasts: More Advertisers Are Using Live Reads

While host-read ads started at radio and continue to be one of the medium’s most sought after ad units, they’re getting their biggest uptake at podcasting, where endorsement ads form the very foundation of the channel’s monetization strategy reports InsideAudioMarking.  Agency Veritone One places roughly 50,000 talent endorsement ads in audio a year for more than 100 clients, from sports book Draft Kings to audio book publisher Audible. 

“Host-read ads have a good reputation with these brands. It’s on their roadmap when they start to tap out on Facebook or search-based ads,” says Conor Doyle, Senior VP at the San Diego-based shop, which specializes in helping brands use audio in their marketing mix. For example, Honey, the deal-finding software that keeps shoppers updated on potential bargains and coupon opportunities, is endorsed by syndicated radio personalities Elvis Duran, Bobby Bones and Dave Ramsey. “Aligning with Dave Ramsey, who is all about personal finance, is a natural fit,” says Doyle. “It’s sort of an endemic message for his audience.”

Live reads have become so indispensable to direct-to-consumer brands that they’re listed in the 

Interactive Advertising Bureau’s playbook as a media channel DTC companies should explore. And as podcast consumption continues to rise, last year it surpassed radio as Veritone One’s largest media channel.

Successfully executing an endorsement campaign at scale with hundreds of local air talent is a complex undertaking that can be fraught with risk and pitfalls. To improve its success rate with large scale host-read campaigns, Veritone relies on sophisticated technology to track the tens of thousands of host-read ads it places a year. “We immediately locate the reads, we verify they took place and evaluate them,” Doyle explains. “We built that agency work flow because we recognize that it’s challenging to our clients. They want to know what’s being said and how the campaign is doing.”

Each individual endorsement is rated on a variety of criteria and the information is aggregated and used to optimize the campaign. “If we start to see a talent whose reads are getting shorter or their ratings are going down, we need to get on the phone with them,” Doyle elaborates. “It’s a relationship and we need to make sure that we’re setting them up for success.”

Just like a program director understands the need to give the talent creative leeway, so do agencies like Veritone One, where the motto is no two reads should sound the same.

“The reason they are effective is because you are getting the talent’s point of view on your product and hopefully their use of your product,” Doyle contends. “They know how to position things and when you let them do it, it can be very effective.”

Over the past year a parade of studies have shown host-read ads out-perform produced ads by often staggering margins. A survey of 412 podcast listeners conducted by audio researcher Signal Hill Insights for Stitcher found host reads produced 91% more lifts than the announcer reads. Presented in October at the IAB’s virtual 2020 Reach Conference, the study found host-read ads generated greater lifts in top-of-mind awareness, brand familiarity and total awareness than the announcer ads for both established and emerging brands.

At this year’s Podcast Movement online conference, Nielsen aggregated 250 different podcast brand effect studies, finding that host-read ads drove 71% higher recall, 60% greater intent to seek information about the advertised product, 50% more purchase intent and 50% higher recommendation intent than non-host read ads. The host read ads also tended to yield higher brand fit scores.

“The Veritone Uplift Study” showed live reads are two times more effective at driving responses than pre-recorded spots.

D/FW Radio: KSCS ’s Hawkeye Collects 45K+ Holiday Cards For Troops

New Country KSCS 96.3 morning show, Hawkeye in the Morning, concluded the second annual 10,000 for the Troops holiday card drive to send warm, hopeful wishes to the brave men and women serving our country overseas this holiday season. 

The station has partnered with Support Our Soldiers, a local 501(c)(3) organization, to send the holiday cards to “high risk” units/individuals that are either in isolated areas or do not have support coming from home. 

The campaign kicked off November 2, 2020 with the goal of collecting 10,000 cards. Listeners and supporters were able to mail cards to the radio station or deliver them to the T-Mobile Experience Store at The Shops at Legacy in Plano, TX or any of the Dallas/Fort Worth Gigi’s Cupcakes and Sun & Ski Sports store locations. 

The station’s Mark “Hawkeye” Louis took lead on this campaign and announced today that the station collected 46,751 cards, with more cards expected to arrive in the mail over the next week. 

"We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that our listeners showed for our troops serving overseas. It was a much-needed feel good story for 2020," comments Louis on the success of the campaign.

The cards will be included in care packages sent to the Troops by Support Our Soldiers just in time for Christmas.