Jointblog - The Blog Site For Media Trend Watching

Radio Ink: Convergence Conference Day Two Video Highlights

Labels: Conference, Convergence, Media, Radio Ink, Video

posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, February 11, 2009, ,

Media Trending: Spending Up, Usage Slightly Declining

Has media reached a new usage plateau? A new level of consumer saturation? What's a new view of the future for media?

Private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS) has released a new study forecasting spending in the media industry into 2011. The study found that while communications spending increased in 2006, consumer media usage actually dropped after multiple years of growth.

Total communications spending grew 6.8 percent to $885.2 billion in 2006. VSS predicts that in the first half of 2007, the industry will grow by 6.4 percent, making it among the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. economy.

VSS also predicts that Internet advertising will replace newspapers as the largest ad medium by 2011.

Meanwhile, media usage per person declined last year by 0.5 percent, according to their data, due to changing consumer behavior and the efficiency of digital media. VSS found that digital alternatives for news and entertainment require less time investment than traditional media. VSS predicts consumer media usage to stabilize this year and slightly increase through 2011.

Consumers are also moving away from ad-supported media, such as broadcast TV and newspapers. VSS labels options such as video games and cable TV "consumer-supported platforms," and says their usage is increasing as time with ad-supported media decreases.

"We are in the midst of a major shift in the media landscape that is being fueled by changes in technology, end-user behaviors and the response by brand marketers and communications companies," said James Rutherfurd, EVP and Managing Director for VSS. "We expect these shifts to continue over the next five years, as time and place shifting accelerate while consumers and businesses utilize more digital media alternatives, strengthening the new media pull model at the expense of the traditional media push model."

If we have reached a new plateau of media consumption, it is worthwhile to take a look around the media landscape right now. Who has survived? Which platforms are still thriving? Still hanging on?

More specifically, take a look at radio. Good news...radio still operates with strength. It is simple, reliable, cost-effective and still is used weekly by 94% of the population. Radio has gone through tremendous industry change and competitive challenge from new media options...and radio still survives.

Is radio ready to rev it back up and go after the demographic it has nearly lost (teens) or the demographic it has turned away from (Boomers)?

Labels: 2007, Consumers, Future of Radio, Joint Communications, Media, Media trending, Predictions, Radio, Revenue, Usage, VSS

posted by Unknown @ Saturday, August 18, 2007, ,

New Adventures in Media Trend Watching

"Move forward, young man...while you are still young."

Not sure who said that but I do know a consulting associate from Joint Communications -- Bob Elliot -- who was once asked how he defined growth.

He said, "Well, if you are not growing, you're dead."

Perhaps a little blunt but there is truth in those words, both personally and professionally.

We all seek growth in various forms through our relationships, our businesses and careers, our learning, our finances...the list goes on and on.

As Peter Drucker has said (loosely paraphrased), an important key in growing successful long-term management is for executives, directors and managers to periodically return to day-to-day operations and get away from the "boardroom". It allows for managers to understand what has changed and what needs to happen for future growth.

In the rush-rush of decision making and strategic guidance throughout fiscal years following the pressures of meeting budget and performance expectations, managers can easily shift away from the realities out on the floor before they realize it.

Consultants are no different.

We fly in, work our magic, stir up the team toward growth and fly back home, following up to help make sure decisions stick into on-going action.

This ability to lend an outside perspective to operations allows consultants to see competitive challenges partner clients may not be able to see for themselves. It is a major strength for the consulting role, one that the rapidly-evolving media industry still needs for both the mature sectors of "traditional" media like radio, TV, the music industry, magazines and newspapers...as well as for "new" media, such as cable, modern telephony, wireless, satellite, and all-things related to the Internet.

But, over time, this outside role has its limitation, for the consultant remains on the "outside" of everyday operations. With so many constant and fast changes happening in media, getting back periodically into the daily functions of media business keeps the consultant up-to-date with industry realities.

Which is why I have made a new step forward.

For the last 15 years, I have worked and partnered with John Parikhal at Joint Communications consulting our international roster of media clients. An amazing thrill for me, allowing for constant learning, unique situational decision making, and cross-pollination experience throughout the media industry's up-phases, downturns, IPOs, mergers & acquistions and new tech advancements.

For the past couple months, I've been getting operational again, serving as Program Director for Montreal's Q92fm -- a heritage mainstream AC radio station and one of Corus Radio's many great stations across Canada. It's a new adventure for me, allowing me to pursue growth on a whole new level for a long-time client.

Of personal and professional importance, it also allows me to "get operational again" doing what I love to do: programming radio, coaching talent, building cooperation and communication between station departments, getting deeply involved with the community, building new station events and promotions, managing brand building efforts, and, ultimately, entertaining our audience in the best way possible while also serving as an effective advertising media choice among our station clients.

It's media trend watching on the street level. And I'm having a blast.

What better way to understand the "future of radio" than following Peter Drucker's advice and getting operational again?

I'm proud of what has been accomplished with Joint Communications and our clients. The Jointblog is the #1 destination online for people interested in media trend watching (according to all the search engine results and traffic meters)...these changes will offer a new new level of perspective for future Jointblog posts.

We encourage you to keep sharing your thoughts.

And keep Jointblogging!

We will.

I'm off now for our street festival concert event...literally getting back to street level...

Labels: Chris Kennedy, Future, Future of Radio, John Parikhal, Joint Communications, Jointblog, Media, Media Trend Watching, Radio, Strategy

posted by Unknown @ Sunday, July 15, 2007, ,

Media Buyers: Why 40-59 Year Olds Still Should Matter

Quick: which demographic has collective disposable income estimated at about $2 trillion a year...and yet are considered secondary targets by marketers and media buyers?

If you are a Baby Boomer, you're used to being the center of marketing attention. You expect it, since it's been that way most of your life. Today, though, you might be feeling a bit jilted. You...and more than 86 million "mature" consumers. Since the turn of the millennium, media buyers have shifted their advertising dollars more and more to younger consumers...especially to today's teens and other Echo Boomers.

Of course, the marketing game has long been a youth game. And 18-49 clearly is important. The "big generation" Boomers made sure of it.

Still, Baby Boomers represent more than 25% of the today's population in both the U.S. and Canada (down from 40% in 1967). Traditional media buying beliefs states the strongest marketing ROI comes from younger consumers still-moldable for brand building opportunities. It is believed older, smarter, wiser Boomer consumers are less susceptible to marketing messages.

Nonsense.

Do you really think Boomers are ready to retire and become irrelevant?

Baby Boomers have money, they aren't afraid to spend it and their minds aren't locked on life-long brands. They want content and marketing geared for them. And they can be influenced, too.

Here's why:

More than three-quarters of advertising buys for all media today targets consumers younger than 49. The only major media buys that are "boomer friendly" are newspapers and magazines (to a lesser extent).

TV, radio, the Internet, billboards, etc...they all seem to consider Boomers less "valuable" than 18-49s, teens or younger...even though Boomers remain heavy users of all media.

This means there is over-saturation of "young" media messages (especially on TV, the Internet and even radio). Since Boomers are getting targeted less, they also have fewer marketing messages "in their zone".

What do they see or hear?

Ads on retirement, pension plans, vacations, Big Pharma and Depends.

Come on now!

These are Boomers. They only started turning 60 this year. And they strongly want to hold onto whatever youth they still have. They mostly still need to earn a living and probably will keep working at least another 7-10 years. They are healthier and wealthier than any generation previously in this age demo.

And, surprise, the "aging" baby boom generation still LOVE media -- including new media and the latest gadgets, embracing the Internet, high-speed and everything related to it.

A new national study by BoomerEyes found:

• Nearly 40% of those with kids said they’re now “Empty Nesters”;

• In addition to having the time to do what they want and when, the Empty Nesters also report financial freedom. On average, they said they have $315 more per month to spend;

• Some 71% of 50-64 year olds and 84% of 30-49 year olds report high Internet usage. Even among those 65 and over, regular Net usage is reported by 32%;

• Boomers who took the online survey say they most often shop online for travel (58%), books (57%), clothes (57%) and electronics (50%).

Echos reverberate. Could Baby Boomers attract back marketing attention as Reverse Echo Boomers? This new advertising "generational gap" represents a massive opportunity. What are you doing to tap into it?

Labels: 40-59, Advertising, Baby Boomers, Echo Boomers, Empty nesters, Influencers, Jointblog, Marketing, Media, Media Buyers, Media Trend Watching

posted by Unknown @ Saturday, May 12, 2007, ,

Media Trend Watching: Radio Right Now

Joint Communications marks 30 years this month advising the radio industry through format programming, consulting, market research, marketing development and media strategy services.

The month of April also means it's time for John Parikhal's annual spring check-up as this week's featured FMQB cover story to discuss radio and the evolving mediaspace challenges radio faces in the immediate future.

Among the discussed topics:

> The proposed XM/Sirius merger -- including the financial and competitive implications as well as Mel Karmazin's catalyst role (puzzling; Stern probably helped save Sirius; Mel sees opportunities)

> The trend led by Clear Channel and other big groups toward privatization (more squeeze and bleed? And Clear Channel gets rewarded?)

> HD Radio (just another local spectrum)

> PPM ratings measurements (consistency of measurement will help)

> The cellphone (risky for electronic ratings measurement)

> Blink spots and other "Less is More" initiatives (applaud the experimentation; spare listener energy; don't invade the consumer)

> Radio's needed presence on the Internet and its mishandling of opportunities that went to MySpace instead (getting better...but still behind due to insufficient support staffing and streaming fee penalties)

> Google's new deal selling radio ads ("It's nonsense")

> The lucrative potential of selling and targeting the 30-59 year old demographic (so much money radio could grab)

> An updated look at radio's emerging trends (demographics!)

FMQB's chief editor Fred Deane gets it all started by saying:

As the radio industry evolves at a rapid pace, critical decisions about the medium’s future become increasingly more urgent. Technology issues have enveloped the industry to such a challenging extent, that the call for radio leaders to be actionable has never resonated so loudly. John Parikhal has never met a challenge he didn’t like, he relishes the very concept. While Parikhal’s client list continues to remain firmly entrenched in radio, the macro version finds him involved with a variety of media and marketing companies. His latest foray with strategic Internet initiatives with some large clients has him thinking about the future 24/7. It’s spring and time for our annual check-up with one of our industry’s deep thinkers.

Thanks, Fred. All that and more...just click here for some great reading. Then come back and add your thoughts here on the Jointblog.

Additional reading: Thinking Through The Decision Making Process

Labels: cellphone, FMQB, Google, HD Radio, Internet, John Parikhal, Joint Communications, Jointblog, Karmazin, Media, Media Trend Watching, MySpace, PPM, Radio, Sirius, XM

posted by Unknown @ Friday, April 27, 2007, ,

Measure The Tragedy Difference: Imus vs Virginia Tech

Last week, much of the nation's conversation focused not on the War in Iraq or Afghanistan. Not on the fired U.S. Attorneys controversy or Karl Rove's "accidental" deletion of key email documents related to the firings. Not how the cellphone may be the cause for the dwindling bee population around the world.

Or even the O'Reilly/Geraldo verbal fight.

Instead, media -- and even personal conversions among friends and coworkers -- were fixated on the Don Imus scandal.

At first, his broadcast corporate owners were forced to suspend his national radio and simulcast cable TV show for two weeks.

When the uproar refused to die down (and the ratings on news channels kept going up), Al Sharpton's interest group cranked up the pile-on pressure, leading major advertisers to drop their advertising sponsorships. Once this happened, the end was inevitable. MSNBC and CBS Radio both were forced to cancel his show entirely and send the I-Man back to his ranch to contemplate the error of his ways and consider a possible retirement for his 30-year-plus Hall of Fame broadcast career.

The lesson learned?

Big Media has lost control of their content.

(Well, actually, they lost it years ago...but Big Media desperately tries to maintain their grip with the remaining fingernails they haven't nibbled down to nubs.)

Broadcast content no longer is something that just dissipates after its aired. While most listeners or viewers treat broadcast content as disposable, someone is recording...ready to exploit both excellent content as well as potential gaffs in judgement in order to satirize, criticize, reinterpret, spoof or simply to use as a base argument in the fight against social injustices.

Should the nation have been so transfixed on this issue? Was this naval-gazing really necessary? Will it actually create social change...or will our short attention spans just move on like society tends to move on after every scandal?

(Anna Nicole and Britney was so two months ago.)

Were the Three Nasty Words (which were nasty, wrong, and over the line of taste, respect and manners) aimed at the Rutgers University women's basketball team deserving of Tragedy Coverage?

Because feelings were hurt, did this deserve National Outrage?

No.

Does racism suck, does bigotry and misogyny exist and should we stop prejudicial injustice?

Of course.

Does this country need to make Improving Social Harmony Between Races, Classes, Genders and Ethnicities a national and governmental priority requiring regular conversation and debate in order to move forward and heal past and current injustices?

Absolutely.

This is a Presidential job. It requires Presidential leadership. And it should be a permanent job responsibility.

What deserves National Outrage?

What deserves 24/7 Media Tragedy Coverage?

The shocking, awful and criminal catastrophe Monday morning on the campus of Virginia Tech, resulting in the deaths of 32 innocent, gunned-down victims.

We have two examples of college students being attacked in the last 2 weeks. One group of students were verbally attacked through the crass use of three disparaging words during a radio/TV show those students never heard live on-air. They had never listened to nor watched Imus before this scandal. Their hurt only came after other's made them aware of it. After other's exposed and pushed forward the issue.

This attack did not change the documented and permanent result that the Rutgers is this year's NCAA division 1 women's basketball semi-finalists.

On the other hand, another group of students were physically and mortally attacked by a fellow student packed with heavy weapons and apparent mental issues. These 32 students were murdered in less than two hours of real terror.

This is the story deserving national, interest group, parental, academic and media outrage. Everyone is and should be outraged and saddened. This is real Tragedy.

There is a clear and obvious Tragedy difference in these events.

One is the violent weapon of words, stupidity, bad manners, disrespect and spin. Yes, it was a serious problem that needed to be addressed, brought to attention and fixed; apologies needed to be (and were) made. The other is actual violence, shaking the foundations of trust and security on our valued institutions.

Which event is the real tragedy?

The world wants to know where America stands today, what American values remain essential and true. America needs to heal. It does not need more violence.

Violence should not be the American brand.

There is real anger and frustration in our society. We all play a part in finding a solution.

What lessons will we learn from these two very different issues, these different tragedies?

And how will the media choose to influence pop culture and political action?

Labels: Big Media, broadcasters, Cable TV, college students, Control, Coverage, Government, Imus, Media, Media Influence, News, Outrage, Politics, Radio, Rutgers, Shock, Tragedy, TV, Virginia Tech

posted by Unknown @ Tuesday, April 17, 2007, ,

Media Time Travel: The Beatles on Doctor Who in 1965

As a kid, H.G. Wells' The Time Machine as a favorite of mine. In some ways, the Internet is evolving into something like a time machine, allowing us to "time travel" to different media eras with the click of a link.

Previously-unavailable or hard-to-get archival material is suddenly and easily accessible, such as classic commercials and TV shows long "lost" to the typical viewer.

We are time shifting our media usage through findability. Watched when we want, how often we want. As Microsoft used to say, "Where do you want to go today?"

How trippy!

Being both a Beatles fan and a Doctor Who fan, my thanks to BoingBoing for spotting this YouTube submission. Apparently, the only existing video footage of The Beatles performing "Ticket to Ride" was used on the BBC's Doctor Who in 1965. Take a look at how much styles do change...while also enjoying a little time-travelin' ticket to ride:

"The Beatles had a guest appearance on Doctor Who in 1965 -- singing "Ticket to Ride." Afterwards, a traveller from the future remarks that she's heard of the Beatles, having visited their memorial in Liverpool, but that she didn't realize that the Beatles also performed "classical music." This is black-and-white Doctor Who comedy gold. A fan adds, "The original recording of that particular Beatles performance has been lost along with a lot of the BBC library which was tragically thrown out in a great video tape purge in the 1970s. That Doctor Who footage is now the only visual record of that performance."

Labels: 1965, Archives, BBC, Beatles, Cable TV, Classic, Doctor Who, Findability, Media, Styles, Time Shifting, Time Travel, Trippy, YouTube

posted by Unknown @ Saturday, March 31, 2007, ,

Hannity & Colmes Confirm "It's A Purple Nation"

Last Spring, New York magazine and other magazines wrote that Purple Politics was a new political trend view.

Instead of media's focus on extreme political splits of left vs right, liberal vs conservative, democrat vs republican...Americans were really more of a "blue" and "red" blending.

A centrist "Purple" nation.

The 2006 mid-term elections results supports this thinking; Congress is far less red and much more "purple" now.

Looks like Fox Noise noticed and read the memo: Time to blend the red and blue to be more purple!

First a Fox News Channel threat down against Comedy Central's The Daily Show and Colbert Report called The 1/2 Hour News Hour (which some think is 30 minutes too long). Waitaminute...fake news on Fox News?

Now this: Hannity & Colmes debuted a new look that would make Prince proud, broadcasting their dueling neoconservative Republican and moderately Democratic viewpoints from a brand-new purple set.

How fashionable! Is it an extreme makeover? Well, no. The look has changed...but the FNC's noise content remains the same. Hey, we can report, too...and let you decide.

Labels: Cable TV, Colmes, Fake, FNC, Fox News, Hannity, Media, Nation, Purple

posted by Unknown @ Thursday, March 22, 2007, ,

Radio Radio -- Sell Those Ads!

Found this crazy (clever?) webpage that gave me a quick "state of the radio union" laugh, enough to "make me wanna weep, make me wanna holler" (double click to view full size):

When Elvis Costello sang about "Radio radio", did he imagine this future as today's reality?

Labels: Internet, Media, RadioRadio, Spoof

posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, February 28, 2007, ,

Google says Internet isn't TV

TV is TV and the Internet is the Internet...but the differences between TV and Internet are getting more and more blurry.

You'd certainly see no difference if you went to last month's Consumer Electronics Show or MacWorld conferences, where the New York Times thinks the Internet is coming to TV.

High-speed broadband internet access is often bought from high-speed digital cable providers (who also sell VoIP)...so when we pay our monthly bill to just one provider, it gives the appearance TV and Internet might be the same thing.

View any late-night TV talk show and you'll see Leno, Letterman, Conan, Olbermann, Jimmy and Craig (and so many others) all making their own viral video picks found on YouTube.

If you read any interviews from AOL or Yahoo! execs over the past several years, you'll see a common theme describing the Internet as a new version of "interactive TV" and specific services they offer as "channels".

Internet access of audio/video programming through WiFi, WiMax, cellphones, iPhones and more.

So, aren't the Internet and TV becoming one-and-the-same? Certainly, they're sleeping in the same bed.

If 'a' equals 'b' and 'b' equals 'c', then 'a' equals 'c', right?

Interestingly, Google, which acquired online video sharing site YouTube last year, says the Internet is not designed for TV, according to Reuters News.

It even issued a warning to companies that think they can start distributing mainstream TV shows and movies on a global scale at broadcast quality over the public Internet.

So why does Google say the Internet is not TV?

"The Web infrastructure, and even Google's (infrastructure) doesn't scale. It's not going to offer the quality of service that consumers expect," Vincent Dureau, Google's head of TV technology, said at the Cable Europe Congress.

Google instead offered to work together with cable operators to combine its technology for searching for video and TV footage and its tailored advertising with the cable networks' high-quality delivery of shows.

Hear that sigh?

It's a collective sigh of relief from global TV broadcast executives finally hearing -- directly from Google -- that even Google sees limitations in their expanding empire. That TV will still keep its own platform. And that the Internet industry and the TV industry are capable of co-existing.

Does that mean they sleep in separate beds or in separate bedrooms?

Labels: Cable, CES, Digital, Google, Internet, Jointblog, MacWorld, Media, New Media, TV, Yahoo

posted by Unknown @ Thursday, February 08, 2007, ,

Stern, Ratings, CES, MacWorld Expo: Not Just Another Day in Mediaville

January 9th turned out to be quite the media day.

Howard Stern started off the day celebrating one year satcasting his radio show on Sirius radio, complete with omelet bar and plenty of bagels for Artie Lange.

Stern's one-year impact? Certainly a major contributer to Sirius subscriber gains of more than 2.8 million new listeners. Which explains Stern's huge stock reward announced today worth an estimated $83 million.

Stern's also much happier censoring himself instead of being verbally shackled by the FCC, allowing him to deliver radio that is "free-form, free-flowing, one big party." Stern's satellite success has brought Sirius plenty of new sat radio listeners and, according to Mel Karmazin, $300 million more than Wall Street originally forecast for Stern's first year. But, Newsday asks, at what cost?

Whatever. The King of All Media is better than ever.

And CBS Radio was left reeling, as explained by the NY Daily News. Today's Fall ratings book results began rolling out today; the Stern-escape effect still shows.

Meanwhile, looks like HD Radio may be benefiting due to Stern's move to satellite radio. According to Forbes.com, the major disruption in morning radio habits once Stern left forced listeners to consider new options. Some went to Sirius or XM or just another terrestrial radio station. But, now that prices have dropped and more formats have been made available, some radio listeners are beginning to check out HD Radio, including at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Will HD Radio (now with 1,200 stations available and increasing) eventually challenge satellite radio's position?

Speaking of new electronics...

The annual MacWorld Expo trumped the CES getting all news outlets talking while also giving Steven Jobs some TV time on ABC's World News with Charlie Gibson. ABC News got two-minutes alone using the brand new Apple iPhone, which won't be released for sale until June.

That hasn't stopped iPhone envy, impressing fans with the sleek design which promises to "reinvent the phone". Many are thrilled with this latest example showing the genius of Apple design.

Although Cisco apparently isn't too happy.

Jobs countered previous speculation suggesting iTunes sales were slowing down. In fact, he says, iTunes has now sold more than two billion songs, 50 million television episodes and over 1.3 million feature-length films have been purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store, making it the world's most popular online digital media store.

And now, AppleTV (or iTV) will be coming to a living room near you, too.

Speaking of mobile phones, Yahoo! inked new Mobile 2.0 distribution deals with a variety of wireless providers for its newly enhanced mobile product Yahoo Go for Mobile 2.0, as well as a newly launched mobile search platform, dubbed oneSearch.

Lastly, fresh-back-in-session Congress led by the Democrats formerly introduced a new Net Neutrality bill, which is good news for all media trend watchers.

Lots of media news with potential long-term impact. Wonder what the new media landscape will look like one year from now?

Labels: Apple, CBS Radio, CES, HD Radio, innovation, Jointblog, MacWorld, Media, Media Trend Watching, Net Neutrality, Radio, Ratings, Satellite, Sirius, Stern, Steve Jobs