NABOB & The Power Of Urban Radio Forum Final Day Conference Highlights

Washington, D.C.

THE NABOB FOUNDATION’s 40th Annual FALL BROADCAST MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE in partnership with the 16th POWER OF URBAN RADIO FORUM wrapped up YESTERDAY (10/13) with a full slate of panels and sessions.

NIELSEN: Using Research to Identify Opportunities:

NIELSEN SVP/Product Leadership BILL ROSE moderated the discussion. Panelists included U.S. STRATEGIC COMMUNITY ALLIANCE/CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT SVP CHERYL GRACE, and NIELSEN Managing Dir. For Audio BRAD KELLY.

Highlights:

They discussed NIELSEN data as it relates to understanding and selling to the African American consumer.  It was noted that African-Americans have made gains that has upended outdated stereotypes on multiple fronts; from education to income to social media and civic engagement.

NIELSEN also covered the upcoming launch of the Control Panel Reports. It will roll-out later this month to PPM clients that subscribe to PD Advantage and the Analysis Tool. The Control Panel Reports will be at no additional charge and begin later this month after the monthly data.

These reports were created in response to clients who wanted greater insight into panelist behavior and panel change. The new Reports will provide more detail about changes in tuning, new panelists, heavy listeners, panelist weights, specific age of station panelists, zip codes, and other panel dynamics. This information will provide greater insights into panelist listening behavior and panel changes.

PPM will soon begin to measure local TV; this means it won’t be just about audio anymore.  The PPM will be capable of measuring out-of-home TV viewing too; a long time a sticking point for media buyers, who worry the true reach of their clients commercials are not being measured because NIELSEN meters were designed to capture in-home viewing only.

While the paper diary is being phased out for TV, NIELSEN does not have an equivalent for radio.  However, the company is looking for other forms of electronic measurement which might be able to supplement the process for radio.  

Major Group Execs Discuss The Future of Broadcasting

NABOB Pres. JIM WINSTON lead the discussion and panelists included iHEARTMEDIA Northeast Division/Corp. Operations Pres. HARTLEY ADKINS, RADIO ONE CEO ALFRED LIGGINS, and NEXSTAR BROADCASTING GROUP CEO/Pres. PERRY SOOK.

Highlights:

WINSTON: Where are we as a broadcast industry?

LIGGINS: The landscape is dynamic, the digital area makes it challenging. We are not in the situation like newspaper or magazines. In a digital world, the media world sees that audience matters. Digital allows us to micro-target. There is an opportunity for minority broadcasters to go after assets. There are opportunities, it’s a matter of finding the capitol.

ADKINS: iHEARTMEDIA’s vision is to take content to wherever the audience is. We are advertising and listener centric. People love the personalities and it is a reach medium, we connect. Our personalities are exposed in so many ways other than just on the air. With all the new platforms, the audience has become a part of the show.

WINSTON: What affect do you think the elections will have on 2017?

SOOK: Regardless of who wins the WHITE HOUSE, there will be a new FCC Chairman. I think regulatory-wise, radio is in a pretty good place.  It is till over-regulate and the cross-ownership situation has put newspapers at peril.  Rating point are a tool to develop inventory. A better idea should become the currency at some point as opposed to ratings.

LIGGINS: I was recently discussing this with someone, If TRUMP were to get elected, there would be even more regulation because he would have the executive powers to cause serious problems for all. This friend said that although he does not want to be regulated by HILLARY, he knows an election of TRUMP would be disastrous for our industry and potentially on so many other levels too.

WINSTON: Will 2017 be a good year for radio?

LIGGINS: The average American is looking for ways to not have to send money, pricing is going to be important for new platforms and services.

ADKINS: There are many new ways to hear audio, but much is still consumed the traditional way, commercial radio. There is continued fragmentation, but radio has not been hit the same way, radio is free and incredibly efficient, we need to sell our story better.

SOOK: Rating point are a tool to develop inventory. A better idea should become the currency at some point as opposed to merely ratings. Our cell phone is still the ultimate rating, a chip could go a long way to provide better measurement, our usage of smart phones is huge.  Our lives are tied into these in so many ways.

WINSTON: Final comments:

SOOK: Think about your assets and not the business you are in. What we have at our company is real value, we have is special at the local level. Think of what you do, not how you don’t. We focus locally.

LIGGINS: We think radio will organize around audiences. RADIO ONE focuses on African-Americans and I am talking about on all platforms.

ADKINS: It’s all about the people, technology is great, but without the right people, it won’t work. People create trust.   

Special Guest

This years POWER OF URBAN LUNCH was highlighted by special guest, Senior Advisor to Pres. BARACK OBAMA, Ms. VALERIE JARRETT. In an interview setting, MIDWAY BROADCASTING CORP. Chairman MELODY SPANN-COOPER provided JARRETT a platform to discuss her years in the WHITE HOUSE. The interview covered the successes of the OBAMA administration and the landscape for minority broadcasters during the last eight years.

During the luncheon, Service awards were presented to CAMPBELL EWALD EVP TOM TALBERT, ZENITH MEDIA USA EVP FRANK FRIEDMAN, CARAT EVP JENNIFER HUNGERBUHLER, and MEDIVEST SPARK USA SVP CALEB WINDOVER. The Keynote speaker was FORD MOTOR COMPANY VP MARK LANEVE.

Global Media Agency Panel

RADIO ADVERTISING BOARD (NAB) Pres./CEO ERICA FARBER moderated this session.  The focus was on the insights involving ways major media buys are placed and how NABOB members can participate.  The panelists were; ZENITH MEDIA USA EVP/Local Broadcast Buying/Activation FRANK FRIENDMAN, CARAT USA EVP/Local Buying/Activation JENNIFER HUNGERBUHLER, and CAMPBELL EWALD EVP/Chief Media Officer TOM TALBERT.

Highlights:

FARBER: What is your approach?

FRIEDMAN: I get retail clients to pay attention, I use all the available tools to do so. We try to use data and show how sexy radio is.

HUNGERBUHLER: We are challenged with doing more with less. I encourage you to talk to the suppliers. I need to find solutions.  

TALBERT: Relationships are important. Radio is creatively difficult to write to and same thing is true in digital.  There needs to be a greater influence on influence more effective messaging.  

FARBER: What about stations without agencies?

HUNGERBUHLER: What is you traffic system? Get your data/inventory into the audience targeting platforms for a digital buy and you will get it. Then be in the pipeline for future dollars.  We help clients communicate and build relationships with consumers around their products and brands.

FREIEDMAN: We are open to the same, we are trying to find ways to do things in a new way with our staff and with the clients.

FARBER: What advice can you give us based on what your agency is going through?

HUNGERBUHLER: If you need help and guidance with this area of media buying, get in touch with me, I cannot always guarantee a sale will come out of it, but you will learn. Taking the total approach is important. The total market approach of all platforms is important at the strategy level; and it filters down; this whole thing is huge for multi-cultural. Creative matching is important.

FRIEDMAN: The total market approach is important, one thing I would ask radio to work on is the streaming radio part. Try to engage consumers at all levels, especially in this area.

FARBER: There is an important opportunity with the change culturally going on in America.

FRIEDMAN:  This thing needs to be holistic in a total approach, don’t do traditional radio separately, but as part of an entire plan on every platform and level.

HUNGERBUHLER: We just held an education on the nuances of every radio for our staff. You have to know how to speak to the client. We have to educate our teams. We are now planners. Now we are looking at the best way to deal with the content.

TALBERT: I love talking about content, at the sales level, we need to get out of the radio only bucket, you need to look at all the ways an audience is consuming. The thing that drives is content; it is what will make a company great.

National Marketers Panel

ONE SOLUTIONS/INTERACTIVE ONE Pres. DETAVIO SAMUELS held a discussion on the strategic importance of the $1-trillion African American consumer market. Panelists included STATE FARM Senior National Marketing Analyst CYNTHIA DAVENPORT, AARP VP/Multicultural Leadership -- African-American Audience Strategy JAMES TAYLOR, and BMW NORTH AMERICA Head of Multicultural Marketing KEVIN WILLIAMS.

Highlights:

SAMUELS: What is your mission every day?

TAYLOR: The inside game and outside game, raise awareness of our AARP employees and raise awareness of what matters with the public. Outside, I try and developed programs which reach the African-American audience.

WILLIAMS: I try to engage all areas of multicultural society except white males.  

DAVENPORT: I get to be paid in helping our African-American community. You have to be passionate about what you do. I focus on financial services and women. I sell what most people don’t want, insurance.

SAMUELS: What are you bosses priorities?

DAVENPORT: Growth, STATE FARM is at the forefront of this. I specifically focus on the African American females

WILLIAMS: This is our 100-year anniversary; we are trying to decide the next 100 years. The world is becoming more Brown and Black, and that changes the dynamics of this country for next 30 to 40 years.

TAYLOR: I am a part of a multicultural team. We too are looking at all the dynamics of our outreach for the future of this country. Cultural relevances, how do we grow with these changes.

SAMUELS: How are your company’s prioritizing the segments of growing in our society?

WILLIAMS: Various segments have made themselves relevant. When a woman comes in our dealership, they know what they want, don’t look for a man with them they don’t’ need one to help them buy a car. We try to ensure that our dealers understand these opportunities with our rapidly growing multicultural society.

SAMUELS: What is the challenge with African-Americans?

DAVENPORT: African-Americans speak English, many feel as if we can be reached by using general market for advertising and marketing. This one of the biggest challenges. Because of this, some don’t necessarily buy Black radio. We have to challenge organizations to make sure the AD dollars are coming to those who target African-Americans.

SAMUELS: What is the story for your company to overcome these notions that you don’t have to buy Black radio?

TAYLOR: I push that we get more involved with where our African-American audience is and build relationships.

WILLIAMS: I am fortunate than in my role I can influence our involvement to redirect dollars in terms of TV. Especially on shows where African-Americans over-index, like BLACKISH, SCANDAL, EMPIRE and POWER.   

SAMUELS: Are you having conversations about content and African-American buys?

WILLIAMS: Whether it’s targeted or general market, can we connect with those who can buy a $50,000 car from our business.  

TAYLOR: We deal with national and local. We target out dollars towards engagements on both level.  We try to create opportunities.

SAMUELS: Where does radio stand in growth?

DAVENPORT: We look at all platforms at STATE FARM. Too often all the multicultural gets lumped together at some places and the targeting for the African-Americans gets lower priority because we speak English and that means using other means using general market instead to reach a portion of the African-American audience.

WILLIAMS: We try to be as culturally aware as possible. That’s our approach to reach each segment of our multicultural audience.  

TAYLOR: We look for the places where we think the African-American audience is and that means we target at all platforms; especially digital.

Co-Chairmen of this years conference were WHUR/WASHINGTON, D.C. GM JIM WATKINS, CBS RADIO/WASHINGTON, D.C. SVP/Market Manager STEVE SWENSON, and RADIO ONE/WASHINGTON, D.C. Regional SVP JEFF WILSON.

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