HARKER BOS GROUP
Friday Harker Roundup
Friday, September 15, 2017
Allow access to smartphones' hidden radios
September 15, 2017
When Hurricane Irma wiped out power and cell phone service, a hidden feature in our smartphones could have helped Floridians stay informed. But Apple refuses to flip the switch that would let the iPhone work like an FM radio. Other tech companies have resisted, too, preferring we use their apps, downloads and streaming services instead. Still, the makers of Android and Samsung phones have relented, even if the feature remains unknown to many. As a result, many smartphone users in the nation’s third most-populous state couldn’t hear the emergency alerts, storm updates and other critical information communicated after Hurricane Irma knocked out power to millions.
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Forecast: 30% of US adults won't have traditional pay-TV by 2021
National Association of Broadcasters
September 14, 2017
The number of US households canceling their traditional pay-TV subscriptions is continuing to increase, with 5.5 million expected to cancel this year alone, eMarketer predicts. Further estimates show that roughly 30% of households -- or 81 million people -- will not have a traditional pay-TV subscription by 2021.
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Radio Show: Data Takes On Greater Importance As Revenue Tool.
September 11, 2017
If Sesame Street was hosting the 2017 Radio Show last week in Austin, the conference might have been brought to you by the letter “D.” Throughout the confab, the themes of digital, data and deregulation were pervasive as broadcasters gathered for an annual event that energizes and refocuses the industry’s collective agenda. From making programming decisions to how advertisers buy radio and assess its performance, the increasing importance of—and need for—data was a recurring theme.
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Entercom And CBS Radio Give Their Merger An Out Clause.
September 14, 2017
Entercom and CBS Radio—radio’s wedding of the year—now has an option to have the whole thing annulled before either shows up to the altar. Both companies say they think the deal can close by the end of this year, but they’re giving each other an option to scuttle their historic merger if it hasn’t been finalized by end-of-January. An amendment agreed to by both parties says the deal can “be terminated by either CBS or Entercom if the merger has not been consummated as of January 31, 2018.”
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Go! Mobile
September 12, 2017
The dawn of mobile-first reality is upon us, but is your brand prepared for the new world, says a new report from Emarsys. If you’re an e-commerce business, this might be the most important question you must answer in the next five years. Over the last decade, says the report, people have come to use their mobile devices, especially smartphones, above all other devices to browse and shop on websites. In response, companies across all industries have adopted mobile strategies to keep pace with evolving customer purchasing behavior.
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Inside The Formats: Millennials Drive Urban Contemporary’s Rise.
September 15, 2017
Part four in a new series devoted to the challenges, opportunities, trends and market battles at radio’s top formats. In the early stages of the battle for Format of the Summer, an underdog appeared, and even though its summer steam may have cooled, this upstart has grown into a serious player for ratings in many markets across the country. Recently, urban contemporary radio has hit record highs in three demos: 6+, 18-34 and 25-54. Millennials are the key demo driving the format’s growth. Six years ago the format had less than a 5% share of the 18-34 audience, managing a 4.7% in the summer of 2011. Now it is the third most-listened-to format behind CHR and country with a 7.1% share in June of this year.
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