This week, the center of the radio universe is Las Vegas and the 2025 NAB Show.
Not surprisingly, AI sits at or near the top for discussion with the message that AI is no longer an emerging trend.
Aside from AI, I wondered what takeaways industry experts see as emerging topics or trends.
Greg Strassell, Executive Vice President/Programming for Hubbard Radio, said, “Radio is pulling together, thanks to a lot of work from Westwood’s Pierre Bouvard and the RAB’s Mike Hulvey regarding the strength of radio.”
“With so many choices for audio advertising, radio has needed more sophisticated and up-to-date thinking to position itself. As the industry pulls together, movement is afoot on that front.
Mike McVay, President of McVay Media, agrees that the industry seems to be working together. “There is an enthusiastic feeling here at the NAB show around Radio as one part of a greater platform of audio. No matter where the content is delivered, be it over the air, online, on an app, or as a podcast, communication is growing.”
Strassell noted an improvement in podcast advertising tools, “The sophistication of podcast advertising tools continues to increase as well. With a lot of data generated on the digital front, it is a positive for radio companies that are also embracing podcasting. So, effectiveness of our audio messaging and the attribution has strong momentum.”
Not surprisingly, the Nielsen 3-minute qualifier has been a hot topic. Consultant Buzz Knight of Buzz Knight Media told me, “From my perspective, there is a lot of conversation at NAB this year about the 3-minute qualifier Nielsen initiative. Whether one is in the camp of being in favor of this or not is somewhat irrelevant as the initiative is moving forward. Nice to see the RAB’s advocacy as well as a means of educating and unifying.”
Strassell added, “The session about the 3-minute quarter-hour with updates from Nielsen and capturing more listening for radio was strong, and it will be interesting to see the first quarterly result in a few weeks. Beasley’s Tina Murley and Mike Hulvey were on that panel, and it was very positive for the industry.”
McVay notes the positives of content delivery: “Information and Entertainment being delivered in new ways, the positive use of AI, the fact that great content continues to be in demand, and new ways to use our medium for marketing advertisers are all things creating this positive atmosphere.
So, what are the biggest issues facing the industry?
“I’m glad that the NAB and FCC have floated possible review of deregulation for radio. I believe this needs to be addressed and help companies better compete against new digital media platforms, said Strassell.
Knight added, “As far as the biggest issue, looming debt issues are not disappearing in a backdrop of difficult economic challenges.”
NAB continues through Wednesday at The Las Vegas Convention Center.
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Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
