What is the local radio advertising growth forecast?

While a steady growth is promising, it is still important to note that advertising revenues have a steep climb ahead to match the peaks of the past.

Typically, when you read of advertising revenue growth, it is not reporting the local level but rather the national. Recently, the local media and advising experts BIA/Kelsey reported its forecast of local radio revenue trends for the next few years.

The fiscal year 2010 showed a healthy growth in local radio advertising revenue. MediaPost reports an increase from $13.4 billion in 2009 to $14.1 billion in 2010, which is a 5.4% climb. Some additional advertising weight came in the form of political spending. This spending will not be applicable in 2011, but it will be back for 2012.

BIA/Kelsey’s predicts that local radio will grow 3.7% in 2011, 4.5% in 2012, 3.8% in 2013, 4.8% in 2014, and 4.7% in 2015. While it appears that spending is on track to rebound from the 2008 financial recession in a short amount of time that is not the case. In fact, 2015 will mark the first fiscal year that will match the revenue levels at the height in 2007. Even then, 2015 will not reach the levels that were met in 2006.

While a steady growth is promising, it is still important to note that advertising revenues have a steep climb ahead to match the peaks of the past.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

The constant need to communicate

Printed newspapers may not be the new form of obtaining information; however, there will always be a need for it.

Since the beginning of time people have yearned to communicate. From cave drawings to Twitter, the evolution of expression shows no sign of slowing down. However, with newer inventions such as the Internet, people fear that other forms will become archaic like newspaper. Recent events in Japan have created a counterargument.

Estimated to be the worst in Japan’s history, an earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011. A tsunami soon followed. One of the results of these natural disasters being that the power was knocked out in many areas. One city in particular was Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture.

Because of the power outage, Ishinomaki Hibi Shimbun’s, the local newspaper, employees had no technological way to inform the locals of news and safety information. Instead, they wrote newspapers by hand.

According to Newseum, reporters wrote their stories on poster-size paper and posted them at the entrances of relief centers. The first handwritten newspaper was published on March 12^th, and by March 18^th, the newspaper was able to distribute printed editions once again.

Printed newspapers may not be the new form of obtaining information; however, there will always be a need for it.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Do people use mobile apps for local information?

Knowing how people seek out information can be critical for a successful campaign.

Mobile applications, or apps for short, have increasingly become widely known and acquired by smartphone users. A new study by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Project for Excellence in Journalism, in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation looked into how people utilize smartphones and apps.

According to MediaPost, almost half of adult Americans surveyed accessed some form of local news and other information on his/her cell phone or tablet computer. By comparison, only 10% of those surveyed utilized local news apps to get information. Within that 10%, only 1% of users paid for those apps.

The common type of local information that users sought out was related to weather updates, restaurant and local business information, traffic and transportation, etc. Predominately, it was the weather updates that garnered the most engagement with 42%.

Knowing how people seek out information can be critical for a successful campaign. With the information above, advertisers can gather that apps may not be the best use budgetary funds if they are advertising a local business. Investing in mobile advertising on local sites may be a more cost effective option and maximize reach to the target audience.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...

Is Facebook the new way of streaming movies?

In yet another integration of traditional media and newer media, Warner Bros. has recently made a deal to stream its films on Facebook.

According to MediaPost, the arrangement allows for Facebook users to either rent or own films through the website’s movie platform. Payment can be made with traditional methods or through Facebook credits. For example, to rent a movie would cost 30 Facebook credits or $3. This rental would last for 48 hours.

The first movie available for this pay-per-view initiative will be “The Dark Knight.” More titles will be added to the site later in the year.

Some experts have begun comparing this online streaming method with other popular and established methods like Netflix, iTunes and Amazon. While Warner Bros. and Facebook do not have a large stock of films available to users, Facebook does boast a large audience. At the moment, Facebook has about 500 million users, which is about 480 million more users than Netflix subscribers. Therefore, there is a chance for this new method of online streaming to become a threat to other forms of streaming. This will depend on how the Facebook community will embrace it and recommend it to others.

Be sure to visit Ruth Burke & Associates’ blog to find the latest in media news and receive helpful tips to make your advertising campaign successful...