RAB

Radio Advertising Bureau CEO Erica Farber revealed in her address at The Radio Show yesterday her organization has created a "Streaming Initiative Committee" and is "taking a deep dive look into all aspects of streaming — definitions, delivery, metrics, etc." She promised more would be revealed in the coming weeks.

Farber assessed broadcast radio's new tech track record by saying "Unlike some other media, radio has taken an aggressive stand and taken advantage of technology to deliver content."

Of course, many industry observers would say exactly the opposite. Truly, how aggressive can the industry be if the RAB is announcing a fact-finding initiative on streaming technology in the year 2013?

Nonetheless, Farber suggested the ad community is on board, saying, "Advertisers recognize the importance of delivering their ad messages across all of radio’s platforms including radio’s fastest growing segment -— digital."

RadioWorld.com has the transcript of Farber's address here.

Digital revenue still doesn't yet account for 5% of U.S. radio broadcasters' revenue. But it was up 16% in the second quarter of 2013, and up 13% in the first half of the year. It was radio's only revenue sector that gained in Q2.

The RAB says spot and "off-air" (events, etc.) radio revenue were flat for the quarter, with network revenue off 4%.

You can see the RAB's report here.

David Field, president and CEO of Entercom Communications, will be the keynote speaker at this year's RAIN Summit Orlando on Tuesday, September 17th. RAIN Summit's annual half-day fall conference will take place the day immediately preceding The RAB/NAB Radio Show.

As leader of one of the nation's largest radio broadcasting companies, Field has worked in various positions in Entercom for 26 years and currently serves on the boards of the Radio Advertising Bureau, the National Association of Broadcasters, and The Wilderness Society. Fields was recognized as the 2006 Radio Executive of the Year by Radio Ink Magazine and one of the best CEOs in America by Institutional Investor Magazine in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

"We are thrilled to feature David Field as our keynote speaker at this year’s RAIN Summit at The Radio Show," said RAIN Summits president Jennifer Lane. "Entercom is one of the most innovative broadcast companies, distributing content across a wide variety of new media platforms to best serve their listeners."

Hosted by RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter publisher Kurt Hanson, the Summit will feature a variety of other speakers and panelists, offering insights on advertising sales, programming, audience metrics, social media, and emerging technology in online radio. Hanson will also make his "State of the Industry" address on the present and future of radio and new media.

An official partner event of The Radio Show, RAIN Summits are the premiere educational and networking events for Internet radio, focusing on the intersection of radio and the Internet. RAIN Summits are geared to broadcasters pureplay webcasters alike.

Previous RAIN Summit keynote speakers include CBS Radio CEO Dan Mason, Pandora founder Tim Westergren, RAB president/CEO Erica Farber, Clear Channel EVP/Digital Sales Tim Castelli, NPR SVP/Digital Media Kinsey Wilson, ESPN SVP Traug Keller, and Pandora CEO Joe Kennedy.

RAIN Summit Orlando is Tuesday, September 17 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando. We'll soon announce more speakers and panel topics. You can always find the lastest information, along with registration links, on the RAIN Summit Orlando web page here. For sponsorship information, contact RAIN Summits president Jennifer Lane.

While broadcast radio's first quarter revenue was flat, digital performed well throughout the quarter, up 9% ($179 million), according to today's RAB report.

"Radio’s digital sector revenue continues to grow as radio stations invest in and promote their digital offerings to listeners, driving increased attention by the ad buying community," commented RAB CEO Erica Farber.

Spot spending by Communication/Cellular advertisers was up 36% for the quarter, making it the top category for the period.

Broadcasters' overall revenue in the first quarter was $3.5 billion, held back by automotive spending's 20% slide.

The RAB's Q1 revenue press release is here.

RAB CEO/president Erica Farber's message at RAIN Summit West on Sunday: "The only way we can increase radio's share is to not take from each other, but from our actual competitors."

Farber gave the first keynote of our Summit event yesterday in Las Vegas.

TV, cable, magazines and newspapers, and pure-play Internet content is radio's real competition, including for local digital ad dollars, she stressed.

The good news, according to Farber, is that radio is in an excellent position going forward to maintain dominance in an ever-more digital world. Broadcasters can look forward to 30 million mobile phones with an active FM chip over the next three years, through an agreement with Sprint, and on Microsoft's Windows Phone 8. This will be just part of the push from broadcasters to "grow the pie" and expand their digital footprint. Radio will continue to innovate ad opportunities and features, Farber explained, with new levels of interactivity for listeners and new ways to reach them for advertisers.

Look for more coverage from RAIN Summit West in the coming days in RAIN.

Borrell Associates, in new research for the RAB, says radio's local digital ad revenues grew 22% in 2012 over the previous year -- slightly higher than the local media average of 20%. This follows news (in RAIN here) that radio's overall digital revenue was up 11%.

However, for the past three years radio has been losing local online market share to newspaper, TV, yellow pages and Internet companies, and radio's share of local online sits at just 2%.

"It looks like quite a few groups are breaking out and challenging their newspaper and TV competitors for a slice of that very large digital pie," said Borrell Associates CEO Gordon Borrell (pictured). He expects online ad revenue to pass $420 million this year for radio.

RAB CEO and president Erica Farber (also pictured) said, "Revenue opportunities continue to grow for those who are pushing the digital limits with online and mobile initiatives." Farber, by the way, will keynote RAIN Summit West April 7 in Las Vegas. Please see more information here.

The new report is called "Benchmarking: Local Radio Stations’ Online Revenues," and is available to RAB members here. The RAB and Gordon Borrell will present the findings with a free webinar Thursday, March 7 (more info here).

Read more in NetNewsCheck here.