The Local Marketing Trends Podcast: Recent Episodes
Gordon Borrell
Hear two of the nation's brightest and sought-after advertising analysts -- Corey Elliott and Gordon Borrell -- identify the latest trends and make their predictions. This fast-paced podcast runs about 20 minutes and focuses on trends in local media, advertising, and marketing. The show typically touches on three or four topics, occasionally features a guest, and is always seasoned with critical analysis and wit.
As part of a continuing series on how marketing made small ideas big, this episode focuses on an unlikely suspect -- a retired sheriff's detective with a passion for history. West Virginia native David Taylor created a unique heritage project that might have remained a personal hobby, except for a two-hour radio interview one Sunday morning. Gordon and Corey explore why this story perfectly illustrates an enduring truth about marketing: great ideas still need the right amplifier, and sometimes that amplifier isn't a fancy campaign on streaming platforms or social media — it's a simple kick-start in trusted local media. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Will AI replace ad sales reps? The answer increasingly seems to point to yes. In this episode, the head of IAB's Tech Lab, Anthony Katsur, warns that AI is becoming capable of handling media planning, budget allocation, and campaign analysis, potentially allowing publishers and agencies to do more with fewer salespeople. How soon might that happen? Corey & Gordon unveil new research indicating AI adoption of advertising tasks are progressing more slowly among local advertisers than most think. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
What does it take to turn a local idea into a nationwide phenomenon? In this episode, Gordon and Corey kick off a summer series exploring products that started small and went big with the right marketing. Their guest is David Klein, creator of Jelly Belly, who reveals how an $800 investment and some unconventional tactics helped transform a tiny candy into a global brand. Gordon & Corey unpack the marketing lessons every local business can learn about publicity, storytelling, and punching above your weight. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Local broadcasters have been pressuring the FCC to ease up on ownership restrictions so they can more handily compete with out-of-market digital competitors. But won't consolidation lead to fewer choices for the businesses that support radio and TV -- local advertisers? Gordon & Corey take the issue to communications attorney David Oxenford from Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer LLP, who weighs in with his opinion on how consolidation will affect digital competition, local newsrooms, consumers, and advertisers. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
As consumers turn to ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI tools for product research, advertisers are scrambling to retain visibility. In this episode, Gordon and Corey explore whether SEO budgets are shifting toward AI optimization. The podcast features an interview with Semifi CEO Patrick Briggs, who explains why AI optimization may become a core part of every marketer’s toolkit. The conversation covers the future of search, the growing role of social content in AI visibility, and why marketers should prepare now for a rapidly expanding AI-driven search ecosystem. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Digital growth rates are in the low single digits and are forecast to continue falling for the foreseeable future. So, shat happens when digital stops growing? This episode breaks down three key trends—from AI-driven disruption to changing local business dynamics—that foretell a very different future for local media. It’s not doom and gloom, but it is a wake-up call for anyone relying on the old playbook. Gordon & Corey offer some practical suggestions -- including finding a new job. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
The gap is widening between marketers who strategically adapt and those who dwell at the bottom of the marketing funnel. In this episode, Gordon and Corey pressure-test what’s actually working on the front lines by turning to a seasoned CMO, who reveals a messy reality where customer journeys are fragmented, ROI is harder than ever to prove, and gut + attribution storytelling often beats clean data. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Agency owner Jessica Reyna returns to the show for a third time with a no-holds-barred look at what actually drives results in local advertising. From dismantling the “last-click” obsession to exposing how businesses get trapped by platforms like Google, she challenges conventional wisdom with sharp, practical insights. Expect a surprise at the end, when Gordon grills her on which traditional forms of media she still buys. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
AI is quickly becoming a marketing advisor for small businesses -- perhaps even replacing ad agencies and trusted media advisors. But there are pitfalls. SMB marketing maven Shannon Kinney signs in as guest co-host for this episode and explains why businesses need to think of AI as a happy intern, a powerful assistant that needs training and direction to deliver real results. The conversation also explores how AI can empower small businesses to handle more marketing themselves while increasing the need for strategic advisors who add real insight. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Despite the narrative that traditional media is shrinking, one channel continues to grow. In this episode, Gordon & Corey explore why out-of-home advertising is defying gravity and how new technology is opening the door for more SMBs to buy. The show features an interview with out-of-home expert Dave Rivera from Vistar Media, which is making Digital OOH widely available through its programmatic platform. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
In her first-ever podcast interview ever, Audacy CEO Kelli Turner discusses the company's content-first strategy and how it will help a radio company remain relevant to digitally-obsessed local advertisers. She also describes how different Audacy might look like a decade from now. With Corey on vacation, Gordon is joined by guest co-host Shannon Kinney, an SMB marketing expert weighs in on how advertisers might view Audacy's gameplan. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
In this episode, Gordon Borrell and Corey Elliott put their own assumptions about local advertisers to the test by bringing in Shannon Kinney, founder of Dream Local Digital, who has worked with more than 90,000 businesses. Together, they unpack what SMBs really think about marketing today: deep skepticism toward inflated audience claims, an obsession with proving ROI, and a pragmatic—if still uneven—embrace of AI as a “happy intern” rather than an all-knowing oracle. The conversation challenges the idea that email and traditional media are dead, showing instead that targeted newsletters and branded content can still perform, while underscoring that scattered, low-budget tactics are often the real culprit behind disappointing results. The episode ultimately lands on a nuanced truth: local advertisers aren’t anti-media or blindly pro-digital—they’re searching for trust, clarity, and partners who can help them connect the dots between marketing effort and real business outcomes.
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As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us a review!
Want to join the conversation? Share your comments at borrellassociates.com/podcast.
Local advertisers have shifted from seeking reach to demanding proof. Reminiscent of a dozen years ago when Facebook revenue exploded, TikTok seems at the same inflection point with a new measurement tool, TikTok Pixel. In this episode, Corey & Gordon Borrell dig into fresh research about businesses obsessed with measurements and reach a counterintuitive insight:The future of local advertising may not belong to just pixels and clicks, but to a smarter, full-funnel mix that includes a dose of good instinct as well. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Gordon and Corey kick off a new season by announcing a new direction for their podcast -- talking directly to local businesses that are screaming for more help with marketing. The hosts cite evidence that many of these businesses no longer trust intermediaries and are turning to technology and self-education. It's both a wake-up call for media and agencies and a renewed commitment by Borrell to directly support the entrepreneurs who drive local economies. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Did you know AI has an official "hallucination rate?" Do you know why most AI engines have female voices? Are you aware AI isn't really your friend? Join Corey & Gordon for an entertaining episode that not only puts AI in perspective, but also has AI spitting out some practical advice for media companies. Funny and intriguing, as always. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
From lessons learned at MTV and AOL to what genuinely keeps him up at night as CEO of iHeart, this interview with Bob Pittman offers a rare, straight-talk look at the future of radio, audio, and media leadership from one of the industry’s most influential figures. Corey & Gordon weigh in on the notion that, in a world focused on AI, this CEO sees more value focusing on humans. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Despite decades of digital innovation, advertisers still struggle to measure whether their marketing truly works. Corey & Gordon discuss new survey findings showing that vanity metrics like clicks and "likes" fail to provide real ROI clarity. They interview GroundTruth CEO Rosie O’Meara, who describes a solution: linking precise mobile-based location data and transaction integrations. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
While Target, Kroger, and Walmart and other bit stores create their own retail media networks, Paypal plans to one-up them all by democratizing things. Corey & Gordon offer their thoughts on Paypal's plan to facilitate ad placement on millions of SMB websites, sending ad revenue to those small businesses. The episode features an interview with the executive heading it up -- Dr. Mark Grether, SVP and General Manager of Paypal Ads. The hosts conclusion: Hmmm, this might actually work. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
In this episode of Local Marketing Trends, Gordon & Corey dive into Amazon’s move into the audio landscape. As Amazon forges partnerships with Spotify, SiriusXM, and traditional AM/FM radio groups, the e-commerce giant is redefining how SMBs can buy geotargeted audio commercials. Gordon sits down with Amazon DSP director Meredith Goldman to explore whether traditional radio should see Amazon as a competitor or a collaborator. The conversation reveals how technology, targeting, and a renewed focus on SMBs are reshaping the ad game. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
What's Amazon doing in the local advertising space? Beyond offering geotargeted video and display ads on its own massive network, will Amazon make purchasing a radio, TV, or newspaper ad as simple as its "BUY NOW" button? In this episode, Gordon & Corey take their questions to Jennifer Mock Donohue, a former local radio and TV executive now heading up Amazon Local Advertising. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Could a radio company that snubbed digital advertising for two decades wind up with the industry's winning strategy? This episode features an interview with Saga Communications CEO Chris Forgy, who forsees a steep decline in radio advertising and an aggressive digital sales effort aimed at reviving it. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
As search engines traffic falls due to the fast-growing popularity of AI search, what will become of SEO? In this episode the hosts address the urgency and timing of what’s happening, and how SEO providers are rushing to deliver an AI-optimization product. The podcast features an interview with Patrick Briggs, CEO of Semify, who describes what he thinks agencies and media companies should be doing to address the issue right now. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
The episode features a candid conversation with the key executive of Gannett, owner of the nation’s biggest newspaper chain and operator of the one of the largest news audiences on the Internet. In an interview, Chairman and CEO Mike Reed shares insights on why Gannett is moving away from dependency on search engine traffic, how partnerships with AI platforms might yield a large source of new revenue, and why he continues to see local journalism as the company's biggest competitive advantage. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Where is one of the nation's largest Christian and conservative broadcasters placing its bets on the future? Salem Media CEO Dave Santrella discusses a new financial discipline for the company's radio stations, skyrocketing growth in podcasting, and record revenue for political. He also talks about strong digital performance and whether he considers the Salem a "digital first" company. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Beasley Media's CEO foresees a fast-approaching future for radio companies and believes bold steps and tough decisions will be necessary for those who want to survive it. In an interview, CEO Caroline Beasley becomes the industry's second radio executive to embrace a "digital first" strategy and outlines what that will mean for a 64-year-old company that owns 57 radio stations. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Rob Weisbord, Sinclair's President & COO of Local Media, weighs in on how the nation's second-largest operator of TV stations is investing in the future. The episode kicks off a series of interviews with media executives asking how they intent to compete with the likes of Google, Spotify, Hulu, Facebook, Amazon, and others who annually invest billions in R&D. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Thinking about AI brings back the old drinking-from-a-firehose analogy. But podcast guest Matt Britton, who's just published "Generation AI," has a simple suggestion. Corey & Gordon seize on a single word from the interview that sums what needs to STOP if we want to unlock the potential of AI. Britton's book can be accessed at https://generationai.bot/ Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
The outdoor advertising industry is the only legacy media that's been emboldened by internet, continuing to grow while competing media shrink. Hosts Gordon & Corey explore the possibility that the outdoor advertising industry might leverage its digital signage to compete with the local news industry. They bring on outdoor industry consultant Kevin Gephart to pick his brains what's next for outdoor. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
SMBs are becoming more savvy about advertising. That leads Gordon & Corey to predict the rise of DIY platforms and the fliping of the longtime notion that local advertising is sold, not bought. While the prospect seems scary for publishers, business-transformation expert Kiran Paranjpe from Lineup systems offers a unique perspective on how they might actually benefit. In an interview with Gordon, he suggests local media companies should be the ones offering DIY. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Two big things are about to ripple the $150 billion local advertising pond. But Corey & Gordon acknowledge completely ignoring them in their newly released annual missive on the state of local advertising. Was it an oversight, or is there something else behind the omission? The podcast features an interview with Allison Schiff, managing editor of AdExchanger, who offers her thoughts on the speed of one of the approaching comets. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Jeff Warshaw doesn't plan to participate in radio's "race to the bottom." The CEO of Connoisseur Media just bought Alpha Media, expanding Connoisseur from 11 stations to 218. It's a move that bucks the industry trend to lay off people and cut budgets -- particularly because of what Warshaw says about his plans to hire and invest even more. In an interview, Jeff responds to Gordon's question, "Did you miss the news that radio is dying?" Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Local broadcasters are pinning hopes on NextGenTV reviving their industry. But more than a decade after the first tests of ATSC 3.0 standards, consumer adoption remains stalled below 10%. Co-hosts Corey and Gordon see a maze of hurdles and take their skepticism to Madeleine Nolan, president of the ATSC: The Broadcast Standards Organization, seeking answers. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Eleven years old and profitable, Patch is reversing the trend of so-called news deserts. And it's using AI to supercharge its expansion efforts to tends of thousands of communities. This episode features an interview with Patch CEO Warren St. John, who describes how Patch has gone from delivering information for 1,900 sites to now offering information to 30,000 more. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Have hypercharged opinions and rampant banner ads opened up an opportunity for online subscriptions? Recent reports by newspaper companies Gannett, Lee Enterprises, and The New York Times show increasing revenue from online consumers of news and information, and one New Zealand publisher is seeing remarkable success by scaling back ads, vastly improving the user experience and banning opinion columns. Corey & Gordon examine the issue and talk to Todd Scott, owner of New Zealand's National Business Review and developer of an innovative subscription platform called New Media Solution.
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As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us a review!
Want to join the conversation? Share your comments at borrellassociates.com/podcast.
In this mythbusters-styled episode, the hosts focus on three oft-stated facts: Many legacy media companies are investing heavily in digital; the unprofitability of digital products is curtailing their sales; and their core strength is tied to large audiences of local consumers. Gordon & Corey are joined by longtime sales expert Jim Brown, who helps dredge up the facts. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Gordon & Corey see signs of Phoenix-style rebirth for a handful of media companies. These survivors have begun generating enough digital growth to completely offset declines in their legacy media businesses. The hosts identify three of them and focus on one -- KSL.com in Salt Lake City, operated by Deseret Digital Media. An interview with its key executive, Nate Hatch, reveals why the operation has been so successful. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
With the ebbing of political ad dollars and cable retransmission fees, 2025 will likely be a lean year for TV broadcasters. In this episode, Gordon & Corey review the industry's woes, debate the survival strategies, and seek insights from the co-CEO of one of the nation's biggest local broadcasters, Gray Media. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
The hosts profess to know the secret to driving exponential growth in ad sales, but they've also witnessed an ugly problem associated with it: churn. The episode features an expert on the issue, who shares some scary numbers on that percentage of digital ad buyers that sign up, then disappear in short order. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Corey & Gordon uncover surprises from a Q4 survey of local advertisers. They discuss what's hot for 2025, and ponder why one form of print media continues to defy gravity. They look at the good, bad, and just plain ugly -- including how advertisers rate their local ad-sales reps on overall marketing expertise and digital savvy. Spoiler alert: That's the "ugly" part of their discussion. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
The failure point for incumbent businesses faced with a disruptive technology comes when they interpret it as being supportive of their existing business. Yet that's exactly how most media companies view the Internet. In this episode, Corey & Gordon turn to an expert, Jim Cutler, who describes how today's swipe-happy world has made traditional media's content look like gabby fluff. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
True to form, CTV and OTT advertising is a disruptive innovation that appeals more to a NEW set of would-be TV buyers -- smaller businesses. In this episode, media transformation expert Jim Wilson, who founded OTT platform Premion and is now president of Madhive, discusses what it takes to reach and serve businesses whose typical CTV buy is pretty small -- about $4,000. He also talks about his appointment to the board of Audacy, the radio company that has just emerged from bankruptcy. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Newspapers are still vanishing at a rate of one every three days, but this year more papers have actually been snapped up by willing buyers. In this episode, Gordon & Corey explore what's attracted 28 different buyers to acquire more than 300 titles so far this year. The show features an interview with Sara April, president of media brokerage firm Dirks, Van Essen, and April.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Gordon & Corey explore how AI is unlocking the hidden gold for local broadcasters, newspaper publishers, and online publishers not only in archived content, but also in live news content. The show features an interview with an executive from AI software provider Veritone, who says she's getting about a dozen requests daily from researchers, political campaigns, people producing documentaries, and others looking for local news content.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Gordon & Corey talk with a 37-year-old software entrepreneur who's taken over a hyperlocal new site in Red Bank, NJ., with a goal of surving 100 years, just like the newspaper that preceeded it. His formula is an intriguing one that doesn't so much focus on local news as it does on helping local businesses, the core source of site revenue.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Are we really in a final phase in which only a few local media companies will successfully make the digital transition? Gordon & Corey turn to advertising executive Shawn Riegsecker, who foresees the swift demise of two large and popular types of media but also sees a great deal of opportunities arising from it. "This is the moment," he says, "that this industry has been waiting for." Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
While national podcasts are on fire, Hosts Corey & Gordon have been wondering when local podcasting might become "a thing." They turn to podcast guru Steve Goldstein of Amplifi Media. Fresh back from the Podcast Movement in D.C., Steve details new business models at the local level and opines about one that might actually yield significant revenue.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
If digital marketing services are used by more than two-thirds of advertisers, why are so many media companies -- especially TV stations -- shunning them? Are they low-margin? Too messy to implement? The hosts dive into the stats and develop what they call the "chiclet theory." Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
With the summer of our discontent brewing, Corey & Gordon discuss the value of nonstop headlines to news media. Could local media rise like a phoenix? They ask a fan club member, retired media analyst and self-proclaimed iconoclast Terry Heaton, to weigh in. Brace yourself for Heaton's unvarnished take.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Gordon & Corey double-down on their prediction that local media companies are in their "final phase," with many destined to become the equivalent of small hobby shops. But they also see some rising like a phoenix. What's the secret? Here's a hint: The podcast features an interview with the dean of one of the nation's most prominent schools of mass communication.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
What's the preferred medium when it comes to business communications? What's the top choice of advertisers when purchasing ads? What do people readily give up as "currency" for accessing content, getting a discount coupoun, or entering a contest? Email! This episode focuses on why email is so pervasive and powerful, yet so overlooked by many in the business of marketing and advertising. Curtis Barton, the executive in charge of strategy at Voice Media Group, agrees that an email address is valuable, but offers insights on how applying a little extra effort can make email addresses exponentially more valuable.
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As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us a review!
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Gordon & Corey ruminate why radio people are so scrappy and seek answers from Mike Hulvey, the newly appointed CEO of the Radio Advertising Bureau. During the interview, Mike reveals a genetic secret that suggests he might be radio's natural-born superhero.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Most media companies seem to be using internal committees to explore Generative AI. Beasley Media Group, however, is thinking differently, engaging an outside expert with a degree in AI from MIT. This episode features an interview with that expert, as well as the Gordon's and Corey's musings on which approach might yield better results.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
The mad rush to embrace Artificial Intelligence feels a lot like the mad rush to embrace the Internet two decades ago, with one exception: Nobody seems to be tackling AI by "hiring a guy." In this episode, Gordon & Corey talk to Ed Busby, head of strategy for one of the nation's largest TV companies, TEGNA, which has discovered AI genius within its ranks.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Google may be the dominant search engine, but not within the ranks of GenZ. What are these 20-somethings using to look up products, telephone numbers, store hours, and event information? With Corey absent, Gordon turns the episode into a family affair by consulting his kids, a social media expert, and the ultimate authority – his wife.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
What will impresses advertisers these days? It's not your giant on-air or online audience. It's the size of your email list. In this episode, Corey & Gordon take a look at phenomenal progress some media companies have made in building up email relationships, and they suggest a lofty goal for those trying to prepare for the transition to 1st-party data sets. The show features an interview with email expert Creighton Green, co-founder of Audience.io.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
In the spirit of not wanting to drink from a firehose, Gordon & Corey kick off a series of podcasts looking at the first steps being taken to incorporate Generative AI into company operations. They talk with the president of a small group of radio stations in the Midwest who was surprised at his staff's reaction when he gathered them to discuss his thoughts on AI.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Could hyperlocal TV programming be the future of local television? Cox Media is headed in that direction, enjoying early success with its plan to expand television news coverage to dozens of neighborhoods surrounding North Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. In this episode, Gordon & Corey discuss how 2024 is shaping up to be a breakout year for OTT, and how Cox's well-timed strategy to surround urban markets might be headed for a rollout in other markets. The show features an interview with Eric Kozik, Head of Development for Cox Media Group.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
It's tough being in ad-sales these days. Even tougher remaining positive. With advertisers migrating to DIY platforms, "no" has been replaced by the sound of crickets. In this episode, Corey & Gordon turn to a woman they think might be "the world's oldest living sales rep." Mary Campbell gets up every day, hops in her Cadillac SUV, and drives to work with a refreshing attitude and some well-weathered words of advice for her fellow reps.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Gordon & Corey claim they've talked to "a lot of really smart people" about Generative AI, and now concur that the local media universe is on the precipice of big change. For verification, they turn to a bigwig, Deloitte Digital Managing Director Todd Brownrout, who offers his own take.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Gordon & Corey offer a pulse check on how Generative AI has revved up the advertising and marketing industries and talk with entrepreneur Steve Han, founder and VP of Operations for Frequence.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Radio reversed a decade-long trend since the pandemic and has started growing total revenue again, mostly because of fast-growing digital sales. Some stations started up hyperlocal news sites, filling the gaps where newspapers pulled back. In this episode, Corey & Gordon explore a few key reasons for radio's resilience, and turn to outgoing Radio Advertising Bureau CEO Erica Farber for some answers.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Corey and Gordon pour over predictions for 2024 and pick, well, hardly any that seem worthwhile. They do, however, find a few brilliant gems for the new year. The podcast features an interview with the inimitable Mike Blinder, who talks about how media companies are trying to hire outside their individual industries, and how he's developed a way to help.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Episode 110 hinted about a potential windfall for news organizations next year. That podcast broke a record for downloads. Gordon & Corey theorize that the reason is the message represented hope for a beleaguered industry. In this episode, Corey channels Debbie Downer while Gordon uncovers yet another ray of hope from a Deloitte consultant: a goldmine that Generative AI engines will likely pay to access news archives.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
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More media companies are selling SaaS marketing tools, which begs the question, are machines replacing sales reps? For answers, our hosts turn to longtime SMB marketing expert Gordon Henry, the Chief Strategy Officer for thryv. Henry discusses recent growth in thryv's SaaS client base, and, oh yeah, the company's other business -- publish 1,000 yellow pages books. Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Traditional media companies that also sell digital advertising have seen gross profit margins slip over the past decade. Could digital sales be a drag? Gordon & Corey offer preview of the intriguing questions being asked of CFOs in an attempt to gauge just how profitable digital sales might be. They also turn to an expert on digital expenses, Todd Handy, the CRO of SEBPO, who identifies areas where margins can be improved.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our Research Alert Lists.
As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us a review!
Want to join the conversation? Share your comments at borrellassociates.com/podcast.
Corey & Gordon hear a rumbling in the pipeline for OTT sales and turn to the "Superwoman of OTT," Pooja Midha, for her perspective. Midha, the EVP and GM at Comcast's advertising division, Effectv, unveils new research that leads her to be "extremely bullish" on OTT.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Corey returns from a monthlong hiatus for the big reveal: his local advertising outlook. All signs look good headed into the holidays. As for 2024, there's a surprise (the good kind) for traditional media. Corey discusses his forecasts, and Gordon gets a gut check from an executive of one of the largest local ad agencies in the nation, Rob Mudd from Mudd Advertising in Cedar Falls, Iowa.Stay in the loop with all things Borrell when you join our ResearchAlert Lists.As always, thank you for listening. If you like the episode, leave us areview! Want to join the conversation? Share your comments atborrellassociates.com/podcast.
Local businesses have grown smarter about marketing over the past five years -- a lot smarter. Instead of relying on ad-sales reps to guide them, many have hired their own marketing managers and have become familiar with industry mechanics. In short, the deer have the guns. In this episode, Gordon is joined by guest co-host Taryn Tatarinowicz, who delivers evidence of how frustrated advertisers have become with less-than-savvy sales reps. The remedy? The duo offers a few creative ways to attack the issue.
With Corey "gone dark" to compile ad-spending updates, Stephanie Garfrerick from Revenue Analytics joins the show as guest co-host. A longtime listener, Steph offers her assessment of the last five episodes on Artificial Intelligence and comes to her own conclusions. This final episode in our summerlong series offers practical suggestions on what those in the media, advertising, and marketing industries should be doing right now. (Spoiler alert: Gordon admits to cloning himself and lists a few sites where listeners can try it out.)
Is the buzz about A.I. signaling one of those "tectonic shifts" we often hear about but never see? Why are some really smart people saying that A.I. will affect society more profoundly than electricity, the Internet, or even fire? Gordon & Corey turn to one of the brightest minds in the industry, Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of the Marketing A.I. Institute, to get his take. And, as is their wont, our co-hosts render their unfiltered opinions.
A milestone achieved, Gordon & Corey review highlights and low points from the last 99 episodes. Gordon's clone reads a knock-knock joke, and the co-hosts speculate that they'll be replaced by clones before the 200th episode airs. The podcast features a snippet from a mystery guest on the upcoming 101st episode, who likens A.I.'s impact to the discovery of fire. (Yeah, fire.)
The E.W. Scripps Co. has survived 150 years by making all the right moves. Recently, those "right moves" included shedding its iconic newspaper and radio brands. So, what next? In this episode, CEO Adam Symson talks about whether he foresees an advertising rebound in the 2nd half of 2023, how it's important to stay focused amid all the distractions, and what's on the horizon for Scripps. Corey & Gordon offer their critique.
In the second episode of a six-part series designed to get you smart on A.I., Gordon & Corey assess some practical uses for email copy and video commercials. With the help of the Waymark CEO Alex Persky-Stern, they learn that flaws in AI can be what leads to a sale.
If you feel overwhelmed by the latest phantasmagoria -- Artificial Intelligence -- Corey & Gordon have the remedy. Give them your ear over the summer, and they'll get you smart fast by interviewing the best, the brightest, and the most influential in the field of A.I. The first of six podcasts features Kate Scott-Dawkins, Global President of Business Intelligence for Group M. In this episode, she describes how, unbeknownst to many, A.I. already drives half of all advertising.
Twenty years ago, Knight Ridder had $3 billion in annual revenue, a 19% operating margin, and a relentless determination to conquer the digital world. It was the second-largest newspaper company in the U.S. and perhaps the most focused on building a digital empire, even moving its headquarters to Silicon Valley. Within a few years, everything fell apart. In this episode, Gordon & Corey ask the man at the helm, Tony Ridder, why all the right moves never paid off.
While everyone races toward niche local content, many seem to have forgotten the most-demanded content of all. From GenZ to Boomers, this topic is at the top of everybody's daily list. Gordon & Corey explore why everybody talks about the weather, but nobody seems to do anything about it. The podcast features an interview with weather advertising expert Justin Tuggle from The Weather Co.
An influencer who calls himself Antenna Man is calling out companies such as Nexstar, Sinclair, TEGNA, and iHeart, amassing a quarter-million YouTube followers. This episode features an interview with the notorious Antenna Man. Despite the fact that he's urging investors, "please do not fund these multibillion-dollar" companies and claims that radio conglomerates are "almost bleeding the industry dry," Gordon & Corey discover that he's actually a nice guy with a valid point.
Digital focus hasn't been a hallmark of Saga Communications. Among publicly held radio broadcasters, Saga has been at the bottom of the heap in digital revenue. But something has changed, and the company's stunningly successful digital experiment in Tennessee is being rolled out to other markets. In this episode, Gordon & Corey interview the new CEO, Chris Forgy, to learn how Saga will change under his leadership.
Corey interviews three media-savvy students from the University of Miami who say they and their GenZ friends do, indeed, check local news regularly. And you might be surprised to learn which media outlet has snared their attention by pushing stories out on social channels like Instagram. In this episode, the 20-somethings offer frank advice to media companies trying to reach them.
Seems like everybody is selling the same digital marketing products. And that makes them low-margin commodities. Gordon & Corey wonder if it's time for media companies to go back to doing what they do best -- selling higher-margin O&O inventory. They get some insight from omnichannel marketing expert Oliver Jacob, president of Frequence.
Local publishers stand to lose more than $4 billion in annual revenue if third-party cookies disappear, but Corey and Gordon aren't buying the sky-is-falling mentality. The podcast features an interview with two executives from a media consortium that has launched a project that could solve the cookie issue altogether.
With more than 1 million TV programs available, our hosts wonder about the opportunity -- and about the effect on good ol' broadcast TV. This episode features an interview with Simulmedia founder and CEO Dave Morgan, who utteres a fearful word when asked about TV ad budgets. He also talks about how the phase-out of third-party cookies are likely to affect advertising-dependent online publishers.
Corey and Gordon maintain their record of having neither attended nor gushed about the annual gadget-fest in Las Vegas, but they did decide to do something other than poke fun at it this time. In this episode, they ring up two other smarties -- Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media, and media disruption expert Todd Handy -- to get their impressions. What did this year's CES foretell for media and advertising?
As local businesses expand their "owned media" platforms, our hosts wonder how they'll feed the feed the voracious content monsters they created. This episode explores the mysteries of content marketing, and features an interview with the CEO of one of the companies at the forefront, RevContent.
By now, the radio industry was expecting a full pandemic recovery -- back to 2019 operating levels. But that hasn't happened. Revenue continues to run below 2019 levels, radio stocks are trading at or near all-time lows, and Audacy is in danger of being delisted. Our hosts look for insights from Jeff Warshaw, the radio CEO who attempted a $1.2 billion takeover of Cumulus last summer. Warshaw, the incoming chairman of the Radio Advertising Bureau, weighs in on where he thinks the industry is headed, what might happen to Audacy, and whether he might try another run at Cumulus.
The state of next year's economy is a big questionmark for some -- but not for our intrepid hosts. Corey & Gordon have got it all figured out, including how wide local ad-buyers will be opening their wallets next year. The podcast features forecasts for local advertising in 2023, plus an interview with Shari Bower, an executive with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
This year is ending with a lot of uncertainty, but Gordon & Corey aren't fuzzy at all on what 2023 will look like. Wrapping up a survey of thousands of local ad buyers and on the eve of issuing their local advertising forecast, the hosts offer a peek at the ups and downs they expect for the new year. The podcast also features an interview with Spectrio's Jimmy Hunt, who's tapping into a new and innovative form of OTT that could be insulated from any downturn in ad spending.
Could the phase-out of 3rd party cookies turn into a comeback for local print and broadcast media? Longtime media and advertising executive Shawn Riegsecker thinks so. Not one to pull punches, the founder and CEO of Basis (formerly Centro) says media made every mistake in the book dealing with the Internet for the past 20 years. But they now have the opportunity to turn tables on the tech giants. Corey & Gordon offer their insights on Riegsecker's vision.
Local B2B publishing remains a print-centric business without all the pain and suffering. In fact, it's experiencing just the opposite -- growth in print circulation and ad revenue. In this episode, Gordon and Corey explore why. The podcast features an interview with the president of Arkansas' biggest business publisher and board member of the industry's trade association, the Alliance of Area Business Publishers.
The Great Geographic Dispersion under way. Small cities are getting bigger, and big ones smaller. And that should greatly benefit local media, according to The Washington Post's Ethan Selzer, our guest for this episode. Selzer offers a long-term view of the media industry -- newspapers in particular -- as the pandemic subsides.
Stories about Gannett selling or shuttering newspapers and laying off hundreds of staffers have dominated the headlines. So how can the nation's largest newspaper company survive the next decade? This episode poses that question to CEO Mike Reed, who offers his vision for what Gannett will look like in 2032.
In this episode, Gordon & Corey turn to one of the most influential executives in the media industry and ask, "How will radio survive the next decade?" iHeart CEO Bob Pittman offers his perspective on how radio will remain unique over the next 10 years, whether its dependence on advertising revenue might need to change, and whether we should be calling it "radio" at all. This is the seventh in a summer-long series of podcasts asking CEOs for their long-term vision of the media industry.
How will out-of-home advertising fare in the coming metaverse? Clear Channel CEO Scott Wells offers his vision. He talks about the role of 3D, AR, and VR, and addresses the question, "Because Outdoor can now deliver real-time messages, is the industry getting into the news business?" This is the sixth in a series of interviews asking industry CEOs the question, "What's your vision for 2032?"
The 10-year-challenge series continues with the top executive at Hearst Television offering his vision on what 2032 looks like for the industry. Keying off Hearst's 135 years in the business, Jordan Wertlieb sees TV stations' success depending on one key thing -- and it's not technology or distribution. Gordon & Corey offer their usual pithy assessment.
Gordon & Corey issue the 10-year challenge to David Chavern, CEO of the newspaper industry's trade association, News Media Alliance. Chavern posits that while the printed version of today's newspapers may be smaller, their audiences are larger than ever. By 2032, newsroom staffs will be larger and their largest revenue stream won't be advertising. This is the fourth in a summerlong series asking CEOs what their industry looks like a decade from now.
With OTT already siphoning money from radio & TV budgets, is local broadcast media about to suffer its most troublesome decade? In this episode, Gordon & Corey take their summerlong "10-year challenge" question -- what does 2032 look like to you? -- to Curtis LeGeyt, the dynamic, new CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters.
After interviewing Nexstar's visionary CEO in our last episode, Gordon takes the "10-year challenge" to Salem Media's CEO, Dave Santrella. Where does he see Salem -- and the radio industry -- in 2032? This is the second in a summerlong series where Gordon & Corey are handing the mic to media industry CEOs and asking, "What's in your future?"
Gordon & Corey hatch the bright idea of seeing if any CEOs might be willing to take the "10-year challenge." What's their long-term vision, and what will their companies look like in 2032. Kicking off a summerlong series of CEO interviews is Nexstar Media Group's Perry Sook, a guy with a long reputation of not only having a long-term vision, but also making it happen.
Why has AM/FM radio survived Walkmans, iPods, Pandora, smart speakers and now podcasts? Fresh from a new survey of 30,000 station listeners, longtime radio analyst Fred Jacobs sits in as co-host for Corey and joins Gordon on the debate over why radio lives on. The podcast features an interview with Bill Rose discussing audience measurement and Nielsen's hip new Personal People Meter.
The pandemic didn't put much wind in newspapers' digital wings. In fact, many saw digital sales go backwards. In this episode, Gordon & Corey talk about how newspaper companies once led the way with digital revenue, and why things have gotten so tough. The podcast features an interview with Darien Southerland, who's trying to get local newspapers into the fast-growing podcast business.
Sure, most of the money local businesses spend on digital advertising goes directly to Google and Facebook. But do you know how much stays in-market? For most, it adds up to tens of millions of dollars up for grabs by local sellers. Corey & Gordon preview the major findings of a new annual report, and bring a guest co-host on board to get his thoughts. The podcast features Todd Handy, Chief Digital Officer for Beasley Media Group and offers a sneak peek at a 66-page report that's about to be published.
Advertising has become more complex than ever. And that's spawned one of the biggest opportunities of all for marketers to become trusted advisors to their own customers. But just how smart are you about all things digital? Corey & Gordon quiz each other on a few basic questions, then turn to longtime advertising expert Tim Burke, CEO of Conduit Digital, for his take. Burke talks about helping sellers become experts beyond the products they're selling, and about outsourcing digital product fulfillment in a way that helps sellers do what they do best.
Social Media -- especially TikTok -- can be a hotbed of, well.... questionable behavior. So, Corey & Gordon were surprised to find a faith-based local radio broadcaster cultivating a crop of popular young influencers on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Episode 68 features an interview with Mike Reed, the Salem Media executive who heads up that growing network and whose daughter, Michelle, has a YouTube channel boasting 37 million views.
Gordon & Corey have finally figured out what those crazy Gen Z kids have been doing all this time with their smart phones. They've been learning things. Marketing things. Media things -- like how to build an audience of hundreds of thousands of followers. This episode features an interview with a young math teacher from Arkansas whose audiences on TikTok and YouTube beat most of the long-established newspapers and TV stations in Little Rock.
Sure, a lot of people are quitting their stale, boring advertising jobs. But on the other side of the equation, many companies have made themselves a magnet for new hires. In this episode, Gordon & Corey dissect the nuances of hiring at the local level, and get some tips from SHRM Field Services Director Monique Akanbi on how companies can fulfill diversity & inclusion initiatives by looking internally rather than externally.
TikTok, Facebook Reels, YouTube, Hulu.... They're all the rage. But how do these video opportunities translate down to local markets? In this episode, Corey and Gordon debate the issue. They also interview Catherine Badalamente, who is about to take over as CEO at Graham Media's TV group after a dozen years heading up its digital initiatives.
A famed advertising guru called 2021's advertising growth a "false storm" and suggested that traditional media companies and ad agencies have 12 months to transform -- or die. Gordon & Corey consult with media transformation expert Scott Anthony from Innosight, who sees two paths ahead. The hosts also tackle major shifts in automotive advertising, which suffered a topsy-turvy two years and seems to be on a very different path in 2022.
Gordon's longtime friend and sales guru, Jim Doyle, discuss his new book, Selling with a Servant Heart. After interviewing top sales performers across various industries, Jim channels the art of being client centric, and pushes deeper to generate success. Even Gordon sees the light through his Scrooge-like fog.
Gordon and Corey keep, oddly, finding themselves in agreement as the two discuss their take on popular 2022 marketing predictions, and the implications on the local level. Maybe it's Gordon's martini and Corey's holiday jolliness, but this topic filled episode is sure to illuminate your curiosities for 2022.
Fresh back from a broadcasting conference in New York, Gordon interviews one of the featured speakers, station owner DuJuan McCoy. Operating two virtual TV channels in Indianapolis, McCoy discusses how his stations produce twice as much local video content and have accumulated a far broader online audience than other stations. Even Corey is impressed.
Demand has mushroomed for marketing graduates as local businesses clamor for someone to take over all their "owned" media pages. Who are these youngsters, and how will they influence advertising decisions? In this episode, Gordon & Corey talk to a marketing professor and two of his students -- 20-somethings who aren't all that familiar with radio or newspapers or the name of the local TV station.
Car dealers are big wheels in the local advertising world, but things sure have gotten wonky. New and used cars are flying off the lots, leaving dealers feeling as though they don't need to advertise at all. Corey and Gordon explore the phenomenon, interviewing leading car-marketing expert, John Fitzpatrick, from Force Marketing.
The pandemic certainly threw things in a tizzy, but that's only part of the reason the advertising industry can't seem to recruit enough replacements to fill it's 50,000-strong army of sales reps. Corey & Gordon dive into some new findings that may explain the problem, then talk with a master recruiter, Robert Hawthorne, about how companies are overcoming the issue.
Google and Facebook have cracked the do-it-yourself code for local advertisers. Does that mean the days of the local ad-sales rep are numbered? Corey and Gordon dive into recent survey data, then turn to a DIY platform export, Rosie O'Meara from GroundTruth, for answers.
Over two decades, well-funded attempts to create hyperlocal news sites have collapsed. But not Patch. In its 14th year, Patch boasts 25 million users across 1,100 local sites, with six consecutive years of double-digit revenue growth and profitability. The company also has a new growth-minded CEO ... which has Corey & Gordon wondering what's next. The podcast features an interview with Warren St. John, the former New York Times reporter who is president of Patch.
Mushrooming demand for marketing services has been met with squashing skepticism about profitability. In fact, many see things like reselling SEM or SEO as loss leaders. This episode goes to the front lines by bringing in Daryl Hively from digital services provider Guarantee Digital as a guest co-host. Could markups really be as high as 200%? Gordon drills Daryl on pricing strategies and where the biggest profits lie.
COVID-19 drove an influx of digital-only newspaper subscriptions -- many from young adults -- and breathed new life into the struggling newspaper industry. Second-quarter financial results showed many bright spots. Could the industry be turning a corner? In this episode Gordon & Corey check the industry's vital signs and talk with Mike Reed, chairman and CEO of the nation's largest newspaper company, Gannett.
Radio groups have been reporting stellar results for digital sales in the first half of 2021. Could the industry have finally gotten its digital mojo? Hosts Gordon & Corey discuss the five-year turnaround, and how one company has become the radio industry's North Star. This podcast features an interview with Bill Wilson, CEO of Townsquare Media.
When it comes to dealing with sales reps, email is the preferred method -- even when consummating the "buy." So you'd think sellers would be email aces. Au contraire, say Corey & Gordon. And they have proof. This episode features Borrell's director of client development, Taryn Tatarinowicz, who reels off a handful of comments from frustrated ad buyers.
Almost half of the 5,500 digital agencies in the U.S. are run by media companies, but they're struggling to grow beyond being boutique shops. In this episode, Gordon & Corey preview a new report examining how some agencies have been able to scale operations and embark on a path to become the dominant local agency. The podcast features an interview with Tom Cheli, CEO of Frequence, which contributed 27 months of sales data that led to the analysis.
In this final episode of the series, Corey & Gordon review the lessons learned from failed agencies and ones that are thriving, then turn their attention to the future. Corey's got his own take on what things look like in the 2030s, but Gordon gets a little more radical on a "last man standing" theory.
In this second episode of a three-part series, Gordon & Corey ruminate on a few spectacular agency failures from the past but shift focus quickly to success stories. Featured in this episode are interviews with Steven Goldstein from Hubbard Radio's 2060 Digital, Kyle Wirick from Adams Publishing Group's The High Road Agency, and Jason Holmes, who cultivated his own firm, Thrive Fuel, from the ashes of a burned-out agency once run by a newspaper.
Digital agencies are all the rage, but not all survive. In this episode, Gordon & Corey embark on the first of a three-part series exploring the phenomenon. Episode 48 interviews three executives from newspaper and TV companies whose agencies failed. They include Mark Poss from Big Fish Works in Red Wing, Minnesota; Chris Edwards from Fusion Farm in Cedar Rapids; and Dan Easton from Advocate Digital Media in Victoria, Texas. They all succeeded initially. But everything unraveled after each made a critical decision.
You'll want to silence your phone for this episode (unless, of course, you're listening on your smartphone). Corey and Gordon explore the phenomenon of distractions and what opportunities they hold for the advertising and marketing world. The podcast features an interview with award-winning journalist Maggie Jackson, author of "Distracted: Reclaiming Our Focus in a World of Lost Attention"
Nexstar Media Group owns one of the nation's largest local digital operations, with 122 local websites, 316 mobile apps and more than $200 million in digital revenue last year. But it underwent a major reorganization in late 2020, shutting down its separate digital venture and jettisoning unprofitable products. So, where's the company headed in 2021? This episode features an interview with Karen Brophy, a former Hearst newspaper executive who was tapped recently as president of Nexstar's digital division.
Sure, everybody is buying SEM and SEO and needs help managing their Facebook pages. But local businesses are pretty much handling that on their own. So why try to get all up in their stuff and take it over? This episode examines the profitability of handling digital services for SMBs, and checks in with sales expert Adam Burnham from AffinityX, who hasn't always been in sync with the opinion of at least one co-host.
While a lot of people were hand-wringing their way through 2020, the world changed in big and little ways. Corey and Gordon talk about one of the most unnoticed shifts -- what happened to one of the biggest drivers of advertising, U.S. Retail Sales.
With the dust settled, a clearer picture of 2021 is emerging. Corey lays out his forecast for local advertising and notes a major shift in businesses from "retention" mode to acquiring new customers this year. Will that strengthen mass media like TV and newspapers?
Fire up your favorite note-taking software before you listen to this episode. Corey & Gordon throw out a lot of statistics as they take the pulse of the 45% of businesses that are buying streaming-video advertising. They discover a smoking gun in one set of stats that points directly to one type of ad-buyer that seems most attracted to video marketing.
Radio officially turned 100 last year, but can it survive the next 10? Corey & Gordon explore radio's challenges but discover something remarkable: It's morphing and beginning to distance itself ever so slightly from the word "radio." The episode features an interview with Radio Advertising Bureau CEO and President Erica Farber, who offers a broader view (think "audio") of an industry that's actually growing.
Corey and Gordon explore a fascinating survey revealing exactly when local marketers expect a return to normalcy. It's an important inflection point that's likely to unleash tightly coiled ad budgets, the hosts believe. This episode also features an interview with Evvnt Chairman Peter Newton, who discusses how the events business may be forever transformed by the pandemic.
Faced with an advertising crisis, many local media companies pivoted in a new direction that may foretell their future. In this episode, Corey & Gordon take a look at how one trade association blazed a very different path for broadcast and print media in 2020 that has them working together and finding support from communities they serve. It features an interview with Nancy Lane, a former publisher and now CEO of the Local Media Association.
As more viewers turn to on-demand programming and advertisers shift dollars to targeted media, how much trouble are local broadcasters really in? Corey & Gordon discuss the headwinds and advantages local TV faces. The podcast features an interview with Emily Barr, 2020's Broadcaster of the Year and Graham Media's CEO, who offers her thoughts on what TV needs to do to survive.
In this last episode of the season, Corey & Gordon assemble a few colleagues around the hearth for a healthy look back at 2020. They recall how the year started with a standing-room-only Local Advertising Conference in Miami, then morphed quickly into panic, lockdowns, and a lot of pivoting. The episode even includes a holiday song that's, well, as chaotic and off-tune as the year.
What's the fate of local newspapers? Do local TV stations face the same issues headed into the new year? Our penultimate podcast of 2020 features an interview with Donald Graham, chairman of Graham Holdings and former publisher of The Washington Post. Graham reflects on what led to the decision to sell the paper in 2013 after eight decades of family ownership, and what lessons today's print and broadcast media might learn from Bezos' handling of The Post.
The nation's largest survey of local advertisers is in, and hosts Gordon & Corey are all agog over the key findings. Episode 35 also features what the hosts claim will be the soundtrack for the first quarter of 2021. Listen closely!
After five decades in the media business and three as one of the industry's most popular sales trainers, Jim Doyle is easing into retirement. Consider this podcast a sort of "exit interview" with the guy who knows advertising sales inside and out. He discusses what's changed about the business since his first days as a sales rep, what hasn't changed, and the "magic wand" he'd like to wave to fix the media-sales process.
Gordon & Corey discuss new research pegging the burgeoning Content Marketing industry at a whopping $63 billion. As more businesses develop their own channels, they're finding a growing need to feed the "news" monster. Julia Campbell, GM of The Branded Content Project, join the hosts for a lively discussion on where it's all headed.
Corey dives into a recent survey of 225 local ad agencies and finds that their deepening love affair with OTT is being financed by their tried and true longtime lover -- broadcast TV. The podcast has Gordon & Corey poring through key findings, including how agencies feel the pandemic has changed the effectiveness of certain types of media.
Corey & Gordon bring back their most popular guest, a local ad buyer who isn't afraid to be blunt about what works and what doesn't. This no-holes-barred episode has the hosts listing some of the ....uh... more interesting audience claims made by different types of media, and has their guest reacting. Brace yourself before you hit play. "Smartypants" hasn't mellowed a bit since her 2019 appearance.
Fresh off a project to size the U.S. Content Marketing business, Corey talks about how COVID-19 has buoyed the need for many businesses to tell their stories via "sponsored content" methods. This podcast also features an interview with Brian Gorman, founder of iPublish, which was recently acquired by Legacy.com. Gorman says the company is now processing 600,000 obituaries a year and is discovering new ways develop a business around these content-rich capsules of information.
Vevo has slipped into the role once occupied by MTV, serving up 26 billion music-video views per month. Gordon & Corey discuss Vevo's plan to tap media sales forces to sell commercial spots. Will Gittchee Goomee Tattoo in Duluth buy an ad in Post Malone's Latest Video? This episode features an interview with Nick Simonetti, who heads up Local Ad Sales at Vevo.
Gordon & Corey turn a critical eye toward out-of-home advertising, the only "traditional" form of media that's been wholly unaffected by Google, Facebook, and other digital media. This episode features an interview with Anna Bager, the new CEO of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of America. She sees OOH as a viable competitor for video advertising that has a very bright future in taxis, airports, elevators, gas pumps, and lobbies.
Are SMBs' buying into the big-brand brouhaha over Facebook? Has COVID-19 altered their love affair with social media? Gordon & Corey pore over new research that draws out some raw responses from local marketers on the whole situation. This episode also features an interview with Joe Lawrence, CEO of a Pittsburgh-based tech company called MeSearch that's taking an innovative approach to ecommerce.
Episode 26 features an interview with Dean Ridings, the president and CEO of the newspaper industry’s largest trade association, America’s Newspapers. With classified ad revenue all but vanished and print circulars at a “tipping point,” Ridings talks about how the industry will generate enough funds to sustain it’s biggest competitive advantage: well-staff newsrooms. Gordon & Corey offer their insights and take a swipe at those who think advertisers will abandon social media and “come back” to tried-and-true print and broadcast media.
Kicking off Season 3, Gordon & Corey place OTT and political advertising and OTT front and center. Borrell's latest Business Barometer is looking good, but prospects look best for OTT or streaming video sales. This episode features an interview with Mark Lieberman, president & CEO of Viamedia, the nation's largest independent seller of local TV advertising solutions, who discusses a "perfect storm" that's coming in August as political advertising comes raging back.
While Corey has gone dark to generate new forecasts for 2020, Jim Brown steps in as guest co-host. Gordon & Jim discuss what they learned from interacting with thousands of local businesses during 51 "crisis marketing" webinars they conducted since late March. Jim also offers insights on a few markets where ad sales will rebound much slower, and what's driving the difference.
Corey takes a break from numbers crunching to talk about where he thinks local advertising will wind up in 2020. (Spoiler alert!) Newspapers and radio are in for the biggest shock, and some markets will fare far better than others. This episode features an interview with Shopify's Ian Black, who describes a big uptick in smaller, local businesses rushing to the company's ecommerce solution during the COVID-19 crisis.
Media's 'Survival of the Fittest' Scenario Comes True -- And Why TV Is Immune Even before the pandemic, local media companies were going dark at a rate of 6 per week. Gordon & Corey discuss how things have accelerated as scores of print and broadcast companies have gone belly-up in the past two months. The only one in a comfortable position is broadcast TV. The podcast features an interview with TEGNA President & CEO Dave Lougee, who describes how TV's transformation since the last big economic downturn a decade ago has put the industry in an insulated and enviable position.
(Cue the maudlin piano music) In these unprecedented times, Gordon & Corey are here for you. That's why they've teamed up with Fruity Pebbles.... Episode 21 takes a look at how marketers are struggling to remain in sync with consumers who seem to be suffering media overload. The podcast also identifies marketing decisions that equate to warning signs that a business might not make it through the crisis.
Fresh off a late-April survey of local businesses, Gordon & Corey debate what's in store as they plan to hit re-start on advertising budgets. With a 10-point shift in the percentage of local businesses planning to resume or increase ad spending since late March, is a Grand Reopening imminent?
Gordon & Corey take a look at a recent survey of local marketing activity amid the COVID-19 crisis and find that small group of businesses have gotten very busy indeed. Master marketers and a few media companies have skipped the hand-wringing altogether. This episode looks at how skilled local marketers are viewing the crisis, and how one broadcaster has sprung into action and created a dynamic library of more than 600 examples of crisis marketing messages for ad-sales reps. The show features an interview with the Vice President of Digital Media Sales for Nexstar Media Group, Bill Caudill, who talks about how the company's 1,000+ reps have pivoted.
Amid our pandemic paralysis, local marketers are self-isolating into one of two categories: Those who see an opportunity to shine, and those who don't. Marketing ideas are in high demand for both. If you want to open their doors, you'd better come with three ideas in your back pocket (and maybe a gift-wrapped can of Lysol.) Gordon & Corey are joined by Borrell Associates President Jim Brown in this fast-paced "give us your best ideas" episode. The show features a phone call with Matt Coen, co-founder of the quintessential cool-promotions company, Second Street Media.
Youth marketing, hulu's local sales effort, mushrooming OTT, branded content, an explosion in podcasting -- the biggest takeaways from Borrell's big event in 20 minutes. Gordon & Corey offer their observations about some of the presentations by the CEOs of Comscore and Thryv, from youth marketing expert Matt Britton, and from several other executives who took the stage over the two-day event in early March.
Gordon & Corey discuss programmatic buying at the local level, identifying the hottest growth areas: OTT, targeted TV spots, geofencing, and Simpli.fi's big push into "addressable" programmatic, which can deliver ads down to the household level. The podcast features an interview with Frost Prioleau, CEO of Simpli.fi, which managed campaigns for 40,000 advertisers last year and saw high growth and dramatic results for its OTT and addressable programs.
Is Amazon the next boogeyman? Gordon & Corey lay out the hard evidence -- including a recent survey showing how local businesses may actually be excited about the opportunity to get their message in front of Amazon buyers. This episode features an interview with ecommerce expert and former Amazon manager Will Margaritis, who offers his take on how Amazon is preparing to attack the local space.
In this episode, Gordon and Corey bat around a few fun facts about video viewing before an intriguing interview with Comscore's new CEO, Bill Livek. With a 50% increase in those who say they're watching on 5 (yes, FIVE) different screens, we're seeing a renaissance in what was once known as "TV" viewing.
This episode features hosts Gordon & Corey taking on the issue of media transformation and how most companies seem to be suffering an identity crisis. It features an interview with Joe Walsh, whose task five years ago was to transform a multibillion-dollar yellow pages company into, well, something else. The interview features a few surprises -- like the fact that Thryv is no longer in the "digital services" business, and how a story by comedian Sam Kinison provided a wake-up call to Thryv's sales team.
Gordon & Corey suddenly realize that the "younger generation" have become an economic force and are influencing new forms of marketing. In fact millennials are now approaching 40 and have hung up the baggy pants and sideways-turned ballcaps, spending their money on homes, cars, and vacations to Cancun. This show features an interview with youth marketing guru Matt Britton, founder of Suzy, a consumer intelligence platform, who's advised dozens of major brands trying to reach these dynamic and sometimes demanding new consumers.
In the final episode of 2020, Gordon & Corey interview GroupM's Brian Wieser, president of business intelligence at GroupM. Known as "the most quoted man in advertising," Wieser recently issued his annual forecast, and it's .... interesting, to say the least. You may be shocked at how he now sees the role of media in the whole marketing equation. The wide-ranging interview, and Gordon & Corey's analysis, covers political advertising, outdoor's resilience, TV's troubles, radio's flatness, and the the eight companies that are driving digital spending.
Gordon & Corey tackle "stupid things that make life entertaining." Like crazy uncles at the Thanksgiving table, they blurt opinions on the notion that P&G is "coming back" to traditional media, broadcast TV's plan to pursue SMBs, and NBC's idea to put QR codes on TV screens. There's no guest interview in this episode -- just pure, unadulterated Gordon and Corey.
With shopping season upon us, Gordon and Corey discuss the media industry's obsession with protecting its news franchise while letting another franchise -- advertising information -- slip away. Is Facebook's friendly approach to local news actually bad for the industry? Is Amazon the boogeyman poised to steal everything away? The show also features an interview with cannabis marketing expert Greg Heiman from SiteImpact and a discussion of how marketing for CBD products and cannabis has mushroomed to a $2 billion segment. (Sponsor note: the phone number mentioned in this week's commercial spot is 561-685-8991.)
TV budgets have become "the elephant to target," which has spurred the broadcast TV industry to take the gloves off. Hosts Corey & Gordon discuss why TV is so pressured, then talk to Steve Lanzano, president of the Television Bureau of Advertising. (Sponsor note: the phone number mentioned in this week's commercial spot is 561-685-8991.)
It's been 5 years since Clark Gilbert was CEO of Deseret Media's print, broadcast & digital operations, and he has new perspective on what the future holds for local media companies. Hosts Gordon & Corey discuss how challenging digital transition can be, and pose a key question for Clark Gilbert: If you were suddenly the CEO of a big radio company, what would you do?
This episode includes stand-in guest host Jim Brown, president of Borrell Associates, and Gordon's interview with Nexstar CEO Perry Sook, conducted days after the FCC approval of the Tribune acquisition. Our Episode 6 zooms in on broadcast TV, which commands the biggest ad budgets but a relatively small market penetration of ad buyers. The featured 10-minute interview explores Sook's view on whether OTT subscription revenue might replace retrans fees (now more than half of Nexstar's revenue), what "sapling" segment of the company he sees developing into an oak tree, and what Nexstar looks like five years from now.
Before tackling the main topic, Gordon and Corey kick off this episode by distilling the results of their annual survey of 2,000+ local ad buyers down to three not-so-little things. Then they hone in on the only traditional advertising medium that continues to grow despite (or perhaps because of) the proliferation of digital media. The show features an interview with Kym Frank, an innovator in cross-media measurement and president of Geopath.
Gordon & Corey rate 10 things in the news on whether they'll affect advertisers or whether they're just hyped-up headlines. This episode also features an interview with a local ad-buyer who really knows her marketing stuff. She offers her assessment of which media she'd buy today, and which she'd avoid like the plague. (Caution: very few make the "buy" list.)
Episode 3: Radio's "On Fire" Digital Sales, Why "Addressable Digital Advertising" is Declining, and an Interview with Jesse McCambridge, Cox Media Group's Senior Director of Digital Sales.
In this episode, the hosts offer their theories on why radio has suddenly awakened to the Internet. They also discuss a sudden downward adjustment on how much digital advertising local media companies are selling. The spotlight interview is with the head of digital sales for Cox Media Group, a company that consistently ranks as a top shareholder of digital revenue in its TV, radio, and newspaper markets.
Episode 2: Where 80% of Social Media 'Likes' Come From, Newspaper Megamerger, & Why Email is So Powerful
In this episode, the hosts discuss a rumored newspaper megamerger, emergence of social media as the most-popular advertising medium of all, and why the vast majority of advertisers handle their own email -- and fumble doing so. The podcast features an interview with Site Impact's Brandon Rosen, who offers his observations on why email is so powerful, yet so underutilized. As usual, it's chock full of great research tidbits and a lively give-and-take between Corey and Gordon.
In Episode 1, Gordon & Corey get frank about the fate of newspapers, point out some vagaries in how advertising is tracked, and take a critical look at whether podcasting is just another hyped digital toy. The podcast discussion features an interview with longtime radio-executive-turned-podcast-guru Steve Goldstein of Amplifi Media.