program directors

WHAT IS CHATGPT & RADIOGPT?

Posted by: Admin

21 Feb

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a buzzword in the technology industry for quite some time. The recent advancements in AI have given rise to several new and innovative applications, one of which is the development of natural language processing models. One of the most popular models of natural language processing is the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT).

GPT is an AI-based natural language processing model that is designed to generate human-like text. It is trained on a massive amount of data and is capable of understanding and analyzing large amounts of text. GPT was developed by OpenAI, a research organization aimed at promoting and developing friendly AI.

The GPT model is trained using unsupervised learning, which means that it can analyze and understand the patterns and relationships between words and phrases in a body of text without human supervision. GPT can generate text based on the input given to it, and the output is often indistinguishable from that written by a human.

ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI, is designed to engage in natural and realistic conversations with humans. It can understand and respond to a wide variety of questions and topics and is trained on a massive amount of data, making it an excellent tool for generating engaging content. ChatGPT’s ability to provide personalized and dynamic content to each individual user has generated a lot of excitement and interest. Its potential to create personalized content or even to power chatbots for customer service, has fascinated consumers.

One of the most significant benefits of GPT is that it can create engaging and personalized content in real-time.

At Futuri, we’ve just launched a new product that integrates with GPT. It’s the new RadioGPT™, a system that generates audio for broadcast that is based on what’s happening right now in a local market.

Using Futuri’s patented automation link and patented TopicPulse system, along with AI-voice technology, RadioGPT™ brings a radio station to life:

1. It can see what’s in your music log and talk about the songs or artists on your station.
2. It can see what’s happening in your local market right now and talk about it in real-time.
3. It can post on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok during its show and talk about what’s coming up.
4. It’s great at teasing and pre-promoting content going into breaks.
5. It can talk about the weather or traffic.
6. It can see how many people are listening right now through Futuri Streaming and say hello to certain locations.
7. It can take Open Mic audio from listeners using Futuri Mobile and incorporate their thoughts, questions, and feedback into my show.
8. It can share news updates and current events relevant to your audience’s interests and demographics.
9. It has experience conducting engaging interviews with notable guests and experts.
10. It can give away prizes, tickets, and exclusive experiences to listeners through on-air contests using Futuri Mobile’s Flash Contesting.
11. It’s skilled at creating unique and entertaining breaks that keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.

Another potential use of GPT in television and radio is the creation of chatbots that can converse with listeners or viewers. Chatbots powered by GPT can provide real-time responses to queries, provide updates on current events, or even engage in small talk with the listener or viewer.

GPT is a powerful tool that has many potential applications in the media industry, particularly in television and radio broadcasting. Its ability to generate human-like text in real-time has the potential to revolutionize the way content is created and delivered to audiences. However, it is essential to use GPT responsibly and in a way that complements human creativity. As with any technology, it is crucial to understand both the benefits and limitations of GPT to use it effectively.

courtesyoffuturimedia.com

NIELSEN’S RIVALS REACT TO JOINT INDUSTRY COMMITTEE PLAN

Posted by: Admin

Categories: media • online media • portable people meter • pp1 • pp2 • ppm • program directors • tv content • tv programming • Tv stations

10 Jan

The audience measurement companies looking to offer alternatives to Nielsen were mostly supportive of the move by major programmers to create a joint industry committee that will standardize and design multiple currencies for buying and selling advertising.

Nielsen has long dominated the measurement business and a new group could be a step towards putting providers on a more equal footing.

“We’re very supportive of the newly formed JIC as it represents clients we’re all actively working with to accelerate the adoption of new currencies,“ VideoAmp president Michael Parkes said. “The committee’s goal to increase collaboration is directly aligned with our own mission to increase the value of advertising. We look forward to what this means for the acceleration of new currency implementation at scale across the industry.“

Ashwin Navin, co-founder and CEO of Samba TV, also said the JIC would help the industry deal with more complicated viewer behaviors and new demands from media buyers and advertisers.

“It has long been clear that the U.S. model of a single measurement monopoly would not be able to keep pace with the rapid state of change in viewing behavior we are experiencing today and that it would ultimately fail to provide the kind of diversity and accuracy in measurement that media buyers are demanding,” Navin said.

“This news is a critical step towards a multi-currency world where the industry is empowered to adopt the data and technology it needs to develop advanced and transparent methodologies for measurement versus the legacy black-box tools we have been confined to for decades,“ he continued. “This is a great moment for publishers who will have full transparency into the value of their programming, for advertisers who will be empowered to go beyond legacy models from two generations ago that no longer make sense in today’s diverse audience and programming world, and for consumers who will now have far more advanced tools measuring their attention providing better insights to guide content investments.

“One of the biggest challenges of the legacy approach to measurement today is the one-size-fits-all approach, which may have made sense a half-century ago but frankly makes no sense in today’s incredibly diverse and fragmented media landscape,“ Navin said. “A program that attracts a highly diverse or hard-to-reach audience, for example, but ultimately captures a smaller overall share of attention of a mainstream program, could be canceled under the existing legacy model. By embracing new and innovative methods that go well beyond the simple age and gender metrics that have guided the industry for decades, and empower advertisers and programmers to truly understand who their audiences are and their real value, we will enable creators to continue to think outside the box in the development of incredibly diverse and entertaining content.”

As for Nielsen, it didn’t seem to object to the formation of the JIC, even though it appeared to be designed to reduce its dominance.

“We appreciate working with all the industry bodies vested in the best way to measure the changing audience and providing fidelity and trust between advertisers, agencies, publishers and platforms,“ Nielsen said. “We continue to believe it is critical to have measurement that is transparent, consistent, auditable and independent.”

iSpot.TV, another company leading the charge to provide an alternative to Nielsen, wanted more specifics on the JIC plan.

“While iSpot awaits details on how to participate in the certification process, as careful stewards of second-by-second ad measurement for hundreds of brands and partners to all TV networks, we can already confirm iSpot will invest in deepening its relationships with all parties involved,” the company said in a blog post.

“The coordination from programmers/publishers represents a good opportunity for the buy and sell side to focus on a common language and set of specifications to bring greater transparency and actionability to premium video,“ iSpot continued.

“We believe standards can enable brands to transact on TV and streaming using the metrics they know and trust, while reducing the amount of guesswork and layers of translation that can slow down all sides of the equation.

“With all the fragmentation brought on by streaming and an explosion of consumer choice, brands need a unified view of TV advertising and an ability to invest in a way that suits their goals. That means the ability to measure streaming and traditional TV together — and the ability to toggle between advanced audiences and broad demographics across both linear and streaming. Networks agreeing to coordinate around premium video standards provides a pathway for optimized spending for brands and cuts down on wasted time, money and opportunities during critical campaign cycles,“ iSpot said.

“As we continue our work as the new currency built for brands, we know the transformation to new systems is a process,“ iSpot said. “Hopefully, through a coordinated approach, networks just made your job as a marketer a bit easier.”

Comscore seemed to be more enthusiastic about the JIC announcement.

“Comscore congratulates OpenAP, the VAB and its network programmer partners on this initiative. Comscore has long supported our industry partners in their quest for new television and cross-platform currency, and this initiative will definitely foster a future with greater measurement competition, inclusivity and innovation,“ Comscore said. “We look forward to our continued leadership in cross-platform measurement and supporting all of our client’s business intelligence needs.”

courtesyofnexttv.com

PROGRAMMERS BAND TOGETHER IN JOINT INDUSTRY COMMITTEE TO BATTLE NIELSEN DOMINANCE

Posted by: Admin

Categories: media • nielsen • online media • portable people meter • program directors

09 Jan

New JIC Will Enable Multiple Currencies by Executing a Measurement Certification and Creating Unified Streaming Viewership Dataset through OpenAP

NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2023, OpenAP along with national programmers Fox, NBCUniversal, Paramount, TelevisaUnivision, and Warner Bros. Discovery and the VAB today announced the formation of a new Joint Industry Committee (JIC) to enable multiple currencies with the primary focus of creating a measurement certification process to establish the suitability of emerging cross-platform measurement solutions in advance of the 2024 upfront.

The JIC has already begun to utilize the collective efforts and progress being made across its members to develop measurement certification standards, which will be formalized and officially announced on March 1st. On April 25, 2023, the JIC will host an event to share a first look at progress being made toward accelerating the multi-currency future and upfront readiness of measurement partners.

In the coming months, the JIC intends to expand membership to other qualified premium video programmers. The JIC will also elicit active participation from advertising agencies and qualified trade bodies to advance the multi-currency future in this collaborative forum.

Starting in January 2023 with these launch partners, the JIC will fund key data initiatives to accelerate measurement innovation. The newly-launched JIC will:

Establish and maintain a measurement certification process in partnership with the VAB that will be housed inside of the JIC for third-party measurement vendors conducting cross-platform premium video currency services that will be operational by Broadcast Year 2024.
Create a programmer data set to enable third-party measurement vendors by harmonizing streaming viewership data brought together by OpenAP infrastructure.
Engage a third-party audit firm to verify the accuracy of the streaming viewership dataset in order to maintain measurement independence and neutrality.
Collaborate with the VAB and ANA to accelerate progress made to measurement calibration by both parties, as well as with other key Industry Trade Bodies including the 4A’s, IAB, ARF and more.

“The sustainability of the premium video advertising model depends on an ecosystem for measurement that is transparent, independent, inclusive, and accurately reflects the way all people consume premium video content today – across multiple screens, connections, and devices. By coming together to establish this JIC, we can collaborate and accelerate the efforts to implement a new multi-currency future that fosters more competition, inclusivity and innovation and will ultimately better serve advertisers, agencies and consumers,” said Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal; Bob Bakish, CEO of Paramount; Wade Davis, CEO of TelevisaUnivision; and David Zaslav, President and CEO, Warner Bros. Discovery in a joint statement.

Source: prnewswire.com

HOROWITZ: GEN Z WATCHING BOTH PROFESSIONAL TV, NON-TV CONTENT

Posted by: Admin

Categories: media • online media • pp1 • pp2 • ppm • program directors • tv content • tv programming • Tv stations

06 Jan

Older Gen Zers watch more professional TV content than their younger counterparts

Gen Z viewers split their viewing time evenly between long-form and short-form content, with the older portion of of the demo spending more time watching traditional TV programming, according to a new study by Horowitz Research.

The Focus Generation Next survey of 800 Gen Zers 13-24 years of age reports that while the group as a whole splits viewing time rather evenly between professional TV content from networks and streaming services and non-TV content such as user-generated videos, there are different viewing patterns within the demo.

The report found that 18-24 year olds spend more than half of their viewing time (52%) watching content from networks and streamers such as Netflix and Disney Plus compared to 47% of 13-17 year olds, who spend more of their time viewing non-TV content.

Older Gen Zers are more likely to watch content from a wider variety of platforms – including subscription streaming services and virtual MVPDs like Hulu TV and Sling TV – than younger Gen Zers, who are more dependent on their parents to access cable or streaming services, said the survey.

Overall, Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu are the most watched services for Gen Z viewers, according to the survey.

While short-form video is the preferred choice for younger Gen Zers now, as they grow older they will most likely gravitate to traditional TV content for their viewing choices, according to Horowitz.

“We are often asked how media brands can engage with Gen Zers who seem to be so immersed in short-form content. I like to remind them that this generation is not the first cohort of young people to be engaged in short-form content,” said Horowitz Research chief revenue officer and insights and strategy lead Adriana Waterston. “Engagement with short form does not totally cannibalize long-form viewing. Young people today are still watching professionally produced TV content, just less of it compared even to older audiences within their generational cohort. As younger people’s lifestyles change as they enter new life stages and as they develop different interests, deeper engagement with long-form content across a range of genres will follow.”

Courtesyofnexttv.com

RATINGS-DRIVING CONTENT? INCLUDE EVERY LISTENER!

Posted by: Admin

Categories: pp1 • pp2 • program directors • radio content • radio programming • radio stations

28 Dec

Brainstorming interesting topics is just one half of the equation; finding mass-appeal angles is the most creative part of successful storytelling.

How to find and present compelling radio content is one of the topics program directors should know how to engage audiences with great content from a radio programming (rather than pure journalistic) perspective. They should always try to take it to the largest common denominator.

“WE COULD ASK A DOCTOR WHAT TO DO AGAINST HAY FEVER”

BE CRITICAL ABOUT CONTENT

What makes radio different from print & online is that it’s linear, so audiences cannot skip items, as opposed to a newspaper or website. Every listener has to get through every bit, and has the ability to jump off when it’s not interesting. Think carefully about what to put on air. What we already do with music scheduling — playing songs that appeal to a large audience, based on research — do the same for radio content. Instead of asking, “who will be interested in this bit?”, ask which percentage of the people who are tuned in right now, is not interested?

CHOOSE ENGAGING CONTENT ANGLES

Interest does not even depend so much on the chosen topic. It depends more on the chosen angle, and how a bit is being introduced. The percentage of people who are interested should be greater than those who are not, meaning: in your choice and approach of topics — and in everything you do on air, for that matter — you want to include listeners, rather than exclude them. Appeal to as many as possible.

FOCUS ON ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVES

The real creative challenge is to come up with original ideas for implementing a topic. An expert sharing ‘how to’ tips is an often-used angle. The challenge of this approach is that 85% of the listeners would not care about (this way of covering) the topic.

“THERE ARE MORE CONSUMERS EXPECTING A PACKAGE THAN THERE ARE PEOPLE WORKING AT AMAZON”

APPEAL TO LARGE(R) AUDIENCES

Try to take it to the largest common denominator. People’s perspectives are differently, so pull several different ‘approaches’ out of a hat, which can lead to a funny bit, which hopefully entertained a larger part of the audience. To simply cover the topic by interviewing an expert, would not only rule-out 85% of the audience, it won’t be really interesting for the 15% either. Perhaps they probably have the issue for quite some time, and know how to handle it.

KEEP MASS-APPEAL TOPICS BROAD

It makes sense to keep a topic that everyone cares about also interesting for everyone, because a too segmented approach, such as ‘this is how victims of burglaries suffer from breaking and entering’, would only speak to people who have had this experience.

INVOLVE ALL LISTENERS ALWAYS

“The European Football Championships? Talk about how fans are celebrating, rather than sports facts. Those with a keen interest in sports know more than you can ever cover on air. When there’s a strike at a local distributor of Amazon, rather tell people if their package will arrive in time. There are more consumers expecting a package than there are people working at Amazon. Otherwise we would run the risk of making radio for specialists; today for hay fever sufferers, tomorrow for robbery victims; constantly talking to small fractions. Stay away from “The Big Addition Deceit”; the idea that when we have spoken to all of these segments one time, we have reached everyone. The opposite is true, because with every single specialized bit, you’re neglecting a huge amount of not-interested people, who may tune out.

FIND UNIQUE LOCAL STORIES

It’s not just about what you want to do, but also (and maybe even more) about what you want to do with it; finding a story angle that will interest a large part of your audience. When you have good stories, you can get very far as a station. In a search for good stories, and in light of Munich already having the world’s largest Volksfest and Germany’s leading football team, they got the idea to highlight less-known local achievements, well-branded as Die Gong 96.3 München-Rekorde (The Gong 96.3 Munich Records).

MAKE USE OF CROWDSOURCING

They did not do the obvious; just presenting some nice stories, but actively involve listeners in and reward them for finding stories instead. Whoever brought in the ‘record of the week’ story, got a € 10.000 (then about $ 11.200) cash reward. It was a successful radio promotion because of its local character, its extended purpose – it was not only engaging and entertaining listeners, but also giving them monetary value.

MEASURE CONTENT ALONG CRITERIA

Although you can research a lot, you find the best stories when you activate your community. The city’s tallest person is 24-year-old Jannis: 2 meter and 22 centimetres! Another extraordinary case is the biggest age difference in a relation; Lia (33) is living together with her husband Heinrich (84). Jaw-dropping stories are also clickable & sharable via social media that are great distribution tools in addition to the station website. Gong 96.3 tries to feature surprising, current, regional, unique, emotional and valuable stories. These 6 points should — as much as possible — be included in every piece of content.

WHY RADIO NEEDS TO THINK & ACT BIG NOW

Posted by: Admin

Categories: program directors • radio content • radio programming • radio stations

29 Dec

To make its static content ‘alive & kicking’ for the Millennial generation, radio should invest in online & mobile now, and team up on a worldwide scale.

Social media and mobile apps are great tools, but should be used to send listeners and traffic to radio’s own on air, online & mobile channels. Radio should think (and act) big in several ways: from the standpoint of personal innovation (like creative sites and apps for your own station) and from the idea of creating worldwide development partnerships.

‘Use third-party channels to promote your own channels’

*Being popular on external social sites and mobile apps should not be your station’s end goal.*

Maintain your station (website)

On radio conferences, there’s much talk about: we have to be on Facebook; we have to be on WhatsApp; we have to be on whatever-is-the-new-shiny-object. But what about the idea to make our radio station, and its self-owned sub platforms interesting in the first place? Especially as rules on, for example, Facebook are made by: Facebook. Our account could be banned when (they feel like) we violate their rules or if they suddenly change the rules. Same with external chat platforms like WhatsApp, owned by Facebook. There are cases of radio stations whose accounts have been banned because broadcasters have allegedly used the messaging service for a commercial purpose, which is not allowed – while WhatsApp can send you ads.

Increase your off-air presence

A lesson learned from Facebook, WhatsApp& Co. is that as a radio station, company or association, you always want to build and maintain your own popular web site and mobile application, thus using third-party channels to promote your own channels (where you can make your own rules). Consider working together with other broadcasters, like radio stations in Finland are doing successfully.

Engage online & mobile audiences

Driving traffic to your platform depends on great content. Right? We believe it’s about interesting stuff, but also about a good presentation. You always want to showcase your ‘king content’ in an attractive way. Creativity will turn the ordinary into the unique; morph average concepts into engaging pieces that will be good for your image. Let’s look at 2 interesting cases: a website and an app that are doing a bit more than the average. It might give you ideas to engage your own target audience by highlighting your radio station and its content via online & mobile platforms.

Expand your success concepts

The NPO Radio 2 Top 2000 is one of the most popular radio events in the Netherlands, playing the 2000 greatest classics of all time, chosen by the audience. Starting on Christmas Day, and culminating on New Year’s Eve with the number 1 song, this 7-day countdown is more than a marathon chart show. The station managed to turn a radio format into a multimedia experience, including a TV show, a concert night, and merchandising. According to Dutch public broadcaster NPO, the 2014 edition reached 11 million people, which is 75% of the population. In 2015, the show won a Rose d’Or Award for the best radio entertainment event. Part of its online presence is a page where listeners check whether their favorite song made it to the playlist of the year’s edition.

Include responsive visual elements

You type in artist & title, and hit ‘Is it in there?’ (the first button). If the song’s on the playlist, you’ll see an animated cartoon picture or a photo slideshow ‘movie’ (matching the artist or keyword you’ve entered). It’s a way to visualize radio in a surprising way. The site will also suggest you to try & test some other songs by the same artist or from the same decade, or to say ‘Surprise me’ (the second button under the artist & title field) and try your luck with a random choice.

Produce content interactive & engaging

A next step could be to add sound (from the songs that people enter or ‘just’ from the 2000 songs that are in this year’s edition), and to show on what day & time the (included) song has been scheduled to play, but in any case it’s a playful and engaging way of using digital technology to enhance analog broadcasting. Radio should be interactive and engaging – not just on air, but also online and ‘on app’.

Make content likeable & shareable

US National Public Radio offers a personalized mix of news and content (collected from their national hub and local stations) on one mobile app, NPR One: Public Radio Made Personal. A user can scroll through stories, pause them, or skip back and forward, with a single swipe or tap. A producer can let people ‘like’ stories, share content with friends, and add topics to profiles. With enough users ‘apped in’ (we would say, instead of ‘tuned in’), NPR could have a ‘live focus group’ to see in real time how certain listeners respond to certain stories! Radio on demand becomes a personal experience, as logged-in users can choose to just hear stories that they’re interested in, and to not be exposed to the same story twice.

Build independent, radio-owned platforms

Conclusion: there’s a lot of innovation in radio, but how big is it? A lot has changed since the Simple Minds had a hit with Alive and Kicking; this is not 1985, and TV is not the only direct competitor of radio anymore. So why are the Facebooks and WhatsApps of this world owned by… Facebook and WhatsApp, and not by radio, like an international foundation of radio broadcasters for technical innovation? Leading stations from all over the world should combine resources to develop radio’s own mass platforms as an alternative to external social media and mobile apps. Apart from being independent promotion tools for radio, these platforms can be additional revenue sources for radio, too – controlled by radio; not by third parties.

Create worldwide R&D partnerships

Radioplayer is a solid case of a distribution-based collaboration; Radio Everyone of a content-based alliance. And NPR One basically does both. Taking radio to the next level, however, depends on a joint effort of multiple innovators. To make its static content alive and kicking for the Millennial media generation, radio stations should invest in online & mobile, and team up on a worldwide scale. Radio needs to think & act big. The time for it is now!

5 FACTORS DISRAPTING THE MEDIA BUYING LANDSCAPE

Posted by: Admin

Categories: media • mobile data • online media • program directors • tv content • tv programming • Tv stations

22 Aug

The emergence and steady rise of OTT has forever changed the advertising landscape. TV, OTT, and digital video were once clearly defined as separate entities, but the lines between them are blurred, thanks to the wide variety of streaming services and devices now in play.

This doesn’t have to stop your advertising from meeting – and exceeding – benchmarks. Audiences are still watching TV and video in droves. No matter how they’re watching, the right advertising strategy backed by in-depth audience data will ensure you are reaching them.

What are the top facts about the convergence of TV and digital and how do you meet the evolving media landscape?

The first factor disrupting the media buying landscape is the shift to impression-based buying across all media, rather than relying on TV ratings. By changing the standard currency to impressions we can use any source of measurement, including Nielsen, set-top-box data, comScore, and more.

The second factor is the truth about cord-cutting. Many are cord stacking, which occurs when a cable TV subscriber adds Netflix and other paid OTT services to their lineup.

The third factor is the evolution of multiscreen viewing. Video viewing has not dropped due to the web; it’s just become spread across more platforms and screens.

The fourth factor is the power of first-party and third-party data. In an increasingly multi-platform world, audience/consumer data is key to making the most targeted media purchases.

The final factor? Goal-orientated campaign intelligence. Integrated, cohesive campaign measurement driven by impressions-based buying. With the emergence of this precise “campaign intelligence,” advertisers can now reliably assess how well their multi-platform ad campaigns are performing – and why.

Collectively, the Five Factors are good news for advertisers, ad sellers, and the viewers who receive commercials targeted to their needs and interests. This is a quantum leap from the old ways of video advertising.

courtesyofnexttv.com