Agency

When the merger of two radio companies results in the combined company controlling a significant share of a radio market, the merger may undergo review by both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to determine if the merger is in the public interest. In undertaking that inquiry, the government considers whether the combined company will exceed the FCC’s multiple ownership caps and/or wield an anticompetitive (and hence impermissible) level of market control. If the merged company would exceed those caps or otherwise be anticompetitive in one or more markets, it may be forced to sell off stations.

While key metrics of the Marketing Research Association’s Research Industry Index (RII) remain relatively flat for the second quarter of 2008, business executives forecast a gloomy outlook.

On September 2, 2008, PPM Coalition (“PPMC”) filed an “Emergency Petition for Section 403 Inquiry.” PPMC consists of National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, Spanish Radio Association, Minority Media and Telecommunications Council, Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, Border Media Partners, Entravision, ICBC Broadcast Holdings, Spanish Broadcasting System, and Univision. PPMC asks the Commission to immediately open an inquiry, under Section 403 of the Communications Act, into Arbitron’s use of Portable People Meters (“PPM”). PPMC notes that on July 28, 2008, the Commission’s Advisory Committee on Diversity recommended the same action that PPMC formally requests here. PPMC argues that PPM methodology undercounts minority radio listeners, that the rollout of PPM methodology starting October 8, 2008 in eight markets (including the four largest radio markets) will seriously harm minority broadcasting and defeat the Commission’s diversity goals, and that the Commission

White Memorial Medical Center in Southern California has hired Los Angeles-based Sensis as its interactive agency to expand WMMC’s brand and outreach efforts.

Telemundo Communications Group announced its exclusive 2008 Presidential Election insert in the October issue of People en Español, currently on newsstands. The special editorial is the latest effort in the network’s continued commitment to educating the Hispanic community about the importance of the Hispanic vote through its “Vota Por Tu Futuro” campaign. The announcement was made by Don Browne, President, Telemundo.

I’ve often said that there are really only a handful of companies that truly get multicultural marketing, and State Farm is one of them. It is not surprising that these few companies also happen to be great marketers. State Farm is not a client but I’ve been one of their customers for nearly 15 years, and their response to the LPGA’s requirement that their tour members possess “effective communication in English” deserves a toast with the finest Tequila. But then again, we shouldn’t be surprised with State Farm when they said they were “flabbergasted” with the LPGA’s announcement. State Farm gets it.

By Manny Gonzalez -abece.

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Based on the 2008 US Hispanic Executive Report by HispanicAd.com and Cyber-Surveys.com, several key findings indicate the importance of e-mail in reaching advertising and marketing decision makers in the US Hispanic Market.

The Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies (AHAA) filed jointly with the PPM Coalition in an emergency petition for Section 403 inquiry by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) into the current Portable People Meter (PPM) methodology used by Arbitron, Inc. AHAA’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the petition that formally questions the accuracy of PPM sampling and methodology. The PPM Coalition’s petition reiterates many of the same concerns expressed by the AHAA PPM Council in a meeting with Arbitron on Monday, August 18th and previous to that in a written document.