If there’s any medium more cluttered with commercials than radio, that medium would be TV. Or is it? Some signs suggest that the powers-that-be in TV-land sense a turning point. Witness these words from Kevin Reilly, president of the TBS and TNT cable nets last week at the TCA winter press tour: We have overstuffed the bird. We need to create a better viewing experience. A “better viewing experience”? How about a “better listening experience,” radio broadcasters?How about a b

Interruption marketing is bad. Right? People hate ’em – those ads that stop you from enjoying the content you love – blah! But wait, if this type of advertising is so bad – so hated, then how come there’s more of it now than ever? There are more spots on TV than ever. In 2009, for example, cable networks averaged 14 minutes and 27 seconds per hour. Last year, the average was 15 minutes and 38 seconds. Meanwhile there are more spots on radio than ever. There are more spots on

Periscope…Meerkat…When we all stream live, will Big Media pay the price? And… Facebook is about to EAT your news brand! It’s episode 16 of Media Unplugged with branding authority Tom Asacker and media strategist Mark Ramsey. Plus, Tom rants about Fox News icon Bill O’Reilly. Mark rants about over-complicated decision trees for folks trying to decide whether or not to cut the cable cord. Listen as we go inside media to reveal the ugly truth! Click the play button below: And if

We have about two thousand listens to the new twice-monthly podcast I produce with branding strategist Tom Asacker. It’s called Media Unplugged. Have you listened yet? This week Tom and I ask whether the Internet is disrupting the TV industry or – after decisions by HBO and CBS to provide streaming-only subscription services – is Big Media eating the Internet? We think so! Then, is Pinterest the coming ad colossus that could dwarf Twitter and Facebook? There are lots of good

Earlier this year, CBS was blacked out on Time Warner Cable in several major markets due to a dispute over content rights fees. CBS wanted more and Time Warner didn’t want to pay it. More than 3 million Time Warner Cable customers lost access to CBS-owned stations, Showtime, and three other cable nets for a month until the standoff was resolved. So what happened? The monthlong CBS blackout for Time Warner Cable customers in major markets was a key factor leading to the cable

The spot load on some radio stations continues to swell.  But how much is too much?  At what point will audiences and advertisers decide to take their listening and their business, respectively, elsewhere? A cautionary tale is as close as the nearest cable box. From Broadcasting & Cable: Viacom has come under fire lately for cluttering some of its channels with extra commercials in order to make up for advertising revenue shortfalls caused by lower ratings. But one little-not