Media Beat: March 08, 2019

By David Farrell

Nominations open for the Rosalie Award

Do you know a woman achieving success and blazing trails in radio in Canada? Honour her contributions by nominating her for the prestigious Rosalie Award, presented annually at the CMW Gala Awards held Rebel nightclub in T.O. on May 9.

The Award is named in honour ofRosalie Trombley, renowned Music Director at Windsor-Detroit Top 40 powerhouse CKLW-AM “The Big 8”, and the first-ever recipient of the Rosalie Award in 2005.

National internet access plan needed in next federal budget

On a recent trip to Iqaluit, the capital city of Nunavut, I stayed in the Frobisher Inn, a large hotel overlooking the city. While we had access to Wi-Fi, a sign on the bed urged us not to use it unless it was essential. I learned the entire territory has access to about as much bandwidth as a teenager in Toronto uses every night.

And unfortunately, for two million Canadians, fast and reliable broadband or wireless connections remain out of reach. With numbers like that, it’s clear this is a national concern, and it must be fixed. – Prince George Councillor Garth Frizzell, Penticton Western News

Radio delivering in times of crisis

We were wall-to-wall all afternoon during the storm with our local news affiliate. Currently, we are running press conferences live, providing info online and on social media, and running a GoFundMe page along with other iHeartMedia stations across Alabama to provide funding for long-term recovery (from the devastating tornado that ripped lives apart last Sunday). – Van Riggs, Sr. Programming VP for iHeartMedia in Alabama, Radio Ink

Edison Research & Triton Digital Release The Infinite Dial 2019

The 2019 Infinite Dial report found continued increases in online audio consumption across the monthly and weekly metrics.

Monthly online audio listening for 2019 totalled 67% of the U.S. population age 12 and up. This metric has been steadily rising since 2010 when the figure held steady from the year prior at just 27%. The monthly stat increased across age groups. The 55+ demographic made the most significant leap, from 33% in 2018 to 40% in 2019. The increases were smaller, but the overall totals higher among the younger age brackets. The 12-24 cohort edged up from 88% to 91%, while ages 25-54 rose from 73% to 74%. – Anna Washenko, RAIN News