Industry News

NCC and Connoisseur Media Announce Educational Collaboration

Long Island’s Nassau Community College and its award-winning radio station WHPC-FM, announce a collaboration with Connoisseur Media Long Island that is designed to provide students with valuable real-world experiences, professional mentorship, and pathways to careers in broadcasting, marketing, journalism, sales, digital media, and related fields. NCC will imgprovide CMLI with opportunities to engage with students and the campus community through WHPC and select college events. The college will also make available WHPC-produced public affairs programming, as well as student-produced content for potential use across CMLI’s stations. Connoisseur Media regional SVP Kristin Okesson says, “We’re excited to partner with Nassau Community College to help inspire and develop the next generation of radio and media talent. Partnerships like these create a direct pipeline for passionate students to gain real-world experience, build important industry connections, and ultimately become the future superstars of our business. We appreciate Shawn Novatt and the NCC team for their commitment to creating these opportunities, and we look forward to working together to support students as they begin their careers in broadcasting and media.”

Industry Views

Monday Memo: TV Wants In – Welcome Them

By Holland Cooke
Consultant

imgLinear broadcast media have never been more challenged. Internet video now commands far more viewing time than over-the-air TV. And their own networks are hijacking viewers! Your local NBC station tells you to watch Peacock. ABC points you to Disney+. CBS pushes Paramount+. Affiliates are effectively forced to promote their own competition.

Music radio is – at best – holding the line against streaming. News/talk radio’s information staples are more-available on smartphones and smart speakers, and its monologue‑heavy style feels less inviting than social media dialogue. 

Radio has what TV envies. We’re in-car, and still #1 there.  

TV has what radio needs. With more local news HR, they’re in more places. 

Both need more promotion than they can afford.

  • Radio still delivers the most cost-efficient reach and frequency in the local market. When I programmed WTOP, Washington, we and what’s now WUSA9 (the former WTOP-TV) had a handshake deal to grab whatever we wanted from each other, with on-air credit. True story: The news director from NBC4 offered that “you can use OUR stuff and not even SAY it’s ours. Just STOP saying that so-and-so ‘told Channel 9…’”
  • And radio-using-local-TV-meteorologists is a win-win. Weather is the #1 reason people watch local news, so TV stations promote it heavily. Radio using their weather people underlines – and stands on the broad shoulders of – the TV station’s weather image and delivers radio habit-forming content with a pedigree.

Local TV and radio are the last two mass-reach media in town, with neither medium losing to the other. Resourceful collaboration makes all the sense in the world. Brainstorm.

Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn