News & Opinion

Leading US-based designer and manufacturer of telecommunications, fiber optic, video and data delivery technologies Blonder Tongue Laboratories, Inc. recently introduced the updated Aircaster AQT8 series of transmodulators – including the Aircaster AQT8-QAM/IP and Aircaster AQT8-IP – a comprehensive and flexible toolset to create custom IP and QAM channel lineups from any ATSC 1.0 off-air or QAM content source.   Featuring an internal active splitter, the Aircaster AQT8 enables users to create a full lineup of up to 64 channels and distribute them to thousands of different locations across a facility, eliminating the need for countless digital converters, external splitters, and legacy one-to-one solutions.   “The Aircaster AQT8 reimagines what off-air rebroadcasting equipment can do in a single compact unit, enabling custom lineups of up to 64 channels, accessible to thousands of residential homes in the case of service operators, or hundreds of rooms and TV sets for hospitality, institutional and SMB use cases. It effortlessly creates and multiplexes a complete digital media service, while eliminating unnecessary fees and equipment.” Said Ted Grauch, President and CEO of Blonder Tongue Laboratories.   This recent product release adds to Blonder Tongue’s growing portfolio of new solutions and innovations, including the NXG Platform and Clearview Transcoder Series, that are specifically designed to augment and streamline IPTV and OTT video distribution.   Read the TV Tech article here.   For more information, please visit: https://www.blondertongue.com/.

  AdTech innovator, QTT, Viamedia’s cloud-based television advertising platform, has launched a marketplace to enable automated activation of data-driven linear video advertising inventory, without changing existing workflows or technologies. QTT Marketplace is an open-platform destination for advertisers and agencies accustomed to digital platforms to directly access a wealth of premium, curated local and national television inventory – and for television inventory owners to tap more directly into the rapidly growing digital ad pool.   Initial TV participants include A+E Networks, FOX, Reelz with Magnite the first participating SSP.   “The last mile to activate linear TV advertising through existing digital platforms is finally here,” said John Piccone, president of QTT.   The launch follows the completion of a family of QTT patents delivering seminal steps in the integration of the pan-device digital and linear television advertising ecosystems.   Read more on Broadcasting & Cable here. Check out the full news release on BusinessWire.

Linden Research, Inc. (“Linden Lab”), the creator of Second Life, and comic book publisher Zenescope Entertainment, in conjunction with leading digital licensing agency, Epik, recently announced they have partnered to bring the dark and twisted Grimm’s Universe to life as the Zenescope Metaverse inside Second Life.   This marks the first time a Zenescope property has been realized inside a virtual world, and the first phase of an on-going partnership with Linden Lab that will introduce new content over time. Zenescope and Second Life are just the latest additions to an ever-growing list of world leading brands, IP owners and game developers in Epik’s partner ecosystem, which includes ViacomCBS, Warner Music, Universal Music Group, Tencent, Garena, and many more.   Fans can interact with and play as some of the classic fairytale characters popularized by Zenescope’s comic books and graphic novels, acting out scenarios and following different storylines within a 3-D online virtual world. Visitors will find plenty of iconic locations and other nods to Zenescope heroes and villains, including Rockman’s Ice Cream shop from Belle’s series, and a fully-playable Goblin Golf course. The immersive world is full of games, hidden surprises, and exclusive virtual collectibles and merchandise found only in Second Life. The Zenescope Metaverse inside Second Life features… familiar Cindy, Belle, and Mad Hatter character costumes and avatars, multiple scenarios and storylines to follow, more than 50 exclusive virtual collectibles and branded merchandise items, including clothing, furnishings, and the fan-favorite Cheshire cat plushie, games and activities like the fully playable Goblin Golf and the Mad Hatter’s Hedge Maze, complete with trophies, a clandestine quest, hidden locations, and other secrets.   For more on this exciting new experience watch Right This Minute interview with Zenescope Co-founder Ralph Tedesco and character Cinderella Monroe

Future Today, the only full-stack streaming solution that packages branded channels and delivers the audiences to watch them, announced the launch of three free streaming services on Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream: FilmRise, Fawesome and iFood.tv. In addition, the companies have expanded their partnership whereby Rogers Sports & Media (RSM) will now provide ad sales representation for all of Future Today’s streaming channels across Canada.   “Rogers is a dominant force in shaping the TV viewing experience and leads the way in customer-focused offerings,” said Vikrant Mathur, Founder and CEO, Future Today.   In the last 12 months, Future Today has experienced extraordinary growth and has aggressively expanded its content library to offer more than 225,000 movies, TV shows and episodes with the addition of 15,000 hours of premium content that is currently available on every major streaming platform, including Rogers Ignite TV and Ignite SmartStream, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple, LG, Samsung, Vizio, Xbox, iOS and Android.   Read more from Rapid TV News here.

Availability and speed of internet connectivity for individuals or households can greatly affect the quality of education, healthcare, and economic opportunities they receive, as well as access to critical public services.   The pandemic exacerbated the digital divide and brought this urgent problem to the forefront. Cisco and its public and private sector partners believe now is the time for the industry to get together to solve this complex challenge. Recently, Cisco held two panel sessions with industry leaders and partners to discuss the urgent need to close the digital divide and released Cisco U.S. Municipal Infrastructure Index 2021, a report on the infrastructure priorities and challenges facing U.S. municipal leaders. Read more about Cisco's commitment here. Cisco Rural Broadband Innovation Center: Open for Customers and Partners In June, Cisco announced the opening of their Rural Broadband Innovation Center in North Carolina to demonstrate to service providers how they can improve availability and affordability of internet access. Through the Center, Cisco is committed to bridging the gap between commercial viability of technology solutions offered by service providers and the cost of serving rural Americans.   On Monday July 19, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and Senior Vice President and General Manager Cisco Mass-Scale Infrastructure Jonathan Davidson were joined by FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and TruVista COO and President, Carla French, to share more about the Innovation Center, and discuss how the private sector and government can change the economics of broadband access in the U.S. Throughout the conversation, it became clear that broadband inequity comes down to two factors: access and cost.   Bridging the Digital Divide with Municipalities   On Thursday July 22, Cisco brought together municipal leaders and technology decision-makers who are working to bridge the digital divide in the U.S. and abroad, ensuring that everyone has equal access to a reliable internet connection. Cisco’s Michael Beesley, Vice President and CTO, Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group, moderated a discussion with Antoinette Meier, Director of Mobility and Innovation at San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), Eugene Mejia, Deputy CTO for Town of Gilbert, Arizona, and Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA).   The panelists discussed the challenges they face as municipal leaders and technology decision-makers. Antoinette Meier noted that reliable data is difficult to come by, and this data is critical to paint a holistic picture of the problem for leaders to address. Broadband is more than being able to access your favorite websites. Technology has fundamentally changed transportation, healthcare, and education, and data is needed to hold leaders accountable to communities. Every panelist discussed funding hurdles while reiterating that connectivity and access are essential to quality of life.   Private-public partnerships present additional opportunities for collaboration of people and organizations with the same goal. With that in mind, SANDAG and Cisco announced a new partnership focused on bridging the digital divide, supporting the development of SANDAG’s Regional Digital Equity Strategy and Action Plan, which seeks to improve high-speed internet access and adoption in areas where there are gaps. Cisco will support SANDAG as a consultant to help identify barriers to broadband expansion and develop strategies and solutions for addressing these barriers in the form of an actionable roadmap. Watch a replay of the virtual roundtable New Research: Cisco U.S. Municipal Infrastructure Index 2021   Cisco released new research to provide a data-driven look at where broadband infrastructure is being prioritized for municipalities across the country. The study, conducted by Probolsky Research, polled local government executives from cities, counties, towns, and Tribal governments of all sizes, in regions across the U.S. Of those surveyed, 80% said broadband is “critical infrastructure” and placed connectivity improvements and upgrades near the top of their priority project list, underscoring the pressing need to close the digital divide.   So, what’s stopping them? The answer will not surprise you: the primary barrier to reliable broadband connectivity is a lack of funding. More than three quarters of officials are concerned about the high cost of broadband for their residents, and 70% said they have ready-to-go projects just waiting for funding allocation.   Read the full report: Cisco: U.S. Municipal Infrastructure Index 2021

At Bob Gold & Associates, we’re the Gold Standard for data-driven Public Relations and Brand Management.   We recently received reviews on Clutch that demonstrate our excellence. Clutch is a B2B listing resource and reviews platform that evaluates companies based on their quality of work, industry experience, and client reviews. Clutch has become the go-to resource in the B2B space for connecting small, mid-market, and enterprise businesses with the perfect service provider.   Our creative, tech-savvy and award-winning team is highly connected & insightful. We provide uniquely tailored strategies for today’s digital-first world. We are transparent in our work, focusing on data and analysis through a proprietary method we call BG&A Insight™. This approach allows us to meet every client's unique needs and starts by implementing a thorough onboarding process to help create a proactive and personalized media relations campaign that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Replicable and Timely.   Bob Gold & Associates Got Another Review on Commit USA One of our latest reviews came from a global tech services firm, Commit USA. We helped their team launch in the North American market, particularly in the US. We provided traditional PR activities to build awareness such as news announcements, story placements, media briefings, and executive bylines. We also assisted their team’s entry onto the Clutch platform, by helping them with their case studies and client reviews. Additionally, we supported their LinkedIn activities including posts.   Our efforts resulted in the client’s successful entry into the US market. They have been able to establish their credibility via Clutch, and we were able to increase their media exposure through targeted story placements and relevant thought leadership in a variety of publications. They praised our team’s professionalism and project management. Commit USA Global Chief Revenue Officer Max Nirenberg said, “We’re impressed by the quality of their work, communication, and delivery. They make it very clear what’s going to happen and when the time comes, they will deliver what they said they would.”   We’re happy and grateful that, with such a glowing review, Max gave us perfect five-star ratings across all metrics!   Reviews on The Royalty Network: We also received a review from music publishing company, The Royalty Network after supporting the company’s efforts in launching a Black Lives Matter empowerment initiative. We had multiple meetings with the client to hash out messaging, and we created strategies and approaches from those discussions. Our efforts led to the successful launch of this inspiring campaign. The client praised our effective workflow, organized project management, and seamless communication. Ultimately, it was our agency’s forward-thinking strategies that left a big impression on the client. With the success of this campaign, we received an overall rating of 4.5-stars!   We thank Commit USA and The Royalty Network for their detailed and honest review of our work. Their positive feedback validates our team’s hard work and affirms our commitment to our clients.   We’re also pleased to announce that Clutch’s sister website the Manifest named us a Top Public Affairs Firm for 2021! The Manifest is a business news and how-to platform that analyzes and compiles industry data. They allow entrepreneurs, SMB owners, and industry managers to find leading agencies within their platform. As such, we’re honored to be recognized by the Manifest as the leading provider in our industry!   Do you need help with PR and marketing? Contact us today, and let’s discuss how we can work together to grow your brand and reach success.   See our Clutch Profile here

New Cutting-Edge Tech Developer Teams with Award Winning PR Firm to Promote Global Powerhouse of Software Development and Engineering Talent Commit USA,  a global technology services company specializing in custom software and IoT solutions, has selected Bob Gold & Associates (BG&A), a nationally recognized data-driven public relations and brand management agency, as its PR agency of record. The agency will help drive awareness for Commit USA and support the company’s expansion into North America, where it offers its comprehensive array of tech R&D services.   “Commit makes cool ideas real. From concept to design and manufacturing, if a product can be dreamt of, Commit can make it real. It has the unique blend of development expertise, resources and engineering capabilities required to get quality products to market in less time and at a lower cost. Simply put, if you are looking to be an innovator in IoT, AI, or Big Data, you need their help,” said Bob Gold, president and CEO of Bob Gold & Associates.   Founded in 2005, Commit is a growing international tech R&D firm with offices in New York, Israel and the Ukraine. Its 500+ multidisciplinary innovation experts specialize in a range of advanced technologies and applications for multiple business sectors, including Fintech, Medtech, Martech, consumer goods and more. To date, the company has designed over 1,200 projects for more than 1,000 companies, ranging from small startups to global brands like IBM, Salesforce, Citi, Taboola, SanDisk and many others.   “Countless startups and global enterprises alike struggle to move past ideation and really deliver or implement their software and IoT products on time, on budget and with great quality,” said Max Nirenberg, CRO & Managing Director, Commit USA. “Commit USA is uniquely positioned to solve this challenge with its powerhouse team and flexible, end-to-end approach. And BG&A’s empirical methods, tailored processes and award-winning team provide the optimal resources to tell our story.”   Integral to Commit’s success is the firm’s Flexible R&D methodology, which offers Commit’s multidisciplinary development services via a unique on-demand model. This approach has helped its startup clients cuts costs by over 40% and enabled 90% to release their projects ahead of schedule.   Well suited to the demands of working from anywhere, Commit’s clients also gain access to top engineering talent in multiple geographies, without the challenge of overseeing a global team. It leverages its comprehensive range of engineering capabilities, resources and Flexible R&D model to design and deliver any project on time, on budget and with great quality. While 84% of startups on average fail to get to revenue, more than 91% of Commit’s startup projects have successfully launched into market.   BG&A provides uniquely tailored strategies for a full spectrum of communication needs in today’s digital-first world. The company works closely with tech companies and other clients to develop customized, comprehensive, results-oriented, data-driven campaigns to expand share of voice and develop new media relationships. Unique to the agency, its proprietary BG&A Insight™ approach creates proactive, personalized and effective media relations campaigns that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Replicable and Timely.   For more information, please visit: www.commit.us or www.bobgoldpr.com.

Clutch.co’s has listed Bob Gold & Associates among the Top 3 PR Agencies in Los Angeles, ranking  it #1 in Crisis Communications for the area. As more companies ramp up their operations in a challenging economy and social setting, many of them are looking to elevate their brand stories. We are the Gold standard for data-driven Public Relations and Brand Management. The BG&A team of experts provides uniquely tailored strategies for today’s digital-first world. Our goal is to tell a great story about you, share your expertise and insights, demonstrate your unique value and connect with target audiences across the globe.   To see our PR and marketing results, read our case studies for Cisco (Telecommunications), Viamedia (AdTech), and Plume (Consumer Electronics) as well as our collection of case studies on crisis management.   “Their work ethic and results were impressive. They also have good media relationships and industry contacts.”   Mark Goodburn, Director of Product Marketing, Plume   For more amazing reviews of the BG&A team, please visit our Clutch.co profile here.        

AdTech startup plans to add over 100 jobs in urban core, capitalizing on the region’s tech talent availability and innovation ecosystem   Advocado, a cross-media data management platform (DMP) fueling advertising performance, today announced its three-year plan to add over 100 high-paying technology jobs—a combination of engineering, data science, customer success, operations, sales and marketing roles—in downtown St. Louis as part of its long-term commitment to the city’s economic development. Advocado was founded in St. Louis in 2017.   This commitment follows Advocado’s recent evaluation of multiple markets, ultimately deciding to maintain and grow their headquarters in the Midwest’s “capital of innovation,” St. Louis, despite pressures to expand their business in a traditional coastal tech hub. To make this decision, the startup leveraged the strategic regional insight, market analysis, and the business and civic relationships facilitated by AllianceSTL, the business-attraction initiative of the metro’s regional economic and civic leadership organization, Greater St. Louis, Inc. With the support of the Missouri Partnership, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership and the St. Louis Development Corporation, the business attraction team at Greater St. Louis, Inc. helped the company establish roots in the city and accelerate its growth, reinforcing St. Louis as a world-class destination for startups and tech innovators.   “We’re excited to see Advocado expand in St. Louis,” Missouri Governor Mike Parson said. “The company’s commitment to innovation and growth has resulted in the creation of over 100 jobs that will provide new opportunities for Missourians to grow and succeed.”   “Our passion for revitalizing the economy in St. Louis naturally attracted us to the urban core,” said Brian Handrigan, 52, co-founder and CEO of Advocado. “At the same time, our collaboration with the regional team that was convened by Greater St. Louis, Inc.  allowed us to see how the city could function as a launchpad for our growing business. Not only have we been able to escape the restrictions of a coastal tech hub, expand on a massive scale and develop our product, but we’ve also been able to thrive here knowing we’re a positive force combatting workforce displacement in the area.”   “Being in St. Louis allows us to embrace our core values and our commitment to an uplifting work culture,” said Jeff Linihan, 46, co-founder, COO and president of Advocado. “We’re able to provide our diverse group of talented employees a space that is teeming with character and depth—it’s beyond physical structure. A building with the history and feeling of our current headquarters is hard to find outside of St. Louis City. As an AdTech company, we know that tech jobs, at their core, are creative and require the atmosphere to match; a farm of cubicles doesn’t compete with 15-foot ceilings and the cultural amenities of a world-class city."   Advocado’s historic location at 1000 Clark Ave. in downtown St. Louis is over 13,000 square feet in size, a testament to the city’s affordable real estate and standard of living, which ranks the 7th highest in the U.S. Boasting numerous accolades and rankings, St. Louis is home to a highly qualified workforce, a nationally acclaimed startup movement and a diverse economy. With one of the nation’s lowest costs of living, St. Louis is recognized by Entrepreneur as the “No. 1 City for Innovation in the Heartland” and LinkedIn’s “Top U.S. City to Launch Your Career,” a place where investment, talent, mentorship and lifestyle all intersect.   The spirit of St. Louis will allow the startup to remain at the forefront of the advertising industry, despite constant shifts in the digital media ecosystem. As ad dollars move away from linear broadcast and cable television, Advocado will be able to improve its data management platform and better monetize the real-time actions of viewers in a cross-platform environment. With the city’s superior talent and opportunities for technology and R&D, the company can expand its capabilities further and provide more accurate, abundant data that will give its customers a leg up in a very competitive landscape.   “Advocado fully understands the value that the St. Louis region brings to the growth of their business. As a burgeoning tech hub, the Greater St. Louis metro offers the affordability, flexibility, investment potential and talent pool a business like theirs needs to move from startup to standout,” said Steve Johnson, chief business attraction officer, Greater St. Louis Inc., and president of the AllianceSTL initiative. “We join our state and regional partners in recognizing and applauding Advocado’s commitment to our region and their impact on job growth and technological innovation. Their choice to commit specifically to Downtown St. Louis makes great strides in bringing new jobs to the core of the region — advancing a significant goal in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan. Advocado joins a rapidly expanding number of companies that see their civic commitment as growth potential — and we can’t wait to watch what they do next.”   Available to advertisers worldwide, Advocado helps power over 210 local U.S. markets and is the most robust real-time TV ad insights platform available to date.