Operational Status
FCCdata | Updates Frozen |
EZForms | Unavailable |
Michi on YouTube
Most popular
Aggregator
LPFM Facing $3,500 Forfeiture
An LPFM is facing a $3,500 potential liability for two alleged infractions: failing to file its license renewal application on time and operating a station without authority.
Rules set by the Federal Communications Commission require that license renewal applications must be filed no later than the first day of the fourth month prior to the expiration. In the case of Minority Educational Broadcasting Association, operator of low-power FM station WPJM in Palatka, Fla., a renewal application should have been filed by Oct. 1, 2019. That’s four months prior to the license expiration date of Feb. 1, 2020. But no such application was filed.
[Read: FCC Admonishes Licensees for Missed Deadlines — but Agrees to Cancel Forfeitures]
The Media Bureau sent a letter to the licensee to warn them that if no renewal application was filed by Feb. 1, the license for WPJM would expire. On Feb. 3, the bureau received a renewal application but did not provide any explanation for the late filing.
Also of note, the Media Bureau said: the licensee did not request a special temporary authority for the right to legally operate the station after the license expired.
The commission’s forfeiture rules establish a base forfeiture of $3,000 for failure to file a required form. It also sets a base forfeiture of $10,000 for operating without authority, although the commission has the right to adjust that amount up or down depending on the gravity of the violation and history of prior offenses, among other matters.
Based on the review of the facts and circumstances, the Media Bureau found that a $7,000 forfeiture was appropriate, including the $3,000 for failing to file a required form and $4,000 for operating without a license. But the bureau, after considering the record as a whole, decided to reduce the forfeiture further by setting a forfeiture of $1,500 for failing to file a timely application and $2,000 for unauthorized operations — for a total of $3,500 — because as an LPFM, the station is providing a secondary service.
As part of the license renewal process, the bureau also considers whether the station has properly served the public interest, if there have been no serious violations of the Communications Act and FCC rules and if there have been no other violations that constitute a pattern of abuse.
In this case, the bureau did not find any serious violations that, when considered together, show a pattern of abuse. As a result, the Media Bureau granted the renewal application to the LPFM.
But for that to happen, Minority Educational Broadcasting Association must submit $3,500 within 30 days for its violation of FCC rules and the Communications Act or submit a written statement seeking reduction of cancellation of the proposed forfeiture.
The post LPFM Facing $3,500 Forfeiture appeared first on Radio World.
FCC Goes After Gray For Alaska Ownership ‘Violation’
What happens when your broadcast TV duopoly is too successful?
Just ask Gray Television. The FCC on Wednesday (7/1) issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture against the company for its “apparent violation” of its Top Four rule.
This puts the initial success and plan of action for its Alaska operations in question.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
NAB Renews Objections to LP-250
The National Association of Broadcasters remains steadfast in its opposition to an increase in power for the LPFM service in the United States despite a new plan by one low-power advocate to simplify the process to boost the maximum power level for many stations from 100 to 250 watts.
REC Networks’ “Simple 250” LPFM proposal is being considered by the FCC and would amend Parts 73 and 74 of the rules to create an LP-250 class of service with an effective service contour of about 4.5 miles in addition to the current LP100 service.
However, NAB continues to argue the petition does not justify such a dramatic change to LPFM service. In reply comments filed this week the group reiterates worries over possible interference to FM translators and how a power increase would contradict the FCC’s aim to preserve the “simple nature” of LPFM.
[Read: LP-250 FM Petition Draws Lots of Interest]
NAB told the FCC granting a maximum power level of 250 watts would put LPFM stations on equal footing with 250 watt Class A stations.
“Granting REC’s request would effectively provide LPFM stations the same coverage as full-service Part 73 FM stations, but with a fraction of the obligations. Given that any LPFM entity is always free to apply for a Class A FM station, which would operate with the same radiated power as REC’s request, NAB respectfully asks the FCC to prohibit such a sidestep of its rules and dismiss the petition,” NAB commented to the FCC.
The NAB has been joined by Educational Media Foundation (EMF), the largest owner of noncommercial religious stations in the United States, arguing against adoption of the Simple LPFM plan. EMF, which also deploys a large FM translator network, has said in comments the plan under consideration would dangerously allow LPFMs to increase their power without any examination of whether it would cause actual interference with other stations.
“NAB echoes EMF’s concerns that the petition effectively ignores the potentially harmful interference that allowing LPFM power increases will cause to existing radio services,” NAB commented. And while REC asserts that its proposal will cause “only de minimis disruption” to FM radio service, NAB said it believes that characterization is unrealistic.
In particular, NAB points to concern over potential interference to FM translators. “FM translators provide vital radio service to millions of listeners in areas where direct reception of radio broadcast signals is inadequate due to distance or terrain barriers. Translators are also a lifeline for many AM broadcasters, helping them to improve fill-in service or launch first-time nighttime service,” NAB said. “Given these concerns, it is perplexing that the petition fails to even acknowledge the impact of LP-250 service on translator service.”
NAB in its most recent comments also expresses a lack of trust in how LPFM broadcasters would handle interference complaints if necessary. “A cursory glance at the FCC’s website reveals numerous instances of LPFM stations broadcasting at much higher power levels than authorized, including one station that operated at 23 times its authorized power and another that was recently issued a Notice of Violation for spurious out-of-band emissions affect air safety near the Orlando International Airport.”
The broadcast industry group also contends LPFM volunteers are often unqualified to handle technical obligations required by the FCC.
In conclusion, NAB says the Simple LPFM petition contradicts the intent of low-power FM service when it was created. “Granting REC’s proposal would also undermine the intended localized nature of LPFM service envisioned by the FCC and Congress by allowing some LPFM stations to expand their coverage area by a 100% or more and reach hundreds of thousands of additional listeners, including in some of the largest markets nationwide,” NAB commented.
Common Frequency and other LPFM advocates have subsequently filed comments asserting that some of NAB’s arguments are “not substantiated and incorrect.” Here are the FCC filings regarding the Simple LPFM proposal.
The post NAB Renews Objections to LP-250 appeared first on Radio World.
Justice Served: WMEX’s New Owner Is Its ’60s-Era Morning Man
For a generation of Boston radio listeners, the call letters are very familiar. Today, WMEX is associated with a Class D AM at 1510 kHz licensed to Quincy, Mass.
Now, this incarnation of WMEX is about to be sold. Who’s the buyer?
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
Comcast’s Commission Mission: Nixing Nexstar’s ‘PIX Business
On December 30, 2020, the sale of a former Tribune Media property serving the Big Apple formally closed. As a result, The E.W. Scripps Company was no longer the owner of The CW Network’s New York flagship, WPIX-11.
How Scripps ended up with the station, and how it ended up selling it, is a story of its own. Originally, Sinclair Broadcast Group planned to operate WPIX via a Joint Sales Agreement with Cunningham Broadcasting Corp., and its officer and director, Michael Anderson. That arrangement ended up in flames, triggered by former FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s concerns over “sham” transactions created to push Sinclair’s planned merger with Tribune Media through the regulatory test.
Now, the current ownership of WPIX has come under scrutiny. But, it isn’t the Commission that’s complaining. Rather, it is one of the largest MVPD operators in the nation — and the owner of two direct competitors to WPIX in the Big Apple.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
An ‘Original’ Deal Is Done In Hoosier State
Travel between Terre Haute and Indianapolis, and you’ll cross Putnam County, Indiana.
Here, a 3kw FM offering Adult Contemporary programming is the local home of Indianapolis Colts football, Indiana Pacers basketball and St. Louis Cardinals baseball.
And, it is about to be sold to a new owner.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
TSG Moves Into Larger Facility
Technical Services Group, a Baton Rouge, La.-based broadcast engineering and commercial AV consultancy, designer and integrator, moved into new, much larger facilities to accommodate growth in business. At 36,000 square feet, the new digs are said to be six times larger than their previous home.
A fabrication workshop at the new Technical Services Group facility in Baton Rouge, La.TSG CEO Bo Hoover said, “Both our commercial AV and broadcast integration, RF, and field services teams are busier than ever. The transmission business continues to grow, too, even as we draw closer to the end of the FCC Repack.”
The new site includes a 25,000-square-foot warehouse; climate-controlled sections for fabrication, integration and training; staging areas for projects; and a loading dock.
Hoover added, “This new facility is an important move forward for TSG and our clients. Now, we have more space to stage, store, and prepare equipment in order to respond faster to what our clients demand. We’ve also incorporated advanced technologies to manage inventories and provide better facility-wide communications.”
The post TSG Moves Into Larger Facility appeared first on Radio World.
Veteran Nexstar Sales Leader To Lead Colo. Springs
Since 2016, she has served as the Director of Sales for the Nexstar Media Group-owned FOX and The CW Network affiliates serving the second-largest market in Colorado.
Now, she’s being promoted to VP/GM.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
NEXTGEN TV Comes To The South’s Queen City
Behind Atlanta, it’s the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. South.
And, its residents now have access to ATSC 3.0-powered next generation broadcast TV signals.
NEXTGEN TV is now available in Charlotte.
Those with select new TV models manufactured by LG Electronics, Samsung, and Sony are now able to tune to ATSC 3.0-powered signals for Cox Media Group’s unaffiliated WAXN-64 and ABC affiliate WSOC-9, Nexstar Media Group’s FOX affiliated WJZY-17, Gray Television’s CBS affiliated WBTV-3 and TEGNA-owned NBC affiliate WCNC-36.
Audacy Makes a Multi-Platform News Move
Its spoken word stations are among the most listened-to commercial radio properties in North America.
Now, the company formerly known as Entercom is moving forward with taking its news brands further into the digital realm. To do so, it’s committing to journalists in 8 newsrooms across the U.S. to help shepherd a “multiplatform transformation” for Audacy.
This, Philadelphia-headquartered Audacy says, allows it to offer more original digital news content as well as in-depth reporting. This will complement breaking news broadcast coverage.
And, it undoubtedly adds to the exclusive content on the Audacy app, which had been Radio.com.
A centralized digital team dedicated to news is taking shape. This will see Audacy add more than 50 journalists in eight of its newsrooms across the country.
“This coordinated, multi-platform focus will allow the company to produce an array of fresh audio and local reporting that will be distributed across the Audacy network,” the company said on Wednesday (7/7).
Is Audacy hiring the journalists, or are they adding duties to their current responsibilities at all-News and News/Talk radio stations the company owns? RBR+TVBR’s request for clarification was not immediately responded to.
What is clear is that Audacy will create original podcasts and “other specialty digital content” that will add to the local reporting at Audacy all-News and News/Talk stations.
Audacy EVP/Programming Jeff Sottolano is overseeing the initiative.
“The past year has underscored the crucial role of journalism and the demand for trusted quality content has never been higher,” Sottolano said. “Audacy’s local news brands have been delivering on-demand news and information for decades and are now poised to build on that foundation. While other news organizations are downsizing, this further investment will allow us to leverage the credibility of our news brands to expand our reach and engagement while continuing to deliver the premier coverage our audience is accustomed to and relies on.”
Plans also call for an original national weekly podcast that highlights “the most pressing story of the week” and draws on reporting and interview content from across the Audacy network of news brands; daily in-depth podcasts and on-demand audio that explore local stories and issues that most affect listeners’ lives; as well as custom newsletters and in-app experiences that offer audiences a chance to explore areas of interest and interact directly with Audacy brands.
Additional details will follow in the coming months.
A TV Ad Tech Advancement Brings Digital, Linear Markets Closer
It markets itself as “a first-of-its-kind” cloud-based television advertising
tool that requests and receives ads from programmatic digital ad exchanges to
enable linear cable television ad insertion by using existing cable and broadcast TV
infrastructure.
Now, it is one step closer to closing the gap between linear TV and digital advertising, as this Viamedia-owned division has just snagged its third patent — a move that the company says solves “last mile” challenges for marketers.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
A Mountaineer Move: Miller Parts Ways With WV Radio
A series of FCC filings made late Tuesday confirm that West Virginia Radio Corp., the entity owned in a partnership between Dale Miller and David and John Raese, is about to get a complexion change in its attributable interest visage.
One of these partners is cashing out.
Miller, who serves as President/CEO of the Morgantown, W. Va.-based owner of 32 radio stations, is selling his equity interest in the company to the Raeses.
It’s a sign that Miller may be ready to retire, concluding a storied 44-year career at one of the region’s strongest and most influential audio media companies.
Miller joined West Virginia Radio Corp. in 1977. At that time, its holdings were comprised of WAJR-AM & FM in Morgantown. In 1981, the FM shifted to Contemporary Hit Radio, taking the call sign WVAQ. The station remains a nationally recognized success story, known as the home of the late programming executive Lacy Neff.
West Virginia Radio Corp. would grow substantially under Miller’s leadership, growing to 28 radio stations between 1993 and 2014. A former past president of the West Virginia Broadcasters Association, Miller was awarded the association’s highest honor when he was named the WVBA Broadcaster of the Year in 1993.
But, it is the Raese family that has been tied to Radio since 1940. That’s when John and David’s grandparents, Agnes and Herbert Greer, signed WAJR-AM on the air. The Raese brothers assumed control of the company following Agnes Greer’s 1972 death.
Three filings seeking Commission approval show that Miller’s decision to hand his shares of West Virginia Radio Corp. to the Raese brothers came in early June.
Terms call the Raese brothers acquiring Miller’s shares in West Virginia Radio Company of Raleigh; of the Alleghenies; and of Salem; for a combined value of $314,000. The allocation is as follows:
West Virginia Radio Corp. today continues to own WAJR-AM and WVAQ-FM, plus WKKW-FM in Morgantown. Its holdings also include stations in Beckley, Charleston, Clarksburg, Berkeley Springs, Martinsburg and Elkins, W. Va.; and Cumberland, Md.
Inside the July 7, 2021 Issue of Radio World
Meet Curtis LeGeyt, the next president/CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, in our special expanded newsmaker interview.
Also, Buyer’s Guide looks at consoles, mixers and routers, featuring products from Arrakis, Broadcast Tools, Calrec, Henry Engineering, Lawo, Logitek, Telos Alliance and Wheatstone.
And read about market research from the European Broadcasting Union that finds that nearly 90% of radio consumption is to linear stations transmitted via broadcast networks.
The post Inside the July 7, 2021 Issue of Radio World appeared first on Radio World.
Tieline Releases Firmware Update for Codecs
Codec maker Tieline has announced a firmware update for its Gateway and Gateway 4 codecs which the company describes as “significant.”
The short description of v3.02.06 is: support for NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 audio channel mapping features in the ST 2110 specification; phase-locking for multichannel event production; dynamic range and EQ on all inputs; SmartStream Plus redundant streaming support for multi-unicast streams; and support for Euro ISDN connection.
[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]
Tieline VP Sales APAC/EMEA Charlie Gawley said, “This is a significant release which supports features like NMOS, and up to eight channels of phase-locked multichannel IP audio, which will excite broadcast engineers.”
He also added, “Processing features like input compression and EQ that can be adjusted from anywhere online using the Toolbox web/GUI interface, also take remote control to another level.”
The AoIP stream phase-lock allows for allows broadcasters to stream live events like concerts and major sports in stereo and surround sound simultaneously, or distribute live phase-locked audio between studios or network affiliates. For instance the company illustrates, “a 16-channel Gateway codec supports sending 2 x 6 + 2 channels of phase-locked streams, or 2 x 8 channels of phase-locked streams, or 4 x 4 channels of phase-locked streams.”
Support for NMOS IS-04 and IS-05, Tieline explains, “ensures that components of a networked media system can find each other and delivers connection management and audio channel mapping to device I/O channels. Combined with support for 16 AES67/ST 2110-30 AoIP streams, NMOS brings a new level of interoperability and control with networked equipment throughout the broadcast plant.”
This is a free upgrade for existing customers. Learn more and download at www.tieline.com/support.
Send your new equipment news to radioworld@futurenet.com.
Info: www.tieline.com
The post Tieline Releases Firmware Update for Codecs appeared first on Radio World.
No Fake News Here? VERIFY Hosts Named By TEGNA
What is real? How do you define real?
When it comes to true and false information spread on the internet, or via word of mouth, TEGNA believes it has a brand-new brand that can help the public distinguish the two.
And, it’s hired a trio of journalists to help disseminate fact from fiction.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
Flag Day In Minnesota
It’s a Fargo, N.D., based media company that does business as Flag Family Media.
And, it is the latest buyer of radio stations — and one of just a handful of non-religious, for-profit entities that have emerged as investors in additional AM and FM stations in the last 18 months.
Please Login to view this premium content. (Not a member? Join Today!)
Brader: Pay Attention to SIP Protocol
This is one in a series of articles from the ebook “The Real World of AoIP.” Radio World asked several manufacturers to identify the most important technical development or trend in the use of AoIP.
“We see the SIP protocol as the biggest audio over IP trend for radio,” said Reto Brader, CEO of Barix AG.
“Broadcast transmission has been gradual in the migration to internet and IP technology, compared to other markets and applications such as archiving, telephony and corporate AV. However, the industry cannot ignore IT infrastructure, IP components and the benefits they bring to broadcast operations.”
He pointed to Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP, a standard that establishes connection between two internet or IP connected devices such as two telephones.
“For broadcasters, SIP provides connections between an encoder and a decoder,” Brader said.
“The true benefit of SIP is interoperability with any vendor’s equipment. A Wheatstone blade encoder can connect to a Barix decoder without a problem, for example.
“This is not the classical broadcaster approach that requires months of interoperability trials before it works. SIP has been implemented in millions of equipment of different telephony vendors in the world. When added to broadcast equipment, SIP works out of the gate.”
Brader said the industry is at the beginning of the success story of SIP in broadcast for establishing connections.
“We see SIP-based connectivity as a replacement for ISDN, for example. And SIP does much more than simply establish a connection: It allows broadcasters to select an appropriate codec such as Opus, and even adapts to the quality of network.
“This may seem bold, considering the existence of AES67, AES70 and open codecs such as Opus,” he said. “However, audio over IP is growing from unique solutions for broadcasters to core services using available mainstream technology. SIP is one of these, and it is here to stay. It is safe, it is efficient and it works as much in broadcast as it does in telephony.”
Read other articles about trends in AoIP.
The post Brader: Pay Attention to SIP Protocol appeared first on Radio World.
LeGeyt Sees Radio as a Bipartisan Issue
When Gordon Smith drops the mic at the end of December, Curtis LeGeyt will be there to pick it up.
The chief operating officer of the National Association of Broadcasters will assume the role of president and CEO on Jan. 1, 2022. Smith will transition to an “advisory and advocacy role.”
LeGeyt — pronounced “LEH-jet” — is an experienced lobbyist with a background in Democratic politics; but he has been with the NAB since 2011, including five years as executive VP of government relations, a key lobbying post at the association. (See bio at end of this article.)
Radio World Editor in Chief Paul McLane spoke to LeGeyt in June via video conference.
Radio World: Define the purpose of the NAB, its central mission.
Curtis LeGeyt: More than anything, our mission is to ensure that our members, both radio and television, can continue to serve communities across this country with a vibrant but viable means of communication, with locally focused content, in a time of tremendous media disruption.
For broadcast radio in particular, the competitive threats — between streaming, what’s going on in the dashboard, what’s going on with smart speakers — have never been more pronounced. But radio, it has been demonstrated throughout the pandemic, has never been more important.
NAB is ensuring that that medium is going to be able to continue to thrive amidst all of this disruption in the marketplace and also, frankly, disruption in Washington.
RW: Leaders of NAB have had their public personas — Eddie Fritts, the classic effective lobbyist; David Rehr, who was “elbows and knees” in Washington. Gordon Smith is known as a pragmatist — “working quietly behind the scenes” would be his public persona. What can we expect from you?
LeGeyt: I think the public persona is very much one of continuing that leadership style that has been a hallmark of Gordon’s success.
We going to know the issues that matter to our membership better than anyone else. We are going to continue to stay on the ground, get outside of Washington and ensure that we understand how what’s happening in Washington is impacting our radio members’ businesses — ensuring that we’re not fighting yesterday’s fights tomorrow but we’ve got our pulse on what’s going on in the industry.
My leadership style is one of inclusiveness, wanting to hear opposing viewpoints, wanting to get a sense of what matters — in terms of our advocacy, our focus in our technology initiatives, our programming — just one of accessibility and competence. Laying out a transparent game plan as to what we view as the industry’s challenges and how we’re going to execute on real-world solutions.
RW: Is it a coincidence that the Republican is leaving the job, and a Democrat — You having come up with Patrick Leahy and working on the Obama campaign years ago, how important is it that the new U.S. president is a Democrat and the leader at NAB is a Democrat?
LeGeyt: I don’t think it’s that important. What I mean is, we are a bipartisan organization in our DNA. We work with members on both sides of the aisle.
We rely on those members of Congress who, because of their experience in their home districts, understand the importance of local radio.
On any number of the legislative initiatives where we’ve been successful over the course of the last few years — whether it was COVID-19 enhanced relief for local broadcasters, the performance tax, beating back a change in the business advertising deduction on Capitol Hill — we have been successful because we’ve had bipartisan support from both the Chuck Schumers of the world and the Mitch McConnells of the world.
The hallmark is the ability to work across the aisle. Gordon certainly had that when he was in the Senate, and he carried over that skill set.
And if you can’t stop something, you’re going to want to shape it; and in order to shape it, you’re going to need to work with legislators. That’s a bipartisan approach that we take at NAB.
We’ve got champions on both sides of the aisle, because there are local broadcasters that both Republicans and Democrats want to fight for.
RW: And yet the Hill has never been so bifurcated, at least from a public perception, everybody yelling at everybody else. You’ve worked there as a lawyer and a lobbyist, you’ve seen it up close. So how do you get anything done?
LeGeyt: That is the real challenge for us right now.
We did our annual fly-in — where we get 500 local radio and television station GMs in town — we did it virtually this year because of COVID. That was a big theme as we prepared our members for meetings on Capitol Hill: to not get caught up in the divisiveness. It’s so easy to get swept up in the politics and everything that’s going on up there.
There’s no question it is a very, very divided landscape. But for us, the issues our industry needs help on are too important to get caught up in that partisanship. We’re going to need champions on both sides of the aisle.
So we’re reminding folks of the role that local radio is playing. “Hey, businesses were closing, schools were closing; where were these members’ constituents relying when they needed up-to-the-minute information on how they were going to navigate through this pandemic?”
It was local radio. Vaccine education. “Where am I going? What are the safety concerns?”
There’s all this distrust right now of the social media platforms, of the very politicized cable news outlets. Where can you rely? It’s local radio.
Yeah, you’ve got to frame it a little bit differently depending on whether you’re talking to a Democrat or a Republican, there’s obvious reasons for that; but I think once you get below the surface, that core understanding of the trust communities have in radio is bipartisan.
NAB Photo by Jay MallinRW: Looking at NAB’s goals on the Hill, what are you advocating for or working on next?
LeGeyt: Our focus is on ensuring that this industry can reemerge from this pandemic as strong, if not stronger, than going in.
[Also] there’s so much focus right now on Capitol Hill on the role of the tech platforms in undermining public trust, the degree of power that these platforms have as gatekeepers to every type of media. That’s very important for local radio.
When you think about how radio is being accessed — whether it’s through streaming platforms on the dashboard, smart speakers, online — these platforms have major gatekeeping roles. All the content that our members are investing in that sits alongside their traditional streams, our success is at the behest of these platforms.
Members of Congress understand that. There’s a concerted effort to do something, especially as it relates to local journalism and local news. I would pay attention to the conversation that’s taking place in the House Judiciary Committee, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act in particular, where there’s a real focus on ensuring that local media can compete on a level playing field, negotiate on a level playing field for fair terms when our programming is being used. We want to ensure that policymakers understand that radio is a part of this conversation.
The second piece is that we need to ensure radio doesn’t end up saddled with new costs as a result of some action that Congress or the FCC takes. This is not the moment for increased costs of doing the same business.
I do think you’re going to see a reinvigoration around the performance tax discussion.
We’ve already seen that MusicFIRST, the record labels’ advocacy machine, has hired a new spokesperson, a former member of Democratic congressional leadership, Joe Crawley, to spearhead their efforts this Congress. It puts the onus on us to ensure that the support we have in opposing any new royalty on local broadcasters continues to be affirmed through support of the Local Radio Freedom Act in a way that says to the House Judiciary Committee, “Yes, the other side is invigorated in their advocacy; but there’s just a such a disproportionate amount of support for local radio in this fight, that this is not something that you ought to use bandwidth on.”
The third is again to the costs element. [With] everything that is happening in localities around the country with regard to local ad taxes, in Washington there’s going to be, I think, a real focus on how you generate funds to pay for what President Biden and Congress wants to do on infrastructure.
We’ve got to ensure that there are no changes to the advertising deduction or any new ad taxes that are going to disincentive businesses from advertising on local radio.
RW: Broadcasters obviously had a lot of interest in what the Supreme Court did in the Prometheus/FCC case. What are your thoughts about the impact in the marketplace now that the rule change has been upheld?
LeGeyt: I think clarity is important here. For the last 20 years we’ve been living in this seesaw — an FCC that goes in one direction, and the Third Circuit throws its decision back in its face.
Having certainty as to the rules of the road for local radio ownership will probably lead to some additional scale in certain markets in a way that I think is just necessary in this time and place to compete with these tech platforms that have unbridled ability to offer both a nationwide and also a very locally focused advertising product that our members compete with.
I think it will have some impact there. I also think, though, that the certainty will help lead to more investment in localism.
RW: You think we’ll see the FCC lift those ownership subcaps per market?
LeGeyt: I hope so, because for certain of our members, it is needed.
The competitive landscape is so different now than it was two decades ago. The idea that the type of scale that we’re asking for is something that would even give regulators pause relative to what’s happening with our tech competitors, it just seems very antiquated.
At the same time, we need to be cognizant that in a Democratic FCC, even those commissioners who over the years have been very supportive of local broadcasting have had significant pause when it comes to consolidation and what that might mean for our ability to serve our communities.
There’s a different philosophical underpinning, but that’s a conversation we’re going to continue to have at the FCC.
RW: What is your read on how acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is doing in that role?
LeGeyt: I think she’s doing very well in that role. One thing you’re seeing from her is finding those areas where she can get unanimity and support from the Republican commissioners, and acting on them. That is a wise approach that is buoyed by her years of experience at the FCC and understanding how to get things done.
And the fact that in a 2–2 commission, she has been able to advance as many measures as she has — at a time and place where the American people really need the FCC to work for them — speaks very well to her political instincts.
RW: You mentioned localism. Now that there’s no main studio rule, and now that companies have the ability to do so much in the cloud, we see regionalization and centralization among bigger broadcast groups, leading to less of a physical footprint in markets. Doesn’t that go against localism?
LeGeyt: I think it’s all dependent on the content. I would not measure a particular station’s commitment to a particular community based on any sort of physical question.
The fact that I’m sitting in my home right now rather than being at the NAB office where I was yesterday, am I any more or less committed to the NAB? No, I’m not.
Technology has enabled me to do my job very well and to lead our organization very well remotely. I’m cognizant of the fact that those same concepts apply to local radio. Our members will be judged by how well they serve their audiences with locally focused programming, particularly at moments when communities rely on radio the most.
We will see who stands out in that environment, but I’ll be very surprised if physical presence has a lot to do with it.
RW: I imagine that your Radio Board meetings were interesting over the last year. Is it, “Oh my God, this has been the worst year in recent memory for our businesses, just do anything you can to help us.” Is it that kind of a vibe?
LeGeyt: What I’ve been so impressed by with our radio members is a recognition that yes, the industry has been disrupted by the pandemic, but there are other industries that have been disrupted a heck of a lot more. Their focus is, “How can we serve our communities and help our communities build out on the other side of this?”
I’ve been awed that, at a time where our industry has been under the most financial stress, we’ve actually done our best work.
The trust that communities are [putting] in local radio stations, especially in rural areas, is tremendous. The resources that our stations are putting into boots on the ground, local coverage, ensuring that their personalities are out in the community, is unparalleled. And they’re doing that at a time when it’s more difficult to afford those things.
Our members’ focus is on the community service and let the finances build from there — [there’s] confidence that if they can maintain that trust as a lifeline through the pandemic, it is going to pay off in terms of the service to their audience, the audience commitment.
RW: There’s been a proposal to allow FM broadcasters to use boosters to do super-localized geo-targeted content. The NAB came out pretty strongly against that. What would it take for the NAB to have a different opinion?
LeGeyt: Well, without getting into that specific issue, what we are cognizant of is ensuring that those members who are investing in the FM band have the ability to reach their audiences unencumbered.
We’re open to any proposal that is going to allow for better service options and allow our members the ability to be more creative, more innovative. But if the consequence of that is going to be more congestion, more interference on the band in a way that is picking winners and losers, it is going to give us pause.
I’m not weighing in on that specific issue. We’re taking a lot of guidance from our members on that; but I think top of mind as we look at a lot of these issues around boosters and translators is: How do we ensure that we’re innovating for our members, and supporting proposals that will allow them to do more hyper-localized things, without the unintended consequence of more interference for current programming?
RW: The association took a real financial hit when you weren’t able to have in-person events, and you had a special assessment for members. There’s a physical show coming back in the fall, but have you recovered from the revenue stream being stopped there for a while?
LeGeyt: We feel really positive about where the association is right now, but that is in large part to the trust and the importance that our members and our board placed in us, in supporting an assessment.
What we attempted to demonstrate to our members was the value of what we provide as a trade association — as it relates to advocacy, to technological innovations for the industry, to our programming — and to ask the question, “At what level would you like us to continue to do this as we manage through this pandemic and a road back to physical trade shows?”
The decision was that they wanted our association operating at the highest level. And an assessment helped to ensure we could stay there.
The NAB managed through that. We had to make tough decisions internally on our own to meet our membership halfway.
We certainly understood how difficult a time it was to go to our members and ask for financial help, humbled by the fact that many of them wanted to provide that but also cognizant that we needed to do everything within our own power to manage through and be responsible financially as well.
Now we’re on the upside. We’re really optimistic as to what this NAB Show is going to look like in October. It could not be better timed in terms of the demand that we’re feeling from our exhibitors to be back in person and to go and do some face-to-face commerce from attendees.
We are pacing very strongly several months out from the show. And then we’ll build right on top of that to a second show in April of next year. So we’re optimistic about where we go from here.
RW: And life at NAB headquarters? You’ve got a new building that most people haven’t seen, are people going in? Are you going in?
LeGeyt: I have been going in regularly, a couple of times a week at a minimum, and over the last month with even more frequency. That’s what we’re seeing from our staff as well.
We recognize that people have childcare obligations, that there are still health care concerns, so we have a flexible arrangement that those who want to avail themselves to the benefits of the new building are able to do it. But we’ve also been very successful in working remotely, so we want to continue to give our employees the opportunity to do that.
Then we will continue to scale up and by the fall have the opportunity to showcase this new building externally.
RW: Our readers are interested in technology initiatives of NAB PILOT, which has been paying a lot of attention to radio in the context of the evolving car dashboard. Thoughts about where radio is going in terms of maintaining a foothold there?
LeGeyt: I don’t know that there’s a more existential question for radio than the one that you just posed. That’s something that guides our work, both on the technology front, in terms of how we can be a leader to ensure that the industry is best positioned to appeal to consumers through the dashboard, and to ensure that the automakers understand our value proposition.
We are spending a lot of time ensuring that we’ve got a centralized voice in articulating the unique benefits of terrestrial radio in the dash. Advocacy, the same guideposts.
As you think about the importance of the performance tax issue, the importance of ensuring that we’ve got streaming royalties that are affordable for local stations that allow for innovations that will allow for them to compete in the dash in a different way. As we’re thinking about members of Congress, affirming the importance of local radio relative to other platforms. That’s guiding everything we’re doing on the business front.
A huge piece of our advocacy is ensuring that we’re putting our best foot forward in terms of radio’s place in the dash.
RW: Is there anything else you would like radio people to know about your views on radio or where the industry is going?
LeGeyt: The most important thing I’d like your readers to know is that I started at the NAB 10 years ago as a copyright lawyer and an antitrust lawyer who had advocacy experience in Capitol Hill and was very compelled by the substance of the issues. I’ve grown into someone who is compelled by the importance of the industry and the business.
Those business owners who are familiar with me know the degree to which I have dug into getting to know local station owners and understand and push an agenda that is going to allow for their ability to innovate, while preserving their ability to maintain a terrestrial signal that’s unique in this media landscape because it’s local and it’s free.
I am in it because of the belief I have in the value of this industry. It has just been demonstrated doubly over the course of the events of the last year. I’m someone who’s not new to any of this, and look forward and am very proud to lead the industry.
About LeGeyt
Curtis LeGeyt received his J.D. from Cornell University Law School and his B.A. in quantitative economics from Providence College. He began his career as a management consultant for Putnam Associates and worked on the staff of the 2008 Obama For America presidential campaign.
He is a former associate at Howrey LLP, a law firm in Washington, where he worked on antitrust litigation and merger reviews.
Before NAB, LeGeyt was senior counsel to then-Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, advising Leahy and the committee on intellectual property, antitrust and First Amendment issues.
As chief operating officer of NAB, LeGeyt is involved in all aspects of the association’s work. He was executive vice president of government relations before being named to his current position in 2020. He is also general counsel for the NAB Leadership Foundation.
NAB said that during his tenure he has led successful efforts including permanent reauthorization of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization, inclusion of $1 billion in RAY BAUM’s Act to reimburse stations affected by the spectrum auction repack, and successful passage of the Music Modernization Act.
LeGeyt is on the boards of Tracy’s Kids, a nonprofit helping children with cancer, and Musicians On Call, an organization that uses music to help at children’s hospitals and elsewhere. He is an alum of Leadership Music, a Nashville-based program that fosters community and collaboration among music industry leaders.
He lives in Alexandria, Va., with his wife Kacey and their three children.
The post LeGeyt Sees Radio as a Bipartisan Issue appeared first on Radio World.