August 2020
WDIV Gives Away More Than $100,000 in Digital Advertising to Local Businesses
WDIV-TV (Detroit)’s annual Vote 4 the Best almost didn’t happen this year, after being a tradition for nearly 15 years. The competition involves thousands of local businesses in the Metro Detroit area and many of them were closed due to the pandemic and the station wasn’t sure if anyone would want to participate. After Governor…
Read MoreNAB Applauds Elimination of Radio Duplication Rule
In response to the Federal Communications Commission’s approval of an order eliminating the radio duplication rule for broadcast stations, NAB Senior Vice President of Communications Ann Marie Cumming voiced the association’s support for of the decision. “We applaud the Commission for continuing to modernize its media rules,” she said in a statement released following the…
Read MoreOral Arguments Heard in GOP Challenge to Governor’s Executive Authority
The feud between Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Republican Legislature over executive authority that has been fueled by the coronavirus pandemic saw its latest day in court on Tuesday (8/6) as oral arguments were heard before the Court of Appeals, according to a report in Gongwer. The appeal mounted by the GOP in House of Representatives…
Read MoreFCC Eliminates Rule Requiring Broadcast Station Tower Owners to Give Access to Competing Stations
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP On August 5, the FCC acted to resolve the proceeding begun a year ago (see our article here) to eliminate the rule that prevented an FM or TV broadcaster from denying space to a competing broadcaster on a broadcast tower that it controls. As expected, that rule was eliminated by an order to…
Read MoreWILX Meteorologist Darrin Rockcole Retires
After 30 years as a Meteorologist at WILX-TV (Lansing), Darrin Rockcole has retired. His last day was July 30. “It was a good run to make it 30 years at a small market TV station,” Darrin said to viewers. “Thirty years is a long time to get up in the middle of the night and…
Read MoreInterlochen Public Radio, DPTV Remember Gov. William Milliken
On August 6, Interlochen Public Radio and Detroit Public Television (DPTV) paid tribute to William G. Milliken, who served as Michigan’s governor from 1969-1983, with a celebration of life. Milliken was remembered, among many other things, for being a symbol of a different era of politics, less divisive and more collaborative, when the ability to…
Read MoreFormat Flips in Lansing, Grand Rapids
Midwest Communications has flipped formats on WLMI-FM (Grand Ledge/Lansing). At noon on July 31, the station adopted a new classic rock/classic hits format under the handle “Cruisin’ 92.9.“ The station kicking off its new identity with Beatles “Revolution”. That was followed by Led Zeppelin “Black Dog”, Eagles “Life In The Fast Lane” and Alice Cooper…
Read More97.1 The Ticket’s Jamie Samuelsen Passes Away at 48
Jamie Samuelson, longtime host at Entercom’s WXYT-FM (Detroit) 97.1 The Ticket, passed away Saturday (8/1) at the age of 48. Samuelsen had been battling colon cancer since January 2019. He announced his condition just days before on July 27 with his morning co-host Mike Stone. “Each morning since my diagnosis, I got up, turned on…
Read MoreNAB President Gordon Smith ‘Expected to Make a Full Recovery’ Following Stroke
NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith suffered a stroke Tuesday evening (8/4), according to a statement released on Wednesday by the National Association of Broadcasters. “He is responding well to treatment, is stable and alert, and is resting comfortably,” the statement said. “His prognosis is good, and he is expected to make a full recovery.…
Read MoreA Picture Says 1,000 Words. What Do The Pictures on Your Radio Station’s Website Say?
By: Seth Resler Jacobs Media Strategies I’ve devoted a lot of time in this column discussing the importance of choosing the right words for your website. Whether it’s making sure that you’re using clear terms in your website’s main menu or conducting a website usability test to make sure that the site’s verbiage isn’t causing…
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