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Congress Passes Legislation to Fund FCC and CPB

US Capitol

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a package of seven fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills, including $388 million for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and $565 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) fiscal year 2024 advance appropriation. The $617 billion package passed by a 219-208 vote along party lines; the Senate has…

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WKAR Radio Produces Weekly Spanish-Language News Podcast

Michelle Jokisch Polo and Araceli Crescencio

WKAR Public Media at Michigan State University recently launched a new podcast series, ¿Qué Onda Michigan? The WKAR original is a weekly Spanish-language news podcast hosted by Bilingual Latinx Stories Reporter Michelle Jokisch Polo and WLNS-TV Reporter Araceli Crescencio. “It’s been really exciting to hear the positive feedback from community and how thankful they are…

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WSJM’s Phil McDonald Preparing For New Role With Lake Michigan Catholic

Phil McDonald

Midwest Family Broadcasting’s WSJM-FM (St. Joseph) has announced that longtime sports director Phil McDonald is cutting back his broadcasting committments to join Lake Michigan Catholic as Athletic Director.  McDonald has been with WSJM for more than 35 years, having started as a part-timer in the 80s when he was in college. At first, he did…

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Former West Michigan Radio Personality Michael Sirianni Dies at 63

Michael Sirianni

The MAB has learned that Michael Sirianni, a popular West Michigan radio host, passed away July 20 after a decades-long fight with MS. During the 80s, 90s and early 2000s he worked at various West Michigan stations including WLHT-FM, WJFM-FM, WODJ-FM, WLAV-FM, WOOD-FM and WCSG-FM. Sirianni started his broadcasting career at WTRU in Muskegon. He…

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Northern Michigan Broadcaster Dave Fortin Passes

Dave Fortin

Veteran northern Michigan reporter/anchor Dave Fortin has passed away.  Fortin died July 21 at age 81. Fortin was on the television screen for over five decades.  His career started at WPBN/WTOM-TV (Traverse City) in 1963 as a news anchor, reporter and sometimes a meteorologist.  During his time at the station, he was known for always…

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Ellen Bacca Named Chief Meteorologist at WOOD-TV

Ellen Bacca

Nexstar’s WOOD-TV (Grand Rapids) has announced that Ellen Bacca has been named Chief Meteorologist for the station.  Bacca is the first female Chief Meteorologist in West Michigan. She succeeds Bill Steffen, who celebrates the start of his 21st year at the station and his 47th year in the Grand Rapids market. Upon this achievement, Steffen…

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Carl Levin: 1934 – 2021

Senator Carl Levin and MAB President/CEO Karol White.

Former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), a 36-year veteran of the Senate has died at the age of 87. The Levin Center at Wayne State University announced the late senator’s death Thursday evening, calling him “a dearly beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, and life-long public servant.” In 2014, Levin was presented with the MAB’s…

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American Legion Baseball U.P. Finals Airs On RRN Stations

radio results network logo

This past weekend (7/22-25), Results Radio Network stations aired The American Legion Baseball Upper Peninsula Zone Five tournament, with 21 games scheduled in Escanaba and Gladstone over four days. Seventeen of those games were broadcast on the stations of the Radio Results Network. The top two teams from this tournament, plus the Marquette Blues, will…

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FCC To Clarify Political Advertising Rules – No Significant Changes Proposed

David Oxenford

By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Last week, it was announced that the FCC would be considering some changes to its political broadcasting rules at its monthly open meeting in August.  In some quarters (see, for example, this article), that raised concern that significant changes were coming in time for the 2022 Congressional elections.  But,…

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