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Benson Calls for FOIA Expansion in New Transparency Agenda; House Unanimously Approves FOIA, LORA Bills
The Freedom of Information Act would be extended to both the governor and Legislature, under a new transparency agenda released Monday (3/15) by Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The plan also calls for elected officials would have to wait two years before working as a lobbyist, according to a report in Gongwer. Dubbed “From Worst…
Read MoreArt Vuolo’s Six Degrees of Separation!
In a note to the MAB, Art Vuolo wants to thank everyone who prayed for his recent successful hospitalization for, what turned out to be serious gallbladder surgery. It should have been routine, but it wasn’t. Doctors called the condition of his gallbladder “rotten.” The successful operation was March 9. However, while in Ascension Hospital…
Read MoreIs Your Radio Station Regularly Backing Up Its Website?
By: Seth Resler Jacobs Media Strategies This is one of those blogposts that you don’t need until you need it, and when you do need it, you really need it, and by then it’s often too late. So when you’ve finished reading this, consider taking some proactive preventative action. You’ve been warned. Disasters happen: Earthquakes,…
Read MoreMarch Madness Trademarks: Tips To Avoid A Foul Call from the NCAA (2021 Update)
By: Mitchell Stabbe, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP via the Broadcast Law Blog This article is compiled from a 2-part series appearing in the blog. My 2020 annual update on the use of trademarks associated with the NCAA Basketball Tournament was published on the same day that the NCAA announced it was cancelling the tournament due…
Read MoreScripps Media Airs ‘Hidden Bias of Good People’ on Michigan Stations
As part of its commitment to creating a better-informed world, The E.W. Scripps Company has been airing a commercial interruption-free special on its local television stations across the country to spark a national dialogue around implicit bias while advancing conversations at the local level in the 41 markets where it operates. The stations in Michigan…
Read MoreCongress Approves Relief for Public Media Stations
On March 10, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate coronavirus relief legislation. Within this legislation was $175 million in COVID-related assistance for the nation’s 1,400 public radio and television stations. The funds, to be distributed by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, will help maintain local stations’ enhanced programming and services, and protect the…
Read MoreiHeart West Michigan Raises $95,000 for Dégagé Ministries
On February 5, iHeartMedia/West Michigan held its fourth annual “Day of Hope” on its WOOD-AM/FM and WBFX-FM (BIG 101.3), collecting $95,000 for Grand Rapids homeless shelter Dégagé Ministries. On-air personalities from the stations, broadcasted live from 5 a.m. – 6 p.m. that day, sharing stories of hope from the men and women Dégagé has served. Due…
Read MoreJournalism Competition and Preservation Act Introduced in Congress
House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David N. Cicilline (RI-01), House Antitrust Subcommittee Ranking Member Ken Buck (CO-04), Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) and Chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on Wednesday (3/10) announced the introduction of the bipartisan Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, legislation that seeks to…
Read MoreFCC Notes Violations for Two LPFM Operators for Spurious Emissions – Make Sure that Your Station is Transmitting Only Within Its Assigned Frequency
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP In two Notices of Violation issued on one day this week, an FCC Field Office cited Low Power FM operators for using transmission systems that, in addition to transmitting signals on their authorized channels, were also emitting signals on other channels that posed the potential for interference with…
Read MoreNorthern Michigan Radio Personality Lin McNett Dies
Lin D. McNett, known to radio listeners as Michael O’Shea, passed away March 8 at The Villa at Traverse Point in Traverse City. McNett spent his youth in Alden, graduating from Mancelona High School. He went on to join the U.S. Coast Guard, where he found his passion for radio. After returning home he started…
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