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FCC Targeting Property Owners in Pirate Radio Enforcement
The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau has begun targeting property owners and managers that tolerate pirate broadcasting on their properties. The commission has issued an announcement that it is exercising its new authority under the recently enacted PIRATE Act. “Parties that knowingly facilitate illegal broadcasting on their property are liable for fines of up to…
Read MoreMichigan Learning Channel to Launch January 4, 2021
As reported in October and following months of planning, Michigan’s public television stations, in partnership with leading educators and community leaders, are launching the Michigan Learning Channel (MLC) beginning Monday, January 4. It will be available statewide on a series of new dedicated broadcast channels. Organized by Detroit Public Television (DPTV), the network will deliver…
Read MoreAlpha Media Saginaw Raises $50K With Sharing Hope Radiothon
Alpha Media stations in Saginaw, lead by WSGW-AM/FM, held their 5th Annual Sharing Hope Radiothon on December 16, raising $50,100 in the 12 hour broadcast, exceeding the original goal of $40,000 and surpassing last year’s total of $47,190. The goal for this year was lowered over concern about the impact the pandemic imposed. However, listeners,…
Read MoreOnline Sports Betting/Casino Gaming to Launch Early 2021 in Michigan
While many have hoped for a launch before the end of the year, it now appears online gaming won’t happen for about six weeks, MGCB executive director Richard Kalm told MLive Friday (12/4). On December 1, the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), a bipartisan group of lawmakers from both the Michigan Senate and House…
Read MoreMORE Act Passes House – But Don’t Rush to Run Marijuana Ads on Your Broadcast Station
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Last week, there was much written in the press about the MORE Act passing in the House of Representatives, taking actions to decriminalize marijuana under federal law. This would include removing marijuana from Schedule I, which is the list of drugs whose use for almost all purposes is prohibited in the United…
Read MoreDick Haefner Retires After 51 Years in Detroit Radio
WJR-AM (Detroit) News Director Dick Haefner has announced his retirement after a remarkable 51-year career in radio news. Haefner, an award-winning newscaster, reporter, and news director, has been WJR News Director since 1989, and his tenure is unmatched by any other Detroit broadcast news director He is one of the most recognizable news voices in…
Read MoreATSC 3.0 On-Air in Detroit
On December 7, television viewers in the Detroit market started getting a taste of the future as five local TV stations band together to launch NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) in Detroit. The broadcast advance also signals the beginning of another project – the launch of the “Motown 3.0 Open Test Track” for merging automotive applications…
Read MoreBeenish Ahmed, Nisa Kahn, Erin Allen Join Michigan Radio Journalism Team
On Tuesday (12/7), Michigan Radio announced the hiring of three new members to its journalism staff. Beenish Ahmed has been hired as a new Detroit based reporter for the station. Since 2016, she has been a freelance journalist and also a reporter for WNYC Public Radio in New York. Her stories have appeared on NPR…
Read MoreWEMU Celebrates 55 Years!
December 8 marked 55 years since Eastern Michigan University’s WEMU-FM first went on the air. WEMU began broadcasting at a frequency of 88.1 FM in 1965 from the Quirk Building on Eastern Michigan University’s campus. In 1976, the station moved to King Hall, and in February 1977, WEMU began to feature a primarily jazz format.…
Read MoreTigers, Red Wings Reup with Entercom’s WXYT
Entercom’s WXYT-FM (Detroit) has announced that they will continue as flagship for Detroit Tigers baseball and Detroit Red Wings hockey under a multiyear contract extension with team owner Illitch Holdings, Inc. The deal includes marketing and promotional opportunities on the rest of the Entercom Detroit cluster. “The Tigers and Red Wings are two of the…
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