A formal application for license transfer of Kalamazoo Public School’s WKDS-FM to Western Michigan University was filed October 5 at the FCC. This follows a meeting held April 30 when the Kalamazoo Public Schools board voted to sell the district’s radio station to Western Michigan University, who presently operate WMUK-FM. WMUK began operating the station…
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP The FCC this week released its agenda for its October 27 open meeting. At that meeting the FCC will consider a number of issues of relevance to broadcasters, including enhanced white space use in the TV band and an expansion of the requirement for audio description of video programming. …
By: Seth Resler Jacobs Media Strategies I’m a big fan of RSS feeds. RSS feeds are essentially digital pipes, used to push content from one place to another with ease. One of my favorite tricks for radio stations, where the staffs are notoriously stretched thin, is to use RSS feeds to send email blasts containing…
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal by broadcasters and the FCC of an appeals court’s rejection of the regulatory commission’s most recent attempt to deregulate broadcast ownership, according to a recent report in Broadcasting+Cable. In April, broadcasters and newspaper publishers petitioned the nation’s high court to review the Third Circuit Court of…
Directive restricts gatherings, requires face coverings, limits bars and other venues. On October 5, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon issued an Emergency Order under MCL 333.2253 restricting gathering sizes, requiring face coverings in public spaces and places limitations on bars and other venues. The order follows the Michigan Supreme…
The Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN) on Thursday (10/1) projected the total cost of the U.S. Senate race in Michigan will exceed $100 million this election cycle, based on a compilation of Federal Election Commission filings, ad tracking data from Advertising Analytics and Facebook disclosures. That report came after the Senate Leadership Fund super PAC…
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP What are a noncommercial broadcaster’s obligations with respect to the political file and the rest of the FCC’s political broadcasting rules? That is a question that I have heard asked several times in the last few weeks as we approach this most important, and contentious, election. In short, I think that…
On September 28, Midwest Communication’s WKZO-AM/FM (Kalamazoo) hosted a debate between incumbent Congressman Fred Upton (R-6) and his Democratic challenger, State Representative Jon Hoadley (D-60). The candidates appeared at the WKZO studios with the debate aired live on the station as well as with video on Facebook Live. The one-hour broadcast was moderated by station…
Entercom Detroit has announced that WXYT-FM’s (97.1 The Ticket) broadcast studio will be renamed “The Jamie Samuelsen Studio” in honor of the late Jamie Samuelsen. The former station veteran and morning show host passed away at age 48 from colon cancer on August 1. “Jamie meant so much to our station and was a key…
In partnership with the Public Radio Program Directors Association, Jacobs Media has released Public Radio Techsurvey 2020 (“PRTS”), its latest annual study exploring the ongoing digital media revolution and its impact on public radio. PRTS 2020 takes a continued look at the ever-changing media consumption behaviors of core public radio listeners, and particularly, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the…