Grand Valley State football will air on a new dial this fall, moving to flagship station WLAV-FM (Grand Rapids) for the 2021 season. The move comes as part of a department-wide partnership with Cumulus Radio which will includes weekly shows, men’s and women’s basketball coverage and crossover special events with the various radio stations in…
The MAB has learned about the passing of former Michigan Press Association Foundation Director Janet Mendler. Mendler died April 26 at age 75 following a battle with cancer. | Mendler graduated from Dearborn High School in 1963 and earned a BA degree from Northern Michigan University and a Master’s in Journalism from the University of…
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Last week, the NY Times ran an interesting article, here, about how many old TV programs now available on streaming services are missing music that was featured on the original broadcast. This was because when the music rights were initially purchased, their use was limited to over-the-air broadcasts or…
By: Seth Resler Jacobs Media Strategies Last week, a pair of announcements from two Silicon Valley giants rocked the podcasting world. Facebook and Apple both announced new features that are likely to not only affect podcasters, but the entire audio industry. Here’s what radio broadcasters need to know: Facebook is Embracing Audio Audio is hot…
By: Gary Berkowitz Berkowitz Broadcast Consulting 1. LOCAL YES, BUT BEING “GOOD” IS MORE IMPORTANT. Talk about people, places and events. Take advantage of traffic reports to sound local. “The accident is at Main and Second, right in front of McDonalds.” Being local is important but being good is key. Always strive for the best…
In a significant win for broadcasters last year, NAB was able to secure expanded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) eligibility for stations as part of the COVID relief package that was signed into law at the end of 2020. This allows broadcasters to have the same physical-location based eligibility as restaurants and hotels under the original…
Veteran News Director Mike Schram has joined Gray Television’s WILX-TV (Lansing) as News Director, effective May 3. A graduate of Michigan State University’s School of Journalism, he started his career in broadcast journalism as a newscast producer at WLNS-TV in Lansing. He then spent several years as a producer at sister Gray station WJRT-TV (Flint). …
On April 22, the Kresge Foundation and Wayne State University’s WDET-FM (Detroit) announced a foundation grant to replace the station’s aging and failing transmitter to ensure over-the-air broadcasts for years to come. Station general manager Mary Zatina said that Kresge’s grant of $150,000 complements more than one thousand donations, large and small, raised from generous…
A 10-application precedent has prevailed at the Federal Communications Commission which has voted to adopt that limit on broadcasters in an upcoming filing window for noncommercial FMs, according to a report in InsideRadio. The decision allows the Media Bureau to move forward with the filing window, which will be the first time in more than…
Vickie Thomas, City Beat Reporter for Audacy’s WWJ-AM (Detroit), has announced her retirement at the end of the month. Her last day live on the air is scheduled for April 29. She will continue to host the weekly “Black Business Minute” feature for the station. Thomas tweeted on April 16, “After 30 years @WWJ950, I…