Your MAB is sad to pass word that longtime Saginaw radio personality Terry Lenz passed away August 6 at the age of 74. Lenz joined WSGW in 1978 and was the on-air personality for the “Four for the Morning” and “Terry and Dave in the Morning” shows, partnering with Dave Maurer. He also hosted “QuizLine” and “TradeLine”.
The Society of Broadcast Engineers announces the results of the 2025 election for the national board of directors. Kevin Trueblood, CBRE, CBNT, of Chapter 90 Southwest FL, was elected for a one-year term. Kevin previously served as SBE vice president. His term begins September 25 at the SBE National Meeting in Columbus, OH.
Editor’s note: After we went to press last Friday (8/8), the FCC released its first EEO audit of 2025. Included on the list of stations selected for audit were two Michigan television stations and five Michigan radio stations.
WCMU Public Media (Mt. Pleasant) made an important addition to their programming lineup. The station just launched FNX – First Nations Experience, a dedicated channel showcasing Native American and Indigenous storytelling, culture, and perspectives.
McKibbin Media Group (MMG) has announced that sports fans in Jackson and beyond have a new reason to tune in this summer. On The Docket with Connor Dockery, a brand-new live sports talk radio show, made its debut this past Monday (8/4), airing weekdays from Noon to 1 p.m. on Fox Sports 101.9 FM and streaming live online at FoxSports1019.com.
Michigan Public Program Director Matt Shafer Powell has announced that the station will be introducing an updated weekend programming schedule beginning Friday, August 15, 2025. The revised line-up will include several new shows including PRX’s The Sam Sanders Show airing Friday and Saturday evenings, American Public Media’s This Old House Radio Hour on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and BBC’s The Arts Hour on Saturday nights.
Although many, including Congress, take the last of their summer vacations in August, there are still many dates to which broadcasters should be paying attention this month. One deadline that most commercial broadcasters should be anticipating is the FCC’s order that will set the amount of their Annual Regulatory Fees, which will be paid sometime in September before the October 1 start of the federal government’s new fiscal year.
On July 22nd, Scripps’ Media’s WXYZ-TV (Detroit) held its “Day of Giving Back” on Tuesday in collaboration with Forgotten Harvest to help fight food insecurity across metro Detroit. During the Day of Giving, the community generously donated enough money to provide 408,000 meals to families in the metro.
Anishinaabe Radio News, a program co-produced by Northern Michigan University’s Center for Native American Studies and Public Radio 90 (WNMU-FM), will soon mark its 200th episode. Since the first broadcast in 2016, host April Lindala has explored Native American history and culture and shared updates on Indigenous events planned across the Great Lakes region.
Retired WKAR Public Media Education Coordinator Ilene “Beany” Tomber passed away July 16 at her Arizona home at the age of 97. During her time at the Michigan State University-based public broadcasting station, Tomber created and led the corporate development division and launched and led numerous education and community engagement programs that continue to impact Michigan’s capital region community today. She retired from WKAR in 2017.