Governor Whitmer Signs Legislation Expanding Open Meetings Act
On May 2, Governor Whitmer signed House Bill 4705, which expands the Open Meetings Act to require certain state public bodies to create and maintain audio recordings of their meetings, expanding transparency and accountability. This brings the total of bipartisan bills signed to 811. “Transparency and accessibility are critical to ensuring people trust their state…
Read MoreWRIF Named “Best Local Radio Station” by Free Press Readers
Beasley Media Group’s WRIF-FM (Detroit) has been named “Best Local Radio Station” by The Detroit Free Press as part of the “Best of the Best Detroit 2021” Awards. More than 93,000 votes for WRIF were cast by readers of the publication, which presented the award to PD/midday host Jade Springart at the Best of the…
Read MoreSouthwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative To Examine Community’s Mental Health Challenges and Solutions
In an effort to enhance the news landscape and promote diversity and inclusion of voices among journalists and news sources in Southwest Michigan, a group of 12 news media outlets and organizations have formed the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative (SWMJC). The media and community partners of the SWMJC include: Community Voices Encore Magazine Kalamazoo Community…
Read MoreMichigan Broadcasters at NAB Show 2022!
By: Sam Klemet, President & CEO Michigan Association of Broadcasters The bright lights of Las Vegas were dimmed by COVID, but this week’s NAB Show injected renewed energy and life not only in Sin City, but also the broadcast industry. The four days of connecting, idea sharing and celebrating was a vivid reminder about the…
Read MoreMAB: Supportting and Inspiring Future Generations
By: Sam Klemet, President & CEO Michigan Association of Broadcasters The Michigan Association of Broadcasters aim to support and inspire future generations. This week, students from Brother Rice High School’s broadcast program had the opportunity to see what a day in the life of a broadcaster is like while touring the Audacy Radio stations in…
Read MoreWKAR Public Media GM Susi Elkins Accepts Position at Michigan State University Federal Credit Union
Susi Elkins, WKAR Public Media General Manager and Director of Broadcasting at Michigan State University, will leave the station to become chief community development officer at Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) in East Lansing. Elkins, who began her career at WKAR as a student employee and became general manager in 2017, made the…
Read MoreWinners Announced in 2021 MAPME Broadcast Contest
The annual Michigan Associated Press Media Editors broadcast competition has announced winners in the 2021 Michigan APME awards. In the broadcast category, General Excellence awards for 2021 went to WDIV-TV (Detroit), WDET-FM (Detroit) and WKAR-AM/FM (East Lansing). Michigan’s Public Radio stations dominated the radio categories in all market sizes. In television, Michigan’s commercial stations placed…
Read MoreWJR Celebrates Its Centennial!
Cumulus Media’s WJR-AM (Detroit) is celebrating its 100th Birthday! On May 4, 1922, the Detroit Free Press newspaper was issued a license, with the randomly assigned call letters of WCX. On August of 1925, the Jewett Radio & Phonograph Company received a license for a new station, WJR. The company also took over WCX, consolidating…
Read MoreThis Week in Regulation for Broadcasters
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week (4/16-22), with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The FCC this week released a Public Notice announcing that it is…
Read MoreLongtime Host of African American Inspiration Radio Show in Flint Passes
Bettye Jean Hendricks, 16-year host of the African American Inspiration radio show on WFLT-AM (Flint), heard on Saturday mornings died peacefully at her home on April 19 at age 74. In a story in MLive, the publication wrote that Hendricks’ impact on the Flint community is hard to describe because it was shown in so…
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