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FCC Proposes Higher Radio Regulatory Fees for 2020

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For the second year, the Federal Communications Commission will propose to increase radio stations. According to a report in Inside Radio, the hike won’t be nearly as steep as it was a year ago. The Commission is slated to begin the rulemaking process at its May 13 meeting. If left in place, radio annual fees…

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Flint Television Comes Together, Goes Statewide with Governor Whitmer Town Hall

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The fourth statewide virtual Town Hall meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic and the third with Governor Gretchen Whitmer took place Thursday, April 30.  Fint/Saginaw/Bay City stations WJRT-TV, WNEM-TV and WEYI/WSMH-TV jointly presented the Governor in a 60-minute broadcast with questions and answers on the state’s response to the current crisis. News anchors Angie Hendershot (WJRT),…

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NAB Urges Congress to Increase Local Media Ad Budget

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The National Association of Broadcasters is pushing an initiative to help increase the advertising revenue local media gets from the federal government, while lawmakers increasingly support expanding the Small Business Association loan qualifications to include more community newspapers and broadcasters. “For so many broadcasters and newspapers, this is a life-or-death situation,” said NAB Executive Vice…

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NAB Reiterates Call for FCC to Ease Ownership Rules

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The National Association of Broadcasters continues to urge the Federal Communications Commission to relax rules about station ownership, particularly for radio, saying that the coronavirus pandemic makes existing challenges worse for broadcasters. “What is certain is that the pandemic will exacerbate existing challenges for local TV stations competing with much larger, better capitalized, and less…

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WKAR’s Scott Pohl Retires

Scott Pohl

After 35 years, WKAR-AM/FM (East Lansing) senior news reporter Scott Pohl has retired.  During his time at the station, he has worked as a host, producer, call-in show anchor and general assignment reporter who enjoyed reporting on stories about art, music, science and health. In high school, Pohl was editor of the school newspaper during…

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Record Companies Respond to FCC Commissioner on Payola – What Should Broadcasters Learn from the Responses?

David Oxenford

By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP The responses by the major record labels to Commissioner O’Rielly’s inquiry into allegations of payola practices (see our article here) were published last week while we were all distracted with pandemic issues. While the responses (available here on the Commissioner’s Twitter feed) were perhaps not surprising – saying that…

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WDET Documents Detroit with ‘COVID Diaries: Stories of Resilience’

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wayne State University’s WDET-FM is partnering with Documenting Detroit and local media makers to produce a multimedia series called “COVID Diaries: Stories of Resilience.” which will illustrate life and resilience during the outbreak in Southeast Michigan. As an expansion of WDET’s StoryMakers initiative, WDET will support six independent media…

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Michigan Radio, WXYZ Reporters Honored with Award for Advancement of Justice

Sarah Cwiek (left) and Heather Catallo (right)

Michigan Radio reporter Sarah Cwiek and WXYZ-TV (Detroit) reporter Heather Catallo have been selected as a winners of a 2020 Wade H. McCree Award for the Advancement of Justice by the Michigan Press Association Foundation. Cwiek was recognized for her story, “They say their son needs to be in a psychiatric hospital. He went to…

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Former Detroit Personality Johnny Williams Dies from COVID-19 Complications

Johnny Williams in early '70s publicity photo.

The MAB has learned that former CKLW-AM/WNIC-FM air personality Johnny Williams passed away April 16 due to complications from COVID-19. Williams, whose real name was Tom DeAngelo, was on air at CKLW during its “Big 8” Top 40 days from 1968 through 1983.  In 1985, he took over hosting duties from Alan Almond for WNIC-FM’s…

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Mt. Pleasant’s Bob Peters in RadioInk’s List of Top 20 Leaders

Bob and Laurie Peters

Congratulations are in order for Latitude Media (Mt. Pleasant) Co-Owner/General Manager Bob Peters, who was recently featured in RadioInk Magazine’s  list of Top 20 Leaders.  Latitude Media operates WMMI-AM and WCZY-FM in the market. , “I have had the experience of all facets of being a broadcaster. I like to lead by example with enthusiasm,…

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