January 2021
Stay A Lot More Than Six Feet From The NFL’s Trademarks! 2021 Update on Super Bowl Advertising and Promotions
By: Mitchell Stabbe, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP via the Broadcast Law Blog For the last five years, I have posted guidelines about engaging in or accepting advertising or promotions that directly or indirectly reference the Super Bowl without a license from the NFL. As hard as it may be to believe, the NFL has almost made its…
Read More68 Michigan Stations Air Governor Whitmer’s State of the State Address
We are proud to announce that 68 Michigan broadcast stations – 30 television and 38 radio – carried the Governor’s State of the State address. The list of stations includes members of the MAB as well as the Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters (MAPB). The MAB provided commercial television broadcasters with a “clean” feed of…
Read MoreNAB Announces Creation of Advisory Committee Focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) today (1/28) announced the creation of an advisory committee to the NAB Board of Directors that will provide insights and suggestions on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues. The committee will consist of senior-level broadcasters who are women and people of color, and may include current NAB and NAB…
Read MoreMcKibbin Media Group Announces New Management Team, Dennis Worden as GM
McKibbin Media Group has hired Dennis Worden as its new General Manager, overseeing all of the MMG properties in both Jackson and Hillsdale. The stations include News/Talk 970 & 101.5 WKHM, Jackson’s Hit Music K-105.3, Fox Sports 101.9 and 95.9 The Power Cow in Jackson and Radio Hillsdale 92.1 WCSR and 99.5 The Dale in…
Read MoreWZZM Introduces Jay Plyburn New Morning Anchor
WZZM-TV (Grand Rapids) has announced the arrival of a new anchor to the station’s morning show lineup. Jay Plyburn has joined the station following a 10-year run as a journalist for news stations in Texas, Arkansas, and Georgia. Most recently, Plyburn spent the last six months touring the country with his wife in a modified…
Read MoreMichigan Radio Releases Strategic Plan
In a posting on the station website, Michigan Radio released details of their strategic plan to their listeners. The process began in the fall of 2019 to develop a new strategic plan and articulating a refreshed vision, mission and values statements for the station. This was done to help guide the organization’s forward path and…
Read MoreJessica Rosenworcel Designated Acting FCC Chairwoman
On January 21, President Joseph R. Biden designated FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel as Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission. “I am honored to be designated as the Acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission by President Biden. I thank the President for the opportunity to lead an agency with such a vital mission and…
Read MoreFlags Lowered for Former State Sen. Shirley Johnson, ‘Good Friend to the Broadcasting Industry’
Governor Gretchen Whitmer ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex to be lowered to half-staff on Tuesday and Wednesday to honor the life and service of former state Senator Shirley Johnson, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 83. “Senator Shirley Johnson was a good friend to the broadcasting…
Read MoreMichigan Broadcasters Currently Assigned to Vaccine Priority Group ‘1C’
At this time within Michigan, vaccines are being given to individuals in prioritized group “1B.” MAB President/CEO Karole L. White has been in communication with MDHHS, this group includes frontline essential workers who are continuously working closely with large numbers of the public on a daily basis. Those would include workers like first responders, firefighters,…
Read MoreAdvertising Sports Betting – What Are The Rules?
By: Karole L. White, President/CEO Michigan Association of Broadcasters The MAB has received several calls from members that were being told by ad agencies representing casinos and other sports betting organizations that TV and Radio stations had to be registered vendors with the state to accept sports betting ads. THIS IS NOT TRUE, according to…
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