Legislative Update
March Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters: EAS and Next Gen TV Rulemaking Comments, Incentive Auction Reimbursements, TV Auction, GMR Licensing Deadline, and More
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP March is one of those months where no regularly scheduled FCC deadlines fall. But there are still plenty of other deadlines and dates of importance to broadcasters that fall during this month, from comment dates in rulemaking proceedings, to the start of an auction for new TV stations…
Read MoreControversial Super Bowl Political Ads on Local Stations – Why They Can’t Be Pulled
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP Ads planned to run in (last Sunday’s) Super Bowl by Republican candidates in primaries to select candidates for 2022 senate elections drew comments and controversy even before the game, with some calls to block the ads from the air. Ads for a candidate in Pennsylvania used the “Let’s…
Read MoreYour MAB: Working with Congress and Lawmakers for Our Members
The Michigan Association of Broadcasters are proud to work on behalf of our members to educate Congress and state lawmakers about the issues that impact our industry. Over the past two weeks, the MAB and representatives from stations across the state have met with multiple members of Congress and their staff. Michigan currently has seven…
Read MoreMAB Delivers Access to Broadcasters at the State Capitol; Opportunity to Weigh on FOIA
Providing access is a key mission of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. This week, the MAB is proud to have fought for and won an issue that is important to our members who cover activities at the state Capitol. Last week, media parking spots were removed on Ottawa St. near the Capitol building. Those were…
Read MoreGMR and RMLC Announce that Radio Royalty Settlement is Effective – Gives Commercial Radio Stations One Last Chance to Join Licensing Agreement by March 31
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP In a press release issued today (2/7), the Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) and performing rights organization Global Music Rights (GMR) announced that enough commercial radio stations signed the GMR licensing agreement to allow the settlement of the RMLC/GMR litigation to become effective. As we wrote when the settlement was announced early last month,…
Read MoreThe Hill: Republican John James Announces Congressional Bid
Michigan Republican John James on Monday (1/31) announced a bid to represent the state in the U.S. House. The Hill reports that James, who ran unsuccessful Senate campaigns in 2018 and 2020, is vying to represent Michigan’s newly drawn 10th Congressional District. The district is expected to be competitive, as it encompasses parts of swing…
Read MoreFCC Follow Up to Stations that Did Not File Biennial Ownership Reports Last December – Fines to Follow?
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP The FCC sent out a flurry of reminders to broadcasters who did not file their Biennial Ownership Reports by the December 1, 2021 deadline. As we wrote in our reminder in November, these reports were to be filed by licensees of all full-power radio and TV stations (commercial and…
Read MoreStreaming High School Sports: MAB’s Sam Klemet Chats with Josh Trust, COO of Heritage Broadcasting
Michigan broadcasters can now stream high school sports after the MHSAA changed its policy due to the efforts of the MAB and our members. Josh Trust, COO of Heritage Broadcasting in Traverse City, was instrumental in working on making the changes a reality. He sits down with MAB President Sam Klemet to talk about what…
Read More64 Michigan Stations Air Governor Whitmer’s State of the State Address
We are proud to announce that 64 Michigan broadcast stations – 30 television and 34 radio – carried the Governor’s 2022 State of the State address this past Wednesday (1/26) night. The list of stations includes members of the MAB as well as the Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters (MAPB). The MAB provided commercial television…
Read MoreThe Clock is Ticking Towards the Super Bowl: 2022 Update on Super Bowl Advertising and Promotions
By: Mitchell Stabbe, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP via the Broadcast Law Blog There was record viewership for the last-second victories in each of the 2022 NFC and AFC Divisional Round games. Thus, the interest in this year’s Super Bowl game may be unprecedented and advertisers may want to take advantage. For the last six years,…
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