Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. announced Monday (3/14) that Rebecka Butcher has been named Vice President/General Manager of WSMH-TV (Flint). Butcher will also be responsible for oversight of providing services to WEYI-TV and WBSF-TV. This is a return home for Butcher, who served as VP and General Manager of WEYI/WBSF from 2008-2015. She most recently served…
Steve Asplund, longtime news anchor at WLUC-TV (Marquette), broadcast his final show this past Wednesday (3/16), retiring after a 43-year career at the station. Asplund has held various roles at the station for more than 42 years, most recently with news director responsibilities. During his final broadcast, he delivered an emotional final farewell, surrounded by…
On March 15, Flint’s leading television stations began broadcasting with NextGen TV (ATSC 3.0), the revolutionary new digital broadcast technology. Stations participating in the launch include WJRT-TV, WNEM-TV, WSMH-TV, WEYI-TV and WBSF-TV. Based on the same fundamental technology as the Internet and digital apps, NextGen TV can support a wide range of features that are…
The Detroit Pistons announced this past Sunday (3/13) that legendary play-by-play announcer George Blaha will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NBA season due to a heart bypass procedure. Doctors diagnosed the need for the procedure during a routine check-up completed last week. The team announced on Twitter Tuesday (3/15) that “George Blaha underwent a…
Terry Foster, noted sports broadcaster and writer in Michigan, has been named president of Detroit Sports Media Association, succeeding Jennifer Hammond. Foster leads up an organization that traces its roots to 1948 when founder Ty Tyson created the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association. Joining Foster on the DSMA 2022 Executive Board are Bobby Keyes, Vice President;…
By: Seth Resler Jacobs Media Strategies When I discuss social media’s role in an overall digital strategy, I often compare it to a billboard by the highway promoting your radio station. You advertise on a billboard by the highway because lots of people drive on the highway. Your hope is that they see the billboard…
Scheduling is underway for the 2022 Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP). The ABIP is a unique partnership between the MAB and the FCC under which stations that participate can receive a three-year exemption from routine FCC inspections. The MAB’s inspector, Blake E. Thompson CBNT, will be traveling our state 4/25-4/30; 5/16-5/24; and 6/13-6/17/22. Thompson notes,…
Krol Communication’s WRSR-FM (Flint) held its annual “Fox Feeding Frenzy” last Friday (3/4/22) and brought in $61,633 for The Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, enough money to provide 369,798 Meals! The 12-hour broadcast aired 7a.m. to 7p.m. from the Food Bank on Lapeer Road in Flint. Program Director Jeremy Fenech told the MAB, “Here at…
Mid-West Family’s WYTZ-FM (Bridgeman/Benton Harbor/St. Joseph) held its annual 2-day radiothon February 23-24 for St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital, meeting their goal and raising a total of $40,000! The station has been holding the annual radiothon for 17 years now. The station’s morning show host Matt Malone said, “The total amount for every year we’ve done…
By: Mitchell Stabbe, Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP via the Broadcast Law Blog Part One With the 2022 NCAA Collegiate Basketball Tournament about to begin, as faithful readers of this blog know, broadcasters, publishers and other businesses need to be wary about potential claims arising from their use of terms and logos associated with the tournament…