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The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking filed by Gray Television Licensee, LLC, (Gray), licensee of KAIT, channel 8, Jonesboro, Arkansas, requesting the substitution of channel 27 for channel 8 at Jonesboro in the DTV Table of Allotments. In support of its channel substitution request, Gray states that the Commission has recognized that VHF channels have certain propagation characteristics which may cause reception issues for some viewers, and also that the reception of VHF signals require larger antennas, relative to UHF channels.'' According to Gray, many of its viewers experience significant difficulty receiving KAIT's signal, and while there is small terrain limited predicted loss area, the viewers will continue to be well served by at least five other stations and receive ABC network service from another station licensed to Memphis, Tennessee.

The Commission has before it a petition for rulemaking (Petition) filed by KVII Licensee, LLC, (Licensee), licensee of KVII- TV, Channel 7, Amarillo, Texas (KVII or Station), requesting the substitution of channel 20 for channel 7 at Amarillo in the DTV Table of Allotments. Licensee states that the proposed channel substitution for KVII from VHF channel 7 to UHF channel 20 would allow KVII to significantly improve its over-the-air service to the Station's viewers in the Amarillo, Texas, market. Licensee states that the proposed channel change from channel 7 to channel 20 would result in a substantial increase in signal receivability for KVII's core viewers and enable viewers to receive the Station's signal with a significantly smaller antenna. Licensee maintains that KVII, as a VHF channel station, has had a long history of dealing with severe reception problems exacerbated by the analog to digital conversion. The proposed migration of KVII from channel 7 to channel 20, Licensee contends, is in the public interest based on the enhanced signal levels that will be delivered to a large percentage of the Station's population without any predicted loss of coverage. Further, Licensee maintains that the change will result in an predicted increase of 9.44% in the Station's overall population and the staff has determined there is no loss of service. Licensee concludes by saying that the public interest would be best served by promptly granting its Petition with the specifications set forth therein so that Amarillo-area viewers may benefit from substantially improved over-the-air broadcast television service as soon as possible.

Cox Media Group named Jaleigh Long as vice president and market manager for Atlanta and Athens radio in Georgia.

“Long assumed the role in an interim capacity earlier this year and will now officially lead one of the industry’s most notable and successful radio sales organizations CMG Atlanta Radio (WSBB(FM)/News 95.5 WSB, WSB(FM)/B98.5 FM, WSRV(FM)/97.1 FM The River, WALR(FM)/KISS 104.1),” the company said.

[Read: Cox Names Rob Babin Head of Radio]

She joined CMG Atlanta Radio in 2014 as general sales manager and earlier worked for South Central Media and Susquehanna Radio.

The announcement was made by Rob Babin, SVP, CMG Radio.

Send People News to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post CMG Puts Long in Charge in Atlanta appeared first on Radio World.

The Bureau enters into a Consent Decree with Grace Life Church of Lake City Inc

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The Federal Communications Commission will decide in April whether to cap the number of applications that one entity can submit in the upcoming window for new FM reserved band stations.

As we’ve reported, the commission plans a window for new noncommercial educational FMs this year.

It had indicated that it wanted to cap the number of applications per entity, to avoid any kind of repeat of the 2003 translator window in which it was swamped with 13,000 applications, many from speculative filers.

Now, Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says that at its April meeting, the commission will vote on a proposed cap of 10.

“Prior experience shows that the 10-application cap strikes the best balance of the commission’s objectives — providing a meaningful opportunity for applicants to file for new NCE FM stations in to expand service while, at the same time, deterring speculative applications and procedural delays,” she wrote in a preview of the meeting agenda.

[Read more about the FCC’s reasoning for a cap.]

The commission has said it is expecting a lot of interest in this window for several reasons: There’s no application filing fee; there are no ownership limits in the reserved band; there has not been a filing window for new NCE FM applications for over a decade; and the commission recently simplified and clarified the rules and procedures including how it treats competing applications.

The post FCC Will Vote on NCE App Cap appeared first on Radio World.

RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION

On Monday, RBR+TVBR learned of a big hire at Cumulus Media‘s Detroit operation. David Corey, one of the top programming executives who knows as much about Morgan Wallen and Maren Morris as he does about MacKenzie Porter and Alessia Cara, is now heading up WDVD-FM and WDRQ-FM.

Given the big news, our editor-in-chief grabbed his smartphone, opened up the TuneIn app, and selected the WDVD stream.

That’s when something stuck us: How did we know that we could stream WDVD on TuneIn, and not Radio.com or iHeartMedia?

We are certain that we’re not alone in this conundrum. It only begs the question: Why can’t the industry unite and support Radioplayer — which brands itself as “radio in one place?”

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Acting FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel‘s first two months on the job have proven to be inconsequential for those in the radio and the TV industries. With the Supreme Court set to rule in three months on the Commission’s appeal of its cross-ownership rule rewrite, Rosenworcel isn’t likely to bring up anything big for broadcast media for the near future.

That said, the April 2021 Open Meeting Agenda will see the FCC vote on a Public Notice that sets an applications cap for new noncommercial educational FM stations.

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Circle City Broadcasting’s racial discrimination lawsuit against Dish Network will proceed, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

That elicited cheers from licensee owner DuJuan McCoy, as he seeks to return his stations offering The CW Network and MyNetwork TV programming to Dish in the Indianapolis DMA.

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LOS ANGELES — The Member of Congress who represents the historically African American parts of Los Angeles County has been selected to serve as the inaugural guest in a new NAB “Spotlight Series,” which features D.C. politicians discussing key initiatives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion and their perspectives on broadcast media.

This first live discussion, scheduled for Noon Pacific on April 8, will see a heralded KNBC-4 in L.A. reporter conduct the live discussion on behalf of the NAB.

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A collective of TV measurement leaders has joined forces to quantify the effectiveness of the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s “It’s Up to You” COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative.

It happens to be the largest PSA campaign in U.S. history.

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Getty Images/Pawel Wembley

It begins with a low hissing sound, like air being let out of a thousand car tires. Within days, the noise is so loud that having a conversation outside is challenging.

Reality has exploded as millions of large black bugs — downright prehistoric, with orange wings and red, beady eyes — cover the trees, crunch under your feet, get caught in your clothing and stick to your hair.

While it may feel like yesterday, it has been 17 years since cicadas dominated the environment of millions of Americans. Since 2004, the Magicicada septendecim, cassini and septendecula species have been gorging on root sap and now they’re nearly ready to emerge from the dirt to munch on trees and gleefully mate.

Are you ready for some comic relief this spring? Aren’t we all?

Once soil hits 64 degrees, anywhere from mid-May to late June, our noisy neighbors of 2021 will emerge in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Promotion ideas

For stations addicted to national collective contesting, this one-in-17 spectacle should encourage you to dream up unique local challenges that involve kids and families. During a time when one of the safest places we can be is outdoors, having fun with cicadas is a natural.

The author’s daughter is shown in a family video having fun with cicada shells in 2004.

Here are a few idea starters:

Cicada Cuisine: Okay, so it’s not for everyone … but adventurous eaters know why cicadas have been called ”the shrimp of the land.” I was astonished at the number of cicada recipes available for soups, snacks, main dishes, desserts and even candy (like chocolate cicadas). Engage your listeners in the search for the best cicada recipe, along with gathering tips and cooking techniques. If your morning show is hungry and brave enough, perhaps the finalist creations could be sampled on-air and ranked for creativity, flavor, and yes, crunchiness!

Cicada Travel: Perhaps your area will be light on cicada numbers but close enough to a high-density region. If by late spring it’s okay to start encouraging travel, why not send a pair of listeners on a cicada scavenger hunt to an area where cicada cacophony rules. Sound levels can hit 100 decibels and have a nearly hypnotic effect. Your contest winners can record the sound for you and send video for your website. Maybe you have them go camping in a forest for the full effect.

Hunt and Gather: Cicadas shed their shells. These husks are brown and look terrifying, but, like the bugs, are totally harmless. Have kids gather and count the shells up to the number of your station frequency. Your junior entomologists take a pic or video of their collection and submit to win a cicada mask with your station logo.

Bug Me to Draw: It’s a perfect time to give away a VW Bug. Could be a new Bug or a classic Beetle. It might be easier to get a dealer to do it as a two-year lease. To enter, have listeners submit their best drawings or paintings of cicadas, put them on your Instagram feed, then do a random drawing from all the entries.

News stations, get your reports ready to roll so you’ve got plenty of stories to feed your cicada-swamped listeners.

Keep in mind that there will be people who initially freak out, so getting folks to understand that the creatures are harmless is a first step.

Sure, small trees and certain plants may need netting for protection. And folks will want to check the car and drive with closed windows since the crazy buzz of a cicada on a driver’s face or neck could cause an accident. But cicadas are really different and interesting and there’s a lot to talk about.

Could you find a local resident who has been around for four or more cicada events? Now that’s a story that a cicada sensationalist would surely enjoy.

The post Catch the Buzz With Listeners appeared first on Radio World.

A decision rescinded by the Federal Communications Commission’s Media Bureau helps clarify when a nonprofit broadcaster does (and does not) need to pay regulatory fees — even if that nonprofit’s translator is rebroadcasting commercial content.

Two North Carolina FM translators licensed by Radio Training Network (RTN) have license to rebroadcast programming of the digital WDCG(HD2) channel of WDCG(FM), which is licensed to Capstar TX. RTN filed a renewal application for the two translators in July 2019 but soon after saw an objection filed by Triangle Broadcasting, which said the translators were operating as commercial stations and that RTN had neglected to pay the associated regulatory fees.

Triangle said in its objection that the two translators are rebroadcasting the programming of a commercial station (the one licensed to Capstar, itself a commercial entity) and that broadcasting commercial programming is inconsistent with RTN’s charitable purpose. This is problematic, Triangle argued, because Capstar may exercise control over the translators and could have an ownership interest in RTN.

[Read: FCC Rejects Call to Let Two Licenses Expire Over Nonprofit Kerfuffle]

As a basis for its argument, Triangle pointed to the nonprofit entity Positive Alternative Radio (PAR), which pays regulatory fees for commercial translators.

This is not the first time Triangle has placed such an argument in front of the FCC. In one of its recent objections to the commission, Triangle claimed that two Georgia translators have been operating ostensibly as commercial stations because they rebroadcast commercial FM stations.

RTN countered Triangle’s objections by saying that it is a qualified, nonprofit, tax-exempt entity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code and is therefore exempt from paying regulatory fees on all of its licensed stations as laid out under FCC Rules.

According to RTN, the exemptions it receives are based on its status as a nonprofit entity. RTN said that as a nonprofit in the state of Georgia, it is fully recognized as a nonprofit entity and is permitted to generate business income as long as it primarily engages in activities that accomplish one or more tax-exempt purposes.

RTN added that its status as a nonprofit entity —  not the commercial nature of the programming it rebroadcasts — serves as the determining factor for assessing regulatory fees.

In its reply, Triangle argued that regardless of its nonprofit exemption, the FCC Rules also require broadcasters to adhere to another section of the rules, which provides that a noncommercial translator will only be used for the advancement of educational programming. The nonprofit exemption cannot be valid, Triangle argued, because RTN’s translator station is rebroadcasting noncommercial programming.

The Audio Division initially determined that even though RTN is a nonprofit entity, the translators are operating as commercial translators and thus RTN should be required to pay regulatory fees. RTN then paid those fees to avoid its application being dismissed but it said again that it should be exempt from paying regulatory fees on all of its licensed station, regardless of the nature of the translators’ programming.

RTN said that the programming and nature of the primary station are irrelevant in determining whether a translator is exempt from regulatory fees. The bureau erred here, RTN said, when it found that the nonprofit exemption applies only to nonprofit or noncommercial activity and argued that the nonprofit exemption applies to a licensed based solely on its status as a nonprofit.

The Media Bureau looked again at this case and in the end, agreed with RTN — the broadcaster is recognized as a nonprofit organization and is exempt from paying regulatory fees for the translators. RTN demonstrated that it meets the nonprofit requirements laid out by the commission, which is all that is required to obtain exemption from regulatory fees, the FCC said.

The commission said that operation of a commercial translator does not affect a broadcaster’s status as a nonprofit entity with either the IRS or the State of Georgia. The commission generally defers to the IRS on whether a licensee is complying with Internal Revenue Code.

The FCC also rejected Triangle’s argument that RTN should pay regulatory fees because another nonprofit, PAR, paid regulatory feels for translator stations rebroadcasting commercial programming. The FCC said PAR’s failure to claim nonprofit exemption is irrelevant in this case. Finally, the commission said that Triangle did not properly explain how Capstar, the commercial station, has any attributable interest in the aforementioned translator.

As a result, the Media Bureau rescinded the first Audio Division decision (in which RTN was charged regulatory fees) and it denied the objection filed by Triangle.

 

The post To Pay or Not to Pay appeared first on Radio World.

On the final day of the first quarter of 2021, Univision Communications offered an up-close look at the company’s fourth quarter and full-year 2020 results.

It officially concludes the Vince Sadusky era of leadership at Univision, and a period in which Madison Dearborn Partners, Providence Equity Partners, TPG, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Saban Capital Group lost a significant amount of money with their pricy investment in the media company just before the great economic downturn of the late 2000s.

The timing couldn’t be better for Univision. While Q4 revenue improved year-over-year, Univision swung to a net loss.

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Mark Tuesday, May 4 on your calendars.

That’s when the biggest broadcast TV station owner in the U.S. releases its first-quarter 2021 results.

Nexstar Media Group confirmed that date on Wednesday, setting 9am as the time when company leaders including founder Perry Sook will review the results.

The timing couldn’t be better for the company, as its stock began 2021 with a full recovery from the COVID-19 fueled dip it saw to end Q1 2020. In fact, Nexstar celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with NXST finishing at $160.37.

Nexstar shares have cooled off slightly since then and as of 11:30am Eastern on March 31 were at $139.60. Still, that’s within the record high range NXST soared to across Q1 ’21.

What’s in store for Nexstar?

“While we continue to operate in a dynamic environment, full year 2020 free cash flow was in line with our pre-pandemic expectations and 2021 is off to a solid start,” Sook said during Nexstar’s Q4 and full-year 2020 earnings call for Wall Street analysts and investors. “As a result, we are reinstating guidance and expect to generate pro-forma average annual free cash flow of approximately $1.27 billion over the 2021/2022 cycle which supports our view that Nexstar’s path to growth, expanded returns of capital and enhanced shareholder returns remains on plan.”