Industry News

FCC paperwork can be a hassle for a radio station, even during a pandemic. But not completing it on time can be costly.

Such could be the case for a Kentucky AM station that didn’t get its FM translator license renewal application in on time.

The FCC Media Bureau said Heritage Media of Kentucky, licensee of WMTL(AM), didn’t submit its application to renew its translator in Leitchfield until almost four months after the April 1 due date, and didn’t explain why.

The base fine in this type of case is $3,000 but the FCC lowered the proposed amount to $1,500 because the station did file the application prior to expiration of the license. And the commission said it intended to renew the license, assuming no further issues emerge in the case.

The case isn’t closed yet; Heritage has 30 days to pay or challenge the fine.

The post Kentucky AM Faces Fine for Late Filing appeared first on Radio World.

The InfoComm 2021 Show has been postponed from June to October. It is the latest event on the media technology business annual calendar to suffer the impact of the pandemic.

Show owner AVIXA (which stands for the Audiovisual Integrated Experience Association) announced the change today. CEO David Labuskes wrote that planners are making the change “with a holistic perspective of all factors in North America.”

The event now is scheduled for Oct. 23–29 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. In 2019, the last time InfoComm was held in person, it attracted about 44,000 people.

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The show website states, “While third-party research indicates a high confidence level for attendees to return to in-person events in 2021, we also acknowledge the delay in the widespread distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccines within the U.S. which may influence an individual’s ability and willingness to travel to InfoComm.”

Among other things, this change means that, if current plans hold, the month of October is going to be an important one for physical trade shows in and around the media and AV industries. October is also when this year’s 2021 NAB Show is to be held, combined with the fall Radio Show and co-located in Las Vegas with the AES fall show.

“AVIXA has continued to monitor the vaccine rollout, economic indicators, travel restrictions, and the show community to better gauge overall trends and future conditions for holding a major event in the U.S. in June of 2021,” Labuskes wrote.

He said that a postponement had “overwhelming support” from the show’s stakeholders. “As excited as the community is about the show, and as hopeful and optimistic as we remain in combatting the pandemic, it is believed that the U.S. will be further along in the battle against the pandemic by October than in June.”

A FAQ page has more info.

Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) continues to plan its scheduled event in Barcelona in June. ISE is a joint venture of AVIXA and CEDIA, the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association.

The post InfoComm Show Postponed to October appeared first on Radio World.

“Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios Networks has resolved and withdrawn the lawsuit against Charter Communications.”

That’s the entire “official joint statement” released late Wednesday (2/3) by both companies, settling a matter that dates back several years for the broadcast media mogul.

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Of course, there’s a lot more detail to the matter that deserves explanation.

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From the 1970s through the start of the 1990s, radio broadcast stations from a “distant” locale could be received via cable television systems. It’s how Ulster County, N.Y. FM radio listeners were able to receive New York City-based stations some 90 miles north of the Empire State Building.

It seems that distant retransmission of radio broadcast signals by cable TV systems is still a thing, and the Copyright Royalty Board is seeking comment on a proposed royalty rates and terms settlement that also covers the distant retransmission of broadcast TV signals.

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Thank you, Georgia.

With ownership of the CBS affiliate in Atlanta, along with unaffiliated “Peachtree TV,” Meredith Local Media was one of several broadcast media company that saw bonus political dollars flow through the end of 2020 — thanks to twin U.S. Senate runoff elections.

Those extra bucks, along with non-election spot television advertising improvements from the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, led Meredith’s broadcast TV arm to achieve a 141% year-over-year adjusted EBITDA increase in its fiscal Q2 of 2021.

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Nexstar Inc. named Jeff Moriarty as its new executive vice president and chief product officer, Digital Division.

The division operates its portfolio of digital news offerings and media brands in lifestyle and entertainment. He is based in Los Angeles and reports to Karen Brophy, president, Digital.

Brophy said the move is part of the company’s efforts to expand digital footprint “by rolling out new product offerings designed to diversify our audience.”

The multimedia company is heavy in TV station ownership but also owns WGN Radio in Chicago.

Moriarty has held roles at Gannett/USA Today Network, JPiMedia and the Boston Globe.

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The post Nexstar Names Moriarty to Digital Post appeared first on Radio World.

Doug Harvill will retire from Cumulus Media this spring.

The company said his last day will be May 14. Harvill is vice president and general manager of Cumulus San Francisco, including KSAN(FM), KGO(AM), KNBR(FM/AM) and KSFO(AM).

“For the past 24 years, Harvill led successful radio station groups in San Francisco and Sacramento, Calif.,” it stated in a press release.

“Prior to joining Cumulus Media, he was senior vice president/market manager, CBS Radio/San Francisco from 2005 through late 2017, following nearly nine years as senior vice president/market manager for CBS Radio/Sacramento.

“As vice president and national program director for EZ Communications in Fairfax, Va., Harvill was part of the corporate team that led the station group through significant acquisitions and duopolies, more than doubling the size of the company, and through its 1993 public offering on NASDAQ.”

A company spokeswoman said a successor has yet to be named.

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The post Harvill Will Retire From Cumulus appeared first on Radio World.

Sunday, February 29, is the final day for WGN America. It’s set to rebrand as NewsNation, the name of the prime-time news block that debuted in September 2020 as part of a systematic relaunch of the network under Nexstar Media Group ownership.

Its News Director won’t be around to carry out the network’s rechristening.

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Call it a reimagining of the annual mid-May dog-and-pony open bar parade across Midtown Manhattan called the Upfronts.

Or, you can call it, as NBCUniversal is, “a new annual gathering designed to offer a global view of the insights, stories, entertainment, and technology connecting consumers to businesses.”

However you spin it, “ONE21” is set to combine “the magic of the media and entertainment industry with the strategic insights and solutions of a platform developer conference.”

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He’s had a 46-year career in radio that included roles as CBS Radio/San Francisco SVP/Market Manager from 2005 through late 2017. He was also VP/National PD for the former EZ Communications.

In May 2018, he was lured to lead Cumulus Media’s Bay Area stations.

Now, Doug Harvill is ready to conclude his career in radio broadcasting.

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