MAB thanks Congressman Mike Rogers for his leadership during the transition to digital television. (Left to Right) Ross Reardon (WLAJ-TV, Lansing), Gene Shanahan (WLNS-TV, Lansing), Greg Jablonski (Livingston County Radio Co.), Mike Rogers (R-8), Karole White (Michigan Association of Broadcasters), Duane Alverson (MacDonald Broadcasting) and Mike King (WILX-TV, Lansing).	MAB thanks Congressman Fred Upton for his leadership during the transition to digital television. (Left to Right) Peter Tanz (Midwest Communications), Jeffery Wright (Midwest Communications) Gayle Olsen (Midwest Family Broadcast Group), Karole White (Michigan Association of Broadcasters), Fred Upton (R-6), Janet Mason (WZZM-TV, Grand Rapids), Jim Lutton (Freedom Communications, Inc.) and Rob Wagley (Cumulus Media, Inc.).	MAB thanks Congressman Gary Peters for his leadership during the transition to digital television (Left to Right) Trey Fabacher (WWJ-TV, WKBD-TV, Detroit), Debbie Kenyon (CBS Radio, Detroit) Congressman Gary Peters (D-9), Karole White (President/CEO, Michigan Association of Broadcasters) and David Jessup (Government Relations Manager, Michigan Association of Broadcasters).

The MAB continued its meetings with members of Michigan's congressional delegation during Congress’ August recess. While healthcare has been at the forefront of the public debate, MAB was able to discuss the issues critical to our industry with many of them. We, as broadcasters, are privileged to have members who understand the challenges facing the broadcast industry today.

MAB President and CEO Karole White, and Government Relations Manager David Jessup, have been able to connect Congressman Fred Upton (R-6), Congressman Vern Ehlers (R-3), Congressman Mike Rogers (R-8) and Congressman Gary Peters (D-9) with constituent members in their respective districts. As reported in the August MAB e-newsletter, these come on the heels of meetings with Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-10) and Congressman Bart Stupak (D-1).

The meetings were a great success, as a multitude of topics were covered. From opposing the Performance Tax to the reauthorization of the Satellite Home Viewer Act, MAB and its members took advantage of this unique opportunity to outline the policy goals and objectives of Michigan's broadcasters. Additionally, the MAB presented certificates of appreciation to the delegates for their leadership and support during the transition to digital television.

MAB is dedicated to continuing to work to bring members and their elected officials together in an effort to maintain a lasting and fruitful relationship between the broadcast industry and those who are in charge of overseeing it from a regulatory standpoint.

The effort to secure additional meetings will continue beyond the August recess. With all the issues that have the potential to affect our industry, MAB has made it a priority to continue to assist its members in forging relationships with their congressional representatives.

Stay Close With Our Lawmakers
By Tim Feagan, Clear Channel Radio - West Michigan
The broadcast industry faces uncertainty in today’s marketplace and regulatory environment. Couple that with the tough economic times we find ourselves in and it is clear there has never been a more important time to develop, grow and maintain working relationships with legislative leaders at the state and federal levels.

The Michigan Association of Broadcasters will continue to expand its efforts to forge relationships with top decision makers, through raising awareness of the important role broadcasters play in the local community. This important work will help ensure success, but it is the strong support of MAB members that will help put Michigan’s broadcasters at the forefront of policy debates.
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Staying engaged……
By Julie Koehn, WLEN-FM (Adrian) and Michigan Representative to NAB
This says so much on so many levels. We all need to stay engaged. We stay engaged with our customers or we lose them, both our advertising clients and our listeners and viewers. We stay engaged with our local communities and with our nation, or we feel out of the loop about what is happening that could directly impact us. We stay engaged with our elected officials -- both state and national -- so they understand the consequences of their actions as they relate to us and to the public that we serve.

Summertime is a great time to stay engaged with your elected officials. I know the MAB was vigilant in making visits to our elected officials while they were home for the summer recess. I personally had the opportunity to have dinner with our Congressman Mark Schauer (D-19) and his wife Christine while they were home.

The NAB has been staying engaged with what’s happening in the beltway. Although our elected officials were home for recess, the business of Washington continues everyday. Here’s a little update since the last time we visited.
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Are You Ready For The Upcoming Political Broadcasting Season?
It’s that time again! Time to start making sure that you are 100% compliant with political broadcasting rules and regulations. The MAB is here to help you clarify the rules and understand what your station is legally responsible for with a FREE webcast on the topic.

Bobby Baker and David Oxenford will present a two hour webcast from the campus of Michigan State University on Tuesday, November 10th from 1pm-3pm. Topics covered will include lowest unit rate, third party issue advertising, reasonable access and equal opportunities, sponsorship identification, public file requirements and more.

This webcast is being offered to MAB members at NO COST! That’s right, FREE! MAB members must register in advance and can attend either in-person or online. The webcast will be archived and available for viewing on-demand for six months.

To register, please fill out a registration form and return it to the MAB by November 2.

Plan Ahead for 2010 and SAVE with your MAB Membership
Did you know that your MAB membership helps to offset the cost of many of our member programs? MAB invests in these programs to serve you, our member, for the lowest cost possible.

To assist you in budgeting for the coming year, below are the member costs for MAB programs in 2010, as well as the savings your membership provides.

Broadcast Excellence Awards
BEA Entry $35 per entry (a savings of $20 off the actual cost)
Awards Banquet $35 per person (a savings of $105 off the actual cost)

Great Lakes Broadcasting Conference & Expo
Full Conference (early registration) $149 per person (a savings of $125 off the actual cost)
Full Conference (late registration) $179 per person (a savings of $95 off the actual cost)
Lansing Center Parking $5 per day, per entry
Radisson Hotel-standard room $118 (plus 13% room tax and 6% sales tax)
Lexington Hotel-standard room $104 (plus 6% room tax and 6% sales tax)

Chairman’s Banquet & Lifetime Achievement/Hall of Fame Awards (summer event)
Banquet/Awards (early registration) $60 per person (a savings of $129 off actual cost)
Banquet/Awards (late registration) $100 per person (a savings of $89 off actual cost)

MABF Golf Scramble
Entry Fee $150 per person

Political Broadcasting Webcast
Registration per person/logon FREE for members (a savings of $200 off the actual cost)

Summer Sales Seminar & Webcast
Registration per person/logon FREE for members (a savings of $400 off the actual cost)

PLUS! EEO-Friendly Programs to Build UP Your EEO File
Career and Networking Fairs $250 per booth
Internship Program $600 per intern
Station Scholarship Program $1,250 per scholarship
Student Conference Sponsorships $250 - $800

Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP)
Starting at $475 for radio, $675 for Television; plus travel and administrative fees

"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." -- Derek Curtis Bok

These wise words remind us that to stay competitive in our volatile industry, one must be constantly learning and improving. GLBC is designed for the busy broadcaster trying to stay at the top of their game. Located in Lansing, GLBC is a short drive from many downstate locations and offers a variety of different education and networking events for only $149 per person (member rate).

GLBC will feature a full exhibit hall, a keynote address from industry gurus, breakout sessions on engineering, sales, media production, news, career advancement and more, as well as networking events to energize, refresh and help you pump up your rolodex!

Speakers and sessions are being planned right now and will be added to our website (www.michmab.com) as they are confirmed. Have a speaker or a topic you would like to see at GLBC? Email Jennifer at Preslar@michmab.com.

By Tom Mogush, Chairman, Michigan Association of Broadcasters and President/Owner, WMQT-FM/WZAM-AM, Marquette

MAB will offer several opportunities to better our broadcasting skills in 2010. Plan to invest in yourself and budget to participate. If you are a manager, you should gladly allow your employees who are willing to take the initiative on their own dollar to improve their skills. Allow them the time needed to get better.

Fall Book 2009: 10 Areas to Review for a Strong Defense
By Gary Berkowitz, Berkowitz Consulting Group
With the fall ratings underway, it’s never too late to check out these key programming points to make sure you are operating at 100% efficiency.

1. Keep the music familiar and focused. Take no chances on new music. Check the log carefully on a daily basis for balance and flow. Avoid clumping of same sounds. Keep the tempo “even”. As an at-work utility, Let's make sure we’re easy to keep on all day.
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Radio Eavesdropping
By Jeffrey Hedquist, Hedquist Productions
You can’t help it. When you hear an interesting conversation nearby, you try to catch what’s going on. It’s like peeking through a keyhole into someone else’s life. This is an exercise you already engage in. Here’s how to make it productive.

Next time you eavesdrop; take a moment to write down what you’ve heard. Speak the words if you can into that unobtrusive recorder you carry with you for just such occasions. At least write down as close a version of what you’ve overheard as possible – maybe a 20-30 second snippet of conversation. Keep these audio snapshots as idea starters or reminders of speech patterns.
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WSU’S Broadcast Students Have Diverse Backgrounds
but Common Goals
By Alicia Nails, Director, WSU Journalism Institute for Media Diversity
He’s a relatively young man with a relatively old story. Twenty-seven year old Marquis Herring hadn’t graduated college, but he wanted to continue toward his junior high school dream and host a major market talk radio show. At the time, Herring was a manager at a metro Detroit KFC.

"My passion has always been broadcasting,” he says. So the man who’d trained in radio by razor splicing reel-to-reel, enrolled in Wayne State University last year and took his place among the diverse array of students studying broadcast journalism at WSU.
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naYES! 2
By Fred Jacobs, Jacobs Media
After last week's Apple "There's FM radio in the new nano" announcement, we celebrated the event in this blog. This step is something of a validation for broadcast radio, long the victim of bad PR and a lot of media piling on.

OK, it's true that some of these wounds were self-inflicted, but radio has been the victim of the media's fascination with what's hot and new. Amazingly, other "old media" - namely newspapers and television - often seem to be the source of much of this "radio sucks" coverage.

So when Steve Jobs finally decided that it was in Apple's best interest to admit that broadcast radio can be part of the portable entertainment menu - at least on the nano - it was one of those good news stories that so often eludes radio.
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Employers Need to be Wary of Retaliation Claims
By Terry Kasiborski, Butzel Long
Many federal and state laws that afford rights to employees expressly prohibit employers from retaliating against those employees who exercise their rights under those statutes. Federal statutes that expressly forbid retaliation include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the National Labor Relations Act. Michigan statutes that make retaliation illegal include the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act, the Whistleblower’s Protection Act, the Persons With Disabilities Civil Rights Act, the Workers’ Disability Compensation Act and the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act. .
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Terry Kasiborski manages the MAB Human Resource and Employment Legal Hotline: 313-225-7064.

NAB Names Gordon Smith New President And CEO
Gordon H. Smith, of Covington & Burling LLP, a former two-term U.S. Senator from Oregon and successful entrepreneur before launching his career in politics, has been selected as the new President and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters. Smith, who will be introduced to broadcasters and make brief remarks at the NAB Radio Show in Philadelphia, will officially join the broadcast advocacy organization on November 1. He will be introduced to the entire NAB Board of Directors at a meeting in Dallas in mid-October.

The 57-year-old Smith served in the U.S. Senate from 1996 to 2008, where his committee assignments included the Senate Commerce Committee, the panel that oversees all broadcast-related legislation. Smith also served on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has been widely respected as a pragmatic lawmaker able to successfully reach across party lines. Smith's role on the Commerce Committee and as the Chairman of a Senate High Tech Task Force, helped foster his interest in new media and new technology issues.

"We conducted an exhaustive search to identify the very best individual to lead a great trade association," said NAB Joint Board Chairman Steve Newberry. "We're convinced we have found that person in Gordon Smith. His background as a lawyer, a statesman, and as an entrepreneur -- coupled with his extensive knowledge of broadcast issues from having served many years on the Commerce Committee -- make Gordon eminently qualified to represent the interests of free and local broadcasters in Washington."

Born in Pendleton, Oregon, Smith attended college at Brigham Young University, received his law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, and practiced law in New Mexico and Arizona before returning to Oregon to direct the family-owned Smith Frozen Foods business in Weston, Oregon. Before serving in the U.S. Senate, Smith was elected to the Oregon State Senate, rising to the position of president of that body after only three years.

Harwell Diagnosed With Cancer
The MAB is sad to report that the longtime voice of the Detroit Tigers, Ernie Harwell, has announced that he's been diagnosed with incurable cancer. Harwell, 91, has told The Detroit News "It could be a year. It could be much less than a year, much less than a half year. Who knows? Whatever is in store, I'm ready for a new adventure." Harwell was most recently the face and voice of the MAB's Digital Television Transition campaign, seen and heard statewide.

WCSX Welcomes Jamie Samuelsen To Morning Show
Greater Media's WCSX has announced that Jamie Samuelsen has been added to the station's "Deminiski & Doyle Show" as sports director, effective September 14. Samuelsen most recently served as sports anchor for the company's WRIF-FM and also was a morning drive personality at WDFN-AM in Detroit.

"Detroit is a marketplace with a rich sports history," said John Gallagher, Market Manager of Greater Media Detroit. "Our listeners are passionate fans who have told us the importance of getting their sports information from their favorite morning show. Jamie brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and contacts to the number one rated morning show in Detroit."

WYCD Receives CMA Nominations
The Country Music Association has announced its nominees for this year's awards and CBS Radio's WYCD-FM been nominated in two categories. The station received a nomination for Major Market CMA Radio Station of the Year; and the station's morning show, "The All New Dr. Don Morning Show with Doc, Grunwald, Rachael and Jason" received a nomination for Major Market CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year.

The winners will be notified in mid-October and will be acknowledged at the CMA Awards on November 11.

WION Ownership Celebrates Five Years!
On August 29, Packer Radio celebrated five years ownership of WION-AM in Ionia with an open house of listeners and supporters of the station. Packer Radio partners Jim Carlyle and Jim Aaron purchased the then-dark station in 2004 and returned it to the air to serve its community.

Those attending were treated to full station tours, lunch as well as a "Moonwalk" for kids. Pictured: (L-R) WION's Jim Carlyle, Helen Dunn and Jim Aaron.

Weston Joins MFRN
Annette Weston, former news director of WSJM-AM Radio in St. Joseph/Benton Harbor has joined the Michigan Farm Radio Network as agri-news reporter. Weston is an award-winning broadcast journalist with vast radio news experience.

Weston will work with Rob Buttery, who moves into an editorial role as MFRN's agri-news editor.

Jay Barry Retires
After 44 years at WIKB-AM/FM in Iron River, serving the last 39 years as its general manager, Jay Barry has announced his retirement. In addition, Barry has been hosting one of the longest-running talkshows in the country, named "Telephone Time".

Replacing Barry is Mike Eakin, who joins the station from Cumulus Broadcasting in Appleton-Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Ad Council Awards Plaque to Clear Channel Radio/Detroit
Clear Channel Radio Detroit president and general manager Til Levesque, along with director of marketing and promotions Devediah Paramore recently accepted an honorary plaque from the Ad Council in support of its public service campaigns over the years.

Thanks to Clear Channel's help, campaign messages preventing foreclosure, high school dropouts and drunk driving have reached the masses in Southeast Michigan.
Pictured (L-R) Clear Channel's Til Levesque and Devediah Paramore.

WLNS Anchors Trade Shifts; Skubick Joins Station
Longtime WLNS-TV/Lansing news anchors Jane Aldrich and Sheri Jones have traded shifts at the station. Aldrich, who stepped down to part-time and was replaced by Jones three years ago, is now resuming her full-time role with Jones moving to part-time work. Aldrich will cover the station's 5 and 6 p.m. newscasts with Jones anchoring the 11 p.m. newscast with Dave Akerly.

The station also announced that veteran Lansing capitol correspondent Tim Skubick has joined the station. Skubick is the dean of the Lansing Capitol press corp and covered Michigan politics for decades.

WZZM Anchor To Host Radio Talk Show
Lee VanAmeyde, evening news anchor for WZZM-TV/Grand Rapids will be hosting a daily afternoon talk show on Citadel Broadcasting's new news/talk radio station WJRW. Van Amedyde started his career in radio at the University of Michigan's WUOM and has also worked at WAAM-AM/Ann Arbor as well as WNIC-FM and WOMC-FM in Detroit.

VanAmeyde has been reporting the news at WZZM-TV for 32 years and is currently the anchor of the station's 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news. He will continue to anchor for the station.

NAMI Michigan Launches TV Awareness Campaign
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Michigan has launched a television awareness campaign designed to dispel the negative stigma associated with mental illness. NAMI Michigan's anti-stigma TV campaign has been distributed to television stations in cooperation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. The PSAs strive to educate the public and break down barriers and the negative image of people who are diagnosed with mental illness.