On September 8, Governor Whitmer signed Senate Bill 745, which appropriates $2.8 billion in supplemental funding from federal revenues awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover a temporary $300 per week enhanced federal payment for eligible Michiganders receiving unemployment benefits. As part of the FEMA program, the additional $300 per week in unemployment… read more
A federal appeals court stuck down an FCC radio incubator program before it even began last year. That effort has found new hope in Congress, where U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) has introduced a bill that would not only revive an incubator for radio but include television too. “As a former radio station owner in… read more
The dominant marketplace power of a handful of digital technology platforms puts local broadcast radio and television stations at a competitive disadvantage for advertising revenue and impedes broadcasters’ ability to effectively monetize their own content online, said National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) President and CEO Gordon Smith in a filing submitted to the House Judiciary… read more
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP The FCC’s order on this year’s annual regulatory fees was released by the FCC this week. The FCC rejected calls to forgive broadcast regulatory fees because of the economic fallout of the pandemic, noting that only Congress could pass such relief, as the FCC is required by law to collect fees… read more
The Fall 2020 football season was reinstated Thursday (9/3) by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) after Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 176 lifted restrictions that previously did not allow the sport to be played. Whitmer’s executive order also allows for an immediate start of competition boys soccer; Lower Peninsula… read more
According to new research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, companies that run ads immediately after political TV commercials should not worry about the spillover of political opinion tainting their messages. “Our investigations provide insights into the previously unexplored ad-to-ad spillover effects and, more broadly, provides insights into how political messages influence consumers…. read more
Storm Team 8 meteorologist and eightWest co-host Terri DeBoer celebrated 25 years at WOOD-TV (Grand Rapids) this past Tuesday (9/1). DeBoer started at the station in 1995 as a co-anchor on Daybreak with Rick Albin. During her time at WOOD-TV, she joined the Storm Team 8 team and became a co-host of eightWest. Throughout the… read more
Townsquare Media has announced the appointment of Jerry ‘JT’ Tarrants as Director of Content for its Kalamazoo cluster, following the retirement of Mike McKelly in August. McKelly joined the cluster’s WRKR-FM in 2002 and was later promoted to Operations Manager. Tarrants spent seven years at Beasley Media/Detroit, joining the company as Program Director of WCSX-FM,… read more
Special Thanks to Jeremy Fenech for sharing! Krol Communication’s 103.9 The Fox, WRSR-FM (Owosso/Flint, is celebrating 20 years of playing classic rock in the Flint market. As current Program Director Jeremy Fenech tells it, then-Cumulus-owned station, under the local direction and leadership of Flint radio legend Jeff Wade, made the switch at noon on September… read more
On September 2, WCMU Public Media (Mt. Pleasant) hosted a “virtual conversation” on Zoom, offering insight on how local Michigan communities are approaching both online and in-person learning while keeping their communities safe. “Returning to School” featured speakers including Superintendent of Gaylord Community Schools, Brian Pearson; Superintendent of Bay City Public Schools, Stephen C. Bigelow,… read more