NAB President/CEO Gordon Smith gave a 13-minute update on Tuesday’s (5/26) RBR+TVBR Coronavirus INFOCUS podcast about the organization’s efforts to gain federal relief for local radio and television broadcasters as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold across the country. “We have been very active on Capitol Hill” Smith said, adding that the NAB’s issues have… read more
InsideRadio reports there’s more evidence radio listening is rebounding in May following a decline due to stay-at-home orders enacted in March and April to stem the spread of the coronavirus, according to an online survey conducted in mid-May by Jacobs Media. “It’s a really, really positive story,” Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs said on Wednesday… read more
State House and Senate Republicans filed a request late on May 22 for an emergency bypass of the Court of Appeals to have the Michigan Supreme Court hear oral arguments in its lawsuit challenging Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s use of emergency powers during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Tuesday (5/26) report in Gongwer. Last week,… read more
MAB’s lobbyist firm Kelly-Cawthorn is providing this update for MAB members: We hope you and your families are managing well and doing your best to stay safe and healthy during this uncertain time. The total number of cases in the state has risen to 56,014, including 5,372 deaths. This includes 3,604 cases and 65 deaths… read more
Interlochen Public Radio has received $5,000 from Google News Initiative’s Journalism Emergency Relief Fund. The Journalism Emergency Relief Fund was founded to support the production of original journalism for local communities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund provides financial assistance to small- and medium-sized news organizations around the globe producing original news for… read more
A seemingly vague road map to recovery and the inevitability of massive debt were among the top concerns shared by Michigan restaurateurs and retailers on Tuesday (5/19) during a Senate committee discussion regarding the safe reopening of the state’s economy, according to a report in Gongwer. John McNamara, Vice President for Government Affairs at the… read more
Broadcasters may soon be able to take advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program after a bipartisan-backed bill was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday (5/13) that would allow local radio and television stations and newspapers to tap into the federal government’s small business loan forgiveness program, according to a report in InsideRadio. While stations and… read more
Partnering with PCFU and local restaurants, Gray Media’s WILX-TV (Lansing) has raised more the $10,000 in its ongoing effort to “Feed the Frontline.” On Monday (5/11), the station announced that donations had totaled $10,551 as it served up lunch with Ryan’s Roadhouse to Sparrow Clinton Hospital. The “Feed the Frountline” effort began on April 14… read more
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told a virtual NAB Show Express audience on Wednesday (5/13) that legacy public service commitment of the nation’s broadcasters is “showing up in spades” during the pandemic, according to a report in Broadcasting+Cable. Following the FCC’s May 13 public meeting, Pai was interviewed by NAB President Gordon Smith at the NAB… read more
Many Michigan broadcasters have completed the MAB survey regarding the distribution of the anxiously anticipated FEMA cotton washable masks. At this time the MAB has not received any masks to distribute. Once they are received we will contact everyone that has completed the survey available at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BJGT8RT The NAB, who is coordinating the… read more