Actions of the NAB Board of Directors

WASHINGTON, DC - The National Association of Broadcasters Board of Directors met on June 12-13 in Washington, DC. Below is a summary of actions.

JOINT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PROCEDURAL MATTERS
Joint Board of Directors Chairman Bruce Reese, president and CEO, Bonneville International Corp. called the NAB Joint Board to order. The Board approved the minutes of the January Board meeting.

Mr. Reese recognized new members of the Board including Randy Gravley, Matthew Mnich, Kevin Perry and Dan Savadoe on Radio Board and Paul McTear, Ralph Oakley, Scott Blumenthal, Jay Ireland and Doug Kranwinkle on the Television Board.

ELECTIONS
David K. Rehr was re-elected as NAB President and CEO, and Mike Williams was elected as Secretary/Treasurer. After a nomination by Jim Yager seconded by Steve Newberry, Belo Senior Advisor Jack Sander was elected NAB Joint Board Chairman.

ASSOCIATION STATUS REPORT
Mr. Reese outlined a list of Association accomplishments, including a very successful spring convention in Las Vegas. Mr. Reese also highlighted a recent success in the Senate related to direct-to-consumer advertising legislation that would have placed a restriction on certain drug advertisements. Mr. Reese also discussed NAB's aggressive grassroots initiatives related to the proposed merger-to-monopoly of XM and Sirius satellite radio.

NAB President and CEO David K. Rehr welcomed new Board members and discussed the many regulatory, legislative and technological challenges facing broadcasters.

Both Mr. Reese and Mr. Rehr praised NAB staff for another successful Service to America Summit, which highlighted the public service efforts of individual broadcasters and honored Sir Elton John for his commitment to HIV/AIDS initiatives.

ISSUES UPDATE
NAB EVP of Legal & Regulatory Affairs Marsha MacBride updated the Board on several issues, including media ownership and TV violence. NAB SVP of Government Relations Laurie Knight discussed likely legislation that could be introduced in the Senate regulating violent content on TV.

NAB EVP of Government Relations Doug Wiley provided the Board with an overview of legislation dealing with direct-to-consumer drug advertising.

NAB Director of Government Relations Jamie Gillespie briefed the Board on federal reporter shield legislation, which NAB strongly supports. Mr. Gillespie noted that a hearing will take place on the issue later this week.

Ms. Knight briefed the Board on legislation designating broadcasters as first responders in times of emergency, sponsored by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA).

NAB EVP of Finance & Administration Mike Williams reported on NAB activities with regard to royalty fees for Internet streaming.

NAB SVP of Legal & Regulatory Affairs Jane Mago discussed recent developments regarding Emergency Alert System regulation.

The Board also discussed recent developments related to local broadcast coverage of NFL football games and attempts to restrict such coverage.

NABPAC UPDATE
NABPAC Chairman Steve Newberry introduced Anne Brady, VP of NABPAC, who briefed the Board on the importance maintaining a strong political action committee.

TELEVISION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CALL TO ORDER
Television Board Chairman Alan Frank, president, Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc. called the Television Board to order. After a call of the roll, minutes of the January Board meeting were approved.

ELECTIONS
Following a nomination from Board member Bill Peterson seconded by Preston Padden, Mr. Frank was re-elected Television Board Chairman. Lynn Beall, executive vice president, Gannett Broadcasting was elected First Vice Chair following a nomination by Elizabeth Murphy Burns seconded by Jim Conschafter. David Barrett, president and CEO, Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. was elected Second Vice Chair following a nomination by Michael Fiorile seconded by Lyle Banks.

TELEVISION/MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES
Marcellus Alexander, EVP of Television, updated the Board on NAB TV membership, which now stands at 1,145 stations, boosted by the return of NBC Universal and Telemundo.

POLICY DISCUSSION
Jane Mago, SVP of Legal & Regulatory Affairs, briefed the Board on a number of re-regulatory policy proposals that are re-surfacing.

DTV TRANSITION UPDATE
Jonathan Collegio, VP, DTV Transition, briefed the Board on progress made by NAB and coalition partners in educating policymakers and the public on the February 2009 date for ending analog television.

CABLE CARRIAGE, RETRANSMISSION CONSENT
NAB EVP of Legal & Regulatory Affairs Marsha MacBride updated the Board on DTV cable carriage and retransmission consent issues. NAB SVP of Science & Technology Lynn Claudy briefed the Board on issues related to material degradation of local DTV signals by cable operators.

SMALL MARKET TELEVISION PROPOSAL
NAB Television Board Member Paul McTear discussed efforts by the Coalition of Smaller Market Television to win duopoly relief from the FCC in smaller markets.

MOBILE BROADCASTING COALITION
NAB Television Board Member Brandon Burgess briefed the Board on the Open Mobile Video Coalition's initiative to facilitate and accelerate the development and deployment of mobile video devices for broadcast TV.

SMALL MARKET EXCHANGE REPORT
NAB Television Board Members Madelyn Bonnot Griffin and Elizabeth Murphy Burns updated the Board on the upcoming Small Market Exchange in Austin,Texas Sept. 27-29. Ms. Burns also announced that Thomas Oakley of Quincy Newspapers is the winner of this year's Chuck Sherman Television Leadership Award.

RADIO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CALL TO ORDER
NAB Radio Board Chairman David Field, president & CEO of Entercom Communications, called the meeting to order. Minutes of the January Board meeting were accepted.

ELECTIONS
W. Russell Withers, owner of Withers Broadcasting Companies, was unanimously elected Radio Board Chairman following a nomination by Board member Ed Christian and a second from John Barger. Steven Newberry, president of Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation, was unanimously elected Radio Board Vice Chairman following a nomination by Board member Alex Snipe and a second from Caroline Beasley. Charles M. Warfield, president of ICBC Broadcast Holdings, was unanimously elected Radio Board Second Vice Chairman after a nomination by Board member Joseph Bilotta and a second from Mary Quass.

HD RADIO TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT TASK FORCE REPORT
Board Member Caroline Beasley, EVP and CFO, Beasley Broadcasting, gave an update on various NAB initiatives in support of the continued rollout of HD Radio.

HD RADIO ALLIANCE
Peter Ferrara of the HD Radio Alliance briefed the Board on marketing and public relations initiatives undertaken to promote HD Radio.

AM ON FM TRANSLATORS
NAB EVP of Legal and Regulatory Affairs Marsha MacBride updated the Board on the status of a pending NAB request to the FCC to allow AM stations to use FM translators.

XM/SIRIUS PROPOSED MERGER
Ms. MacBride, along with NAB Director of Government Relations Mike Mullen, briefed the Board on NAB actions related to the proposed government-sanctioned monopoly request from XM and Sirius Satellite Radio.

COPYRIGHT ROYALTY BOARD DECISION
Mike Williams, NAB EVP and CFO, provided a broad overview of the recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board to dramatically increase rates paid to record labels and artists for music streamed over the Internet. It was noted that legislation offered by Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) to roll back the rate hikes has attracted more than 100 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

PERFORMANCE TAX TASK FORCE
NAB Radio Board Member Bruce Goldsen, who chairs the Performance Tax Task Force, briefed the Board on message-development efforts that will be employed to thwart the RIAA's support for a performance tax.

RADIO PRIORITIES REPORT
NAB President & CEO David K. Rehr updated the Board on a variety of proactive advocacy initiatives that NAB is undertaking to better promote and advance Radio's interest inside the Beltway and on Wall Street.

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