On Wednesday, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2023 was introduced in both the House and Senate.
This bipartisan legislation ensures that the 82 million Americans who depend on AM radio each month for news, entertainment and critical safety information can continue to have access to this reliable communications medium.
Under the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, the Secretary of Transportation has one year to establish a standard for all new motor vehicles in the U.S. to come with AM radio reception and playback. This feature should be clearly visible on the vehicle's dashboard. Between the legislation's enactment and the new standard taking effect, cars lacking AM radio receivers must be explicitly labeled for buyers.
This is a great victory for broadcasters and due in no small part to the engagement of your listeners, who have sent more than 180,000 emails to Capitol Hill on this issue. Please continue to air spots and make our voices heard.
ICYMI:Reps. Bob Latta (OH-5), Greg Pence (IN-6) and 100 of their bipartisan House colleagues sent letters this week to Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, Mazda, Volvo, Tesla, Polestar, Rivian, GM and Mercedes-Benz urging them to maintain AM radio in all vehicles.
2. NAB Advocacy Leads to FCC Plan to Reduce Regulatory Fees
In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released this week, the FCC has revealed plans for decreasing regulatory fees for broadcasters in 2023.
This has been a top priority for NAB, and addresses our longstanding concern that the regulatory fee methodology unfairly forces broadcasters to subsidize work performed for other industries.
"NAB commends the FCC's efforts in refining the regulatory fee process in a more fair and equitable way. This proposal aligns with our call for a balanced fee structure. We appreciate the Commission's willingness to address this imbalance and we look forward to working closely with them during the rulemaking process," said NAB Senior Vice President, Communications Alex Siciliano.
3. NAB Leadership Foundation to Honor JPMorgan Chase
The NAB Leadership Foundation has namedJPMorgan Chase as the recipient of the 2023 Corporate Leadership Award. The award will be given during the 2023 Celebration of Service to America Awards, presented by Bonneville International and Hearst Television and held in Washington, D.C.
"We are moved by the transformative work that JPMorgan Chase is doing in local communities to expand accessible homeownership, create a more diverse and inclusive workforce and grow small businesses," said NAB Leadership Foundation President and NAB Chief Diversity Officer Michelle Duke.
4. Prep for Hurricane Season with DIRS Refresher Course
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) administers the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS), which allows broadcasters and other communications providers to quickly and efficiently report the operational status of their service and infrastructure to the FCC, as well as to request assistance.
During times of crisis, the FCC may activate DIRS, which can help government authorities identify and assist stations in need of a generator, fuel and other supplies during an emergency.
In preparation for the 2023 hurricane season, the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau will conduct an annual refresher course on June 6 and 7 to help ensure that communications providers can access and file in the DIRS system, train new employees to become familiar with the DIRS reporting process and update DIRS contact information.
Service providers that have not previously participated in DIRS reporting can register for DIRS and become familiar with the system by creating an account here.
Email and phone numbers of all participants from the provider; and
Specific geographic areas (counties, state) that the provider would like to have included in the disaster area for this exercise (optional).
5. FCC Commences Mid-Term Review of EEO Practices
The FCC is required to review the equal employment opportunity (EEO) practices of television and radio stations at the mid-point of a broadcast station's license term, or four years after a station's most recent license renewal by the FCC.
Under the FCC's rules, it will review the EEO practices of each television station that is part of an employment unit of five or more full-time employees and each radio station that is part of an employment unit of 11 or more full-time employees.
The EEO mid-term review cycle will begin on June 1, 2023, the four-year anniversary of the June 1, 2019, deadline for the license renewal application of radio stations in D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, and continue on a rolling basis for stations in all other states.
The most recent schedule of license renewal applications for radio can be found here and for TV, here.
Additional information is available in this Public Notice.
6. Media Bureau Rescinds COVID-Related Lowest Unit Charge Relief
This week, the Media Bureau released a Public Noticerescinding a temporary accommodation that allowed broadcasters to exclude free time provided to commercial advertisers from their lowest unit charge (LUC) calculations, provided that the time was not associated with an existing advertising contract.
The FCC allowed broadcasters to exclude this time from their LUC calculations during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to help broadcasters fill advertising time and build goodwill with struggling local businesses that were closed due to the pandemic.
The FCC has determined that this accommodation is no longer necessary, and broadcasters should now be sure to include this free time in their LUC calculations.
7. Strengthening Artist-Audience Connections on Radio
Recorded live at NAB Show! Marshall Altman, producer/songwriter, Nettwerk Music Group and Justin Chase, chief content officer, Beasley Media Group, join Joe D'Angelo, senior vice president, Broadcast Radio and Digital Audio, Xperi, for an in-depth look at how new technology, specifically Xperi's DTS AutoStage, deepens listener connections to music and artists on the radio in vehicles.
8. Marconi Radio Awards Nominations Deadline Approaching
Don't miss your chance to be celebrated on Rrdio's biggest night! Nominations are being acceptednow through May 31 for the 2023 Marconi Radio Awards, brought to you by Xperi, which honor excellence in radio broadcasting.
🏆 Click here for information about the awards. Winners will be announced during a special dinner program at NAB Show New York on October 25, 2023.
9. NAB on the Move
The NAB Leadership Foundation's first ever Emerson Coleman Fellowship Program kicked off this week. The fellows traveled to New York to attend TV upfronts, visit Hearst Tower and more.
10. Member Benefit of the Month: AxisPro
Enroll in property and casualty insurance and save on increased coverage, including workers' compensation, towers/equipment/business, income, automotive and umbrella. For more information, visit nab.org/BenefitPrograms.
