This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing titled "Listen Here: Why Americans Value AM Radio."
NAB member J Chapman, president of Woof Boom Radio, testified, telling the story of AM station WNTA's critical role in relaying information during a train derailment in 2009.
🚗 "A car is often the only source of power and news for many in an emergency. AM radio's presence in cars helps ensure that listeners won't lose access to emergency alerts during times of crisis and cannot be replicated by other media," said Chapman.
Dig deeper: Video of the hearing can be viewed here.
Also this week: A coalition of public safety groups sent a letter to congressional leaders and the ranking members of House and Senate committees in support of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.
2. Public Service in the Spotlight
The NAB Leadership Foundation honored the recipients of the 2023 Celebration of Service to America Awards at their 25th annual gala.
The awards, presented by Bonneville International and Hearst Television, honor the impact and excellence in community service and philanthropy by local radio and television stations.
🏆 Hosted by "Good Morning America" weekend co-anchor Gio Benitez, eight stations and ownership groups were recognized for their outstanding work.
Multihyphenate entertainer Wayne Brady was presented with the Service to America Leadership Award and JP Morgan Chase was honored with the Corporate Leadership Award.
3. Perry Sook Elected as NAB Joint Board Chair
Perry Sook, chairman and chief executive officer, Nexstar Media Group, was elected chairman of the NAB Joint Board of Directors at this week's meeting of the joint board. Sook takes over from David Santrella, chief executive officer, Salem Media Group, whose term expired.
Collin Jones, executive vice president, Strategy and Development, Cumulus Media Inc., was elected radio board chair.
Pat LaPlatney, president and co-chief executive officer, Gray Television Inc, was elected television board chair.
View the full list of elections and appointments here.
As part of the board meeting, board members were treated to a fireside chat between Rep. Jeff Duncan (SC-3), the new co-chair of the Broadcasters Caucus and member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt.
4. New Date: FCC DIRS Training
In preparation for the 2023 hurricane season, the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau will conduct an annual refresher course to help ensure that providers can access and file in the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) system.
This course, originally scheduled for June 6-7, has been postponed to July 6-7, 2023, due to the current DIRS activation in Guam. Service providers that informed the FCC of their plans to participate in the June refresher need not take any action and will automatically be included in the July refresher.
Email and phone numbers of all participants from the provider
Specific geographic areas (counties, state) that the provider would like to have included in the disaster area for this exercise (optional)
The Bureau asks that participants provide their initial data sets by 10 a.m. EDT on July 6 with an updated report filed by July 7 at 10 a.m. ET. The Bureau will send a deactivation letter by 3 p.m. ET on July 7 notifying participants that the simulated event has been completed.
5. April Carty-Sipp Joins Leadership Music Class
NAB Executive Vice President, Industry Affairs April Carty-Sipp has been named to the Leadership Music class of 2024.
In this program, music industry leaders can learn about all segments of the music business and explore current issues affecting the industry.
6. Member Benefit of the Month: APPI Energy Webinar
NAB member benefit partner APPI Energy will host a live, 30 minute webinar on Tuesday, June 20 at 11 a.m. ET to provide an update on what's happening in the energy markets, what to expect in the coming months and key strategies and solutions for taking control of energy costs at your organization.
Click here to learn more about the webinar and register.
Enroll in commercial energy consulting and procurement services with APPI Energy as an NAB member.
