An Electronic Publication of the National Association of Broadcasters

NAB Fights Congressional Effort to Upend Retransmission Consent Process

Retransmission consent revenue is critical to local stations’ ability to invest in their news teams, investigative reporting and public service, but there is a new congressional effort to upend these free market negotiations all for the benefit of mega-companies such as $300 billion media giant AT&T. NAB is fiercely opposing newly introduced legislation that would undermine broadcasters ability to negotiate for retransmission consent.

Gordon Smith Stands Up for Local Stations in Media Institute Speech

NAB President and CEO Gordon H. Smith was the featured speaker at The Media Institute’s Communications Forum Luncheon last week. He spoke on broadcasters’ commitment to the First Amendment and the value of retransmission consent to support localism, saying, “The simple fact is, the retransmission consent process is a free-market system that works. Ninety-nine percent of all deals get done without interruption. And, my guess is that 100 percent would get reached if pay-TV companies do not purposefully try to create a problem simply so Congress attempts to ‘fix’ it to their benefit.” Read the full speech here.

Prepare for Summer Meetings with Beltway Briefings: Congressional Recess Special Edition
Watch On-Demand

Tune in for a special edition of Beltway Briefings, a live, bimonthly briefing addressing current events and issues facing broadcasters on Capitol Hill. With the August congressional recess just around the corner, hear directly from your advocates at NAB as they prepare you for any meetings you have scheduled with your legislators while they are home in their districts. This webcast is a complimentary NAB member benefit and is available on-demand for NAB members.

Show Your Support for Local Radio on Social Media

The broadcaster-supported Local Radio Freedom Act (LRFA) is our best protection against a performance tax that has long been advocated by the record labels. This bill opposes any new performance royalty on broadcast radio stations for playing music. Thanks to your help, LRFA now has 186 cosponsors in the House and 24 in the Senate, but we must keep growing these numbers. Today, NAB released a video on “Five Reasons Why Congress Should Support the Local Radio Freedom Act” on social media. Please join us in sharing the video on Twitter or Facebook!

NAB Congressional PSAs Ready for Airing

NAB Congressional PSAs are now available for radio and television stations via Extreme Reach. Please consider airing the PSAs as often as you have extra inventory between now and December 31, 2019.

Show Policymakers Broadcasters’ Vital Role in Your Community

Please download and air our recently updated We Are Broadcasters TV and radio spots today highlighting the important role local radio and TV stations play in our communities. Your participation in this campaign makes a big difference in our efforts to advocate for a strong broadcasting industry. Please air this spot as often as possible, with a particular emphasis on times when your legislators are home in their districts. The August recess begins today for the House of Representatives and next week for the Senate. View all recess periods here.

Don’t Lose Your Viewers!

As TV stations across your market move to new frequencies, it is important to work collaboratively to help spread the word and educate antenna viewers so that they do not lose access to their local stations. Stations that are moving frequencies should reach out to other market general managers to enlist their help in spreading the word about your rescan day. This collaboration ensures our industry continues to serve antenna viewers by delivering the lifesaving information broadcasters provide.

Get Ready for the Annual EAS Test August 7

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced that the next annual test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) will take place on August 7, 2019 at 2:20 p.m. (EDT), with August 21, 2019 as a back-up date if weather or other circumstances preclude conducting the test on the initial date. The test message will use the National Periodic Test (NPT) event code and be geo-targeted using the All-US (000000) geocode.

Commercial Television Broadcasters: Don’t Forget July 31 Copyright Royalty Claim Deadline

Commercial Television stations whose signals were carried as distant signals by at least one cable system in 2018 must file a claim with the Copyright Royalty Board no later than July 31, 2019. If a station fails to file within this time frame, it cannot collect any royalties for 2018. As of 2017, filing a claim is now a two-step process. First, if your station did not do so last year, you should register through the new eCRB system. Second, you should file your claim online through the Copyright Royalty Board’s website. For more information, please read the NAB Counsel Memo.

TV Stations in DMAs 50+: Join Us for the Small Market Television Exchange – September 12-14
Money Makers Deadline Extended: August 2

Attention TV Stations in DMAs 50+, join us in Austin, Texas, on September 12-14 at the J.W. Marriott for the Small Market Television Exchange (SMTE), two days of revenue-generating sessions, networking opportunities, the can't-miss SMTE party and more! Register now at nab.org/SmallMarket.

At the heart of SMTE, is the annual Money Makers Competition. TV stations submit their best sales promotion ideas in the months leading up to SMTE. Through several rounds of voting, the Small Market Television Advisory Committee selects up to 25 Money Makers finalists who will present their entries onsite throughout the conference. SMTE attendees vote live onsite to select the Best of Round from among these finalists.

With vacation season underway, we have extended the deadline for entries to Friday, August 2. Submit your station’s original sales promotions ideas today. By entering, you will also receive all entries submitted to the Money Maker competition. Visit nab.org/moneymakers.

The NAB Podcast Bonus: Here's an Innovative New Strategy to Help You Manage Your Time

Discover a state-of-the-art way to prioritize your time and become more efficient on our latest podcast. In just 20 minutes Brian Moran, author of the New York Times bestseller The 12 Week Year and Small Market Television Exchange premier speaker gives you the core aspects of his program which will lead you down a path of prime productivity.  

Radio Show – September 24-26
Igniting the Podcast Revolution

Join leaders from the exploding podcast industry for a Radio Show special session, "The Podcast Revolution," Wednesday, September 25. Hear directly from the people leading today's podcast boom about what any size broadcaster, audio specialist or advertiser can do to produce quality and profitable podcast content. You'll walk away with actionable tips on everything from the creative process and successful branding to monetization and distribution opportunities for all. Don’t miss this revolution – register now!

Breaking News: 2019 NAB Marconi Radio Award Finalists Announced

NAB Show NY – October 16-17
LaPlatney, Lawlor, McCreery, Sook to Headline TV2020

On October 16, join (from left to right) Pat LaPlatney, president and co-CEO, Gray Television, Inc.; Brian Lawlor, president, Local Media, E.W. Scripps Media Company; Patrick McCreery, president, Meredith Local Media Group and Perry Sook, president, chairman and CEO, Nexstar Media Company, who will survey the state of the TV broadcast business and its revenue growth opportunities at TVNewsCheck’s fourth annual TV2020: Monetizing the Future. Save $100 using code TV01 for this exclusive access.

Technology Internship Grants Return for 2020

There is a growing need to attract the next generation of technical talent to broadcasting. Internships provide an ideal solution for stations looking to find the next generation of engineers and technologists, but budgetary constraints can make these programs difficult to implement.

To combat this, last year PILOT and the NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF) started the Technology Internship Grant. In this blog post, Skip Pizzi tells you all you need to know to apply by the August 16 deadline.