An Electronic Publication of the National Association of Broadcasters

Broadcast Spectrum Repack Recap

Phase 10, the final phase of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) spectrum repack, officially ended on Friday, July 3, 2020. In total, nearly 1,000 TV stations changed frequencies since the spectrum repack began in September 2018.

NAB President and CEO Gordon H. Smith commended these stations and their dedicated staffs for their tireless work to complete these transitions. Click here to read NAB's statement on the repack.

Census Bureau Accepting Ad Buy Proposals from Local Stations

NAB has been aggressively seeking federal advertising opportunities for local radio and television stations facing enormous economic challenges due to the pandemic. To that end, NAB has been in contact with the Census Bureau on utilizing local broadcast advertising to increase response rates to the census in areas where they fall below the national average. We're pleased that the Census Bureau announced a $75 million RFP process for spots that will target mostly rural areas beginning in August and September. As the media planning and buying window is extremely tight, we encourage stations that are interested in submitting a proposal to do so as soon as possible.

Defending Journalists' Rights: Resources Available to Stations Covering Protests

NAB continues to be concerned about recent violence against journalists who are legally covering covering the civil unrest throughout the nation. Click here for a list of resources and information to help stations navigate these dangerous situations.

Furthermore, NAB and the NAB Leadership Foundation have worked closely with broadcast journalists, station managers, news industry leaders and journalism educators to create a toolkit with guidelines for reporting on sensitive matters of race and religion. Access the Awareness in Reporting toolkit to learn more.

We're Adding Additional Content to NAB Show Express

NAB Show Express wrapped up in May, but it isn't over! Content is still available on-demand with more being added in the coming months. We'll continue to feature sessions covering the trends and topics relevant to your career to keep you up-to-speed and your skills sharp. Exhibitors have setup dynamic profiles for you to explore their products and take your questions. Continue to check out the website to see the added content.

Utilize the Election Toolkit to Help Increase Voter Registration and Participation

NAB's 2020 Election Toolkit provides radio and television broadcasters with ideas and resources to help increase voter registration, education and turnout, as well as guidance on how to identify misinformation and fact check statements from political candidates. It offers tips for helping get out the vote, information on sponsoring debates and ideas for social media engagement and includes sample PSA scripts.

We encourage stations to send stories of your election and debate coverage to Suzie Raven, senior manager, NAB Public Affairs, at sraven@nab.org so that we can promote what your station is doing to help build a stronger democracy. Also, in the coming weeks, NAB will make voter registration PSAs available to stations to support this effort. Stay tuned!

Attention All Television Stations: Post Your Carriage Election Contact Information Online by July 31, 2020

TThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently modernized its carriage election notice rules. By the end of this month, TV broadcasters need to take action to comply with some of these new rules.

All Commercial TV Stations Must File Cable Royalty Claims by July 31, 2020

Commercial television stations whose signals were carried as distant signals by at least one cable system in 2019 must file a claim with the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) no later than July 31, 2020. If a station fails to file within this time frame, it cannot collect any royalties for 2019. As of 2017, this is now a two-step process: (1) If you did not do so last year, you must register through the new eCRB system and then (2) file your claim by July 31, 2020. Details on how to register and file a claim are provided in an NAB counsel memo, available here.

FCC Extends Waiver of Sponsor ID Rules to Allow Stations to Air PSAs During Donated Prepaid Ad Time

On June 26, the FCC's Media Bureau released an order extending its April 3 temporary waiver of the sponsorship identification requirements to reduce regulatory burdens on broadcasters airing PSAs during airtime originally purchased by commercial advertisers. The waiver will now be in effect through August 31, 2020.

REMINDER: Deadline to Confirm Earth Station Registration is July 16

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has ordered the reorganization of C-band satellite spectrum to provide additional spectrum for wireless companies. This will involve filtering and other technical solutions for any broadcaster that has a satellite dish used to receive programming via the C-band. Only earth stations that are registered in the FCC's database will be eligible for reimbursement for any expenses associated with these changes.

Lowest Unit Charge Exemption Remains in Effect

On March 25, the FCC's Media Bureau announced extremely helpful and responsive guidance regarding the calculation of the lowest unit rate (LUR) for political advertising given the dire economic circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal law requires broadcasters to charge political candidates no more than the LUR for the same class and time of advertising offered to commercial advertisers. NAB and individual broadcasters have informed the FCC that financial difficulties arising from COVID-19 have caused many commercial advertisers to cancel their advertising commitments, and to build goodwill, broadcasters would like to offer free time to commercial clients. However, under normal circumstances, doing so could potentially dramatically lower a station's LUR.

Helping Stations Navigate the Pandemic

As states begin to reopen, broadcasters and other businesses are still grappling with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While we've been on the front lines keeping our communities connected and informed, our trade association has been working around the clock to provide vital resources and support the needs of all broadcasters. Our NAB team is fighting for congressional and regulatory relief and providing tools to help your station continue to serve your local communities.

Click here to see how NAB is actively working to support your station and the resources available to you.

Your NAB membership means you have a team of professionals fighting for you every day in Washington, D.C. For assistance accessing these tools, don't hesitate to contact your NAB Membership Concierge at (202) 775-2555 or membership@nab.org.

COVID-19 Webcast: Guiding Your Community

NAB and research firm SmithGeiger provide timely and detailed information on how broadcasters can best operate during the coronavirus pandemic.

Reminder: COVID-19 Spots that Focus on Mental Wellness Available

NAB has produced public service announcements (PSAs) for stations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are available here for TV stations and here for radio stations. The PSAs focus on a mental wellness message of hope and encouragement for Americans, and direct listeners and viewers to WeAreBroadcasters.com/Hope.

New NAB Podcast Examines NAB's Diversity Initiative

On our latest podcast episode, newly appointed NAB Chief Diversity Officer Michelle Duke outlines her new position, discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion in broadcasting and details NAB's upcoming diversity initiative. Also, learn about the various resources the NAB Leadership Foundation is producing and what's in store for the 2020 Celebration of Service to America Awards.

Summer Webinar Series: How to Build Out a Next Gen TV Station

Join us for our new summer webinar series designed to help station engineers and technology managers gain a better understanding of the ATSC 3.0 standard that powers Next Gen TV.

This webinar series is exclusively available to NAB members and includes seven segments entitled:

• Standing up a Host Station (Now Available)
• ATSC 3.0 Layered Structure (Now Available)
• Encoding and Packaging (Now Available)
• Encapsulation, Signaling and Gateway (Available July 16)
• HELD and NRT, Application and Framework (Available July 30)
• Content Security and Service Protection (Available August 13)
• Host Station Configuration and Service Profiles (Available August 26)

Free for NAB members!

Upcoming Webcast: RadioDNS Setup Tutorial

Join NAB and RadioDNS on Wednesday, July 15 at 2 p.m. ET for a free live webinar to learn how to setup and support hybrid radio (over-the-air plus internet) using RadioDNS. Designed specifically for software developers, this webinar will provide a step-by-step guide on how to generate a service information (SI) file from an existing database of station information, so that your radio station can utilize all the capabilities that BMW and Audi hybrid radios have to offer!

Cyber Awareness for Broadcasters

Provides each staff member with a strong level of awareness as well as tools to help keep their organization safe. This course will provide the foundational practices that make up good cyber hygiene and habits every employee should incorporate into their workdays. FREE for a limited time!