The NAB Pulse March 16, 2009

NAB.org | Industry Areas | News Room

New Performance Tax Analysis Refutes RIAA's International Claim
The Recording Industry Association of America's performance tax effort is founded on an incomplete and therefore misleading comparison of U.S. and international copyright law, according to a study released by NAB on March 9. The analysis was unveiled as nine additional lawmakers voiced their opposition to the record label-led effort. The bipartisan House opposition now stands at 144 lawmakers. "The record labels have devised a lobbying strategy that relies on cherry-picking international examples that paint a distorted picture of copyright law," said NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton.
Read More >

Performance Tax Legislative Update
On March 9, NAB announced that nine additional lawmakers have signed on to a bipartisan U.S. House of Representatives resolution opposing the introduction of "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local radio stations. The growing chorus of support for The Local Radio Freedom Act now stands at 144.
Read More >

Congratulations NAB Crystal Radio Award Finalists
Please join us in congratulating the finalists for the 2009 NAB Crystal Radio Awards. This prestigious award recognizes stations for their year-round commitment to community service and encompasses community service activities for the previous calendar year. The finalists will be honored and the winners announced at the NAB Show Radio Luncheon April 21, in Las Vegas, sponsored by ASCAP.
Read More >

More Radio News

Broadcast Management Session Spotlight: When the Going Gets Tough in Broadcasting >

Tuesday, March 17 is Filing Deadline for Transitioning Full-Power Stations
A reminder that all stations that have yet to transition to digital-only operations must file at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by no later than 5:30 p.m. (EDT) on Tuesday March 17, 2009, indicating the date on which they will terminate analog service. Click here to view the Order, which includes a copy of the online form stations must use to file online using the FCC's Consolidated Database System (CDBS). To access CDBS, click here. The Order also includes changes in consumer education requirements. Please look for a separate email from NAB detailing these new regulations.

In Brief

NAB Honors Seven-Time Emmy Winner Mary Tyler Moore with Distinguished Service Award
Seven-time Emmy Award winning actress Mary Tyler Moore will be honored with the NAB Distinguished Service Award during the NAB Show. The award will be presented during the All Industry Opening Keynote, sponsored by Accenture, Monday, April 20 in Las Vegas. Moore starred in two of the most highly regarded and popular comedies in television history - "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", which aired first-run for most of the 1960s and 1970s.
Read More >

NAB Show: Being Smarter in Even Tougher Times
Do drastic times demand drastic measures? Join your radio and television colleagues in Las Vegas during the NAB Show to exchange creative ideas on how to keep everyone smiling while doing more with less. This is a great opportunity to test a theory, share a problem and offer solutions. Louis Wall, president of SagamoreHill Broadcasting, and Sally Brown, vice president of Radio-Indiana for Schurz Communications, will facilitate this interactive discussion. Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear from Peter Doyle, chief of the FCC's Audio Division, and Barbara Kreisman, chief of the FCC's Video Division. Help shape the discussion before the session. Email your questions and ideas to questions@nab.org.

International Broadcasting Excellence Award Honors Rádio Expres and PRO TV
The Slovak Republic's Rádio Expres and Romania's PRO TV will receive this year's NAB International Broadcasting Excellence Award at the NAB Show All-Industry Opening Keynote, sponsored by Accenture, on Monday, April 20. The awards recognize international broadcasters who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and uniqueness in successfully serving their audience through broadcast innovation or service to their community.
Read More >

Join Your Fellow Broadcasters at the NAB Show
Join your fellow broadcasters - more than 26 percent of current registrants to date! NAB Show is seeing a higher percentage of broadcasters in the makeup of this year's current registrants. The quality of this year's attendees is ideal for both exhibitors and prospective attendees. Current registration for 2009 is showing 28.84 percent engineers (up 5.74 percent) and 25.28 percent Pres/Owner/C-Level Executives (up 5.28 percent). Register today!

Technology Innovation Awards Debut at 2009 NAB Show
NAB Show organizers recently announced that the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories are winners of the NAB Technology Innovation Awards. This new award recognizes organizations that bring exhibits and demonstrations of significant merit to the NAB Show, presenting advanced research and development projects in communications technologies. The awards will be presented Wednesday, April 22 during the NAB Show Technology Luncheon.
Read More >

2009 NAB Show to Introduce Content Commerce Pavilion
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), Electronic Arts, The American Film Institute and Brightcove are some of the leading exhibitors who will participate in the new Content Commerce Pavilion at the 2009 NAB Show. The Content Commerce Pavilion will bring together buyers and sellers from all areas of the content community, including video games, film, television and Internet production and distribution.
Read More >

The 2009 NAB Legal Calendar is available here.