An Electronic Publication of the National Association of Broadcasters

Thank You for Tuning in for a Great NAB Show Express!

A very successful NAB Show Express, held May 13-14, kicked off with NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith's annual state of the industry speech and a keynote conversation between Smith and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai.

"We don't know how long this pandemic will last, or what the lasting effects of it might be on our economy," Smith said in his remarks. "But, there is one thing I do know - broadcasters endure. Right now, you are in the darkest valley, but know that for most Americans, you are their beacon of light and hope. You are on the front lines of this battle, and I want you to know that NAB stands together shoulder to shoulder with you."

"Broadcasters really do serve the entire community," said Chairman Pai. "That one-to-many platform is important."

Latest Coronavirus Relief Legislation Includes Expanded Eligibility for Broadcasters

NAB's advocacy team has been working around the clock to obtain relief for broadcasters struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic.

We are pleased that newly introduced legislation expands eligibility for broadcasters to participate in the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan program. Read NAB's press release here.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA-12) and Rep. Nydia Velazquez (NY-07) led the effort in the House of Representatives to include expanded access to Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans for local radio and television stations in the legislation. Sens. Maria Cantwell (WA), John Boozman (AR), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Joni Ernst (IA) and Chuck Schumer (NY) introduced the companion legislation in the Senate.

New on the NAB Podcast, Tom Poleman, president of National Programming Group for iHeartMedia, details multiple on-air initiatives his stations have launched to better serve their local communities during the coronavirus pandemic.

New COVID-19 Spots that Focus on Mental Wellness Now Available

NAB has produced new 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 on the NAB Podcast, Allison McKee, NAB's vice president of Human Resources, discusses various ways to keep remote employees engaged, productive and connected as well as what HR-related considerations companies should be exploring as the United States gradually reopens.

Legislation Opposing a Performance Tax Nears Majority in U.S. House

Thanks to your grassroots efforts and the work of NAB's advocacy team, the Local Radio Freedom Act, which opposes a performance tax on radio, has reached 211 cosponsors in the House and 27 in the Senate. Once the number of House cosponsors reaches 218, we will have secured a majority of the House on the Local Radio Freedom Act, which will pose a significant hurdle for record labels to move performance tax legislation. Help protect your station from a new performance tax so you can keep investing in the communities you serve by garnering congressional support for the Local Radio Freedom Act. Click here to find out if your legislators support this resolution and ask them to stand up for local radio!

We Are Broadcasters Campaign Highlights Lifesaving Service

During the crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic, local broadcasters across the country have stepped up to provide their communities with the news, support and comfort they need most. The We Are Broadcasters campaign is proud to highlight this service, including the vital support broadcasters provide for frontline workers. Please tag your stories of service on social media with #WeAreBroadcasters or reach out to WeAreBroadcasters@nab.org so we can honor your station's work.

Radio Reaches Listeners During Moments of Crisis

In 2020, radio is celebrating its centennial year. To highlight this special anniversary, we're putting the spotlight on the enduring value of radio with #Radio100. This interview with WHUR-FM's Renee Nash shows how local radio stations have quickly pivoted their programming to bring listeners the breaking news and emergency information they need to stay safe and healthy.

NAB Staff Community Impact

NAB staff are giving back to the community during the COVID-19 crisis. Watch the first episode of the new NAB Staff Community Impact series and find out how NABPAC Manager Alyssa Niemiec is helping her neighbors get groceries, clean common spaces and more.

FCC Adopts Streamlined Application Notice Procedures

Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted an order that will streamline and modernize its rules governing broadcaster-generated public notices of applications. The revised rules make application notices more consistent across services and application types, permit broadcasters to provide shorter on-air notices on a reduced and more flexible schedule and replace the current print newspaper notice requirement with online notices. Specifically, stations will conspicuously place an "FCC Applications" link or tab on their home pages that brings users to the text of the notice, which includes a link to the application.

Stations Must Add Carriage Election Contacts to Online Public Files by July 31, 2020

Last summer, the FCC modernized its carriage election notice rules by permitting broadcasters to post their carriage elections online and to send notices to covered multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) by email only when changing their carriage election status. The approach replaces the requirement to send a paper notice via certified mail to MVPDs every three years. A key element of the new system is the requirement for stations to establish a contact email address and phone number for any carriage-related questions from MVPDs and to post that contact information in their public files. To facilitate the revised carriage election procedures, the FCC has updated the online public inspection file (OPIF) system to allow broadcasters to upload carriage-related contact information. The information may be uploaded by signing into OPIF, accessing the "Profile" tab and completing the "Carriage Election Contact Information" fields. Broadcasters must upload their carriage election contact information by July 31, 2020. Elections for the 2021-2023 carriage cycle must be made no later than October 1, 2020. For further information, see the Media Bureau's Public Notice.

FCC Relaxes EEO Policy for COVID Pandemic

On May 4, 2020, the FCC announced a policy that will allow broadcasters to forego the current obligation to widely disseminate job vacancies in rehiring employees laid-off due to the economic downturn precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under current rules, broadcasters must engage in broad recruitment outreach for all full-time job vacancies. The FCC found good cause to waive this requirement to help enable impacted broadcasters to return operations to full strength once circumstances allow the re-hiring of released employees. Specifically, broadcasters will be permitted to re-hire full-time employees who were laid off due to circumstances related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic without first conducting broad recruitment outreach, if they re-hire such employees within nine months after the date they were laid off.

FCC Waives Requirement to Broadcast License Renewal Pre-Filing Announcements

The FCC has waived the requirement that radio and television stations broadcast pre-filing announcements in connection with applications for renewal of their FCC license. This change of policy is permanent, as the waiver will take effect beginning with stations scheduled to file renewal applications on August 3, 2020, and continue until new rules eliminating the pre-filing announcement obligation become effective in the coming months. The FCC determined that eliminating this obligation will help reduce administrative and compliance burdens on broadcast stations, enabling stations to increase public service announcements and other programming intended to keep the public informed of developments concerning the COVID-19 outbreak. Broadcasters should be aware that this decision has no bearing on the requirement to broadcast license renewal post-filing announcements.

Educational Resources for the COVID-19 Crisis

NAB is actively working to provide vital resources to support the needs of broadcasters. For a limited time, NAB has made the following tools and resources available for free to members and non-members. Use your nab.org login credentials to sign-up. For assistance, please contact Member Services at membership@nab.org or call (202) 429-5400.

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.

NAB Show Express: Small and Medium Market Radio Forum On-Demand

Designed specifically to help the small and medium market radio community, don't miss out on the Small and Medium Market Radio Forum sessions to help radio broadcasters adapt to the changing business landscape due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These on-demand sessions will cover business operations management, digital advertising, revenue generation and audience engagement.

NAB Show Express: Business of Media Sessions On-Demand

Don't miss the Business of Media track available via NAB Show Express, which offers informational sessions for broadcasters covering topics such as Generation Z listenership insights, managing massive change during a crisis, generating ROI from your digital upgrade, popular podcast monetization strategies and more. Sessions are available now for on-demand viewing.

Broadcast Career Link Offers FREE 30-day Job Postings

At the NAB Leadership Foundation, our mission is to help shape the future of broadcasting by investing in our greatest resource: our people. During these unprecedented times, our online career service Broadcast Career Link is offering FREE job postings for the month of May to help you fill roles and provide support during these challenging times.