Issue No. 248 | April 2, 2021 | View Online
Upcoming Events

April 15 | 2:00 p.m.
FREE Webinar: How to Take Advantage of Email Marketing Without Overextending Your Staff (Register Now)

April 29-30
MAB State Capitol Day

April 30
Nomination Deadline: Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement and Young Professional awards. (Learn More)
MAB State Capitol Day: April 29- 30
Take a day to make virtual visits with your state legislators. It's easy. Just register for the free MAB State Capitol Advocacy Day and MAB does the rest. You will be paired with a couple of other broadcasters from your area. MAB will prepare the issue papers and a report on the economic impact of Michigan's Broadcasters on the state. We set the Zoom meetings for you. Read More
Congratulations to the 2020 BEA Stations of the Year!
Thank you all who tuned in last week for the daily BEA presentations. We congratulate all the winners, especially the 2020 Stations of the Year, which are listed below. Review the complete list of Best and Merit winners and order duplicate awards at BroadcastExcellenceAwards.com.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
SBA's PPP Loans Extended to May 31
On March 30, President Biden signed into law the two-month extension to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. As a refresher, the legislation extends PPP through May 31 and allows 501(c)(6) organizations and others more time to pursue a second PPP loan. Further, if eligible organizations apply by May 31, the Small Business Administration will permit lenders an additional 30 days to process and approve any outstanding applications. Read More
April Brings End to Some COVID-19 Unemployment Provisions
Mlive reported on Wednesday that COVID-19 is no longer a valid excuse to get state unemployment in Michigan starting April 1, however, people sidelined from work for a virus-related reason can still get federal unemployment pay – if eligible. Read More
Bipartisan Congressional Voices Back Media Diversity Efforts
There is fresh bipartisan backing in Congress for advancing media diversity, according to a recent InsideRadio report. Resolutions have been introduced in the House and Senate that call diversity a “core tenet” of the public interest standard in the government’s media policy. Read More
FCC Adopts R&O To Start Round 2, COVID-19 Telehealth Program
On Wednesday (3/30) the FCC voted to formally adopt a Report and Order and Order on Reconsideration to establish Round 2 of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program, a $249.95 million federal initiative that builds on the $200 million program established as part of the CARES Act. Read More
Copyright Royalty Board Given Two More Months to Complete Decision on Webcasting Royalties for 2021-2025
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP
The Copyright Office this week granted a request from the Copyright Royalty Board for more time to decide on the royalties to be paid to SoundExchange for the public performance of sound recordings by webcasters, including broadcasters who simulcast their programming on the Internet. Read More
ENGINEERING & EAS
Protect Your Station from Random FCC Inspections
You say they don't do that anymore! Not true, they do. It's easier than ever before. With so much of our business activities available in our public file and on electronic forms at the FCC, they can easily inspect a station without ever coming to your door. Additionally they still investigate complaints. Read More
IN THE NEWS
David Corey Joins Cumulus Detroit as Director of FM Programming
Cumulus Media has announced that it has appointed David Corey as Director of FM Programming for its Detroit cluster, overseeing radio stations 96.3 WDVD-FM (Hot AC) and New Country 93.1 WDRQ-FM (Country). Corey most recently served Beasley Media Group as Country Brand Manager and was Program Director for WKLB-FM in Boston from 2017 to 2020. Read More
Entercom Becomes Audacy
Entercom Communications Corp. announced March 30 that it is transitioning its brand name to Audacy, effective immediately. Entercom operates 230 stations nationwide, including six in the Detroit market. Read More
WEMU Hosts Pop Up Fundraisers
Broadcast media had to pivot quickly when the pandemic hit and everything shut down. In addition to trying to adjust to work from home, soothing an anxious staff and audience, and trying to handle the avalanche of news and information that came our way, WEMU and other public broadcasters had to completely redesign on-air fundraisers. Read More
WSGW Fills Former Limbaugh Timeslot with 'Markley, Van Camp & Robbins'
Alpha Media's WSGW-FM (Saginaw) “FM Talk 100.5” has tapped “Markley, Van Camp & Robbins” to fill its 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. slot most recently occupied by the Premiere Networks-syndicated “Rush Limbaugh Show,” according to reports in InsideRadio. The trio is based at the company’s news/talk KXL-FM in Portland, Ore. Read More
WCFX to Present Drive-Through Easter Event
On Saturday, April 3, Grenax Broadcasting's WCFX-FM (Clare/Mt. Pleasant) will host the Mt. Pleasant Parks and Recreation Great Egg Rec N' Ramble, a drive-thru Easter event for community members to enjoy. Community members can drive to different locations to get goodie bags filled with candy, trinkets, make and take activities, and a ticket with a chance to win a grand prize. Read More
TRAINING & EDUCATION
FREE WEBINAR: How to Take Advantage of Email Marketing Without Overextending Your Staff
with Seth Resler, Jacobs Media Strategies

Thursday, April 15, 2021 | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Email can be a powerful marketing tool for broadcasters, but many don’t have the manpower to take full advantage of it. In this webinar, Seth Resler will show you t how to automate your email campaigns to save your staff time.

You’ll learn:

  • How to create an automated campaign to email out new website content
  • How to create an automated campaign to recycle older email content
  • How to increase registrations of your email database
Ask LBS

It is common to run into difficult selling situations in the field.  Let us know what we can help with and we will get your question in front of our seasoned broadcast professionals who will get you a personalized response with real strategies for your specific situation!
The BEST Program

The BEST Program is designed for sellers who are new to broadcast. Each weekday for 5 weeks, you will receive a special email containing 3 videos. In less than 30 minutes per day, your new sellers will have built up a solid foundation for a career in selling broadcast!
Sales Ideas

Sometimes we just need a creative boost or an idea to take to a prospect tomorrow – or even today! The list contains 99 of the hundreds you can find on the site! Need a creative boost or some fresh ideas? This section of LBS is loaded with them!
Take Advantage of the MAB Sales & Leadership Helpline
For the next three months we are offering this free service to help our members get their station back on track after the long COVID year. Call 972-522-8570 during business hours Monday through Friday. Your call will be answered in 24 hours. Take advantage of this great service while we are offering it.
MAB FOUNDATION
2021 Student Award Winners will be Announced Live Online April 7 & 8 at 3:00 p.m.

Tell your mama, your papa, your sister and your friends to tune in live at 3 p.m. on April 7 and 8 to see the 2021 Michigan Student Broadcast Awards winners announced live at StudentBroadcastAwards.com.
Producer, Creative Services
WXYZ-TV (Detroit)
Posted: April 1, 2021

News Producer
WPBN/WTOM/WGTU/WGTQ
(Traverse City) 
Posted: April 1, 2021

Weekend Morning Anchor/MMJ
WXMI-TV (Grand Rapids)
Posted: April 1, 2021

DIGITAL / SOCIAL / WEB
6 Formatting Considerations for Your Radio Station’s Blog
By: Seth Resler, Jacobs Media Strategies
Many radio stations that blog regularly enlist multiple writers. Sometimes they are jocks, sometimes they are off-air personnel, and sometimes they are a mixture of the two. If your radio station uses different writers, you'll want to take steps to ensure that there's a certain level of consistency across the different blogposts. Read More