Issue No. 269 | August 27, 2021 | View Online
MAB Awards Week
Coming September 13!
Watch the MAB website starting Monday, September 13 as we formally honor the recipient of the 2021 MAB Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021 Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame inductees, Community Broadcasting Champion Award recipient, MAPB Public Media Impact Award recipients, MAB Foundation Young Professional Award recipients and The Carl E. Lee Engineering Award Recipients.

Upcoming Events/Dates
September 3
Lowest Unit Charge Window Opens for
November 2, 2021 General Election

September 15 | 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Free Webinar: "Reporting on Deaths by Suicide" with The Poynter Institute’s Al Tompkins and Kelly McBride. (Register Now)

September 16 | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Free Webinar: "Monetizing Podcasts" with Seth Resler, Jacobs Media Strategies. (Register Now)

September 27
Final Deadline to complete Form 3 in ETRS with your detailed results of Nationwide EAS Test. (Read More)

October 10
Third-Quarter 2021 Issues and Programs Lists should be uploaded to your online public inspection file.
LEGISLATIVE / REGULATORY UPDATES
Weekly Michigan Government Update
Kelley Cawthorne is the MAB legislative consultant working with MAB President White on your behalf in Lansing
The House of Representatives and Senate are at recess. The House of Representatives is next scheduled for session on September 9.  Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a plan to utilize $2.1 billion in American Rescue Plan funds to promote economic development and middle-class growth.  Read More
Auction for New AM and FM Channels Ends with Almost a Third of the Channels Unsold – Does the Result Say Something About the FCC’s Local Ownership Rules?
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP
On August 12, the FCC announced the end of Auction 109, which offered for sale construction permits for 139 new stations – 4 AM stations in the St. Louis area whose licenses were surrendered by the prior licensee, and 135 new FM channels. 97 of the channels were sold, but 42, including all of the AM stations, went unsold in the auction.  Read More
IN THE NEWS
Debbie Hamlett to Join WCMU as Executive Director/General Manager
WCMU Public Media (Mt. Pleasant) has announced that Debbie Hamlett will be joining the station as its new Executive Director/General Manager, effective October 4. Hamlett has 20 years experience in public media. Hamlett joins WCMU from Nebraska Public Media. Read More
Donovan Long Named Co-Anchor
of WOOD-TV News 8 Daybreak
Nexstar Broadcasting's WOOD-TV (Grand Rapids) has announced that Donovan Long has officially joined the station's News 8 Daybreak as co-anchor alongside Teresa Weakley. Long makes the move from the station's weekend morning newscasts, where he has been anchoring for two years. Read More
WDIV-TV Highlights Historic Detroit Station WGPR-FM
As part of its coverage of National Black Business Month, on August 24, WDIV-TV (Detroit) Reporter/Anchor Evrod Cassimy took a look inside the city's historic WGPR-FM. As Detroit’s first Black-owned Detroit radio station, WGPR is still thriving today. Read More
Mac Edwards Radio Wayne Award Finalist
Radio Ink Magazine has announced the finalists for its 29th annual Radio Wayne Awards. Every year, Radio Ink has honored the very best sellers and managers who tirelessly champion the benefits of radio every day. Making the list of finalists for this year is Beasley/Detroit Vice President/Market Manager Mac Edwards Read More
Public Media Workforce Collaborative Secures Two-Year, $450,000 Grant CPB
Public media organizations Buffalo Toronto Public Media in Buffalo, N.Y.; Detroit Public TV in Detroit; Ideastream Public Media in Cleveland; and WQED in Pittsburgh have secured a two-year, $450,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to advance the next phase of the first workforce collaborative in the public media industry. Read More
TRAINING & EDUCATION
FREE WEBINAR: Reporting on Deaths by Suicide
with The Poynter Institute's Al Tomkins and Kelly McBride

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 | 12 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, in fact far more people die by suicide than homicide, yet it gets a fraction of our media coverage. This workshop will help you find ways to cover this epidemic of preventable deaths by boosting your awareness, knowledge and skills in covering this vital topic.

We will expose some myths about suicide; document some of the most vulnerable populations; why gun violence is a major part of any discussion about suicide.

This workshop is focused on reporting about deaths by suicide, not ignoring it.
FREE WEBINAR: Monetizing Webcasts
with Seth Resler, Jacobs Media Strategies

Thursday, September 16, 2021 | 1 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern
When broadcasters think about podcasting, they often think about monetization through the traditional method: advertising. But this isn’t the only way to generate revenue podcasts. In this webinar, Seth will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of different revenue models to help you figure out which is right for your station.
UPCOMING FREE MAB WEBINARS FROM POYNTER:
MAB LBS Member Resources
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!
MAB ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Associate Member Spotlight:
The Bonnell Foundation - $25,000 in College Scholarships Given
The Bonnell Foundation: Living with Cystic Fibrosis provides resources and tools to navigate the difficulties of living with cystic fibrosis. They also offer college scholarships to those affected by cystic fibrosis, medical assistance and lung transplant grants. Read More
DIGITAL / SOCIAL / WEB
Use Vanity URLs to Drive Listeners to Pages on Your Website
By: Seth Resler, Jacobs Media Strategies
Using your radio station's airwaves to drive traffic back to content on your website can be a challenge. After all, it's much easier to share a link on social media or in an email that brings people back to your site with a single click. But when people listen to the radio, they are often doing something else — driving, working out, cleaning the house, etc. — so they are not in a position to go online and visit the station's site. Read More