Issue No. 252 | April 30, 2021 | View Online
Nominations Due TODAY
MAB Lifetime Achievement Award
Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame
MAB Young Professionals Awards
Upcoming Events

TODAY
Nomination Deadline: Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement and Young Professional awards. (Learn More)

May 6 | 2:00 p.m.
Free Webinar: Jacobs Media Techsurvey 2021 (Learn More)

May 15
Carl E. Lee Engineering Excellence Award Nomination Deadline. (Learn More)

May 18 | 11:00 a.m.
Free Webinar: Engineering Webinar with Shane Toven (Learn More)

May 20 | 12:00 p.m.
Free Webinar: Covering Law Enforcement: Being Fair and Holding Accountability with Kevin Benz (Register Now)

June 1
Deadline for Michigan TV stations to file license renewals.
NAB Invites Stations to Share #BroadcastGood Stories May 4-11
NAB is asking all stations to help shine a light on broadcasters' incredible public service during the week leading up to our largest single advocacy event, the NAB State Leadership Conference. Here's How
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
RTDNA Report Finds 2020 was a Dangerous Year for Journalists; Calls on Congress to Journalist Protection Act, Right to Record Police Act
During the past year, the job of seeking and reporting the truth became increasingly dangerous, according to a study released Wednesday by the Radio Television Digital News Association. Read More
Michigan Treasury: Forgiven Paycheck Protection Loans Won't Be Taxed
Taxpayers who accepted federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans will not be taxed on loans forgiven through that program, according to a press release last week from the Michigan Department of Treasury. Read More
Missing Music On Streamed TV Programs Highlights Rights Issues for Podcasters and Video Producers
By: David Oxenford, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP
Last week, the NY Times ran an interesting article about how many old TV programs now available on streaming services are missing music that was featured on the original broadcast. This was because when the music rights were initially purchased, their use was limited to over-the-air broadcasts or was limited to a short period of time, with the producers never envisioning that the programs would be available through on-demand streaming services decades after they originally aired on over-the-air television. Read More
ENGINEERING & EAS
SBE: Stations Should Note Reason for IPAWS April 26 Required Weekly Test Failure
The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) has issued helpful guidance to stations about what to do in light of the failure of an IPAWS Required Weekly Test on Monday (4/26): Read More
Nominations are Open for the 2021 Carl E. Lee Engineering Excellence Award
Candidates must have been an employee, officer, or owner of any company, subsidiary or division whose primary business is broadcasting, or is directly in support of radio or television stations in Michigan. The nomination deadline is May 15. The Carl E. Lee Award is presented virtually during the MAB Summer Conference. Click here to learn more and submit your nomination.
Michigan Broadcasters Invited to Next Alabama Engineering Webinar with Shane Toven
The Alabama Broadcasters Association invites Michigan broadcasters to participate free in their monthly engineering webinar series. The next webinar will be held Tuesday, May 18, starting at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time and will feature Shane Toven senior broadcast engineer for Educational Media Foundation and is responsible for engineering R&D for the K-LOVE and Air1 broadcast networks. Read More
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
WSGW Named Service to America Award Finalist
The National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation announced its finalists for the 2021 Celebration of Service to America Awards on Thursday (4/49); included among the list was Michigan's WSGW-AM (Saginaw) in the Radio - Medium Market category. Read More
WCSX’s Big Jim’s House 'Ultimate Restaurant Road Trip' Benefits Vets Returning Home
Beasley Media Group’s 94.7 WCSX-FM Morning Show Personalities Big Jim & Ryan from Big Jim’s House drove 300 miles on an "Ultimate Restaurant Road Trip" from Detroit to St. Ignace on Thursday (4/29) to help raise money to help provide meals for Veterans returning home from military service. Read More
WKAR to Present ‘Year of Global Africa’
Michigan State University’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences and WKAR-TV are collaborating with MSU’s African Studies Center to present the documentary “Year of Global Africa.” Read More
Bobby Bones Comes to McKibbin Media Group Stations
McKibbin Media Group has announced the addition of the syndicated Bobby Bones Show to country-formatted stations in Jackson and Hillsdale.  The Bobby Bones Show will hit the airwaves beginning on Monday, May 3. Read More
MacDonald Garber's WLXV, WZTC Revamp Lineups
All Access reports that MacDonald Garber has made some major programming changes at two of their stations in Northern Michigan. Country-formatted WLXV-FM (Cadillac) updated its imaging with new station voice Dan Kelly and a chance to win a virtual performance from recording artist Russell Dickerson. Read More
GVSU Signs New Deal with Cumulus Media's WLAV
Grand Valley State football will air on a new dial this fall, moving to flagship station WLAV-FM (Grand Rapids) for the 2021 season. The move comes as part of a department-wide partnership with Cumulus Radio which will includes weekly shows. Read More
MPA Foundation's Janet Mendler Passes at 75
The MAB has learned about the passing of former Michigan Press Association Foundation Director Janet Mendler. Mendler died April 26 at age 75 following a battle with cancer. Read More
TRAINING & EDUCATION
FREE WEBINAR: Covering Law Enforcement:
Being Fair and Holding Accountability
with Kevin Benz, KevinBenz.News

Thursday, May 20, 2021 | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Law Enforcement dominates the day-to-day work of journalists and we must remember there is no more powerful government agency in the daily life of our audience. It is journalism’s highest obligation to hold law enforcement accountable for the enormous power society gives them. We must be fair. We must be courageous. We must be independent.
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FREE CALL: Sales & Leadership Helpline
We are offering this limited time 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.
PROGRAMMING
6 Tips to Better Programming
By: Gary Berkowitz, Berkowitz Broadcast Consulting
1. LOCAL YES, BUT BEING "GOOD" IS MORE IMPORTANT.
Talk about people, places and events. Take advantage of traffic reports to sound local. "The accident is at Main and Second, right in front of McDonalds." Being local is important but being good is key. Always strive for the best sounding product. Read More
DIGITAL / SOCIAL / WEB
What Radio Broadcasters Need to Know About Facebook and Apple’s Podcasting Announcements
By: Seth Resler, Jacobs Media Strategies
Last week, a pair of announcements from two Silicon Valley giants rocked the podcasting world. Facebook and Apple both announced new features that are likely to not only affect podcasters, but the entire audio industry. Here's what radio broadcasters need to know: Read More