Industry News

With the release of the 150+-page “Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2021” by the FCC late Thursday, the Commission moved forward with its proposal to adopt the use of the population-based methodology for full-service television
broadcasters for fiscal 2021.

Here’s what that means for over-the-air broadcast TV station owners.

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CBS News and Stations President and Co-Head Wendy McMahon has solidified the company’s local television leadership in the Mile High City. In doing so, she’s appointed a VP/GM who has been News Director of the CBS O&O in the market since 2004.

He’s succeeding Walt DeHaven, who retired in July after nearly 20 years as the station’s GM and some 40 years in the local TV industry.

Rising to the top role for KCNC-4 is Tim Wieland.

He’s been at KCNC since 1994 and has held the News Director title for the last 17 years.

“I can’t think of a better example of someone receiving a well-deserved promotion than Tim Wieland,” McMahon said. “Tim understands the need to modernize and transform our brands and products for the future, and I am confident he will take our great team in Denver to new heights, focused on solid journalism, an unparalleled workplace culture and a community service commitment that is second to none.”

Wieland added, “I feel fortunate to have been able to spend almost my entire career at CBS 4, working alongside such an exceptional group of colleagues in our news department. Now, I am excited to take on this broader role and provide leadership and support to our entire CBS Denver family. As part of the newly united CBS News and Stations organization, we have a tremendous opportunity to deliver wins on a daily basis for the mutual benefit of our company, the diverse communities we serve, and our valued business partners.”

In 1999, Wieland briefly left Denver and spent two years in Atlanta, where he worked for CNN as a newscast producer and field producer.

Wieland gained his first professional experience as a reporter, anchor, producer, photographer and video editor at KREX-TV in Grand Junction, Colo.

The FCC late Thursday released its Report and Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the “Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2021,” and there’s cause for cheer among radio broadcasters.

Why? The initial proposal to make broadcasters pay for a significant portion of the $33 million in additional funding that was appropriated by Congress to implement the Broadband DATA Act has been scrapped by the Commission.

The NAB assailed the plan. And, it appears Rick Kaplan and the legal team at the association have scored an important victory for broadcasters.

Here’s what this means for Radio in fiscal 2021, which begins October 1:

When breaking out the radio station regulatory fees, there is a reduction from FY 2020.

The $975 minimum regulatory fee for Class A AMs remains the same as it did in fiscal 2020. The biggest FM stations would see a regulatory fee decrease from $20,925 in fiscal 2020. This is significant, as the FCC originally proposed this group of stations to see a regulatory fee increase to $22,650.

When the newest FCC Commissioner, Nathan Simington, who will appear September 23 at the Hispanic Radio Conference, first took a gander at the initial draft of the Commission’s “MD Docket No. 21-190,” he had concerns.

The first version of the “Assessment and Collection of Regulatory Fees for Fiscal Year 2021” also raised the ire of many broadcast media companies, which argued that any increase in fees paid was unacceptable given the fiscal challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought.

The Commission has listened, and responded accordingly.

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It was the combination of pandemic isolation and the sound of cicadas that made me do it. I called a globe-trotting friend to whom I had not spoken since he and I dodged cicadas together in 2004.

I began with a question: “Quick! Where were you living 17 years ago?” He replied, “Can you give me a Zip code?”

It sure was fun catching up — and the success of that call led me to another, and another and another.

While it hasn’t been 17 years since I’d spoken to many friends, I must admit I wasn’t the best during the pandemic at calling people.

Fifteen months is a long time to be silent. Coming out of home isolation can be especially challenging for the introverts among us who gain energy from solitude and may have anxiety just thinking about returning to offices and in-person meetings.

Most of my calls have been returned by now, and it’s been highly rewarding. That’s why I’m telling you. Life is all about relationships; and while you may see what somebody is up to on social media or can find out some facts with an email, it’s not the same as a real conversation via phone or a face-to face get-together.

What has this got to do with radio?

We are all so busy at our stations that too many of us neglect personal and professional development and growth.

From a personal perspective, our friends ground us, they help us navigate the long winding road of life. If you’ve got pals who will tell you the truth — especially about yourself — admit your good fortune and take advantage of this resource that’s worth more than money. Living in your own echo chamber can lead to self-deception, loneliness and depression.

From a career perspective, it’s your network of former workmates, acquaintances, advisors and true radio friends who will be there — when you need professional guidance and assistance, when you are ready to grow your career in your next job.

Choosing the next career move in radio has always been challenging. Worse, terminations can be unexpected, swift and merciless. Gone are the days of long severance payouts. Even what we believe are solid contracts can be challenged, sometimes ending in reduced settlement payments.

Keep up your business relationships — not just with your peers at your station or office, but with consultants, vendors, concert/music promoters, and the people in other departments of your company. If you don’t, you can’t expect much when you’re in need. Relationships require active participation.

Career counselors will unanimously inform you that your network is the most important aspect of a successful job search.

As it happens, I’ve lost a number of friends in the last two years. There’s nothing like a few funerals to remind a person of their own mortality. It also dawned on me that I had not recently thanked people who have meant so much to me in my own career. Without being hired, mentored and remembered, I would not have gone far.

Over the years I’ve found that the folks who’ve had a positive impact on my life and career appreciate hearing from me. And there’s nothing like a personal phone call or an in-person visit to renew that connection.

Read more Promo Power columns.

The post Take Time to Renew Relationships appeared first on Radio World.

U.S. financial markets finished the day on a downbeat note, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipping 64.03 to 35,341.47 and Nasdaq declining by 53.78, to 14,988.08.

For broadcast media companies, trading was mixed, with iHeartMedia among the climbers. The nation’s top audio media company saw its shares jump by 18 cents to $24.46.

Also up: Salem Media Group, with its shares rising 10 cents to $3.01.

For Audacy, it was another downbeat trading session despite a glowing report from Wells Fargo Securities that includes a $7 target price for AUD.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Nexstar Media Group CBS affiliate faces a small financial penalty for its apparent failure to submit its quarterly TV issues/programs lists to the FCC in a timely manner.

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It’s been an active August for Al Shuldiner, the FCC’s Audio Division Chief.

Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture are piling up, and they largely involve tardy licensees who didn’t submit their license renewal applications by the due date.

The latest NAL involves a pair of FM translators in Tennessee.

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The owner of 10 radio stations and TV operations “News Channel Nebraska” and “Telemundo Nebraska” is celebrating a rare achievement — a placement on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America.

Earning the honor is the Mike Flood–helmed Flood Communications.

Out of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the United States, 32 are from Nebraska.

The bigger takeaway: it is the only broadcast media company in the U.S. to make the latest list.

Flood Communications’ unique business mission is to serve two distinct audiences that it believes are frequently overlooked: rural consumers and Hispanics.

Not too many people may be familiar with Groveton, Tex. It’s on the southern tip of Davy Crockett National Forest, some two hours north of central Houston.

It also happens to be the home of a Class A FM, and North Texas Radio Group is readying to welcome it into its family.

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