Washington Beat

It’s 2019, and to mark the new year featured columnist Ken Benner has pledged to de-clutter his 60+ years of collected broadcast industry documents. He's in his second month of shredding, and just uncovered an item he challenges anyone "to find anything so pathetically and disgustingly over-complicated in the massive historical files of FCC regulations."

There's a lobbying group out there that works "to ensure music creators get fair pay for their work on all platforms and wherever and however it is played." They're not particularly fond of "big broadcasters" and wish "to end the broken status quo that allows AM/FM to use any song ever recorded without paying its performers a dime." Here's what musicFIRST is up to now.

What is the genesis for “The Coalition For Transparency, Clarification and Simplification of Regulations pertaining to American Broadcasting”? Featured Media Information Bureau columnist Ken Benner shares all in his latest exclusive-to-RBR+TVBR column.

With an April 16 Public Notice, the Commission now seeks nominations for membership on and a Chairperson for this Committee. The Commission has established the CSRIC for a period of two years, with an expected first meeting in June of 2019.

Erwin Krasnow of Garvey Schubert Barer and Doug Ferber of DEFcom Advisors have written a series of articles exclusively for RBR+TVBR on what can go wrong at closing and how to “click the ruby slippers” to avoid any problems. Here's the first installment.

In February 2011, the NAB welcomed Zamir Ahmed as its Media Relations Manager following a two-year stint as deputy press secretary for the House Committee on Small Business. He later rose to the director role. Now, he's been promoted again.

A trio of AM radio stations across the South have each been ordered by Washington to pay their overdue regulatory fees, plus interest and any administrative costs, right now. If not, the FCC has agreed move forward with a license revocation hearing. 

Long before featured columnist Ken Benner began writing about "the abuse of the media and, in particular, broadcasting," he focused on consumer financial abuse. This fueled his desire to fight for radio and TV station owners. In this column, his discontent with Capitol Hill leaders continues.

Without the tools needed to foment multicultural owners, "we may not have an opportunity to learn, to lead, and to own," warns the VP/GM of an Urban radio station in the nation's No. 1 revenue market. The comments came at the FCC Media Bureau symposium on current and future trends in broadcast media.

Larry Hudson has transitioned to the FCC's Office of Communications Business Opportunities, from the role of Director of the agency's Office of Workplace Diversity. As such, an acting director has been selected for the office by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

With T-Mobile now on target to complete its merger with Sprint by April 1, putting DISH in the driver's seat on becoming the nation's fourth-largest wireless services company, tower companies are likely to benefit from the rollout of 5G spurred by the companies' moves. As such, American Tower shares lifted by more than 4% on Tuesday.

The Commission on Wednesday (3/18) adopted an Order making revisions to parts 73 and 76 of the Commission's rules. This eliminates what the FCC has considered to be obsolete transitional public file requirement language in its regulations.

What sort of advise does Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner have for broadcast station operators that may want an alternative FCC inspection, which he has specialized in for decades? Here's what he has to say, in this column you'll only see at RBR+TVBR.

The FCC has adopted an Order extending through August 31 a previous waiver of sponsorship identification requirements to promote the airing of COVID-19 public service announcements.

The NAB has flipped the switch on its all-new Broadcast Resource Hub, a comprehensive one-stop-shop for resources, tools and information on the most relevant issues impacting local radio and television stations. The online portal provides access to various resources created by NAB and the NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF).