WASHINGTON, D.C. — The lobbying efforts to get the FCC to say yes to a proposed rule that would permit program origination on FM boosters — the lynchpin to GeoBroadcast Solutions’ “ZoneCasting” technology — have reached new heights, as the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) offered its “broad and deep support” of the proposal directly to the Commission’s Chairwoman.
The debate over whether the FCC should permit FM broadcasters to originate content from booster stations for a limited portion of each broadcast hour has become one of the most divisive in the radio industry. The NAB and many of its members say it is a recipe for disaster, causing interference while possibly delivering a Poison Pill to already challenged account executives and sales manager as ZoneCasting would erode ad rates. Proponents argue that ZoneCasting will add ad dollars for stations that are losing budgets to local digital because of its addressability.
The meeting, disclosed Monday, was held on Tuesday, August 2. It included representatives from, interestingly, the National Newspaper Publishers Association — as well as WRBJ-FM in Jackson, Miss. licensee Roberts Radio Broadcasting. Also present: JAM Media Solutions, Sherman Kizart-led Kizart Media Partners, and GeoBroadcast Solutions’ legal counsel from Covington.
Representing the FCC was Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer; David Strickland, Legal Advisor for Media; and Sanford Williams, Special Advisor to the Chairwoman.
The MMTC-led group placed the emphasis of their arguments in support of the proposal on “the limited, voluntary nature of the FM geo-targeting proposal.” They stressed that the proposed rule change would not mandate the use of such technology by any FM station. For small and medium-sized broadcasters, ZoneCasting would enable them to geo-target hyper-local news, sports, weather, and advertising content to a portion of their listeners.
That said, ZoneCasting is not limited to “small and medium-sized broadcasters” but to facilities based on their power output and signal contour. As such, a company such as iHeartMedia is just as able to use ZoneCasting, should it chose to, as an independent operator with a rim-shot signal of a metropolitan area. WRBJ, which is “The Beat of the Capital” for Jackson-area listeners, is one such example, as its signal reaches the market from the southeast.
Nevertheless, NABOB made it clear that ZoneCasting will benefit minority-owned stations, minority owned businesses seeking to advertise on radio, and minority audiences that will hear new targeted content, including hyper-local weather and traffic information … and advertising.
Importantly, and perhaps controversially, the MMTC-led group concludes that the field tests performed at WRBJ and at KSJO-FM in San Jose demonstrate that the technical concerns raised about this technology have been thoroughly answered.
Opponents say these two tests are unique to each facility and that every radio station in the U.S. has its own terrain issues and, subsequently, testing that must be done before ZoneCasting can be used.
But, the MMTC-led group points to FCC Rule 74.1203, which requires a broadcaster using an FM booster ensure that “it does not disrupt the existing service of its primary station or cause such interference within the boundaries of the principle community of its primary station.”
While technical issues are one thing, the impact on advertising rates for broadcast radio is another, and it is up to the Rosenworcel Commission to decide if both are worthy of equal consideration at the FCC as it prepares to vote on the ZoneCasting proposal.
