NJBA Weekly Newsletter Friday, February 13, 2009

DTV Transition Postponed to June 12th

President Obama has signed into law S. 352, the DTV Delay Act, which mandates the digital television (DTV) transition be postponed to June 12, 2009. As you know, the transition was initially scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009. As a reminder, the bill includes language that allows broadcasters to transition early with FCC coordination and approval. The top four U.S. TV networks announced that they will wait until the June 12^th deadline to switch from analog to digital signals.

 NJBA Convention Postponed

The recent thoughtless attacks on talk radio and music formats alike posed by the specious fairness doctrine and unfair performance royalty tax, combined with the all but certain promise of more fees, regulations, and taxes to come, have forced the NJBA to re-evaluate its priorities so as to continue to promote and protect the NJ broadcast industry. With our already strained resources deployed to continue the fight against these ever present threats to our livelihood, it should come as no surprise that our full attention and energy must be focused on repelling these dangerous assaults on broadcast in New Jersey and across the nation. For these reasons, the Board of Directors made the very difficult, but most prudent decision to postpone our annual convention scheduled for this June. The NJBA will continue to work to maintain fiscal excellence in our association and we look forward to a great convention in 2010.

Congratulations to Millennium’s Mike Ruble

Millennium Radio CEO Bill Saurer announced the promotion of Mike Ruble to market manager of Millennium Radio’s Atlantic City stations. Ruble was the sales manager for the four-station cluster.  Praising his co-workers in a statement released by Ruble he said that the company has a “strong team in place and I am confident we will thrive even in these challenging times.” (Please send Quick News information about current events and staffing announcements to have your station featured and keep your colleagues informed.) 

NJ Congressional Delegation and Broadcasters Praised by the President

The new administration wasted no time in solidifying its already close ties to the Garden State by singling out Congressmen Rob Andrews, Frank LoBiondo, Bill Pascrell and Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, in support of initiatives proposed from these New Jersey lawmakers. Moreover, in his first televised press conference this week, President Obama praised broadcasters for their faithful and important contributions in support of their local communities and the NJBA appreciates the recognition and looks forward to the continued support it enjoys from our entire congressional delegation.  

Sirius and XM Future Uncertain as Bankruptcy Looms

Satellite radio’s future may be decided by a Federal Bankruptcy judge as word spread throughout the industry this week of Sirius/ XM Radio impending financial troubles, with the stock dropping to a nickel a share as the beleaguered company faces a February 17^th (date ring a bell?) , $175mm debt payment. 

Journalists Needed to E-Mentor Undergraduate Journalism Majors 

Camden County (NJ) College adjunct professor Sam W. Pressley is looking for Radio and television journalists to participate I the college’s six-week mentoring program. Students would interact with mentors via their E-mails to pose questions on such topics as skills and training needed to become a working journalist; a typical day on the job, etc. E-mails would be limited to about one or two per week over the course of the program. Two students would be assigned to each mentor. Students must write a paper about the experience of being mentored and turn in printed copies of their E-mails. If you would like to participate in this worthwhile program, Contact Sam W. Pressley at sampress@sampress.com or 856-582-3836. 

Broadcast1Source replaces EEO1Source

Litéra® Corp, the developer of EEO1Source, has just launched Broadcast1Source, www.broadcast1source.com a new, second-generation web portal for broadcaster compliance with EEO regulations, FCC compliance and ePIF management. Check out their website for more details of the benefits this improved version offers to stations for enhanced EEO compliance. EEO1Source users that are not currently subscribed to EEO1Source services, but use the free portions of that website, will be given a free 15-day period in which they can log into Broadcast1Source using their EEO1Source username and password.

 QuickNews is provided for general information purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal or tax advice pertaining to any specific factual situation. Legal and tax related decisions should be made only after proper consultation with a legal professional of your choosing.  

Is your ABIP inspection up-to-date?  Call the NJBA office at 888 657-2346 for details.  A timely and inexpensive inspection could save you thousands of dollars in FCC fines.