New Jersey Broadcasters Association

NJBA - leader of the New Jersey Broadcasting Industry, is a fiscally sound organization with clear direction, a stable and diverse membership, and the ability to effectively support, represent, and achieve success for its members.

NJBA Weekly Newsletter Friday, November 13, 2009

Operation Medicine Cabinet NJ is Set for This Saturday

NJBA President Paul Rotella attended the New Jersey association of School Resource Officers Conference this week in support of Operation Medicine Cabinet NJ, a NJBA PEP Initiative. Paul, along with Angelo Valente, Executive Director for Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey, Gerard P. McAleer, Special Agent In-Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey Division, as well as Doug Collier (DEA) and Angela Conover (PDFNJ) were also special guests on several great New Jersey radio stations over the past two weeks helping to promote our Association’s sponsorship of Operation Medicine Cabinet New Jersey, which will be held in over 420 municipalities throughout New Jersey. This first of its kind statewide initiative is available for all New Jersey residents to properly dispose of their unused, unwanted, and expired prescription and over-the-counter medicine. This statewide effort is being spearheaded by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, DEA New Jersey Division, PDFNJ, and the NJBA. This initiative is designed to help New Jersey residents see their medicine cabinets through new eyes -- as an access point for potential misuse and abuse of over-the-counter and prescription medicine by young people and to provide an opportunity to properly dispose of their unused, unwanted, and expired medicines. Prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse is a serious problem in New Jersey. The 2007 PDFNJ Principals Survey found that half of the principals surveyed said that prescription drugs are abused more than twice that of ecstasy and cocaine by New Jersey Middle School students. 70% of people who abuse prescription drugs say they get them from the medicine cabinets of friends and relatives. Operation Medicine Cabinet will be held this Saturday, November 14, 2009 between 10 am and 2 pm.

Radio Interference Still a Major Concern in NJ

NJBA President Paul Rotella met with Senate and Congressional leaders this week to highlight the unique concerns New Jersey Broadcasters have with LPFMs and other interference issues, which have plagued the Garden State broadcast industry for decades. While the NJBA has made great strides in protecting local broadcasters with the help of enlightened legislators like Senator Frank Lautenberg and Congressman Frank Pallone, (who have already reached out to work with the NJBA on this important issue), new serious interference challenges continue to emerge that threaten the delicate broadcast band allocation in New Jersey. Much more work is needed to protect New Jersey broadcasters to make sure they will always be there to provide the communities they faithfully serve with vital EAS Messages, important local news, weather and community information, free from harmful communications interference from LPFMs and the raising of the allowable power levels for HD Radio by 6 dB.

Don’t Let This Happen to You!

No doubt about it, the Performance Tax is bad for the economy and other growing things! After years of subscriber growth, Sirius XM Radio has seen additions stagnate then shrink this year as users opted to cut the monthly fee. A new report suggests that could be the beginning of a longer-term trend that’s unrelated to the recession. This probably is a result in part to the increase in fees charged by Sirius to their subscribers to pay for the increases in royalties they were charged because of their own Satellite Performance Tax that they must suffer through. Only three NJ Congressmen (Reps. Rothman, Holt and Payne) have not joined our cause, thanks to our NJBA member’s vigilant efforts and support of the NJBA’s initiatives. Please call them at (202) 225-3121 and tell them it’s not too late to become one of the good guys! We need to protect free-over-the-air radio for the good of our diverse New Jersey listening audience.

NJBA Continues to be a Part of the Solution

New Jersey Broadcasters are eager to be a part of the solution to the many challenging opportunities posed by the current economic and political climate in New Jersey. To be sure, no other business is so public spirited and essential to the success of liberty and prosperity. As you know, Broadcasters are an indispensible component of our Emergency Alert System (EAS), which broadcasts AMBER Alerts throughout the state, and our Homeland Security infrastructure. The NJBA is most proud of the unparalleled commitment to public service that the broadcast industry has maintained since its very beginning, especially evidenced in the crucial role broadcasters’ consistently play in times of local and national emergency. The dedicated efforts of our diverse membership provide our communities and constituents with essential information, diverse entertainment, and of course, broadcast is the perfect vehicle to connect and unite all of us in our daily lives here in New Jersey. Broadcasting is a public trust and a public service that transcends politics and pundits. In that regard, we urge the new administration in New Jersey to take advantage of the unique and powerful opportunities that the New Jerseys Broadcasters Association can offer to the great people of the Garden State. The NJBA will continue to work in a cooperative and constructive manner to address the vital issues impacting our state in the demanding times we face together. To be sure, these important concerns will continue to have wide ranging effects on the citizens of our state, and indeed our nation.

NJBA Supports FM Chip Initiative in Cell Phones

The NJBA recently submitted a formal request to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and the FCC to hasten the installation of FM receivers into all cell phones as the most efficient way for the wireless industry to felicitate the WARN act’s public safety requirements to participate in augmenting emergency communications. The only sound and reliable method of broadcasting EAS messages in times of crisis is broadcast. (Why do you think it’s called “broadcast”?) In a letter to President Paul Rotella, Secretary Napolitano acknowledged the NJBA’s concerns and is seriously considering the proposal.

New Jersey Should Support New Jersey

Governor Corzine notified department heads that they had to make $400M in budget cuts immediately. Treasury is overseeing that process. And, it is always easier to cut advertising than to cut personnel. The NJBA urges the current governor, and the incoming one, that all out of state radio and TV advertising for any Garden State purpose should be eliminated first before any NJ radio advertising is reduced. There is no better way to get the Garden State government’s message out to New Jersey residents than through the power of New Jersey radio.

The Trenton Report From: The Marcus Group

They’re back! After a long recess for the summer and the fall campaign, both Houses of the New Jersey Legislature will return to Trenton on Monday November 23. The first order of business is the selection of presiding officers for the Senate and Assembly. The party caucus will make their recommendations with formal election of the Assembly Speaker and Senate President by their respective full memberships in January. Assemblywoman Shelia Oliver of Essex County has emerged as the likely favorite to be elected Speaker. On the Senate side, incumbent Senate President Richard Codey faces a strong challenge from the Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney. Meanwhile, Governor-elect Chris Christie has named former Attorney General David Samson of the NJ law firm Wolf and Samson to chair his Transition Team.

Don’t Believe It for a Minute

Let’s put to rest the specious argument that the performing artists will get any money from the new Performance Tax. All you need to do is review the typical recording contract any new artist is “forced” to sign if they want to get their coveted “record deal”. It often provides for very little compensation to flow to the artist after record production and promotion costs are re-cooped. More disturbingly, many artists complain about the notorious greed with the industry itself. In a surreal report released a few weeks after Michael Jackson’s death, it was revealed that the King of Pop told interviewers that it was “Time for artists to take a stand against record labels.” In a video interview filmed by director Brett Ratner, Michael Jackson “lashed out at record labels. Asked about his greatest lesson learned, Jackson replied: Not to trust everybody in the industry. There are a lot of sharks and record companies steal. They cheat. I have to audit them. And it's time for artists to take a stand against them.” Bravo, Michael. So keep listening New Jersey! Let’s defeat this Performance Tax and let’s keep New Jersey radio free!

RMLC Negotiations

While RMLC negotiations are ongoing, it looks like a quick agreement is not in the offing. Some radio broadcasters may have received letters recently from one or more of the following: The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP); Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI); and/or The Radio Music License Committee (RMLC). Apparently, these letters are being sent to broadcasters who have not already authorized RMLC to negotiate licensing arrangements on their behalf with ASCAP and BMI. RMLC is already engaged in such negotiations for a lot of broadcasters, and when those negotiations are completed, the agreed-to arrangements will set the terms on which participating broadcasters will be able to transmit – over-the-air and by internet webcast – musical works owned by songwriters represented by ASCAP and BMI.

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

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