Looking at the Court Decision Which Led to the Shuttering of Locast’s Retransmission of Local TV on the Internet

In recent weeks, decisions of a US District Court judge in the Southern District of New York led to the suspension of service by the Internet streaming company Locast, which built its business on streaming local television stations generally without obtaining the consent of TV stations or the copyright holders in the programs they broadcast. ... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters:  September 11, 2021 to September 17, 2021

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. In anticipation of this week’s deadline for payment of annual regulatory fees – 11:59 pm, Eastern Daylight Time on Friday,... Continue Reading…

2021 Regulatory Fee Deadline of September 24 – Don’t Delay!

With a week to go before the deadline for submission of annual regulatory fees, we urge broadcasters to get into the FCC’s fee filing system now and pay their fees.  We have been told that there are sometimes glitches in the electronic payment system that can take time to resolve.  With a 25% penalty on... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters:  September 4, 2021 to September 10, 2021

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The FCC opened the window for Fiscal Year 2021 regulatory fees which must be paid no later than 11:59 pm,... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters:  August 28, 2021 to September 3, 2021

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. In a significant win for television broadcasters, a federal district court in New York determined that the nonprofit company Locast,... Continue Reading…

Court Decision Finds No California Performance Right in Pre-1972 Sound Recordings – Why It Was Still an Issue

The saga of Flo & Eddie seeking performance royalties for the pre-1972 sound recordings of their old band, the Turtles, seems to be finally reaching its end. For years, they have sued both broadcasters and digital media companies trying to exploit an ambiguity in copyright law over the status of pre-1972 sound recordings – songs... Continue Reading…

September Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters: Regulatory Fees, Media Ownership and Sponsorship Identification Comments, Auction Applications, and More

As Fall approaches and kids head back to school, be sure not to lose track of the regulatory dates and deadlines in September.  We outline some of those dates below.  One date is applicable to all commercial broadcasters, the obligation to pay regulatory fees.  While the exact due date has not yet been announced, look... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: August 21, 2021 to August 27, 2021

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. On Friday, the FCC released its decision setting 2021 annual regulatory fees. In a win for broadcasters, the NAB and... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: August 14, 2021 to August 20, 2021

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. Two Federal Register notices set dates for changes to the FCC’s EAS rules. We wrote about these issues here and... Continue Reading…

Bills Introduced to Bring Back Tax Certificate to Foster Diversity in Broadcast Ownership – Exploring the Proposals

The minority tax certificate is back in the news with revised bills being introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.  We wrote about a version of this bill introduced in the last session of Congress here.  The tax certificate offers perhaps the most meaningful route to increasing diversity in broadcast ownership.  While... Continue Reading…

2020 Recap

2020 has been an extremely challenging year for our nation and especially our state. Many Nevada broadcasters have struggled to survive under the weight of a depressed local economy and uncertainty of the future.

Many families experienced financial and physical loss because of the pandemic. I was saddened to hear of the passing of veteran Reno news anchor and good friend Brent Boynton who succumbed to the disease in November.

To be honest, in January and February of this year, few of us knew what we would experience in 2020.

On January 30 we were thrilled to attend the ribbon cutting for Telemundo’s KBLR new 22,622 square foot media center. Congratulations to President and General Manager Ramiro Lopez!

The next day we welcomed Congresswoman Susie Lee, Henderson Mayor Debra March, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, County Commissioner Michael Naft and State Senator Scott Hammond to the grand opening of our new offices on South Eastern off the I-215.

In February a group of us traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with Nevada’s Congressional Delegation and lobby on behalf of Nevada’s broadcasters. With the help of KCEP General Manager Craig Knight, we were able to convince Congressman Steven Horsford to support the Local Radio Freedom Act. With the support of Representatives Mark Amodei and Susie Lee we worked with the National Association of Broadcasters to help secure enough votes to kill a radio royalty fee which had surfaced in two different bills.

Throughout February and March, we were able to conduct 26 alternative FCC inspections (ABIP), a service we provide, free of charge, to all of our members.

And then in March, our world was turned upside down and yours as well.

We locked up our new offices and started working from home, but we ended up having one of the most productive years in the history of the Association.

Early on, we had to make the difficult decision of canceling our annual Hall of Fame Gala, along with our Northern and Southern Golf Tournaments, three events critical to the funding success of our Foundation and the Tony and Linda Bonnici Scholarship Program.

With help from our Washington D.C. lobbying team, the Porter Group, we started scheduling Zoom meetings with every member of our Congressional delegation. It was important that they heard about the plight of broadcasters and how our industry has been unselfishly serving the community with impactful outreach projects and with our own NCSA program which pushed out important messages on health and safety protocols.

By the way, thank you for donating airtime to our efforts so we could facilitate the messaging for multiple COVID campaigns. Your generosity also helps pay for our operating expenses and we are extremely grateful for our partnership!

As the year progressed, we lobbied our congressional representatives to make sure that all broadcasters were eligible for PPP loans and that federal ad dollars would be directed to local stations here in Nevada.

When the state legislature conducted its special session, we were asked by the Legislative Counsel Bureau to coordinate the access of all of the radio and television stations who wanted access to the legislative building. It was a herculean task but thanks to the cooperation of our member stations, it was a success!

The Nevada Broadcasters Association also worked hard to get a letter from Governor Sisolak and the Department of Homeland Security specifying that broadcasting was an essential business and that our members needed to conduct their normal operations while ensuring that management and employees implemented prescribed health and safety measures.

Throughout the year we conducted three separate distributions of face coverings to any radio or television station that wanted them. We also were able to provide Reno-area radio and television stations with air support surveillance from the Washoe County Sheriff’s office during a 72-hour period of unrest and violent protests.

Despite everything that’s taken place, the Nevada Broadcasters Association will finish the year in a strong place financially. We will be able to donate a portion of our net income to our Foundation to use for scholarships. This is especially critical because traditional fundraising activities were suspended in 2020.

Thank you again for your support.

Mitch

Introducing New NVBA Chairman Chris Way