As the GAB is constantly working to secure to protect the rights of broadcasters, particularly in Georgia, the NAB works on a national level.
Major interests of broadcasters and broadcast organizations in the 118th Congress include the AM for Every Vehicle Act; the Local Radio Freedom Act; protecting broadcasters from the threats of major corporations; and concerns posed by the ever-progressing Artificial Intelligence technology.
This week the NAB hosts its annual State Leadership Conference, hosting broadcasters from across the country to meet with their representatives and urge them to protect broadcasting. The GAB is accompanied by broadcasters from across Georgia to sit down with members of Congress and discuss key topics.
Updated co-sponsors:
- AM for Every Vehicle Act: House – 217 // Senate – 47
- Local Radio Freedom Act: House – 218 // Senate – 24
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Related:
H.R. 3413 https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3413/cosponsors
S. 1669 https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1669
H.Con.Res.33 https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/33
S.Con.Res.9 https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-concurrent-resolution/9
In pursuit of making Georgia sports more readily available to Georgians, the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream has teamed up with Gray Television to air all “non-national exclusive games” on Peachtree TV and Peachtree Sports Network.
Gray Television’s reinvestment into the Atlanta community has been strong since the inception of Peachtree Sports Network and the opening of its brand new production studio, Assembly Atlanta, last fall.
Fans can begin tuning into the Dream’s season when the team tips off in L.A. on May 15.
“Across the nation, interest in women’s basketball has exploded over the past few years due largely to the amazing talent on the court. We are excited to be the Dream’s official broadcast partner on Peachtree TV this season,” WANF/WPCH Vice President and General Manager Erik Schrader shared in a press release.
This year, in partnership with Dr. Amanda Bright of UGA’s Grady College, the GAB is bringing an exclusive Digital Webinar series to its members.
On Friday, Feb. 23, Dr. Bright hosted the first of her series, “Bridging the Digital Divide,” discussing how broadcasters can create a strong digital brand and turn it into revenue for their stations.
Registration for the remaining parts of the Webinar series is available here. Discussions include:
- How to produce engaging social media content and leverage vertical video on Friday, May 24th.
- Understanding and analyzing data and SEO on Friday, August 23rd
- Emerging industry trends on Friday, August 23rd
Join the GAB and Dr. Bright to bridge the digital divide!
Since the drastic loss of radio revenue wrought by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 the industry has continued to recover. Kagan Research reports $15 billion in radio ad revenue for 2023.
As the industry continues to navigate its relevancy in the new digital age, the medium of radio essentiality has become increasingly clear since the discussion of the AM for Every Vehicle Act began. Radio is responsible for supporting local communities with free entertainment and timely news, while also protecting communities in times of emergency through live coverage and acting as a free, reliable source for the Emergency Alert System (EAS).
The continued sustainability of radio as a medium is imperative to the protection of communities worldwide.
The Georgia Association of Broadcasters joins WJBF and its community in mourning the loss of valued co-worker and journalist, James Bryan Randall. Randall acted as a Web Producer for WJBF. Prior to this role he worked in the newsroom for WAGT, which is shared by the two stations.
“In addition to his solid journalism and ethics, Bryan brought a smile and a great attitude with him to work each day and will be sorely missed by his co-workers,” says WJBF.
WKHX Kicks 101.5FM’s program director, Mike Moore, has been selected as an inductee of the 2024 class of the Country Radio Hall of Fame. Moore joined Cumulus Media’s WKHX Atlanta family in 2019.
In his more than 30 year career, Moore has spent time contributing to the improvement of country format stations across the continental United States. The decision of bestowing Moore with this honor is reflective of his impact in the country format and broadcasting industry as a whole.
Before coming to Atlanta, Moore spent more than 16 years at Portland’s KWJJ. He has also spent time in the Dallas, Orlando and Nashville markets, among others.
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Members of the Country Radio Hall of Fame are required to have spent at least two decades in the broadcasting industry, 15 of which must have been spent in the country radio format.
The 8th annual “Women in Radio” conference is to be hosted in Atlanta on March 9.
Founded in 2016, Women in Radio is a community-based organization, dedicated to lifting up and supporting women pursuing or actively engaged in careers in radio. The event is to be hosted at the Atlanta Tech Village, featuring, “renowned speakers, engaging sessions, a delectable brunch bar curated by Maple Street Biscuit Co., and drinks by Tost,” according to the press release.
At this year’s event, iHeartMedia’s VP of Programming, Thea Mitchem, will be recognized with the organization’s prestigious “Trailblazer Award,” for her contributions to the industry. Mitchem is also a featured speaker at the event’s “Fireside Chat,” hosted by Power 105.1’s Ivy Rivera.
Women in Radio founder Meaghan Taylor, recognizes the disparities of female representation in the industry and created the organization in hopes of establishing a place for women in the field to connect and share resources.
The event takes place during Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of women in society, including radio.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at https://www.womeninradio.org/shop/wirxeight-conference-tickets
Veteran reporter and longtime member of the WXIA 11Alive family, Jon Shirek, has retired from TEGNA’s Atlanta station.
According to his reporter bio, Shirek attended the University of Florida in Gainesville. During his attendance, he worked for The Independent Florida Alligator newspaper, WRUF-AM and WTLV-TV in Jacksonville. He continued to work for WTLV after graduation and in 1980 came to WXIA-TV in Atlanta and would spend the next 43 years of his career with the station.
The GAB wishes Shirek well in his retirement.
Broadcast attorney, David Oxenford, has spoken out against the FCC’s recent activities, marking concerns that the commission should move towards de-regulating the industry rather than imposing (or re-imposing) new regulations.
“Is this re-regulation really necessary?” Oxenford poses. “Just because the FCC can regulate broadcasters, should it do so without an extensive record that the new regulations will directly bring about some public interest good? Imposing new paperwork requirements on broadcast stations that are already challenged by the economic tides of the media industry seemingly flies in the face of the deregulatory trends over the last 40 years since Chairman Ferris was in office.”
Oxenford’s piece published in Radio Ink comes after the FCC’s Commissioner Starks joined 27 members of Congress to call for the reinstatement of the filing of Form 395-B which tracks and measures broadcast workforce diversity data.
The FCC has become exceedingly active in recent months after the confirmation of Commissioner Anna Gomez, which broke the “deadlock” of the agency due to having a Democratic party majority. Previously the FCC could only take action on items that both Democratic and Republican commissioners could agree on.
