Report: FCC Gets 56,000 ‘Decency' Comments In One Week

The Federal Communications Commission has received over 56,000 comments in opposition to their proposal to loosen their standards regarding graphic content on television and radio.

According to the American Family Association, the large number of comments given to the FCC took place over the span of only one week.

"It is apparent that Americans have an extremely high interest in what is allowed over the airwaves and what their children and grandchildren are watching and listening to on television and radio," the group said.

AFA is one of many conservative and media content watchdog groups advocating for the maintaining of the FCC's "standards of decency" for language and sexual content.

Patrick Trueman, president and CEO of Morality in Media, told The Christian Post that while the large number of comments was "a very encouraging response" he was doubtful that the volume of responses would affect the FCC's direction.

"Given that the FCC has for years totally ignored the American public, as well as the will of Congress, on TV indecency, I am not optimistic. The FCC notice of the change indicates that it is already implementing the proposed policy," said Trueman.

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Report: Relaxation of Foreign Ownership Restrictions Sought

More than 30 minority and civil rights groups have asked the FCC to relax restrictions on foreign investment in U.S. broadcast companies, according to Leslie Stimson at Radio World.

Such investment is generally prohibited beyond 25% of one company. The regulation stems from a time when the country feared control of U.S. broadcast facilities by enemy governments.

Minority ownership of stations has experienced “a steep and unprecedented decline,” according to the groups, like the Minority and media Telecommunications Council, American Indians in Film and Television, Latinos in Information Sciences and Technology Association and the Black Leadership Forum. They note that U.S. banks and venture capital firms that financed small and medium-size broadcast deals a decade ago “have left the space entirely.”

To reverse this decline, one of the most significant steps the FCC could take is to reverse that policy, states the groups, who also say encouraging foreign investment in U.S. broadcasters creates reciprocal opportunities for American broadcasters to expand their footprint into radio and television markets in Central and South America, Africa, the Caribbean, Spain, China, Korea, the U.K., Canada and Australia.

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Arbitron Shareholders Give Thumbs-Up to Deal

The proposed acquisition of Arbitron by Nielsen came a step closer to reality on Tuesday with an almost unanimous vote by Arbitron shareholders to approve the deal, according to a story at mediapost.com.

The Nielsen takeover, which would effectively merge the two largest U.S. media measurement companies, was approved by 98.99% of shares voting at a special meeting on Tuesday, according to Arbitron, representing 77.11% of all Arbitron shares.

Shareholders accepted a takeover offer from Nielsen that prices Arbitron at $48 per share, a 2.7% premium over the current price of $46.74, and a 26% premium over the price of around $38 before the deal was announced in December. Under the terms of the deal, Nielsen will pay cash to acquire all outstanding shares of Arbitron.

The deal still has a couple more regulatory hurdles to overcome, including expiration of the Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust waiting period.

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Boston Radio Provides Information, Comfort

From Gary Trust, Billboard.com

Sadly it's in times of tragedy that live and local radio most often reinforces its value as a provider of information and comfort. 

Following Monday’s  tragic explosions during the 117th running of the Boston Marathon, which has resulted in three deaths and more than 130 injured, many severely, Boston stations focused their coverage on serving listeners with the most up-to-date details, as well as a virtual place of gathering to share the overwhelming sadness prevalent throughout the region. 

While CBS Radio-owned news/talk WBZ-AM (1030) unsurprisingly provided continuous updates, as did Entercom's talk signal WRKO (680 AM), multiple stations in their respective clusters aired simulcasts of them. Entercom sports station WEEI (93.7 FM) mixed a stream of callers with feeds from sister WRKO's longtime afternoon personality Howie Carr. 

Music stations, however, faced providing a greater break from their normal flow of songs and generally fun, upbeat presentations. 

For the worst possible reasons, radio once again stepped up its public service responsibilities. 

CBS Radio adult top 40 WBMX (Mix 104.1) was one of the first FM music stations to report the explosions, according to APD/MD Mike Mullaney. "Within 15 minutes we had switched to a simulcast of WBZ-AM, which we carried through midnight." 

Sister CBS mainstream top 40 WODS (103.3 Amp Radio) likewise simulcast WBZ-AM until midnight (as did all stations in the cluster). 

WODS morning duo TJ and Loren "were great today," says PD Dan Mason. "Although they're new to Boston, you wouldn't have been able to tell. Their prior experience on the Elvis Duran Morning Show [which originates from Clear Channel-owned WHTZ (Z100) in New York] during events like Superstorm Sandy and the tragic shootings in Newtown, Conn., really shined through as they opened up the phone lines and let people grieve. They really handled it beautifully.

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Tweets about "#boston marathon"

Rush Limbaugh Slams Coverage of Boston Bombing

Rush Limbaugh joined early criticism of the explosions' news coverage Tuesday, according to a story at cbsnews.com:

"There was a race in the media to make sure that nobody jumped to the gun and racially profiled... Nobody thinks this has anything to do with al Qaeda, nothing to do with Saudi Arabia, nothing to do with Muslims," Limbaugh said Tuesday on his radio program. "While at the same time speculating that this has to be some right-wing group.

"...If you are a Muslim, and it turns out that a Muslim did bomb the Boston Marathon, how do you feel?" Limbaugh continued. "I dare say that if you are a Muslim, you can be pretty certain...that everybody in the media will circle the wagons, and say, 'This is not because of Islam.'" But should the attack be traced back to a conservative, he added, "everybody in the media will unite to denounce your whole group."

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Chicago Ratings…Going Beyond 6+

As usual Chicagoland Radio & Media provides a detailed look at the latest PPMs for Chicago:

Concerning the highly-desired 25-54 demographic:

In the overall numbers (Monday-Sunday 6:00am-Midnight), WTMX-FM remains in first place with a 7.0 share -- a .2 slip from February's almost two-year high. Second place goes to WVAZ-FM, with a 5.3 share, a .3 share decrease from the previous month. WGCI-FM, which was #10 just two months back, moves up to #3 increasing its share by an additional .2 to a 4.4. #4 is a tie between WUSN-FM and WKSC-FM, each with a 4.2 share. WUSN-FM/US99.5 increased by .6 share since the February period.

Besides WUSN-FM, a few other stations had notable increases in March. WDRV-FM/WWDV-FM jumped up a whopping .9 share to reach a 4.0 share and a #7 ranking. WJMK-FM/104.3 K-Hits is finally knocking on the door of the Top 10, jumping up .5 to a 3.4 share. Even though it had a .4 increase, WLS-FM is barely hanging in to the Top 20 with a 2.6 share in its target demo. It will have to do much better to catch up to its top rival WJMK-FM. WVIV-FM/WVIX-FM/Maxima has reclaimed some of its previously lost audience, adding .5 share, now up to 1.7.

Of course, there were a few notable decreases for the March ratings period. WNUA-FM had the biggest fall, going from a 3.9 share to a 3.1 share, dropping it out of the Top 10. WLIT-FM continues to fall down since the holidays, losing another .2 share and landing at 2.7 share. WBEZ-FM continues to lose listeners, slipping another .3 share to a 1.6 share. With the football season over and no professional playoffs to energize fans, both of Chicago's full-time sports stations fell downward once again. WSCR-AM is now at 2.7 share (a .3 share decrease) and WMVP-AM is now down to a 1.3 share (a .1 share decrease).

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Nets Want Court To Reconsider Pro-Aereo Ruling

Forbes photo

A coalition of TV networks are asking a federal appeals court in New York to reconsider a ruling that allowed online video company Aereo to continue rolling out its cord-cutting service.

The pro-Aereo ruling, issued earlier this month by a three-judge panel, “threatens the over-the-air broadcasting industry,” the TV networks say in new court papers, according to media-post.com. The broadcasters are asking the entire 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear the case.

Aereo allows people to view live streams of over-the-air TV shows on iPhones, iPads and other devices. The service also allows people to “record” over-the-air shows for later viewing.

The TV networks are suing Aereo for copyright infringement. The networks say that Aereo is operating like a cable television company, and is illegally transmitting TV shows without a license. The TV broadcasters say that the transmissions are a “public performance,” which requires a license.

Two weeks ago, a panel of the 2nd Circuit ruled 2-1 that Aereo's transmissions are not public performances. That ruling upheld a trial judge's decision denying the TV networks' request for an injunction banning Aereo from operating.

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Meanwhile, Aereo placed a full-page ad in Tuesday’s NYTimes to state its case publicly:

LA Radio: Shotgun Tom Kelly To Get Starred

The KRTH 101K-EARTH website has announced that LA Radio Personality “Shotgun Tom” Kelly will be receiving his very own star on the Hollywood Walkof Fame, listeners are invited to watch the ceremony in person or online via kearth101.com!

This once in a lifetime ceremony is taking place Tuesday, April 30th at 11:30am at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard, at the corner of Hollywood & LaBrea, next to the star of the late Real Don Steele, who formerly hosted the afternoons on K-EARTH 101!

“Shotgun Tom” Kelly’s star will be presented by Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Leron Gubler.

Special guest speakers include the legendary Stevie Wonder and K-EARTH 101′s Program Director host Jhani Kaye.

Show up early, because the first number of fans to arrive will receive a commemorative Shotgun Tom Kelly hat with his Hollywood star pin while supplies last.

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Report: Jay Mohr Tweets ‘2nd Amendment Must Go’

Fox Sports Radio host  and actor/comedian Jay Mohr waded into the gun debate on Twitter after Monday’s deadly terrorist attacks at the Boston Marathon, according to TheDaily Caller.

The Jerry Maguire actor tweeted Monday night at 6:24 PM.

 The Tweet has disappeared from his feed, but following push back on Twitter, Mohr elaborated on his contention further, explaining that he finds it sad that gun massacres are becoming increasingly common.

Newtown tragedy was gun violence. Where are u maniacs coming from. I'm just stating that its so sad we're getting used to watching it on tv
— Jay Mohr (@jaymohr37) April 16, 2013

Fresno Radio: Inga Barks Formally Charged

Inga Barks

In California, the Kern County District Attorney's office has formally charged longtime Fresno talk radio host Inga Barks with drunk and disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

Barks, 45, a talk show host at KMJ AM 580 AM/105.9 FM in Fresno, and a community columnist for The Californian, was arrested Feb. 27 in southwest Bakersfield after police responded to reports of an unconscious woman.

After officers arrived, they noticed Barks was displaying signs of alcohol intoxication, a spokeswoman for the Bakersfield Police Department told The Californian following the arrest.

When officers asked for identification, Barks was uncooperative, the spokeswoman said.

Last month, Barks said in an email to The Californian that she had had "an adverse reaction to meds," and that she was grateful she was not driving.

Barks' arraignment has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. May 3 in Kern County Superior Court.

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Frederickburg Radio..FredFM Goes ‘Eclectic’

FredFM, a radio station with a unique mix of music and programming, began streaming live at listen.fredericksburg.com and on air at translator W243BS/ 96.5 FM (250 watts) on Tuesday. FredFM is originating on WFLS 93.3 FM HD2.

The new station will have an eclectic blend of music geared to in-office listening during the day, and highlight a different type of music each evening. Programming will include the blues on Mondays, honky-tonk on Tuesdays and jazz on Saturdays.

“It’s true variety, like nothing you have ever heard,” said Mark Bass, general manager of the Star Radio Group. “This is a very unusual partnership between the Radio Group and fredericksburg.com, and just shows the diversity of our portfolio of media outlets.”

FredFM is owned and operated by The Free Lance–Star Publishing Co., which also owns The FreeLance–Star and Star Weekly newspapers, fredericksburg.com and the Star Radio Group of WFLS, WWUZ, WVBX and WNTX.

Developed as a companion to fredericksburg.com, FredFM will focus on the Fredericksburg community, with a mix of local artists, news and commentary. The station will also broadcast local events and offer a way for local groups to connect.

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W243BS 96.5FM 60dBu Coverage

MySXM: SiriusXM App Adds Personalization

Satellite radio fans are well aware the service offers a lot of choice, whether you're into a specific decade ('80s, '90s, etc.), genre (such as reggae or metal) or personality (Howard Stern or Martha Stewart).

But, Marc Saltzman at USAToday writes a new feature called MySXM offers a lot more personalization for those who stream content from the SiriusXM Internet Radio app for iOS and Android, and siriusxm.com.

Specifically, SiriusXM subscribers can now tweak the kind of music they want to hear within an existing channel. For example, while streaming the channel SiriusXM Hits 1 (for Top 40 pop music), you can use your finger to drag a slider from "Hot Hits" (existing chart-toppers) to "Hit Bound" (newer tunes). Or you might select more "Pop & Rock" over "Pop & Rhythm." Or choose "Less Teen Pop" over "More Teen Pop" if you've had your fill of One Direction and Justin Bieber.

Another example: The Lithium channel, which delivers '90s alternative music, has sliders for "Deeper versus Familiar" (more pop or more obscure), "More Grunge versus Less Grunge" and "Harder versus Softer."

Because it's a slider bar, you're not limited to a "yes" or "no" decision on the style or popularity of the music you're listening to – but rather, varying grades for each choice, such as 75 percent one way or another.

More than 50 SiriusXM stations now have this MySXM feature. If the station supports it, you'll see a white icon with the word "My" in the middle of it.

Subscription costs for SiriusXM satellite radio starts at $14.49 per month, plus access to the app is an additional $3.50 a month. Alternatively, users can subscribe to SiriusXM Internet Radio without needing a satellite radio for $14.49 a month.

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