Have you ever heard this from a potential client?  ”I don’t want to buy radio, people just switch stations as soon as a commercial comes on?”  Now there’s a great study you can cite that shows the exact opposite.  The study, performed in 2011 by Arbitron, Media Monitors and Coleman Insights shows that on average, 93% of listeners stick around through a commercial break.  93%!

Shorter breaks of two or three minutes bring back 99% to 96%, respectively.

The study used PPM data from all 48 PPM markets over a year.

You can read more about the study from this RAB Radio Sales Today article.  Now get selling!

The New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters and 45 other State Broadcasters Associations joined in filing comments in response to the FCC’s proposal to require television stations to post the bulk of their public inspection files, including their political files, on the FCC’s website.

We supported the Commission’s proposal to exclude from any online public inspection file requirement the multitude of letters and emails that television stations receive from the public.  We also expressed support for the Commission’s decision to offer to host the public inspection files on the FCC’s own website, but qualified our support by urging the Commission, as we did in earlier stages of the proceeding, to give stations the option of using the FCC’s website or its own website, with appropriate links to the FCC’s website, for their online public inspection files.

The State Associations did raise serious concerns however.  We expressed great concern that the Commission’s apparent focus in the proceeding had changed, and inappropriately so, from the FCC’s longstanding emphasis on encouraging local dialogues between local residents and their local stations about their programming service to a new emphasis on oversight of television stations by non-local, and in fact, distant researchers and public advocacy groups that have no local ties to or personal knowledge of the individual communities served by local television stations.

We also registered our strong objection to the Commission’s proposal to require television stations to place their political files online, including forcing stations to catalogue the political file materials by “subfolders” and “subdivisions,” in effect to standardizing the management of traffic at television stations.  We pointed out that there is no industry standard for managing traffic because many television stations use their own in-house trafficking software and many others use the products of at least fourteen outside vendors.  In addition, we opposed the Commission’s proposal to expand substantially the types of “sponsors” that must be identified on the lists that stations have long been required to maintain in their public files.  We argued that not only will each of these proposed new requirements be extraordinarily burdensome, they reflect a new “gotcha” regulatory attitude of the Commission with researchers, public advocacy groups and the Commission playing “stop watch” roulette if station political files go online or if the list of a television station’s “sponsors” must be expanded.  Given that the base fines for violations of the FCC’s political file and public inspection file rules are $9,000 and $10,000, respectively, we pointed out that the FCC will have a strong incentive to encourage the filing of “stop watch” complaints as well as to make adverse “willful or repeated” findings notwithstanding the good faith efforts of broadcasters.

The State Associations urged the Commission not to adopt an online political file requirement or to expand the types of sponsorships that must be listed by television stations in their public inspection files.  In the alternative, we suggested that the Commission defer a decision on whether to adopt an online political file requirement for television stations pending the outcome of its action with respect to replacing FCC Form 355.  We also urged the Commission, if it still intends to adopt an online public inspection file requirement for television stations, to conduct a pilot program before finalizing any online public inspection file rule as well as provide a reasonable phase-in period for compliance.  Furthermore, with the adoption of an online public inspection file requirement, we requested the Commission to remove as unnecessary the public file certification question from its application for renewal of broadcast licenses on FCC Form 303-S, as well as to reduce the base forfeiture amount for public inspection file violations which will become even more arbitrary and capricious in an online public file world.

Lastly, to acknowledge the high priority of dialogues between local viewers and local stations, the State Associations urged the Commission to require all persons and organizations having complaints about a station’s programming to certify, in any complaint, objection or petition filed with the Commission, that they have already made their concerns known, in writing or by email, to the affected station(s) and that they have not received either any response from the station(s) or a satisfactory response (along with the reasons why the response was not satisfactory) before the FCC will consider the matters contained in the person’s or organization’s complaint, objection or petition.

 

In this training, Eric Moore of Insight Edge discusses trends related to the consumer electronics industry. Moore focuses on over-hyped 3D televisions and the very real appeal of tablet computers.

Watch this 7 minute training video here.  Not a part of LocalBroadcastSales.com?  It’s free to NHAB members.  Just email jordan@nhab.org for your access code.

by Lauren Lynch Flick and Paul A. Cicelski

Pillsbury Law

All commercial and noncommercial educational digital television broadcaststation licensees and permittees must file FCC Form 317 by December 1, 2011.

The FCC requires all digital television stations, including all commercial and noncommercial educational full power television stations, digital low power television stations, digital translator television stations, anddigital Class A television stations, to submit FCC Form 317 each year. The report details whether stations provided ancillary or supplemental services at any time during the twelve-month period ending on the preceding September 30.

It is important to note that the FCC Form 317 must be submitted regardless of whether stations offered any such services. FCC Form 317 must be filed electronically, absent a waiver, and is due on December 1, 2011.  Ancillary or supplementary services are all services provided on the portion of a DTV station’s digital spectrum that is not necessary to provide the required single free, over-the-air signal to viewers. Any videobroadcast service that is provided with no direct charge to viewers is exempt.

According to the FCC, examples of services that are considered ancillary or supplementary include, but are not limited to,”computer software distribution, data transmissions, teletext, interactive materials, aural messages, paging services, audio signals, subscription video, and the like.”  If a DTV station provided ancillary or supplementary services during the 12-month time period ending onSeptember 30, 2011, it must pay the FCC 5% of the gross revenues derived from the provision of those services.

This payment can be forwarded to the FCC’s lockbox at the U.S. Bank in St. Louis, Missouri andmust be accompanied by FCC Form 159, the Remittance Advice.  Alternatively, the fee can be paid electronically using a credit card on the FCC’s website. The fee amount must also be submitted by theDecember 1, 2011 due date.

The New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters along with 44 other State Broadcasters Associations joined in filing Reply Comments in the FCC’s rule making proceeding to implement certain provisions of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 that would require television stations to caption television programming disseminated over the Internet.  Because the NPRM raised the specter of a wide range of new regulations on television stations, the Associations sought to reduce those  burdens and regulatory risks in several ways.  First, we urged the FCC to adopt the SMPTE-TT, which was recommendated and the Video Programming Accessibility Advisory Committee and supported by the NAB, as the industry standard for the interchange format for receiving and passing through closed captioning.  We pointed out that SMPTE-TT would provide television stations and other parties in the distribution chain with needed certainty which, in turn, would save time and money during the online captioning process.  In line with the NAB, we also asked the Commission to allow SMPTE-TT to serve as a safe harbor for the FCC’s Internet captioning requirements.  Second, we urged the FCC to limit its captioning requirements to “full-length programmings” with the effect that the new requirements would not apply to excerpts or clips of full-length programs, such as individual segments of a local news program streamed online.  Third, we urged the FCC to extend by an additional six months the lead times when the new regulations would become effective, reasoning that without such an extension stations may be forced to reduce or eliminate online postings of live, near-live, and prerecorded, unedited programming until their captioning resources and other capabilities are fully developed.

MANCHESTER- Clear Channel Communication’s Greg Kretschmar was named the 2011 Broadcaster of the Year by the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters. The award was presented at the Association’s Annual Granite Mikes awards night on Thursday, October 20, 2011 at Southern New Hampshire University.

Greg Kretschmar of WHEB and WGIR has been in broadcasting for over 24 years. He holds a degree in communications from the University of New Hampshire, where his radio career also began, on air at The Free Waves 91.3 WUNH.  Greg began his professional broadcast career at WHEB, as a board operator. He then held the position of Production Director for three years before becoming a full time host on the station’s morning show. In 1997, the morning show was syndicated on Manchester’s Rock 101 WGIR-FM and his show has since been known as Greg and The Morning Buzz, now broadcast on four stations throughout the state. He has been honored with the 2007 Radio and Records Station of the Year and in 2009 was presented with the Patriot Award by the Department of Defense for his continued commitment to the armed services and his involvement with Operation Thank You.

 

NH stations receive accolades for work in news, sports, advertising and public service

 

MANCHESTER – Awards were handed out to broadcast stations in eighteen categories at the annual Granite Mike Awards sponsored by the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters (NHAB) on Thursday, October 20, 2011 at Southern New Hampshire University, hosted by Mark Ericson of WOKQ.

 

The winners of the night in the Station of the Year category were 98.3 WLNH FM and Hearst Television’s WMUR TV for radio and television, respectively.  WXLF/The Wolf and New Hampshire Public Television were runners up in the Station of the Year category.

Other noted winners this evening were for the best Radio Morning Show Team, where 95.3 and 107.1 The Wolf: Paul and Tracy took home first place honors.  First place awards for best Public Service Campaign went to WFRD FM for their work on “99 Rocks Tornado Relief 2011” and WMUR TV for “Champions in Action”.

WMUR was the night’s biggest winner with 12 first place awards. A complete list of winners is below.

Established in 1954, the New Hampshire Association (NHAB) of Broadcasters is the only voluntary, statewide trade organization serving the Granite State’s over-the-air radio and television stations. The Association’s key responsibilities include assisting its members with general and broadcast-specific business challenges and assisting in the networking of fellow broadcasters. The NHAB aims to promote broadcasting as a viable and exciting career choice by offering annual scholarships and maintaining an online database of available jobs for individuals searching for a career in radio or television, as well as the opportunity to post a resume online. Please visit www.nhab.org for more information.

Public Affairs/Talk Show

Radio

Merit:
WKXL AM/FM

“NH Now in DC: Congress Tour with Rep. Charlie Bass”

First:

WKXL AM/FM

“Your Health Matters: Primal Blueprint Interview”

Television

Merit:

New Hampshire Public Television

“NH Outlook: Brain Injured Vets”

First:

New Hampshire Public Television

“NH Outlook: Christa Legacy”

Spot News

Radio

Merit:
WKXL AM/FM

“Officer Involved in Shooting in Concord”

First:

NHPR

“Caitlin Raymond Bone Marrow Scam”

Television

First:

WMUR TV

“Mystery Boy Identified”

Documentary News

Radio

Merit:
WOKQ FM

“Tour of Jail”

First:

NHPR

“New Hampshire’s Great Bay”

Television

First:

WMUR TV

“NH Chronicle: Living with Lyme”

Feature Story

Radio

Merit:
NHPR

“Tale of Two Brothers”

First:

NHPR

“Challenges of Autism”

Television

Merit:

New Hampshire Public Television

“Windows to the Wild: Night in the Clouds”

First:

WMUR TV

“NH Chronicle: Autism Surf Camp”

Newscast

Radio

Merit:
WTSN AM

“Newscast: May 18”

First:

NHPR

“NHPR Newscast: June 22, 2011”

Television

First:

WMUR TV

“News 9 at 6:00pm”

Play-by-play

Radio

Merit:
WGIR AM

“New Hampshire Fisher Cats vs. New Britain Rock Cats”

First:

WGAM AM

“Monarchs vs. Binghamton: Game 2 Playoffs”

Sports Feature

Radio

Merit:
WKXL AM/FM

“Game 6 Stanley Cup Finals”

First:

NHPR

“One Tough Mudder”

Air Personality

Radio

Merit:
WGIR FM

Scorch

First:

WBYY FM

Dan Lunnie

Television

First:

WMUR TV

Fritz Wetherbee

Morning Show Team

Radio

Merit:
WZID FM

NH in the Morning with Mike and Tracy

First:

WXLF FM

95.3 and 107.1 The Wolf: Paul and Tracy

Station Promotional Announcement

Radio

Merit:
WGIR AM

“Winter Storm Coverage”

First:

WZID FM

“WZID Bras Across the River”

Television

Merit:

New Hampshire Public Television

“NHPTV Picks and Clicks”

First:

WMUR TV

“Fritz Wetherbee’s Haunted New Hampshire”

Individual Commercial

Radio

Merit:
WFNQ FM

Cinemagic “Sucker Punch”

First:

WJYY FM

Faulkner’s Landscape & Nursery “Green Thumb”

Television

Merit:

WNNE TV

Sleep Source Mattress

First:

WMUR TV

Lui Lui Restaurant

Commercial Campaign

Radio

Merit:
WMLL FM

Bee Bee Shoe “Contractor”

First:

WJYY FM

Faulkner’s Landscape & Nursery “Green Thumb Series”

Television

Merit:

WMUR TV

Hampton Vision Center

First:

WNNE TV

J.A.S. Auto

Station Website

Radio

Merit:
WZID FM

WZID.com

First:

WLNH FM

WLNH.com

Television

First:

WMUR TV

WMUR.com

Interactive Promotion

Television

First:

WMUR TV

“u local: 4 Seasons – Life in NH book”

Local Special Program/Event

Radio

Merit:
NHPR

“Writers on a New England Stage”

First:

WLNH FM

“WLNH Children’s Auction”

First:

WCNL AM

“Moustache Contest”

Television

First:

WMUR TV

“NH Chronicle: Flat Fritz”

Public Service Announcement

Radio

Merit:

WKNE FM

“BLM Wild Mustangs”

First:

WOKQ FM

Somersworth Youth 2 Youth “Alien Arrival”

Public Service Campaign of the Year

Radio

Merit:

WLNH FM

WLNH Children’s Auction

First:

WFRD FM

“99 Rocks Tornado Relief 2011”

Television

First:

WMUR TV

WMUR Champions in Action

Station of the Year

Radio

Merit:

WXLF FM

First:

WLNH FM

Television

Merit:

NH Public Television

First:

WMUR TV

NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith sent a letter to all members of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, more commonly referred to as the “Super Committee,” citing a Citigroup study examining the “looming” spectrum crisis.

In the study, Citigroup states that ” we do not believe the U.S. faces a spectrum shortage.”

The full letter can be read here.

It is widely assumed that the “Super Committee” will include language giving the FCC the power to hold incentive auctions for broadcasters.  The NAB and NHAB are not against the idea of voluntary incentive auctions with the caveat that  authorizing legislation maintains specific safeguards to ensure that: (a) viewers who currently rely on and can view localtelevision stations today continue to have access to those stations…and (b) broadcasters whochoose not to volunteer are held harmless by the process.

On Friday, September 15th, the FCC agreed to extend the deadline for broadcast stations to upgrade to new CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) EAS equipment.  The full ruling can be read on FCC.gov.

 

 

FEMA IPAWS Special Event – Prepared & Ready: The Final Stretch Before the Nationwide EAS Test Save the Date for September 30, 2011 at 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET

Please save the date for the final EAS Participant Virtual Roundtable discussion with government and industry leaders on September 30, from 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET. The discussion will involve a variety of topics and draft documents for feedback that will support updates to the EAS Best Practices Guide and Nationwide EAS Test Informational Toolkit.

Some examples include:

• Television and Cable EAS Background Slate

• Nationwide EAS Test Message Transcript Draft

• Public Service Announcement Audio Sample

• Nationwide EAS Test Data Reporting

• Required Monthly Test Activities and Findings

 

Event Details:

What: FEMA IPAWS Special Event – Prepared & Ready: The Final Stretch Before the Nationwide EAS Test

When: Friday, September 30, 2011; 1:30 PM- 3:30 PM ET

Where: Microsoft Live Meeting 2007 (This link will be active the morning of September 30th)  Please note that if you have Live Meeting Client correctly installed, you do not need a pass code or username

The event will finalize the best practices guide with industry for a formal release on October 3, 2011. In order to prepare the EAS Community for the November 9, 2011 Nationwide EAS Test, FEMA IPAWS, the FCC, and NOAA are partnering with industry leaders and experts to draft a comprehensive technical best practices guide on end-to-end National EAS message procedures.

Questions? Email ipaws@dhs.gov.

Content Collaboration from the EAS Community and our partners has been essential before the Nationwide EAS Test. Thank you for your support and productive dialogue. We look forward to seeing you September 30th!