Media Business
AM Radio Congressional Hearing to Take Place on June 6
Published
4 months agoon
House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Bob Latta (R-OH) has expressed his hesitancy to support a mandate for AM radio in vehicles until car companies provide answers.
According to Inside Radio, Latta, along with three other members of Congress, will host a hearing on the issue titled “Listen Here: Why Americans Value AM Radio” on June 6. Latta stated that he will make a decision on supporting the AM for Every Vehicle Act after hearing testimony from carmakers during the hearing. The hearing is intended to be educational, but the possibility of legislation remains.
While Latta appreciated Ford’s decision to reverse its initial plan to exclude AM receivers from its vehicles, he emphasizes the need to hear from other carmakers.“It is my hope that announcing this educational hearing will show the important role AM radio stations have played for decades,” Latta said when first announcing the hearing.
Latta, along with Rep. Greg Pence (R-IN) and 100 bipartisan House colleagues, sent letters to various automakers urging them to maintain AM radio in all their vehicles. Latta mentioned that many other Republican lawmakers will wait until after the hearings to decide on supporting the bill, as they want to ensure all facts are considered.
Some lawmakers have made their stance clear on the issue. Rep. Steve Alford (R-KS) called Ford’s reversal a “first big win” in Congress and called for other automakers to follow suit. Alford emphasized the importance of preserving AM radio and highlighted the impact of public pressure.
Automakers have cited electromagnetic interference as the reason for removing AM radio from their electric vehicles. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) suggests that alternative options such as FM radio, internet streaming services, improved rural broadband, and text alerts can compensate for the loss of AM radio access.
Latta argues that lawmakers need a comprehensive understanding of the interference claims and should consider the benefits of AM radio transmission. He raises concerns about the loss of emergency broadcast capabilities if the internet were to go down, emphasizing the redundancy provided by AM radio. Latta points to past events where wireless connectivity was limited, and broadcast radio played a crucial role in disseminating essential information.
Ben Downs, owner/GM of Bryan Broadcasting, questions the need to remove AM from dashboards, stating that the argument of noise interference is unclear since the FCC has strict limits on external broadcast interference. He also believes that technical issues are not a valid reason, as existing Ford EVs and hybrids have coexisted with AM radios for years.
Opponents of the AM for Every Vehicle Act, including the CTA, predict its failure, drawing parallels to previous attempts to mandate FM radio chips in cellphones. David Donovan, President of the New York State Broadcasters Association, views it as a public safety issue and believes broadcasters have enough support in Congress to pass the bill.
On the other hand, media broker and station owner Larry Patrick doubts Congress will strongly support the legislation, noting that automakers operate internationally, and many countries have done away with AM.
The proposed legislation will go through the Communications and Technology Subcommittee chaired by Latta.
Maddy Troy serves as a writer and editor for Barrett News Media, with a specific focus on media business, advertising, and podcasting. You can find her on Twitter @Troy_Maddy.
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Media Business
Tom Tradup Named Contributing Editor of All Israel News
Published
3 days agoon
September 29, 2023By
BNM Staff
Salem Radio Network Vice President Tom Tradup has been hired as Contributing Editor of All Israel News, the publication has announced.
In his new role, Tradup will coach the outlet’s writers and editors, and will also provide a weekly column about Israel, the Arab world, and U.S. policy in the Middle East.
“I could not be more thrilled that Tom Tradup has agreed to help All Israel News publish more great content and dramatically expand our traffic, reach, and influence,” founder Joel C. Rosenberg said.
Tradup will continue in his full-time role at Salem Radio Network, in addition to his new role with All Israel News.
“I’m honored to work with Joel Rosenberg and his awesome team. Given that they only launched on September 1, 2020, I’m astonished by just how much they’ve accomplished. They’re breaking stories that are getting picked up by much larger American and Israeli news outlets. They’re getting exclusive interviews with the most powerful leaders in Israel and the Arab world,” said Tradup.
“Also, they’re providing the best daily online coverage of what’s happening with Christians in Israel and the broader Middle East. TBN loves their work and has created a prime-time TV show with Joel as anchor and executive producer. And Joel is being interviewed by Fox News, Newsmax, the Jerusalem Post, and so many other major media outlets because of his expertise and unique perspective on the region.
“Clearly, the Lord is doing something very special here, and at this pivotal moment in history, I’m really looking forward to helping Joel and his colleagues build on this successful foundation and create exciting new content that educates Evangelical Christians about what’s happening in Israel and the region from a distinctly Biblical worldview.”
Media Business
NAB CEO Curtis Legeyt Applauds Court Decision to Complete Quadrennial Review
“This ruling is an important step to compel a review that the record makes clear is necessary to allow local broadcasters to more fairly compete and deliver our trusted, locally-focused programming in a transformed media marketplace.”
Published
3 days agoon
September 29, 2023By
BNM Staff
A U.S. Court of Appeals has handed down a decision providing the FCC 90 days to complete the 2018 quadrennial review. The NAB has shared their pleasure with the decision.
“NAB applauds the Court for recognizing the vital importance of the FCC completing its long overdue 2018 quadrennial review. Today, broadcasters’ service to communities across the country is imperiled by the Commission’s failure to modernize its decades-old media ownership rules,” NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt said. “This ruling is an important step to compel a review that the record makes clear is necessary to allow local broadcasters to more fairly compete and deliver our trusted, locally-focused programming in a transformed media marketplace.”
Earlier this year, the NAB threatened to sue the FCC if it did not respond to a request to postpone the 2022 review until the 2018 review was completed. FCC Jessica Rosenworcel subsequently shared that changes to the commission’s ownership rules were still a work in progress, despite the legal challenges facing the quadrennial review.
However, the broadcaster group has shared its intention of working together with the FCC to find a resolution.
“NAB looks forward to actively engaging with the FCC to forge a path forward and reinforce the essential service provided by free, local broadcast stations in communities across the country.”
Media Business
X Will Be Turning a Profit in 2024 Says CEO Linda Yaccarino
“90% of the top 100 advertisers have returned to the platform in the last 12 weeks alone.”
Published
3 days agoon
September 29, 2023By
BNM Staff
The profitability of X, formerly Twitter, has been a hot topic since the social media platform was purchased by billionaire Elon Musk. His hand-picked CEO, Linda Yaccarino, says the company will be in the black in 2024.
While appearing at the Code Conference, Yaccarino said that since she has taken on the role of CEO, she know sees a path to profitability for the company.
“Now that I have immersed myself in the business, and we have a good set of eyes on what is predictable, what’s coming is that it looks like in early ’24, we will be turning a profit,” Yaccarino said.
During the interview, which has been labeled by observers as “odd” and “uncomfortable, Yaccarino claimed, “90% of the top 100 advertisers have returned to the platform in the last 12 weeks alone.”
In its first 13 years of operation, the social media company has yet to turn a profit. However, the insinuation of profitability by Yaccarino isn’t the first time she’s claimed the company was close to being in the black. In an interview with CNBC in August, she said the platform was “pretty close to breakeven”.
Yaccarino added that she views X as “a new company”, saying it’s a “new day”. She continued by noting that her belief is X is “building a foundation on expression and freedom of speech”, whereas Twitter was “operating on different sets of rules…different philosophies and ideologies that were creeping down the road of censorship”.
