More than 550 broadcasters from around the country are descending on Washington this week for the NAB’s annual State Leadership Conference. The two-day event, which brings industry executives to the Capitol to lobby on broadcast issues, continues today. The focus is on meeting with lawmakers to advocate for legislation requiring AM radio in cars while also urging them to oppose a proposed performance royalty on radio airplay.
The event kicked off Tuesday with NAB President Curtis LeGeyt’s annual state of the industry speech. His comments focused on broadcasters’ essential role in their communities and the impact of their advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill. LeGeyt also highlighted key policy priorities that broadcast advocates will discuss with lawmakers today, including what the NAB argues is an urgent need to modernize broadcast ownership rules as well as efforts to keep AM radio accessible in vehicles.
Broadcasters also heard from several members of Congress, including Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD). Cruz spoke about the importance of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act (S. 315). He is the bill’s lead sponsor and as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Cruz drove the bill to quick passage last month, sending it to the full Senate for approval. If passed, it requires the Secretary of Transportation to issue a rule requiring access to AM broadcast stations in motor vehicles. If they don’t, carmakers could be fined. And carmakers would be prohibited from charging extra for AM.
Cantwell, the ranking Democrat on the Committee, spoke about the important work local stations do in their communities, calling for the modernization of outdated broadcast ownership rules and other measures to support broadcasters’ investment in local journalism. Cantwell in the past proposed legislation, that had it passed, would have provided the media tax credits for hiring local news journalists.
Guthrie, who is chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, shared how broadcasters play a critical role in times of emergency and the need for a level playing field for broadcasters to compete and thrive. And Raskin spoke about how a strong and independent local broadcast media is essential to democracy.
FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington also participated in a question-and-answer session. He reportedly told the crowd to expect more “coordinated action” between the White House and the FCC. During the Q&A with NAB Chief Legal Officer Rick Kaplan, they also discussed what both see as the need to address decades-old media ownership rules.
There were also some lighter moments. The NAB announced the winners of the 38th annual NAB Crystal Radio Awards at the conference Tuesday. The ten stations were chosen from 50 previously announced finalists for their exceptional year-round commitment to community service. The winners include Kohanic Broadcast Corporation adult alternative KNBA Anchorage, AK (90.3); Gopher Communications AC KROX, Crookston, MN (1260); Bonneville International soft AC KSFI Salt Lake City, UT (100.3); Audacy classic hits WCBS-FM, New York (101.1); Cox Media Group urban AC WTBV, Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL (101.5); Hubbard news WTOP-FM, Washington, D.C. (103.5); iHeartMedia urban contemporary WUSL, Philadelphia, PA (98.9); Audacy hot AC WWBX, Boston, MA (104.1); Cox Media Group AC WWRM Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL (94.9); and ADX Communications country WYCT Pensacola, FL (98.7).
The event also featured presentation honoring Wendy Paulson, outgoing President of the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations (NASBA).
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