The fight to pass a bill that would keep AM radio in vehicle dashboards has been a top priority for the broadcasting industry this year. Alongside the perennial battle over a performance royalty on radio airplay, it has kept lobbying spending robust — led by the National Association of Broadcasters, which spent $2.93 million working Congress during the first half of the year. That is a 5.6% bump from a year ago.
The spending not only includes lobbying members of Congress, but also the Federal Communications Commission. Disclosure filings show the NAB was active on issues such as the regulation of political advertising, proposals relating to disclosure of foreign government-sponsored programming and pushing to allow cannabis ads on broadcast stations in states where it is now legal.
“NAB is dedicated to empowering local broadcasters to continue their essential role in delivering trusted news and information, especially during emergencies,” NAB spokesman Alex Siciliano said in a statement.
More than most years, it has been easier to track the return on that investment. Broadcasters have corralled 260 supporters in the House and 62 Senators to support the bill that would keep AM in vehicles. In April, a majority of House members said they oppose a radio royalty, a number that has since climbed to 228 House members and 25 Senators.
“We continue to champion the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act and rally strong support for the Local Radio Freedom Act, both of which have garnered broad bipartisan and bicameral backing to protect local stations’ ability to serve their communities,” Siciliano said. “As Big Tech increasingly exploits its market power, threatening the economic foundation of local journalism, our efforts to safeguard the future of local broadcasting have never been more critical.”
A review of the disclosure filings by the major automakers, including Ford, Toyota and Tesla, shows they too have been spending money to lobby Congress on the AM bill.
NPR Fights Defunding Efforts
Among individual radio groups, the industry again got the most support from iHeartMedia. Disclosure filings show iHeart spent $2.47 million during the first half of 2024. That’s up 30% year-over-year. As in the past, iHeart’s list of lobbying issues aligns closely with the NAB, although it is also active on other issues, such as data privacy.
Other broadcasters that invested in lobbying last year include TelevisaUnivision. The largest Spanish-language broadcast owner spent $510,000 on Washington lobbying during Q1. Hubbard Broadcasting invested $60,000 and Cox Enterprises, which holds a minority stake in Cox Media Group, spent a total of $1.06 million, although that was typically not focused on broadcast radio issues.
On the non-commercial side, disclosure filings reveal NPR spent $210,000 during the first half — more than double what it spent during the same period a year ago. In fact, the $140,000 in lobbying spending during Q2 by NPR was the most it has spent in a single quarter since 2021 as it looked to blunt efforts in Congress to zero-out funding of public media.
Among newer media companies, Spotify spent $730,000 during the first half of the year, up 22% from a year earlier. The audio streamer says it continued to lobby on issues related to music licensing and copyright, issues related to AI, and bills related to issues in the music and technology industries.
Music Industry Also Spends More
While a majority of lawmakers have said they don’t support a radio royalty fee, the royalties fight is far from over. It is not only radio that is spending more, but the music industry. The Recording Industry Association of America spent $3.7 million during the first half, which is 9% more than a year earlier. That included $2.2 million in lobbying spending during Q1, the most the RIAA has spent in a single quarter since 2007. Among the issues the RIAA says it lobbied on was the American Music Fairness Act (H.R. 791 / S.253), which would require broadcast stations to pay royalties when they spin records. It was also active on issues such as intellectual property theft and counterfeit laws.
Among the big music companies, Universal Music Group spent $1.22 million in the first half per federal filings, while Sony Music Entertainment spent $690,000. Other music industry groups also continued to be active, including the National Music Publishers Association, which spent $520,000 during the first half, which was on par with 2023.
The three big performance rights groups were also spending in Washington. ASCAP invested $220,000 as BMI and SESAC both spent $140,000 during the first half. And SoundExchange, the collections agent for digital music use, spent $490,000 on lobbying Washington policymakers.
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