RADIO ISSUES TOP AGENDA FOR NAB BOARD MEETINGS
Large number of radio issues will be in forefront during Tues.-Wed. NAB boards’ semiannual meetings at Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington. Among what were described as “problems” radio board would face -- and perhaps take action on some -- were iBiquity in-band, on-channel proposal at FCC for digital audio broadcasts (DAB), signal streaming, satellite terrestrial repeaters, ownership consolidation. On TV side, “there’s a lot taking place” in efforts to push digital transition forward, NAB Pres. Edward Fritts told us. Board business sessions will follow NAB day-long “Service to America” seminar and banquet Mon.
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Ownership consolidation has been brought to forefront in last 2 weeks with issuance of “position paper” by diverse coalition including actors, songwriters, RIAA and retailers attacking “standardized industry practices that fail to serve the public interest.” That was followed by Wed. petition by civil rights and consumer groups calling on FCC to investigate “anticompetitive and dangerous effects” of industry consolidation (CD June 6 p5).
Petitions and charges entailed will be “thoroughly discussed and debated” by radio and joint boards, NAB official said. However, Assn. is unlikely to take any position on those controversial issues, we're told. “We think they [charging groups] are off-base [and] without the benefit of the full facts,” Fritts said, and Assn. is expected to maintain its long-standing position that consolidation is in public interest.
Radio board is expected to form ad hoc committee to study development of action plan to promote over-air radio, along with satellite audio developments that industry embraces. We're told that is prompted by “a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill,” plus such issues as DAB and streaming. Source said result could be formation of task force to promote radio similar to joint NAB-CEA effort begun more than year ago on DTV.
Just as has been case for all TV board meetings of last few years, transition to DTV will be high on agenda. Fritts said “there’s a lot taking place in this arena” since FCC Chmn. Powell submitted his compromise plan to accelerate transition (CD April 5 p1). NAB, CEA and NCTA have held several private meetings on issue. NCTA and NAB have endorsed most elements of Powell proposal, CEA hasn’t -- primarily because of proposal that all new TV sets include digital tuners (CD April 9 p8).
Official attendance at April NAB convention was 92,356, Assn. said -- below “95,000 and counting” announced in Las Vegas (CD April 11 p5) because of duplicate registrations, mostly by exhibitors, and well below 113,000 who attended 2001 convention, also in Las Vegas. NAB also failed to meet its 2002 goal of 3,500 “fully paid” registrations (which included all lunches and other activities for which separate charges were made), we're told. That projection had been reduced from 4,700 in 2001 and 6,000 in 2000, and neither of those targets were met.
Meanwhile, normal spring politicking for NAB leadership posts isn’t happening as there are no contested races going into next week’s board meetings, with David Kennedy of Susquehanna Radio set for 2nd year as joint board chmn. On radio side, Vice Chmn. Virginia Morris will succeed John Dille, Federated Media, as chmn., with Steven Newberry, Commonwealth Bcstg., slated to succeed Morris. Michael Fiorile, Dispatch Bcst. Group, will move up to TV board chmn., succeeding LIN TV’s Paul Karpowicz, with Andrew Fisher, Cox TV, expected to be named vice chmn. Belo’s Jack Sander has been appointed to board seat reserved for NBC TV Network affiliates; Fox affiliates’ seat is vacant. Under NAB’s informal system of alternating joint chmn. between radio and TV boards, Fiorile would be in line to succeed Kennedy in June 2003. However, he has told board colleagues he won’t be candidate because of his increased responsibilities for day-to-day operation of Dispatch newspapers.