Friday, March 28, 2003

Converting To HD Radio?

You no longer have to apply to the FCC for temporary operating authority.  Just go HD Radio and tell the FCC you have done so within 10 days of your start of broadcast. The FCC wants to know the number of stations that are converting to the iBiquity system of in band on channel digital radio. The FCC engineers will be assessing the impact of HD Radio on analog stations.  FM can go fulltime, AM daytime only.

Nassau Buys Egg Harbor City

Nassau Broadcasting is buying Mega’s Egg Harbor City FM, (WEMG-FM), which was the only Hispanic FM broadcaster for Philadelphia. The AM, (WEMG-AM) Camden will still be owned by Mega and will be broadcasting a Spanish format for the Philadelphia market, as it presently does. Reportedly, the price being paid is sixteen million dollars. Mega bought the station from Burke Ross for $15.5 million.  Nassau has not announced any format.

New Line-up At WIMG, Trenton

Charlie Geter, longtime Station General Manager retires and Maggie Morris becomes VP/General Manager.  Felicia Brannon, moves up from Operations Manager to Assistant Manager and Pamela Pruitt, formally with Wall Street Radio, Westwood One and ABC Radio Networks, joins the staff as Vice President for Station Development. The Station is owned by Johnny Morris.

NJBA Legislative Success

A new bill in the state senate that would lay down new strict rules for the construction of communication towers was amended on the Senate floor at the request of the New Jersey Broadcasters Association to exempt towers erected for FCC licensed over the air broadcasters from the new rules. The sponsors were aiming at prohibiting some construction of cell phone towers and broadcasters would have been an unintended consequence.

April 10^th is Reporting Date

Both The Quarterly Issues/Programs List and the Children’s Television Programming Documentation are due to be placed in the stations public files by April 10, 2003. The stations public inspection files should be readily available to any member of the public during regular business hours.

 Good Guys Win

George Pine, President of Interep’s ABC Radio Sales Group has been promoted to the #2 person at the firm. The founder of Interep, Ralph Guild, has appointed George, President /COO of the rep firm. All divisions will report to Pine. George spent almost his entire career as an employee of Interep and is one of radio’s really good guys.