KBA'S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

JUNE 17, 2021

KBA JOINS OTHER STATES TO PUSH BACK AGAINST REGULATORY FEE INCREASE

COMMENTS TO BE FILED SUPPORTING NAB'S POSITION

As a matter of record, the Kentucky Broadcasters Association has linked arms with other state broadcast associations from around the country to file comments supporting the NAB's position opposing the FCC's recent proposed 2021 regulatory fee increase. The NAB's comments can be read here.

"We feel strongly that the Commission has turned a blind eye to the real life struggles of local broadcasters who have endured increased hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic", said Chris Winkle, KBA President & CEO. Winkle went on to say that "broadcasters should not be solely targeted to fund the Commission's operating budget, while big tech companies, who make up a large portion of the Commission's agenda, pay no regulatory fees".

Broadcasters realize that it will always be challenging to get the FCC to make particularly significant changes to fees that they must collect less than four months from now, so our efforts will continue to be targeted to avoiding the increases proposed in this year's fees for broadcasters while working over the long term to bring about change in the Commission's fundamental approach to regulatory fees.

STREAMING RATES GOING UP

BY DAVID OXENFORD

The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) on Friday released the rates and terms for webcasting royalties for 2021-2025, and the rates are going up. While the full decision explaining the reasoning for the rate increases will not be released to the public until the parties to the case have the opportunity to seek redaction of private business information, the rates and terms themselves were released and can be found here.

These new rules apply to all noninteractive webcastersincluding broadcasters who are simulcasting their over-the-air signals on the Internet. As detailed below, both the per-performance and annual minimum fees will be increasing for both commercial and nonprofit webcasters. READ MORE

NATIONAL EAS TEST SCHEDULED

AUGUST 11TH @ 2:20 PM EDT

FEMA, in coordination with the FCC, will conduct a nationwide test of the EAS and Wireless Emergency Alerts on August 11, 2021, at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), with a backup date of August 25, 2021 at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

FEMA will transmit the EAS portion of the nationwide test through the broadcast-based distribution system, otherwise known as the “daisy chain.” Because the test will be disseminated in this manner, FEMA indicates that “full message text and multilingual messaging will not be available.

Pursuant to Section 11.61 of the Commission’s rules, EAS Participants must renew their identifying information required by ETRS Form One on a yearly basis. Accordingly, all EAS Participants must complete the 2021 ETRS Form One on or before July 6, 2021.

On or before August 12, 2021, EAS Participants must file “day of test” information sought by ETRS Form Two.

On or before September 27, 2021, EAS Participants must file the detailed post-test data sought by ETRS Form Three. ETRS Forms Two and Three will become available in the ETRS at the time of initiation of the 2021 nationwide test.

Now is the time to make sure your EAS equipment is operating normally and receiving tests from monitoring sources specified in the Kentucky state EAS plan. The plan can be found here.

Also, check to make sure you have the latest copy of the FCC's EAS Operating Handbook available at your studio or other duty station and readily available to your operators.

FCC Official Notice

RAB ARCHIVED WEBINARS

AVAILABLE TO KBA MEMBERS ON-DEMAND

Ongoing timely learning that responds to the ever-changing world is critical to the long-term success of any team. RAB offers engaging and relevant presentations to enhance the current training protocol and provide consistency, focus and new actionable information that teams can use immediately. RAB’s presentation series continues to receive accolades and industry press due to the valuable and timely content. On-demand presentations are provided as a complimentary member service to KBA member stations.

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

LEGACY AWARD NOMINATIONS ACCEPTED

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT IS JULY 9TH

KBA's Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2021 Legacy Awards. The awards will be presented as part of the Excellence In Broadcasting Awards ceremony on Monday, September 20th at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro. The deadline to submit a Legacy nomination is July 9, 2021.

KBA LEGACY AWARDS:

Al Temple Award

Kentucky Mic Hall of Fame Award

J.T. Whitlock Life Service Award

Ralph Gabbard Distinguished Kentuckian Award

To submit an online nomination and learn more about each award, please click the link below.

LEGACY NOMINATION FORM

JEFF SCHMIDT'S SALES TIP OF THE WEEK

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

As sellers, we are on the front lines with clients and prospects. At the same time, we know that it takes an entire team to deliver on any strategies we create for our clients. From engineering that keeps us on the air to the talent that creates the content and audience engagement, to promotions who keep us engaged in the community and traffic and billing who handles the business side, and more. It’s truly a team effort to meet and exceed client expectations. We know this, and certainly, we appreciate that our jobs can’t be done without the entire team.

But do your clients know?

Sales trainer and business consultant Don Beveridge was an early influencer on my career. In his book The Yes Syndrome he introduced a concept called the Commitment Certification Page of a proposal. Putting this to use on the streets gave the clients a full understanding of all the people working behind the scenes to help exceed their expectations. It also set us apart because no other media sales teams were using this as part of their presentations. The other benefit of this tool was that it gave the sales team and other teams in the company another opportunity for communication and understanding.

Here’s how it worked: You would prepare your presentation and share it with the “department heads” who would give it a quick review. This gave them an understanding of what sales were trying to accomplish and provide input and an opportunity for additional ideas. Following their review, they would sign the Commitment Certification indicating that they were on-board and committed to the client’s success.

Having this page just before the client signature page is another way to set yourself apart from your competitors and give credit to all on your team who are committed to the client’s success. It’s an easy tool to create, and the impact is significant.

If you’d like a template copy of what a Commitment Certification Page looks like, just email me and I’ll be happy to send it.

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development at the Radio Advertising Bureau. You can also connect with him by email JSchmidt@rab.com or on Twitter and LinkedIn.