KBA WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

JUNE 20, 2024

SWEET RELIEF

FCC PROPOSES LOWERING REG FEES (AGAIN)

The FCC released its Notice of Proposed Rule Making proposing the amounts for 2024 Regulatory Fees. The good news is that the years of effort by the state broadcasters associations to have the FCC reassess and reduce broadcasters’ Reg Fees, which led to a number of reductions over the past few years (or at least slowed the rate of increases), have started to pay longer term dividends.

Whereas the typical pattern has been for the FCC to propose increases in broadcasters’ Reg Fees each year, us to then oppose those increases, and the FCC ultimately deciding to reduce the broadcaster Reg Fees from those it originally proposed, this year the FCC’s proposed broadcaster fees are lower than last year’s. That is saying something given that last year’s fees ended up being lower than those of the year before.

Specifically, the amount of the FCC’s annual budget that broadcasters are proposed to cover is decreasing by $4 million this year, with the benefit split roughly evenly between radio and television licensees. Proposed radio station annual regulatory fees decreased between 4.9% and 6.1%. It’s a little harder to compare television fees from year to year, as television station regulatory fees are calculated based on the population covered by each station’s signal and therefore are highly individualized. The comparison is further complicated by the fact that the FCC this year updated its calculations to use 2020 Census data rather than 2010 Census data. Accordingly, while most television stations will see decreases, some could see increases, depending on the change in their local population numbers over the past 14 years. However, for a theoretical TV station serving the same population under both the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, the proposed Reg Fees should be less this year than the station paid last year.

We continue to review the NPRM, and while significant progress has been made in the past decade, there remains more that can be done to reduce the FCC’s disproportionate reliance on broadcasters’ Regulatory Fees to meet its annual budget.

A LITTLE MORE TIME

EXCELLENCE AWARDS DEADLINE EXTENDED

Many of you asked for more time to submit entries for the 2024 Excellence in Broadcasting Awards, and we certainly understand. With this being the first year of the Impact & Excellence awards merging, we have decided to extend the entry deadline until 11:59pm on Monday, July 8, 2024.

Click the link below for contest rules and entry instructions. If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to Becky Day at becky@kba.org.

CONTEST RULES AND ENTRY

The 2024 Excellence in Broadcasting Awards will be presented on Monday, September 30, 2024, at Central Bank Center in Lexington, as part of KBA's Annual Membership Conference.

RAISED ON RADIO

FATHER-DAUGHTER DUO SHARE SPOTLIGHT AT UK

When Mary Clark was only 12 years old, her father, John Clark, started taking her to his radio show.

Now, Mary is one of several father-daughter duos that make up WRFL, the University of Kentucky’s student-run radio station.

John has spent most of his UK career at WRFL. He started as a WRFL DJ in 1992 and has hosted or cohosted his current show for 17 years. During his time as a professor in the School of Journalism and Media, he was the faculty advisor for WRFL for 22 years.

He retired from the university in 2022, but still returns to WRFL every other Friday for his evening radio show “Phantom Power Double Hour.”

With John’s passion for radio, it only made sense that he introduced his daughter to his work from a young age. Click HERE to learn more.

BLUEGRASS TO BAYOU

SHENKAN RETURNS TO BATON ROUGE

Earlier this week WBRZ-TV introduced Andrew Shenkan as its new general manager. Shenkan previously held a sales management role at the Baton Rouge television station.

Since April 2020, Shenkan has been vice president and general manager of WLEX-TV in Lexington, Kentucky. Prior to his time at WLEX, he spent 14 years in the same role at KATC-TV in Lafayette.

"I am honored to return to WBRZ and lead this incredible team," Shenkan said. "The station has a rich history and a bright future, and I look forward to working with everyone to build on our successes and take WBRZ to new heights.

"Baton Rouge has always held a special place in my heart, and I am excited to reconnect with the community and contribute to its growth," he said.

Shenkan and his wife Nandi have three adult children: Kathryn, Drew, and Francesca.

CONGRATULATIONS

HITCHCOCK WINS NATIONAL AWARD

Morehead State Public Radio (MSPR) General Manager Paul Hitchcock (Class of 1988) recently received awards from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA).

Hitchcock won first place in editing and second in the production and programming categories for "Golden Age of Radio: VJ Day." The Editing Excellence Award is Hitchcock's second national award and his third time placing at the national level. Previously, he won the National Federation of Community Broadcasters Golden Reel Award in 2000 and was a national finalist for the award in 2000 and 2003.

Hitchcock earned his bachelor's degree in Radio-TV/Psychology from Georgetown College in 1986 and his master's in communication from MSU in 1988. Before coming to MSU, Hitchcock worked at WRVG-FM at Georgetown College and commercial stations in Lexington and Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He has worked for MSU for 35 years and has been MSPR's general manager since 2003.

Hitchcock said he's honored to receive the award. He said his work is a reflection of his lifelong love of radio.

"I grew up in the 60's and 70's, so AM/FM radio was a big part of my childhood. I would listen for hours, making cassette recordings and imitating my favorite announcers," Hitchcock said. "I've always been drawn to radio's distinct voices and music in all forms and genres. I love my work, and everything associated with radio. I'm still that kid finding something special in creating audio with voices and music. I don't think I'll ever outgrow my love for radio."

The Communicator Awards is the leading global awards program honoring creative excellence for marketing and communications professionals. Founded three decades ago, the Communicator Awards is an annual competition recognizing the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations, and design.

THIS WEEKS MEMBER PIC

SILVER CIRCLE

Congratulations to Bill Bryant (WKYT) and Nancy Cox (retired from WLEX) on being selected as Silver Circle inductees by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences - Ohio Valley. Members of this class have served the industry, their community and peers for 20 or more years. The induction ceremony will take place at this year's NATAS 60th Anniversary Gala July 20th at Central Bank Center in Lexington.

We want to promote YOU! Send us your staff additions, promotions and special events. Email Chris at chris@kba.org

STOP DOING SO MUCH

What percentage of time do salespeople spend in front of clients and prospects “selling?” This applies to not just media salespeople but all salespeople.

Are you ready?

39%

That’s according to Hubspot’s 2024 Sales Trends report. That means over 60% of a seller's time is not spent selling. Now, before you blame your manager or the company CRM system, here are some other stats to consider:

CRMs are the most popular sales tools, followed by social prospecting, data services, email, phone, and sales cadence. (SalesforLife)
CRMs can boost sales by 29% and productivity to 34%. (Salesforce)

In our recent Leadership Masterclass session, we discussed time and task management. This topic seems to resonate with both managers and sellers as our lives and jobs seem to be increasingly complex. New tools like CRMs, AI bots, and other technological advancements can help the symptoms, but they rarely eliminate the core problem.

The core problem identified this week by a brilliant group of managers in our class was prioritization. We may all have a “to-do” list daily, but is that list prioritized in order of importance to our overall goal, or does someone else’s agenda simply prioritize it?

I’ve never been one to use the phrase, “That’s not my job.” Managers and even co-workers would find that statement off-putting. At the same time, when it comes to time management, we must prioritize our role priorities first. In other words, what priorities will get us closer to achieving our goals? There is a simple “filter question” to ask yourself: “Is what I’m doing at this moment in time getting me closer to my goal?” If the answer is “no” or “maybe,” then you should consider NOT doing it.

If we’re not protective of our own time, who will be?

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, says:

"Mastery is not only about getting better at your craft, but also about finding ways to eliminate the obstacles, distractions, and other annoyances that prevent you from working on your craft.

Top performers find ways to spend as much time as possible on what matters and as little time as possible on what doesn't. It is not someone else's responsibility to create the conditions for success.

You have to actively work to eliminate the things that don't matter from your workload. If you haven't figured out how to do that, you haven't mastered your craft."

Eliminate the things that don’t matter = prioritization.

Dave Casper, SVP of Digital Services at the RAB, would not be happy with me if I mentioned CRM statistics but didn’t mention that his team has created a fantastic CRM tool called Account Manager. It was built and continues to be modified by broadcasters, for broadcasters. You can find out more, watch a short demo video, and book a demo with Dave and his team here.

Doing more or being busy isn’t the answer. We are all busy. The answer is greater productivity, which means doing less but focusing on what will help you achieve your objectives. As you review your to-do list, you might benefit from prioritizing your tasks rather than just listing them.

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.