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May 10th, 1998
NEW HAVEN STATION SHUT DOWN
story from NorthEast Radio Watch
"The FCC has shut down a Connecticut pirate station for a third time. Agents
visited La Nueva Radio Musical's latest location on Saltonstall Avenue in New Haven,
on Wednesday afternoon to pull the plug on the unlicensed 104.5 Mhz operation. The
station's operators tell the New Haven Register they hope to be back on in a few
days and say they're dissapointed that Congresswoman Rosa De Lauro hasn't been more
responsive to the petition they presented to her office at a rally last months."
FCC CLOSES DOWN DETROIT RADIO STATION
from the FCC website: www.fcc.gov
On May 1, 1998, the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), in cooperation with the U.S. Marshals Service, seized radio equipment used
by an unlicensed radio station broadcasting as "La Gigante" on 106.3 MHz
in Detroit, Michigan area. Unlicensed broadcasting constitutes a violation of Section
301 of the Communications Act.
The station's illegal broadcasts were interfering with the operations of licensed
station WCHB-FM, on 105.9 FM, in Detroit, Michigan.
FCC officials spoke to Mr. Edwin Raices, who admitted owning and operating the station
without a license. FCC agents also warned Mr. Raices at that time that continued
unlicensed broadcasting could subject the equipment to seizure under federal law.
The station was subsequently moved to another location which was also discovered
through investigations conducted by the FCC's Detroit Office.
ARBITRON BUYS TAPSCAN
full story online at Yahoo News or PRNewswire
Ceridian Corporation announced that it has through The Arbitron Company, its international
marketing and media research firm, purchased the radio station, advertiser/agency
and international assets of Tapscan, Inc., a developer of software for broadcasters,
agencies and advertisers. Revenue in 1997 for these portions of Tapscan's business
was approximately $10 million. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
ABC RADIO JOINS UP WITH INTEREP
full story online at Yahoo News
Interep will become the exclusive national sales organization for all ABC Radio
stations effective June 1st. Interep will form an exclusive sales company named ABC
Radio Sales for ABC Radio, with billing in excess of $74 million projected for 1998.
Interep is the largest sales and marketing company solely for radio advertising,
with offices in 20 cities and annual billings of more than $875 million. Interep
is the parent company that owns and operates Allied Radio Partners, Caballero Spanish
Media, CBS Radio Sales, Clear Channel Radio Sales, D&R Radio, McGavren Guild
Radio as well as the Interep Networks, Sports Marketing and support services including
Research, Promotion Marketing and its new business development team, Radio 2000.
CLUSTER ATTACKS ON NEWSPAPERS
full story online at Editor and Publisher
Newspapers are vulnerable to attack by clusters of local radio stations selling
advertising in a coordinated way, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
delegates were told at their Las Vegas meeting recently.
Radio executives attending the Nevada NAB seminar were urged to consider the use
of "multi-opoly" or "superopoly" tactics to target newspapers'
largest advertising accounts.
INDUSTRY TREND CHANGES KSSK
full story online at Pacific Business News
An exodus of employees in recent months at top-rated radio station KSSK has sent
wide-eyed industry onlookers buzzing in disbelief.
In less than a year, some 25 employees from KSSK AM/FM were either fired or left
of their own accord, some after having been at the station for more than 13 years
and viewed as the backbone of the station's overall success.
The departures came shortly after the station's owner, Patterson Broadcasting Inc.,
was sold to Capstar Broadcasting Partners for $215 million in a consolidation move
being echoed at a feverish pace at radio stations across the nation.
Bob Longwell is the general manager for all seven stations, an unheard of situation
in the past when each station, though owned by one entity, was managed individually.
"We don't need a duplication of efforts. We now have one business manager instead
of two; we have one director of programming for all our seven radio stations,"
Longwell said. "We had to make some tough cuts. But we examined everyone's contribution
as a whole and determined what was necessary and what was not."
JACOR TO BUY KDIF
full story online at Ohio Business Journal
Jacor Communications Inc. said it will buy KDIF-AM in Riverside, Calif., from
Hispanic Radio Broadcasters for $2.65 million.
Including pending acquisitions, Jacor owns, operates or represents 200 radio stations
in 55 markets, plus television station WKRC in Cincinnati. The company also owns
Premiere Radio Networks, a provider of syndicated radio programming such as talk
shows featuring Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Dr. Dean Edell and Art Bell.
200 WATTS IN VIRGINIA
full story online at Philadelphia Inquirer
Welcome to WVLS, the smallest, friendliest, most eccentric little radio station
this side of Lake Wobegon.
Here, the disc jockeys promise to teach hound dogs to sing, and the weather report
is remarkably consistent ("Tonight, darkness"). Hidden deep in the valley
between the Shenandoah and Allegheny mountains, WVLS is the first and only radio
station in tiny Monterey, population 222, pumping out an eclectic mix of music and
local news.
CD RADIO + LUCENT = SATELLITE RADIO
full story online at Yahoo News
CD Radio and Lucent Technologies said that Lucent will develop and supply communications
chips to CD Radio, whose nationwide U.S. satellite-to-car radio broadcasting system
is scheduled for launch next year.
CD Radio said it will use digital signal processor and radio-frequency chips from
Lucent Technologies for CD Radio's 50 channel, $9.95-per-month satellite radio broadcast
service, scheduled for roll-out in the 48 contiguous states beginning on December
1, 1999.
Lucent's digital signal processors will be used in a card that consumers can easily
insert into the cassette slot in their car radios, enabling existing radios to receive
CD Radio's broadcasts, the companies said in a joint statement.
Lucent's radio frequency chips will be used in a two-inch wireless antenna that will
be mounted on motorists' rear windows. CD Radio service has a signal designed to
cover the U.S. coast to coast, compared with traditional radio signals that have
a range of 30 miles.
May 6th, 1998
ARD CD OUT, ARD and ANI ON MTV NEWS
The ARD CD ('Teleconned') is out in stores nationwide and the CD is gathering college
airplay around the country. Click here for the latest CD
news.
MTV News is doing a piece on Ani DiFranco and also her involvement with the ARD CD
and air times will be announced when we know them.
April 27, 1998
DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS!
Americans for Radio Diversity has filed comments
on two proposals before the FCC and urges others to take the time to file their own
comments before the April 27th deadline. The two proposals are RM-9208
(Leggett) and RM-9242 (Skinner) and public comments
will be accepted until April 27th. Feel free to use our comments as a guideline but
do try to file original comments. Remember, the FCC doesn't take music format into
consideration.
(If you miss the deadline, don't panic. There are at least two more Petitions for
Rule Making coming before the FCC and you can file comments on these. Stay tuned.)
RADIO MUTINY PROTEST
full story online at Philadelphia News
What if you held a pirate radio protest in the heart of the city and nobody came?
That's not quite what happened Wednesday afternoon when members of Radio Mutiny,
a local pirate radio station, fired up their transmitters in front of the Liberty
Bell. About 40 observers and supporters were there, and members of WPPR-FM, which
broadcasts without a license with a 20-watt transmitter on 91.3 FM from a "secret"
location in West Philadelphia, were animated and loud.
But the guys the pirates really wanted to show up -- officials of the Federal Communications
Commission, whose regulations were being blatantly disregarded -- didn't take the
bait.
WPPR personality DJ Morticia said she was approached outside the station's studios
Monday night by an FCC official demanding entry. She refused to allow the man in,
she said, and he threatened the station with a $10,000 fine and confiscation of its
equipment. On Wednesday night, two FCC officials dropped by and again threatened
to shut down the station, Tridish said.
FCC officials here and in Washington did not return calls.
PAY FOR PLAY!
full story online at Philadephia News
It wasn't all that long ago that independent record promotion men were being hauled
into court, indicted for bribing radio programmers with money and drugs to play new
tracks by even the biggest of stars of the 1980s -- Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper,
Prince.
But today, almost anything goes. Radio play-for-pay? Go for it! Gratis concerts and
trips for listeners, in return for a heavy programming push? Well, that's just good
business all around.
Television broadcasters, magazines and music retailers are also making lucrative
plugola deals with music labels -- fueled by the latter's growing desperation to
gain exposure for more than a few dozen of the 10,000 or so albums released each
year.
Walk into a major record store this weekend and you'll be barraged with special promotional
signage and "end cap" displays devoted to specific titles -- all paid for
by their labels. Less obviously, the "featured artists of the month" you
find playing at the store's listening booth stations (and sometimes over the public-address
system) may also have been so blessed because their corporate sponsors coughed up
bucks to rent this air space. And you thought in-store play was because the hip-looking
guy behind the counter personally dug the disc?
LEGGETT IN THE NEWS
full story online at Philadelphia News and Washington Post
A Virginia man says it would be easy for almost anyone to have a micro-radio station.
The FCC is listening. Nickolaus Leggett would like tens of thousands of people to
have their own radio stations. All it would take, he figures, is $500 worth of equipment
for each, a tiny portion of the airwaves, and the approval of the federal government.
CBC SELLS STATIONS (again)
full story online at Yahoo News
Children's Broadcasting Corp. announced that it signed a definitive agreement
with Catholic Radio Networks LLC under which AAHS will sell the assets of ten of
its owned and operated radio stations and the stock of its Children's Radio New York
Inc. subsidiary for a total of $57,000,000, consisting of $52,000,000 in cash and
a $5,000,000 promissory note. In addition, AAHS stated that it signed letters of
intent for the sale of its three remaining stations for a purchase price of $4,700,000
in cash. The sale of the stations is expected to close in September 1998.
BIG CITY RADIO GETS MORE OF CHICAGO
full story online at Yahoo News
Big City Radio, Inc. announced the signing of agreements to acquire Chicago area
radio stations which will be engineered using the Company's Synchronized Total Market
Coverage technology (STMC) to create Big City Radio's second set of radio stations
in the Chicago market. Upon completion of the acquisition, Big City Radio's second
set of Chicago stations will be synchronized on Chicago's 92.7 FM frequency and,
after the complete implementation of the Company's STMC technology, will broadcast
to over 90% of Chicago's Arbitron population.
CLEAR CHANNEL BUYS TWO MORE
full story online at Yahoo News
Clear Channel Communications Inc. agreed to buy the assets of KTSM-FM and KTSM-AM
in El Paso for about $10.5 million from ComCorp of El Paso, Texas.
April 18, 1998
TWO PIRATE STATIONS SILENCED
full story online at Tampa Tribune
The federal government continued its fight against "pirate" radio broadcasting
Tuesday, seizing equipment allegedly used at two unlicensed stations in Tampa.
Authorities made seizures at a station operated by the Rev. Alberto Acosta at Iglesia
Pentecostal Luz Radiante and another operated by Esther Nieves at her home, the U.S.
Attorney's office said.
The seizures came five months after federal authorities raided three homes in Hillsborough
County as part of a nationwide crackdown on pirate radio. Of the five area stations
raided since Nov. 19, only one operator, Arthur Kobres, was indicted on a criminal
charge.
PROTEST OVER RADIO STATION RAIDS
full story online at Tampa Tribune
Supporters of low-power radio broadcasts, commonly known as pirate radio, demonstrated
in downtown Tampa Friday, three days after federal agents shut down two stations
they said were broadcasting without a license.
About 15 people stood in front of the Sam M. Gibbons U.S. Courthouse at noon to protest
the federal government's crackdown on so-called "pirate stations." They
carried signs supportive of "micro-broadcasting" and critical of the FCC
and what the protesters called corporate domination of the airwaves....
....On Thursday, Ortiz said his broadcasts provided an important service to the Hispanic
community, particularly the needy. "Right now we don't have any radio station
helping our community," he said. In addition to playing spiritual music, the
station accepted collect calls from prison inmates who needed someone to talk to
and helped match people with jobs, Ortiz said. The broadcasts were instrumental in
saving a woman who was considering suicide, he added.
Ortiz questioned the benefit of taking the station off the air. "What is the
sense of shutting me down so you can hear static?" he said. "It's like
throwing away food when there are people hungry."
ARD FILES COMMENTS ON LPFM
Americans for Radio Diversity has filed comments
on two proposals before the FCC and urges others to take the time to file their own
comments before the April 27th deadline. The two proposals are RM-9208
(Leggett) and RM-9242 (Skinner) and public comments
will be accepted until April 27th. Feel free to use our comments as a guideline but
do try to file original comments. Remember, the FCC doesn't take music format into
consideration.
ARD RECEIVING PRESS NATIONWIDE
In recent weeks ARD has been garnering press coverage in a multitude of publications.
Here's a short listing: Allstarmag has been
keeping up on ARD and our upcoming CD. Alternative Press had a news blurb, Rolling
Stone did a story on why radio sucks and featured the cover of our CD (April 21st
issue), Billboard published an amazing article on ARD
and the CD (April 4th issue), and ICE Magazine gave ARD a news
blurb in the April issue. More in the works... stay tuned.
April 15, 1998
"PIRATE" SUES THE FCC
full story online at Yahoo News
A New York pirate radio station that went off the air last month after a visit from
the FCC has come back to life with an all-day broadcast from Wall Street, and a lawsuit
against the government agency.
The station, dubbed Steal this Radio, is accusing the FCC of denying them free speech.
Using four car batteries to power their mobile transmitter the FM station operated
at the site where George Washington took the oath of office as the nation's first
president.
Greg Ruggiero, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, said: "We are challenging
the constitutionality of the FCC. The airways are a public forum but only a select
group has access to them." He said rich corporations able to pay thousands of
dollars for licenses can operate, but not community broadcasters who have 100 watts
or less of power.
Ruggiero said, "To have democracy, we must have access to the airwaves, we
must have non-business spaces where we can exchange ideas, discuss, debate, inform,
educate, experiment, speak in our native languages and share who we are, not because
we want profit but because we love to communicate, because our constitution guarantees
us free speech in public forums."
FCC TAKES ACTION, PROTEST PLANNED
From the FRN Grapevine
"While petitions for rule making lie in the FCC's hands in Washington, they
continue to raid micro-stations in Tampa using bizarre forfeiture laws. The FCC must've
rented storage space for all the booty they've seized in the past 4 months here.
This time, the unlucky victims were Radio Amore 90.1 FM and La Primerisima 89.3 FM
both Latin stations in Tampa. April 13th, Monday evening US Marshalls, FCC, and local
police showed up with warrants to "arrest" equipment from Reverand Alberto
Acosta and Ester Nievas. Apparently, the bad guys refrained from brandishing weapons
this time around and decided to stick to the basics and confiscated only essential
broadcast equipment and not music collections and so forth as was the case in the
November raids of 87X, 102.1 and Lutz Community Radio.
Public Protest and press conference is planned for FRIDAY APRIL 17TH AT NOON. At
the new Sam Gibbons Federal Court house in downtown Tampa. (Corner of Florida and
Polk) Free Radio Activists and Freedom Fighters nationwide are asked to hold a protest
in thier respective areas in reaction to this attack on human rights."
RADIO FREE AMERICA
full story online at Time magazine
Time magazine has published a story on microbroadcasting and the response to this
year's NAB convention. While we feel it focuses a bit too much on the "colorful
characters" at least the mainstream press is giving coverage.
More than 100,000 prosperous conventioneers registered here last week for the
broadcasting industry's annual trade bash. They included engineers, ad salesmen,
station execs, computer techies, disk jockeys, videographers, all wearing National
Association of Broadcasters badges, most of them basking in record profits.
They paid little heed to a score of boisterous protesters enacting an oddly surreal,
'60s-style pageant outside the vast convention hall: long-haired, body-pierced youths
waved hand-painted signs with such slogans as SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL and DON'T LET THEM
NAB OUR AIRWAVES; a 30-ft. red, white and blue banner proclaimed MICROPOWER; and
a red-bearded man in sandals and beret cried out, "Communication is your divine
right whether you're a human being or a dog or a lizard! Bring back the village square!
Let microtransmitters bloom in every town and city!"
But behind the scenes of this little time warp, a vast drama is unfolding. Since
passage of the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, 4,000 of the 11,000 radio
stations in the U.S. have changed hands, many of them gobbled up by small chains
or media conglomerates. Result: a rapid dwindling of local programming in favor of
standardized music, talk and news, often packaged in distant corporate headquarters.
"People are totally offended by what's on the air," attorney Louis Hiken
told an NAB panel last week, deploring coast-to-coast "easy-listening stations
selling Dodge Caravans, beer and tampons."
CHANCELLOR BUYS PETRY
full story online
at MediaCentral
Chancellor Media Corp. will acquire TV ad rep
firm Petry Media Corp. for approximately $150 million, including debt. The transaction,
which adds to the company's existing media representation business of Katz Media
Group Inc., is expected to close in the second half of this year. Katz, which serves
radio, TV and cable clients, was picked up by Chancellor last year.
HICKS MUSE BUYING TOWERS / PAGING
full story online at Excite News
OmniAmerica, Inc., today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement with
Arch Communications Group, Inc. under which OmniAmerica will acquire Arch's owned
towers and site management business in a transaction valued at approximately $38
million.
Under the terms of the transaction OmniAmerica will acquire from Arch approximately
150 communications towers at 134 sites in 22 states. As part of the transaction,
Arch will lease back space on the towers from OmniAmerica to service its own paging
network. In addition to Arch, more than 160 third-party tenants are collocated on
the tower sites.
OmniAmerica, which was formed in September 1997 by Carl E. Hirsch and Anthony S.
Ocepek in partnership with Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Incorporated, is privately
held. Arch is the third-largest paging company in the United States, providing narrowband
wireless messaging services, principally paging, to approximately 4 million subscribers
nationwide.
EEO FOR RADIO / TV THROWN OUT
full story online at Philadelphia Daily News
A federal requirement that broadcasters hire racial minorities was thrown out
as unconstitutional by an appeals court in a setback for efforts to bring more diversity
to radio and TV stations.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the FCC had failed to
explain how its equal employment opportunities regulations served the public interest
-- the standard the FCC used when it adopted the rules in the late 1960s.
Any impact on minority hiring probably wouldn't be immediate, broadcast attorneys
said. But if the ruling stands, it could lead to fewer minorities being employed.
April 13th, 1998
NAB RADIO PROTEST
full story online at Communications Daily
Subject of unlicensed radio operators has emerged repeatedly at NAB radio convention
here -- including illegal picketing on private property. About 75 pickets, with signs
and bullhorn, appeared Tues. at NAB shuttle bus drop-off point. Sign on large vehicle
proclaimed: "Support this nation's microbroadcasters and their First Amendment
rights." Picket with bullhorn shouted repeatedly: "We are the people. The
airwaves belong to the people." Pickets were on private property and NAB called
in police. Pickets, including ACLU lawyer Greg Peck, left peacefully on his advice
and were told they would be arrested if they returned. But they may have accomplished
their main mission since their protest was televised Tues. during newscasts on Las
Vegas TV stations.
FREE SPEECH -vs- FCC
full story online (PaperTiger)
Unlicensed Community Radio Station Returns to the Airwaves and Announces Lawsuit
after Threatened with Raid
Members of "Steal This Radio," an unlicensed radio station in Lower Manhattan,
will switch their transmitter ON at a public press conference at noon on Wednesday,
April 15 at the George Washington statue at 26 Wall Street and Nassau. On the same
day, FREE SPEECH will file a lawsuit against the FCC for violations of its constitutional
rights.
SUBSIDIES ARE REAL THREAT!
full story online at Wired News
Government subsidization of public broadcasting is a greater threat to pluralism
and diversity in the digital age than anything News Corp. might do, Rupert Murdoch
said in a robust tongue-lashing delivered to Europe's public broadcasters Monday.
DJs FIRED FOR DEAD MAYOR HOAX
full story online at Yahoo! Daily News
Two disc jockeys who announced over the air that Boston Mayor Thomas Menino was
dead are out of work, fired for their April Fools Day prank.
American Radio Systems, which owns WAAF in Worcester, Mass., where the DJs worked,
also announced today that it had suspended the station's general manager and program
director.
The uproar over the prank came as American Radio Systems, which owns 100 stations
nationwide, was reportedly negotiating with CBS on a possible merger.
April 9th, 1998
CAPSTAR SWAPS STATIONS
full story online at PRNewswire
So Capstar is swapping two stations in Houston for two stations in Florida -- and
they are swapping with Chancellor. Seeing as Hicks, Muse, Tate and Furst own both
Capstar and Chancellor, is there a point besides some bean-counting exercise to allow
them to own more stations?
Capstar Broadcasting Partners, of Austin, Texas, the nation's largest owner and
operator of radio stations, today announced that following completion of Capstar's
acquisition of SFX Broadcasting, expected in late May, Capstar will transfer ownership
of Houston, Texas, radio station, KODA-FM, to Chancellor Media Corporation, of Dallas,
Texas. In exchange, Capstar will receive from Chancellor two Jacksonville, Florida,
radio stations, WAPE-FM and WFYV-FM.
CLEAR CHANNEL PURCHASE SHIFTS POWER
full story online at Capital District Business Review
If it becomes reality, a reported deal would make Clear Channel Communications
Inc. the dominant broadcaster in the Capital Region--at least in terms of sheer assets.
The San Antonio, Texas-based company--whose local interests already include a television
station and four radio stations--is said to be buying Dame Media Inc., the Harrisburg,
Pa.-based owner of three local radio stations. The purchase--which involves all 22
Dame stations in New York and Pennsylvania--has been valued by industry insiders
at about $75 million.
NAB SURVEYS ITSELF: ALL GOOD
full story online at PRNewswire
Local broadcasters across America contributed $6.85 billion worth of community
service last year, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) announced at the
opening session of NAB's annual convention in Las Vegas.
"This number shows that broadcasters are one of the largest -- if not the largest
-- providers of community service in America," said Edward 0. Fritts, President
and CEO of NAB. "This $7 billion figure represents the community service provided
by broadcasters over the course of one year -- and it demonstrates the voluntary
commitment to community that broadcasters embrace year in and year out."
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