Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Lame Duck Session Can't End Soon Enough For Radio...

There's a reason the NAB has already spent $3.4 million more on lobbying Congress this year than last. Through the first nine months of 2010, according to Radio Word's tabulation of figures reported to Congress, NAB has reported just under $10 million in lobbying outlay. That compares to $7.8 million for the same nine months last year. NAB says its third-quarter lobbying issues include the Performance Rights Act, radio receiver chips in mobile phones, possible legislative rewrites of the Telecom Act and the Local Community Radio Act. The latter has passed in the Senate and has been amended in the House and is well on it's way to becoming a reality. That's the good news for NAB, but there's still fear that this feisty lame duck session won't stop until its passed the Performance Rights Act - still a possibility...

This Congress is interested in communications issues and was heavily involved in the FCC approval of net neutrality, lobbying against the order which originally called for protecting full power stations' third-adjacent channels from interference, a requirement that has since been amended. Radio is now holding its collective breath, hoping that this lame duck session concludes quickly, leaving the Performance Rights Act which would require broadcasters to pay royalties to the recording industry, for the new Congress which will convene in January...

The clock is ticking on this 111th Congress. It can't end soon enough for radio...

10 Timeline Memories:
1.1864] Merry Christmas: During the Civil War, Union General William T. Sherman sends a message to President Abraham Lincoln from Georgia, saying “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah”…
2.1882] Lighting by Edison: The first string of Christmas tree lights is created by Thomas Edison - Christmas tree lights today - on the internet...
3.1937] It will really be great when it’s finished: The Lincoln Tunnel, connecting Manhattan and New Jersey opens to traffic...
4.1965] Premiered on this date: “Dr. Zhivago” starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie…
5.1968] Wedding Bells: Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower exchange wedding vows…2000] Madonna is no longer a virgin when she and Brit movie director Guy Richie bed, uh wed. You know the rest of the story…
6.1976] Curtains: The last “Let’s Make A Deal” airs. Several attempts to resurrect the show have failed…
7.1984] Subway vigilante: New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shoots 4 youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about the rob him. Much to popular belief, the youths armed with screw drivers did not wish the “subway vigilante” Merry Christmas when he went berserk screaming “I’m a Chanukah boy, I’m a Chanukah boy. Take that”…
8.1995] “Happy Trails“: Lawrence Berk, founder of Berklee College of Music dies of natural causes at 87 in Boston...2002] Joe Strummer, lead singer of The Clash dies suddenly of a congenital heart defect at 50…
9.2001] Hot foot: Richard C. Reid, a passenger of an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tries to ignite explosives in his shoes, but is subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers who point to the flashing “no smoking” sign…
10.2005] Strikeout: New York transit workers go on strike but end a three-day strike without a new contract. The union head who forced the strike is fired…

Music Memories:
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Ali Lohan (17), Jordin Sparks (21), Ralph Fiennes (48 ), Robin Gibb (61 ), Rick (Cheap Trick) Nielsen (64 ), Diane Sawyer (65 ) and Hector Elizondo (74 )...

Timeline Countdown: 1 day until Festivus, 3 days until Christmas, 9 nights until New Year's Eve & 17 days until NFL Wild Card Playoffs...
Posted by at