NJBA Weekly Newsletter Friday, September 3, 2010

Wow! That Was Fast!

The last long holiday weekend of the summer has arrived. Traffic Directors are working long and hard today trying to get all those extra logs assembled, fitting in the last of the summer rush of spots, and the begriming of the 60-day "Political Window" for the November General Elections. Yes, it begins today!  We'll be working hard for a shortened work week next week as the nation (and hopefully your Traffic Staff) to enjoy some time off on Labor Day Monday. So, we'll make it quick and wish you all a happy, safe and enjoyable Holiday weekend.

September is Emergency Preparedness Month

On Wednesday September 1, 2010, National Preparedness Month kicks-off throughout the country.  And, with Hurricane Earl barreling up the East Coast, it comes just in time! Over the next few weeks, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management will deliver several key emergency management initiatives and messages designed to help New Jersey residents empower themselves and their families in the event of a natural or manmade emergency. Nick Morici, the NJOEM Public Information Officer explained that OEM will start with the simple steps that New Jerseyians can do to prepare for the unforeseen as well as reduce stress and confusion during an actual emergency. The basics of preparedness for virtually all hazards are the same: Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Stay Informed and Become Involved. And make sure you have a portable radio! Radio saves lives and your family should make sure to have this important piece of emergency equipment in good shape with a fresh supply of batteries. Following the appropriate steps and being ready “now” means that residents will be ready for any disaster or crisis that may affect New Jersey. “Planning and preparation are the cornerstones of safety. By taking time to create an appropriate emergency plan for yourself, your family or place of business, you are readying your environment for any potential emergency,” said State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes, Director of the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. For more information regarding emergency preparedness log on to: http://www.ready.nj.gov

Hurricane Earl Hits Jersey

Inside Ratio tells us that everyone is getting ready for the storm season…From filling generators to pulling in extra staff, broadcasters along the Jersey coasts seaboard are preparing for what could be first hit by a hurricane in years. Like a blizzard wasn‘t enough! The New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center reports that the NJOEM is monitoring this weather event in coordination with the National Hurricane Center and the NWS.  While the storm has been downgraded to a Category II Hurricane, the State Emergency Operation Center has elevated to a Level III limited activation status as of yesterday in response to Hurricane Earl. Emergency Managers are encouraged to monitor this tropical storm system as each new NHC Advisory is issued daily, at 5:00 am, 11:00 am, 5:00 pm, and 11:00 pm.  While the current forecast track passes Earl by NJ to our east on Friday, keep in mind that average track forecast errors are 200 to 300 miles at days 4 and 5.  Given this uncertainty, it is too soon to determine what portion of the US coast might see impacts from this system. As of this writing, the storm has been nudged by Mother Nature a few degrees to the east, which is good for the Garden State. Thanks Mother Nature…and keep your trusty radio handy!

“Operation Take Back New Jersey” is Now Underway!

September 25th is the day to dispose of your Unused, Unwanted and Expired Medicine. That’s the day Police Departments across the Garden State will be accepting your expired, unused and outdated prescriptions, and over-the-counter medications.  The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Jersey Division in conjunction with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, the New York / New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA), the New Jersey National Guard, and the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey have combined resources with the NJBA in an effort to educate New Jersey about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and the easy accessibility of these drugs. For more information, visit www.operationtakebacknj.com today.

FM Chip in Cell Phones a Must

Keeping the public informed during an emergency makes a strong public policy argument, and RBTR-TVBR reports that NAB and the RIAA may ask Congress to require that new mobile phones include an FM receiver chip. “Having a mobile device without an FM chip in a time of local or national emergency will be about as useful as a paperweight.”  Folks will recall that was the case in DC and NYC on 9/11/01. The FCC and Congress should realize as part of their mandates to look out for the public interest that this is a no-brainer – at least until someone can prove cell networks won’t overload or lose power when the people really need them. As we have stated time and time again, if there is an emergency, the mobile and cellular networks will be overloaded—just like 9/11. Since people don’t carry transistor radios around much anymore, the cell phone or Smartphone is the place they can get important information, and that will be through an FM radio chip built inside. Google’s Android already has an FM tuner built in. Yes, there have been rumors of Apple enabling a dormant FM Tuner on the iPhone and iPod Touch, but it still hasn't been turned on. The MusicFirst Coalition says FM in phones is fine as "another way for people to enjoy music." But it really isn’t about the music in this case – it’s about an emergency, and the cost is not that prohibitive. (And, in a true emergency, only radio can reach the general public, instantly and ubiquitously, even in power outages since most stations have generator back-up and radios are easily powered by batteries or fired up in our cars.) All it would need is the chip integrated into a unit’s processor – the FM antenna would simply be the wired ear-buds, or there could be a small contact point where the human hand could act as the antenna (more complicated). Several manufacturers — including Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, LG and HTC — already sell phones that can receive FM signals via the ear-buds. Certainly, the Bluetooth stereophonic headsets have not caught on as the industry may have wished -- the vast majority of consumers still use ear-buds to listen. That shows that FM technology doesn't harm cell phones or add a big expense, NJBA President Paul Rotella says. (The current chip cost for FM alone is twenty cents.) Unfortunately, an AM chip is almost impossible. There is way too much interference and the unit would require an internal – and fairly large antenna. So, while an AM radio in a cell phone or mobile device is next to impossible, putting in (or lighting up the chip already there) is really a piece of cake!

Gov Pushes Bill to Convert NJN into an Independent Entity

From the Star Ledger and Inside New Jersey, Peggy McGlone reports that Gov. Chris Christie submitted legislation today designed to end the state’s four decades of support for the public television network, NJN, by year’s end. The Governor’s plan calls for the Treasurer to take inventory of the network’s assets and find the best way to complete a sale or transfer of them, according to a release from Christie’s office. The bill requires this step be completed by Nov. 1 and the list shared with the public broadcasting authority and the Legislature. It also allows the Treasurer to negotiate directly with an existing public broadcasting outlet and to accept proposals for the sale or transfer.  The administration says it wants to make sure the "successor to NJN can fulfill the responsibilities of maintaining a New Jersey-focused public broadcasting operation," according to the release Created in 1969, NJN is one of the largest state public broadcasters in the country, operating five TV channels and a radio network of seven frequencies. NJN is the only broadcast system, both commercial and public, that covers the whole of New Jersey.

NJBA Joins STELA Filing Before the FCC

The NJBA joined her sister state associations today in a joint filing before the FCC regarding the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (“STELA”).  In this proceeding, the Commission is assessing the impact of STELA on the FCC’s current rules regarding the prediction and actual measurement of broadcast signal strength at households seeking to import distant network signals. The television stations most affected by a switch to using indoor antennas to determine if a household is unable to receive its local network station (and is therefore eligible to import a distant network affiliate by satellite) are those located in either hilly or urban terrain (where indoor antennas perform their worst), and those located in large markets where viewers can be a great distance from the transmitter and will have difficulty receiving the local station without using a rooftop antenna.  Of course, a switch to indoor antennas as the standard would be fairly harmful to all local television stations, but stations in the circumstances above would be particularly harmed. The State Associations urged the Commission, as required by STELA, to maintain localism by continuing to rely on the Individual Location Longley Rice (“ILLR”) model and its use of an outdoor rooftop antenna as the standard of reference. We are hopeful that the Commission will adopt the tentative conclusions in the NPRM regarding the standards for determining un-served households, and to reject the efforts of Satellite Providers to use indoor antennas as a rabbit-eared Trojan horse designed solely to slip distant network signals into households that are already served by local broadcast stations. Special thanks to NASBA co-counsel Scott Flick, Esq., of Pillsbury for his thoughtful advocacy!

Radio’s Glenn Beck Makes History

Glenn Beck led the highly anticipated "Restoring Honor" rally in Washington, DC, Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial, with most attendance estimates ranging over 500,000, coming out to hear the third most popular radio host in America. The rally was held 47 years to the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at the same site, and also among the speakers was Dr. Alveda King, a niece of the late Dr. King and a political activist. Glenn told his audience: ”With your support and help we were able to raise more than $5-million dollars for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.” (SOWF funds college tuition grants and scholarships for the children of our fallen military personnel.) If you would like to donate to their cause you can do so online here OR you can text SOWF to 85944 to make a $10 donation. Glenn is heard on NJBA Member Station WOR 710 AM from nine-to-noon on weekdays. Congratulations to our colleague Glenn and his team, and thank all of you who donated to this very worthy cause!

Gov Still Won’t Do Beck

But even after the success of 8/28, Glenn Beck, who simply loves Chris Christie, can’t get Governor Christie to appear on his show. NJ.com reports that the governor’s office has fielded repeated requests, but they keep turning Beck down. Christie and his team are concerned that an appearance could go badly because Beck is so unpredictable and could say anything. Plus, they remain sensitive to the fact that Christie is governor of a largely Democratic and fairly liberal state and the mere appearance on Beck’s show could damage his standing here. Beck has made no secret of his admiration for Christie. Beck has said the governor espouses “common sense” and that Christie “may be George Washington.”“Chris Christie is one of the only guys I see that I would, today, vote for president of the United States,” Beck said on “Fox and Friends” earlier this month. “This guy has courage beyond belief.”

Stand Up to Cancer Telethon to Air on Major Networks on September 10th
In an unprecedented  cooperative effort, "Stand Up to Cancer," a telethon for cancer research, will air without commercials at 8 p.m. Sept. 10 on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC, as well as cable outlets including Discovery Health, E! and VH1. The hour-long program will be hosted by network news anchors Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer and Brian Williams. The NJBA honors these great Broadcasters for their dedicated public service to this very worthy cause.

Midterms Cause Record Ad Spending

Adweek reports that, with the midterms just over two months away, Borrell Associates has released a report saying that ad spending leading up to the Nov. 2 elections will hit $4.2 billion, double the $2.1 billion spent in the 2008 midterms. And, according to this report, cable providers and local broadcast stations are expected to see significant campaign spending.

Deon Levingston Appointed to NAB Radio Board

NAB Radio Board Chair Caroline Beasley has appointed NJBA pal Deon Levingston to the NAB Radio Board to fill a vacancy created by the resignation earlier this summer of Frank Flores who was recently elected to represent NAB Radio District 1 (New York and New Jersey).  In accordance with the NAB Bylaws, the appointment was made with the concurrence of the radio members of the NAB Executive Committee and the Joint Board Chair.  Deon is Vice President/General Manager of ICBC Broadcast Holdings’ legendary New York City stations, WBLS & WLIB.  WBLS won the 2008 & 2005 NAB Marconi Award for Urban Station of the Year and the Radio & Records Urban AC Major Market (1 -15) Station of the Year in 2008. Deon is very active in his community serving on several boards and committees of area charities and non-profit organizations including; Project Enterprise, United Negro College Fund, Harlem YMCA, NY Urban League, Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce and the New York State Broadcasters. Deon has over 20 years of broadcast experience and before assuming his current position at Inner City served as the Market Manager for Radio One’s five stations in Indianapolis. The NJBA sends its warm regards and congratulations to our friend Deon and wishes him well as he helps to lead our great national association!

The Trenton Report: From The Marcus Group

The Senate returned this week for a rare August voting session only to find Governor Chris Christie once again playing hard ball with the Democratic majority party. The Governor fresh off a vacation tour of major league ballparks with his sons tossed a few high, hard ones at the Senators who have held up acting on numerous nominations to state boards and commissions. The highest profile of these Gubernatorial nominations is that of Anne Patterson to succeed Justice Wallace as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court. The Governor threatened to invoke his power to veto the minutes of various state agencies until such time as the Senate schedules hearings in the Judiciary Committee on his pending nominations. The Governor underscored his point on Monday by submitting a fresh patch of 27 more nominations to various agencies, boards and commissions.

Department of Ed to be Head by Hendricks, For Now

Gov. Chris Christie has named Assistant Education Commissioner Rochelle Hendricks to replace ousted commissioner Bret Schundler on an interim basis. Hendricks served as Assistant Commissioner for the Division of School Effectiveness and Choice and will replace Schundler while a nationwide search is conducted.  Hendricks was one of the DOE officials who fumbled reviewers questions about funding during the agency's presentation of its Race to the Top Application."I am glad to step into this new role at the department to ensure that Governor Christie’s bold reform agenda moves forward without interruption,” said Hendricks.  “The governor has made educational excellence and high student achievement a top priority, and that commitment will continue to be the driving force in the activities of the Department of Education. (Hat Tip and special thanks to Darryl R. Isherwood)

New TV Drama Series in AC Brings Deals to Garden State

Jersey is yet another Set for a New HBO Series, this one located in Atlantic City. From Terence Winter, Emmy Award-winning writer of The Sopranos, and Academy Award Winning Director Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire is set in Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition. Steve Buscemi plays Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (who is based on AC legend Enoch L. Johnson), “holds court with a pen in one hand and a gun in the other” The series premiere is set for September 19th at 9PM ET. The series traces Atlantic City’s political history throughout the 1920s. It is loosely based on the book of the same name by Nelson Johnson. Guests of the iconic seaside destination will have the opportunity to experience new city-wide promotions in the spirit of Boardwalk Empire and in the “throwback” style of the Roaring 20s. For a limited time, 28 Atlantic City-area restaurants are offering “Prohibition Priced Menus” of two- or three-course meals for $19.20, and Boardwalk Empire-themed cocktails featuring Canadian Club Whisky. Dates and features vary for each restaurant. Click here for a list of restaurants.

Hey, what would HBO do without New Jersey?

QuickNews is provided for general information purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal or tax advice pertaining to any specific factual situation. Legal and tax related decisions should be made only after proper consultation with a legal professional of your choosing.

Broadcast House, 348 Applegarth Road, Monroe Twp., NJ  08831 (888) 657-2346 FAX: (888) 652-2329, njba@njba.com