The NAB

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

So, WBZ radio won another Marconi Award for Major Market Station of the
Year (they won this several years ago, if I recall).  

And while Rob Landry's PD may have been there, what I saw amongst the large
number of attendees was mainly bankers, brokers, and group executives, plus
lots of vendors.  

In his speech before a Friday morning audience that was not as large as I
expected, FCC chair Bill Kennard reiterated his opposition to pirate radio
and his determination to explore ways to maintain diversity.  Mainly, he
expressed his desire to streamline FCC procedures even more, and promised
to continue exploring  the ramifications of low power FM or
microbroadcasting-- he invited opinions and comments from broadcasters on
how to give more access to small but important local groups whose options
have been severely limited by all the consolidation.  He seemed like a very
nice guy, but it also appeared to me that he is aware of how little power
and authority the FCC now has-- it can basically go after the Howard Sterns
or the pirates, yet it cannot do anything in markets where there is now no
local news and less community service... Perhaps some of you think that is
a good thing-- too much government regulation etc etc-- but I fear we are
going too far in the other direction, allowing money alone to out-rule
common sense and good programming.

Mr Kennard asked if there were questions, and so I stood and addressed him
on behalf of the smaller markets-- the owners who can no longer afford to
own, the would-be announcers who have nowhere to get experience on the air,
the newspeople who can only present one point of view because that's what
management (or the advertisers) wants and there is no competition left... I
spoke on behalf of those of us who love our industry yet don't recognise it
anymore... not liberals, not conservatives, just radio people who still
want to believe in radio yet who more and more feel excluded.  And I begged
that he not forget about us-- because broadcasting is a lot more than voice
tracking and having a good looking profile for Wall Street...  a few people
applauded when I finished, and some came up to me later and said they
agreed but felt they could not speak out.  I don't know if what I said
mattered as much as what Mr Karmazin or Mr Zell says-- Mr Zell gave a
keynote speech wherein he basically said that even though many jobs will be
lost, the industry will be healthier financially and shareholders will
benefit; and I keep thinking of those people who are out of work and the
valuable contribution some of them may have made to the industry before
they became statistics.  And I think of all the clients I lost not because
I wasn't a good consultant but because my clients couldn't compete as
stand-alone companies against the power of a giant megalopoly.  And Mr
Kennard and Mr Karmazin and all the other good folks say that the
marketplace must be free to decide, but how can the smaller owners hope to
win a battle against billionaires in this current economic climate?   And
Mr Kennard acknowledged that some broadcasters are NOT doing the right
thing, and that services and diverse opinions have been cut... but nobody
seems to have an answer for what to do, and I cannot believe it is a good
thing that stations are airing commercial clusters of 7 or 8 spots in a row
to service their debt.  And time spent listening declines even more, and I
spent money I don't really have to go to Seattle and plead for the future
of my industry.  And I wonder if anybody heard me.........              

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