Seven Members of Congress on Panel at NAB2005
Sam Donaldson to Moderate the Event

Sam Donaldson

Prominent members of the 109th Congress will participate in the NAB2005 Congressional Breakfast Monday, April 18 at the Las Vegas Hilton. Featured panelists are: Senate Commerce Committee Member Conrad Burns (R-MT); House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX); House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI); House Telecommunications Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI); and House Commerce Committee Members Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), Gene Green (D-TX) and Greg Walden (R-OR). Read more...

NAB Awards Five Broadcast Research Grants
The NAB Research and Planning Department has announced the awarding of five research grants to academic scholars as part of its annual Grants for Research in Broadcasting Program. Each year, this highly competitive program attracts research proposals from broadcast scholars throughout the country. Read the announcement.

Paxson Appeals Must Carry Decision
Paxson Communications, on April 1, 2005, filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Apppeals for the DC Circuit of the FCC's recent decision on DTV must carry. Specifically, Paxson is appealing the FCC's Order rejecting mandatory cable carriage for both digital and analog broadcast signals during the transition and rejecting carriage of multicast digital streams of broadcast programming contained in a single digital signal. The deadline for filing appeals of the FCC Order is May 23, 2005.

NAB Replies to Children's Media Policy Coalition
Last week, NAB told the FCC that nothing in the Children's Media Policy Coalition's Opposition to the NAB Petition undermines the need for FCC reconsideration of its new children's television programming rules. NAB again urged the Commission to reconsider its decisions to (1) impose new burdensome and inflexible children’s programming obligations on digital multicast channels; (2) alter the well-established definition of commercial matter; (3) virtually prohibit the mere display of Internet Web site addresses; and (4) strictly limit the number of preemptions of children’s educational and informational programming to 10 percent. Click here to read the NAB Reply.

Comments on SHVERA Treatment of Significantly Viewed Stations
Last week, NAB and the network affiliate organizations jointly commented on several issues relating to the FCC's implementation of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004 (SHVERA), which permits satellite operators to carry a TV station's signals outside the station's market to satellite subscribers located in communities where that station is significantly viewed. In addressing various technical questions about the satellite carriage of out-of-market significantly viewed stations, NAB emphasized the importance of protecting localism and not disadvantaging local broadcast stations. To read NAB's comments, click here.

BAS Relocation Moves Forward
Nextel Communications has filed with the FCC its schedule and implementation plan for the relocation of Broadcast Auxiliary Services operating in the 2 GHz frequency band. As required by FCC rule, Nextel sets forth the markets that will be relocated during Stage One (by September 7, 2006) and the markets that will be relocated during Stage Two (by September 7, 2007). TV markets will be relocated in market "clusters" to prevent inter-market coordination and interference problems. Click here for a copy of Nextel's filing to find out when your market will be relocated and for Nextel's description of the negotiation and relocation process.

NAB PSA Feed for Friday, April 15, 2005
11:30 am - 12:00 pm Eastern Time
Satellite Coordinates: C-Band, Galaxy 3, Transponder 7,
Downlink Frequency 3840 MHz, Horizontal Polarity, Audio 6.2 and 6.8
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Attention Aspiring Broadcast Owners and CEOs
Don't Miss NABEF's Broadcast Leadership Training Program
If you dream of ownership, apply today for the NAB Education Foundation's Broadcast Leadership Training Program. The program is targeted to senior broadcast executives of proven ability who want to advance as group executives or station owners. The program focuses on the process of assessing, purchasing, owning and operating radio and television stations. Following the model of weekend MBA courses, the program meets one weekend a month for 10 months in Washington, DC. Funding for the program has been provided by NAB and the following group owners: Apex Media, Belo Corporation, Cumulus Media, Inc., Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc., Journal Broadcast Group, Inc., LIN Television Corporation, Morgan Murphy Stations, NewCity Foundation and Susquehanna Radio Corp. Up to 15 scholarship recipients are able to attend the seminar, which aims to promote diversity in the industry. The application deadline is Friday, May 13. For more information and an application, visit www.nabef.org, email hbirks@nab.org or call (202) 429-5424.