Indigo Girls, NAB take opposing stands on LPFM

Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/12/2000

NAB gathers in Washington this week for its summer board meeting. Top issues on its agenda are low-power FM for radio and maintaining the 35% national ownership cap for TV.

The association considers defeating LPFM a front-burner issue; it has been heating up in the Senate, with a strong effort led by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) to allow the FCC to go ahead with its plan to license LPFM stations. Meanwhile, a bill that would shut down the FCC's effort sponsored by Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) has 36 co-sponsors.

In response to a FOX threat to file suit against the FCC for deciding to maintain an ownership cap that FOX considers "arbitrary and capricious," the board may decide to file its own suit in support of the FCC's recent decision to maintain the cap.

The board also will discuss streaming audio and video over the Internet and delivering local TV stations via satellites in rural markets.

As a result of this summer's election, David Kennedy, president of Susquehanna Radio Corp., is expected to take over as chairman of the radio board and John Dille, president of Federated Media, to become vice chairman. Walter May, president of East Kentucky Broadcasting Corp., also was running for radio board chairman, but, at press time, whether he would be attending this week's meeting was uncertain.

Kennedy would replace Bill McElveen, executive vice president of Bloomington Broadcasting Corp., as chairman. He then would be in good position to become joint board chairman next year, when Benedek Broadcasting President Jim Yager's term expires.