WASHINGTON—Sometimes in Washington the best indicator that something big is brewing is when suddenly everyone clams up.  

Such is the case with the long simmering effort to impose retransmission consent regulations on streaming video carriage of local stations. Recent sub rosa negotiations are not very well hidden, since affiliate groups and lobbyists (including the National Association of Broadcasters) have submitted ex parte filings about their Federal Communications Commission meetings on the topic. Both FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel and NAB President Curtis LeGeyt have acknowledged that decisions are overdue on streaming retransmission policies for video via virtual multichannel video programming distributors.

10 p.m. Up for Grabs?
Moreover, the issue is bubbling up as the entire nature of the network/affiliate relationship is undergoing major revisions—from chatter about ceding the 10 pm (ET) programming hour back to affiliates (the network has decided to keep it for now) to the intense appeals from NBC, CBS, Fox and ABC for viewers to tune in directly to their streaming services, such as Peacock, Paramount+ and Hulu, thus bypassing local affiliates entirely. In addition, stations’ adoption of ATSC 3.0 and its IP implications could affect the retransmission requirements. 

The current chatter about vMVPD revenues comes amid forecasts that traditional retrans revenue to affiliates may drop from 50% to 39% of station income in the next few years, according to research firm BIA. Adding to the clout of networks’ (and other) streaming services is their libraries of off-network syndicated content, formerly a mainstay of independent stations (e.g. episodes of popular series such as “Seinfeld,” “The Office,” “NCIS” and “Friends”). Analysts wonder if audiences will tune into broadcast reruns if they can choose what to watch via streaming platforms. 

Yet, NAB, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association,  American Television Alliance (ATVA), the FCC and attorneys for stations and affiliate groups have all ducked TV Tech’s queries about what what’s going on, sometimes after initially agreeing to share updates on their negotiations but later saying that they couldn’t discuss activities because of current, unspecified conditions.  

NAB declined to respond to TV Tech’s questions about its streaming stance, but later that same week the association submitted an ex parte filing at the FCC describing its meeting at which it urged the commission to examine  “current streaming advancements [that] may affect the Commission’s calculus in determining whether virtual MVPDs should be deemed to be MVPDs.”  

At the same time, LeGeyt asked the FCC to classify vMVPDs as carriers that are subject to program-negotiation obligations.  NAB took that message directly to commissioners and their staffs in a series of November meetings. 

Some advocates had hoped that Congress would address the issue via new laws for retransmission fee guarantees, but those dreams were dashed by the mid-term election. A divided House and Senate are considered unlikely to agree on any communications financial issues and will “not pass much legislation,” a veteran media lawyer/lobbyist told TV Tech.

Much of the current effort is focused on the 2014 FCC proposed rulemaking that then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler initiated, which sought to determine if video services that are not facilities-based should be subject to the agency’s rules for  traditional MVPDs, such as cable or telco systems. In an interview with Politico Pro, LeGeyt said the NAB’s board wants the FCC to collect new feedback on the Wheeler proposal given “changes in the marketplace.”

Separately, Rosenworcel told Congress in November that she would welcome the chance to become involved in retransmission consent issues, particularly in disputes that affect viewer’s access to programs during blackouts of broadcast signals on MVPD systems.  She said the FCC would work with Congress, but emphasized that the FCC’s role would be to protect consumers if vMVPD fees or terms are excessive—with no mention of helping affiliates.

Affiliate Rift 
The retransmission situation also puts the spotlight on the growing rift between affiliates and networks. In a presentation to the FCC, four major networks’ affiliate groups pointed out that, “Unlike negotiations with traditional MVPDs where local television affiliates negotiate directly for the carriage of their FCC-licensed signals, the national Big Four broadcast networks have asserted near-total control over carriage negotiations with vMVPDs.” The group emphasized that deals are conducted “without any meaningful input from its non-owned Affiliate stations.”

Affiliates’ dissatisfaction with how networks are treating them is surfacing from multiple sources. There are unconfirmable reports that the networks have negotiated retransmission consent agreements with YouTube TV on behalf of the affiliates, but affiliates contend that their slice of that payment is too small. Other reports indicate that Comcast recently loaded all the NBC affiliates onto its Peacock streaming platform, after which NBC affiliates’ leadership issued a supportive statement. Analysts told TV Tech that lethargic support suggested that Comcast/NBC offered a good-enough deal, but no match to conventional cable retransmission fees.

The network vs. affiliates tension regarding vMVPD deals was especially vivid at the Big Four networks’ affiliate associations session at the FCC. When executives of the groups met virtually with FCC Commissioner Nathan Simington and his staff earlier this year, they urged the commission to consider making online video distributors abide by the same retransmission consent rules as traditional MVPDs, according to the subsequent report of their law firm, Brooks Pierce. 

A new retransmission analysis by financial firm Matthew Lochte of Bond & Pecaro concludes that overall retrans fees have reached “mature equilibrium” thanks to cable cord cutting. The analysis, distributed by  the Media Financial Management Association (MFM), points out that especially “for smaller broadcast companies” the affiliation fees could “exceed total retrans revenues” from MVPDs and vMVPDs.”

Parrott Analytics, in its latest, lengthy analysis “The Value of Broadcast Television,”  builds a case for the symbiotic relationship between streaming video and broadcasting – although it focuses entirely on networks.

 Parrott points out that in 3Q22, “a whopping 33.8% of its U.S. audience demand” of streaming content is based on broadcast network series. Viewers easy “access to new recent installments of mainstream network programming is a major selling point, providing consumers with a convenient on-demand option and providing networks with extended exposure,” says Parrot’s study.

“The networks themselves, and their significant domestic reach, can help expand a streamer’s audience demographic while raising additional awareness,” the report continues. “Once users are exploring broadcast titles within a digital ecosystem, they tend to stay there. Linear network shows provide a strong affinity halo effect that keeps audiences on track for related consumption. “

Emily Barr, former president/CEO of Graham Media Group and a vigorous defender of local stations and network/affiliate collaboration, acknowledges the complications because “there are so many players in streaming.” She said she’d like to see a “more cooperative relationship” as vMVPD develops since the network/affiliate relations is based on local stations receiving retransmission revenue.

“If the networks want to keep a relationship with affiliates, they [must create}  a way to let the affiliates partake in the revenue,” Barr says, noting that, “There have been some discussions in that direction on behalf of some of the networks,” but that nothing conclusive has emerged.

Barr concedes that cord-cutting will continue to affect cable/satellite retrans revenue, but she foresees considerable revenue as the process unfolds, pointing out that networks are playing both sides, with investments to nurture some streaming services. “They’re trying to have a little bit of both [traditional retransmission plus direct-to-consumer streaming]” she said. But Barr stops short of predicting how the game will play out. 

Slowing Retrans Fee Growth
Rick Ducey, managing director of BIA, underscores affiliates’ growing reliance on retransmission fees, which “will continue to be a substantial” factor, now accounting for more than 50% of local stations’ revenue. BIA’s forecasts envision that retransmission revenues could go down to 39% by 2026, and that local stations will receive a “decreasing share of it” as networks demand higher reverse compensation fees because of ever-increasing programming rights costs. 

As for the current quiet ballet between broadcasters and digital platform operators, Ducey believes that “networks and affiliates boards have to negotiate what goes on the platform and determine what the split is.” He expects that affiliates will get “some economic benefit from vMVPDs” but notes that some major TV groups are already making such deals, much as they’ve done for their conventional retransmission agreements.  Obviously, no details are being made public yet. 

Ducey acknowledges that the networks have taken the lead in vMVPD negotiations on behalf of affiliates and “are probably not doing the best job for their affiliates.” He points out that local stations see cord cutting as impacting transmission fees, which will lead to “things getting more out of balance in favor of the networks.” Ducey agreed that when he probed into FCC or Capitol Hill involvement in this streaming retransmission issue, he also got “don’t want to talk about that” responses, which he characterizes as “a non-denial denial that’s probably an affirmation of an underlying issue that is brewing. No one said, ‘it is a non-issue.’ Semantics matter.”

Ducey envisions that there will be changes as broadcast affiliates complete deals with local MVPDs. “At some point the cable industry has to say ‘our ability to pay has been in decline, so we have to re-adjust fees,’” he predicts. “Margins are being compressed; looking ahead [there are] different businesses” taking shape. 

Growing Recognition of Unfolding Problems 
NAB’s meetings with top FCC Media Bureau officials and commissioners’ staff emphasized that “significant developments in the streaming marketplace may impact the Commission’s continued consideration of its pending proposal ‘to modernize [its] interpretation of the term … [vMVPD] by including’ … services that make available for purchase, by subscribers or customers, multiple linear streams of video programming, regardless of the technology used to distribute the programming,” according to the follow-up by Rick Kaplan, NAB’s chief legal officer and executive vice president, Legal and Regulatory Affairs.

Kaplan also pointed out that current streaming advancements may “affect the Commission’s calculus in determining whether virtual MVPDs should be deemed to be MVPDs.” And he emphasized that “must address certain critical implications of its proposal, including how to ensure broadcast signals carried by vMVPDs are protected from piracy, material degradation, and distribution beyond a station’s local market.” 

Bolstering broadcasters’ expectations that they can reach deals with vMVPD operators are recent reports from Park Associates analytics firm that emphasize the continuing appeal of conventional video programming. 

“Adults 55 and older disproportionately favor a linear experience while viewers 18-24 prefer watching content from YouTube, social media, and the like,” Parks Research Vice President Jennifer Kent told TV Tech. “Consumers value live content because it is engaging, sometimes interactive, and personal to their interests.” 

She cited a recent 50:50 joint venture between Comcast and Charter Communications (the two largest cable operators in the U.S.), to develop a nationwide streaming platform. Although the competitive strength of such a unified service may affect broadcast network initiatives, Kent says that the arrangement “may help Comcast and Charter pull ahead in subscriber growth and gain an edge in the crowded OTT market.”

Financial Considerations 
Amid this regulatory rigamarole, Wall St. is also monitoring the impact of the vMVPD relationship with local broadcasting.

Laura Martin, senior entertainment and internet analyst at Needham & Company, doesn’t believe streaming is undermining local affiliates, contending that stations “will get paid if they have viewership,” but is not specific about how those payments will be made.

“The affiliate has value,” Martin said, but adding that direct-to-consumer viewing is all about generating specific data, so “local TV will be forced to compete on the local data.”  It has to be “really good data about what kind of content attracts and keeps a viewer. It must pull its weight.”   

ARLINGTON, Va.—Emily L. Barr, president and chief executive officer of Graham Media Group, has announced that she will retire from that position later this year. Catherine Badalamente has been named her successor.

Barr has won numerous awards over the years for her work in broadcast TV and local media, including being named the Broadcaster of the Year in 2020 from Broadcasting & Cable magazine. Later this spring, she will be inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.  

“Emily’s leadership has been critical to the Company’s success,” said Timothy J. O’Shaughnessy, chief executive officer of Graham Holdings Company, which owns Graham Media Group. “Graham Media Group has continued its tenure as a best-in-class operator, and Emily has led the organization to receive numerous awards and achieve record earnings. Her deep commitment to the communities we serve has been unparalleled. But perhaps the greatest element of her legacy is the excellence of the team she has built, as evidenced by her successor, Catherine Badalamente. On behalf of everyone at Graham Holdings, I want to thank Emily for her decade of service to the Company.”

Barr’s successor Badalamente joined Graham Media Group (formerly Post-Newsweek Stations) in 2000. She has served in a number of executive leadership roles, spearheading the organization’s digital efforts since 2009. Most recently, she served as vice president and chief innovation officer.

Graham Media Group and Graham Digital have received numerous awards under Badalamente’s management, recognizing the organization for excellence in digital, podcast, and local news production. Under her direction, the company has been at the forefront of developing NextGen TV monetization strategies and models for both digital and broadcast, the company said. 

Badalamente is active in several industry forums including serving as chair of the board of directors of the Local Media Association, treasurer of the board of directors of the Local Media Foundation, and immediate past chair of the National Association of Broadcasters Digital Officers Committee. She earned a BA in communications from John Carroll University.

“I could not be more pleased to appoint Catherine the new CEO of Graham Media Group,” O’Shaughnessy said. “Catherine has helped keep GMG ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing industry, including her leadership in growing each of our digital news sites to be Comscore ranked #1 in their local markets. As the next generation of Graham Media Group unfolds, we have a next generation leader to help steer the ship.”

Barr joined Graham Media Group, then Post–Newsweek Stations, in 2012. Under her leadership, she has transformed the organization from a broadcast based model to seven local media hubs — each in a top-71 market, representing just under 7% coverage in the U.S. The television stations, web and mobile platforms are recognized as news leaders across the media spectrum. During her tenure, Graham Media Group acquired Social News Desk, a leading provider of social media software utilized by thousands of newsrooms around the world. Barr is also responsible for the creation of Graham Digital, a digital media and technology development group based in Detroit.

Graham Media Group was named the 2021 Broadcaster of the Year by TV News Check, the 2016 Station Group of the Year by Broadcasting and Cable Magazine, and has received numerous accolades during Barr’s tenure.

Honored for her civic involvement, Barr is also the 2018 recipient of the Golden Mike Award from the Broadcasters Foundation of America, and was inducted into the 2016 Silver Circle of the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She was also awarded the 2014 Vincent T. Wasilewski Broadcaster of the Year by the Illinois Broadcasters Association. Most recently, Barr was elected to the 2021 class of the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation’s Giants of Broadcasting and Electronic Arts.

The TVB’s Alt Forward 2020 Conference went down Oct. 1, and saw Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group, saluted as Broadcaster of the Year, honored by both local broadcast trade association TVB and B+C. 

Steve Lanzano, TVB president and CEO, kicked off the virtual conference. 

Bill Gannon, VP & global editor-in-chief, Broadcasting & Cable, called Barr “simply world-class” and saluted her for not only her sterling leadership at Graham Media, which has KPRC Houston and WDIV Detroit in the group, but for Barr’s industry-wide contributions as well. “It’s obvious to all of us that Emily has truly set the bar for the rest of the television industry,” said Gannon. 

Barr challenged the local broadcast community in five words: “We must all do better.” 

She noted that 2020 has been challenging for everyone, and pushed broadcasters to be better communicators and better human beings. 

She spoke of holding public officials accountable, saying a “free and vibrant press is essential to our democracy.” She mentioned broadcasters’ “obligation to cut through the morass of misinformation,” and to push for better measurement of viewership and digital consumption. “It’s time for us to control the data and the relationship with our viewers and users,” said Barr. 

She pushed stations to be “the watchdogs every community needs to function fairly and equitably,” and to diversify their ranks, from entry-level on up to executives. “We do not adequately represent this country,” said Barr. 

Besides KPRC and WDIV, Graham Media Group includes WSLS Roanoke, KSAT San Antonio, WKMG Orlando and WJXT-WCWJ Jacksonville, as well as Graham Digital and Social News Desk. 

Barr spoke in favor of “boutique companies” in this era of scale. “Saying scale is the only path to success fails to consider the nimbleness we possess,” she said. 

Despite the challenges of the nation and the industry, Barr ended on an optimistic note. “It is a privilege to be a local broadcaster today and every day,” she said. 

Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group, is TV Technology's sister publication B+C’s Broadcaster of the Year. Barr has led the broadcast TV division of Graham Holdings Group since 2012. Its stations include KPRC Houston; WDIV Detroit; WSLS Roanoke, Va.; KSAT San Antonio, Texas; WKMG Orlando, Fla.; and WJXT-WCWJ Jacksonville, Fla. Graham Media Group also has Graham Digital and Social News Desk in its portfolio. 

Graham Media Group was named B+C’s Station Group of the Year in 2016. Barr came to Graham after a long run as president and general manager of ABC-owned WLS Chicago. She will be honored as Broadcaster of the Year at TVB’s Alt Forward Conference on Oct. 1. 

Barr spoke with B+C about the stations’ coverage of COVID and racial equality, how they reach younger viewers and what the future looks like for local broadcast. “I have great faith in local television,” she said. “I believe it’s incredibly important, maybe more important today than ever.” An edited transcript follows.

B+C: In terms of COVID coverage, any stories at the Graham stations that stood out for you?

Emily Barr: We have been covering COVID, obviously, from the very beginning, and we’ve been really trying to make it clear to people what is factual versus the rumors and the misinformation that seems to run around social media. We’ve done a lot of work to try to make it clear what’s going on and what people can do to stay safe. 

In Jacksonville, one of our reporters actually contracted COVID and did a whole series of reports on what it’s like to go through it and how sick he was. He chose to do this, we didn’t ask him to. It was met with a lot of incredible responses because it was a very personal point of view of living through this. 

We’ve had about 23 people across the group contract COVID. Everyone has recovered, which is very much a blessing. One employee’s spouse, unfortunately, passed away from it. Early in April, we were feeling the weight of it just from that one incident. Since then, the people who have contracted COVID have all recovered. A couple landed in the hospital for a day or two, but nobody had to be put on a ventilator. 

We’ve been trying to really get at the misinformation and give people really good facts so they can make informed decisions.

B+C: Any Graham stories on the fights for racial equality that stood out?

EB: WSLS in Roanoke, our smallest station, just did an amazing report, a primetime special and a series of news reports and online reports called “2020 Focus: The Push For Equality.” It was really, really well done. They went back and looked at the history of Roanoke, they looked at redlining, some of the housing issues that came up, things that were done with the development of the communities around Lynchburg and Roanoke that caused neighborhoods to become cut off. They explained all that history and where the inequity has grown from. 

What I really thought they did a particularly good job on was, they talked to leaders in the community about what they’re trying to do going forward. It wasn’t just a historical piece, but a look forward. There was quite a bit of hope in the information we provided. It felt more positive as a result. 

Every station has gotten involved and has been doing reporting on this. The way we work as a company, we never tell our stations what to report on and how they should do their work. They will occasionally get together and share the stories they do when it is something larger than a single community. In the push for racial equity and inclusion and justice, our news directors have gotten on the phone with each other and really tried to wrap their arms around it, look at the fault lines, look at the issues that have plagued so many of these cities. They’re doing a series of ongoing reports, they’re not just doing one-and-done. This has become part of the fabric in each newscast in each of these communities. 

B+C: With so many workers showing they can do their jobs from home, how do you see the Graham stations—the actual buildings—looking in a year?

EB: I think there’s going to be a little more room in all of these TV stations. What we have discovered is that we’ve been able to do our work really efficiently and without any interruptions, with probably about 80% of our staff working remotely. The one thing you lose when you work this way is that serendipitous meeting in the hallway, the idea that might get shared between one person and another just because they happen to be talking to each other. That has to be more formalized because you have to get on teams or get on Zoom or whatever video platform you are using and it becomes less by chance and more by direct connection that you have to make. 

I think that the buildings themselves will feel a little more spacious, because some people that work for us will not be coming back on a regular basis other than maybe for meetings. We have a couple of hubs. We have a traffic hub out of Jacksonville; I think 17 people work in that hub. What we found is that they’re really working well from home and there may not be a need to bring them back in full time. With some of the hubbing you find station groups doing these days, it may make more sense to allow them to work from home. 

It also gives you the flexibility to hire from other cities if that is what you choose to do. If you’re looking for someone, you don’t have to limit yourself to someone who lives in Jacksonville. 

I think what will happen is, when we can safely allow people to come back into the buildings, we will probably have a fairly large percentage of them come back. But there will be more flexibility in terms of working from home a few days a week. Salespeople have much more flexibility to go to sales calls directly from home; maybe they’ll work a day or two from home every week. It’s just not as critical that all these people reside in the buildings at the same time.

When it comes to things like news, there’s an energy loss when everyone is coming in on Zoom. I suspect that most of our newsrooms prefer in the long run to have everybody come back in. But for right now we have no plans for that, because we don’t feel like it’s safe enough. 

B+C: What is the Graham plan for young consumers and making sure the local brands are part of their media consumption?

EB: Under [VP and chief innovation officer] Catherine Badalamente’s leadership, the digital team is taking that on as a huge challenge, and I think we’re doing really well. We obviously reach out online and on mobile and OTT. We’re also in the podcasting business. We produce a number of podcasts that have gotten quite a bit of attention and listeners as a result, and we’re really proud of that. That is a way that we can connect with a younger audience. It may not be, strictly speaking, straight news of the day, but it is an entrée for them to understand our brand and what we do and then get them used to looking at our websites. 

Our online usage has really skyrocketed through all of this. Our on-air viewership obviously spiked a lot in April and May when we were at the height of COVID. Those numbers have come back to reality but the online usage has been really incredible—it’s way, way, way past where we were a year ago, double and sometimes triple the numbers. That is not abating, that is continuing. 

B+C: Do all the stations have podcasts?

EB: We just rolled out a new podcast in Orlando called “Space Curious,” which is about everything going on in NASA and the space race. Emilee Speck, a reporter there, is the leader of that podcast. That rolled out [in late August], and it’s great if you are into space-related stories.  

We have a number of podcasts out of Detroit. The big one last year, about Jimmy Hoffa, was very well received and really well done. We have an interesting podcast called “The Best Advice Show” that our podcast manager, Zak Rosen, produces. It’s probably the shortest podcast you’ll ever listen to, each episode four to five minutes long. He talks to different people and gets their best advice. It just got written up in The New York Times—that was pretty cool. 

Houston has had a few podcasts, and San Antonio. Everyone is trying different things. You just have to put them out there and see how the audience reacts. This is a relatively new area for us so we keep trying, keep feeding different ideas. To some extent we allow reporters and anchors to go off in an area they’re interested in, because clearly one of the rules of podcasting is, you need a host who is really engaged. So it’s important to let them help create that. 

B+C: Are the podcasts money makers, or more a content play?

EB: I would say they are nominally making some money. We have had some sponsors involved with all our podcasts. I’m not going to claim we’ll get rich on them right now, but I do think it’s really important to seed this kind of medium because more and more people connect to us through their phones. A podcast is one way to stay connected because people listen in their cars or wherever they happen to be traveling about or when they’re at home. It’s just a different, more intimate kind of engagement.

B+C: Tell me about Social News Desk. 

EB: Social News Desk is doing well. They’re working with around 2,500 newsrooms worldwide, most in the U.S. and a number in other parts of the world — Canada, Australia, South America. They are doing a really, really good job right now of not only providing a dashboard for all their clients, but they have created something called “SND On Air” that gives stations an easy way to take their social media, put it on air and explain what is going on socially to viewers. There’s something called “SND Campaign Manager” which helps television and radio and newspapers generate revenue with their social media efforts. That has been really well received. 

I think they’re virtually in every market in the country. They work with all the major broadcasters and seem to be very well received by newsrooms, whether it’s radio or TV or newspapers, because they’ve made it very easy. It’s kind of a one-stop for managing your social media. 

B+C: Do you look to acquire stations?

EB: Gee, no one ever asks me that question! [Laughs.] We kick the tires quite often. We’re always very conscious of the cost. We’re in somewhat volatile times in our industry, so it would have to be just the right deal for us to make a purchase. But we certainly have made it known that we’re interested. If the right opportunity comes along, I’m sure we’ll take a very close look at it. 

B+C: Do would-be buyers still approach you about selling stations?

EB: Not so much anymore. That was a few years ago. I think most people have come to understand that we’re not interested in selling. That’s not to say that a banker doesn’t try! We’re very fortunate because Graham Holdings is very fond of what we do and what we help deliver to the company. As a result, there hasn’t been any thought to selling us, which I’m very happy about.

B+C: How do you feel about local TV long-term?

EB: I think local television is incredibly important and valuable in our society right now. There are some headwinds. I do worry about the growth of streaming and what impact that could have on our business. It’s challenging when you’re a network affiliate and the networks are both maintaining their network operation but also putting a lot of effort into streaming. I understand conceptually why they’re doing it, but we’re essentially helping them build these businesses because they use network airtime to help promote these streaming platforms. It’s really important that we be connected to those in a financial way. What happens there and how that will come to pass, it depends. In some cases we are. We have a relationship with CBS All Access, but in other cases we’re not—not yet, but I hope to be. 

I’m optimistic about the continued value of local television, particularly because local television news has become in some ways the de facto place to go for information in a community where newspapers have really waned. I’m sorry to see that because the ecosystem is always better when you have multiple sources of news. With that being the case, local television news is really, really important to keep us focused and as a country making sure we know where we’re supposed to be in terms of all the misinformation out there that confuses people. Someone needs to be the voice of record who says, ‘No, no, no, this is true and this is not true.’ It’s getting harder because of social media—the many, many things on the internet that make it hard for the average person to know the source they’re reading from is accurate and fair. 

I have great faith in local television. I believe it’s incredibly important, maybe more important today than ever. I do think it has a future in this big ecosystem that is evolving every day. I hope I’m right. 

B+C: What are the Graham stations doing for the election that’s different from what they did four years ago?

EB: We have always tried to provide as much solid information and get to the key stakeholders in every one of our communities when it comes to elections. We have always done town halls and debates, and we’ll continue to do those. I wouldn’t necessarily say we are doing more of them, but it’s something we have always taken very seriously and will continue to do so.

B+C: Do you miss being a general manager? 

EB: Sometimes I do. I really loved running television stations. I got to do it for 18 years. I love the energy and the fast pace of a TV station and not knowing from day to day when you walk in what you are going to be dealing with at that moment. There is a kind of quietness working in corporate. It’s been more than a little bit strange working from home. 

I have a small office in Chicago in a high-rise. They keep sending us emails — this person has COVID, that person has COVID. Most of us have been working from home since March and it’s incredibly quiet working in your own house.

I probably see our GMs more now than I did before because we are using video conferencing. But I do miss the energy that comes from working in a television station and watching what goes on in the newsroom and being the first to hear about something when it breaks. I love the people that work in TV stations because they’re very committed to what they do and they have a great deal of loyalty to where they work. Our group is very much of that ilk. I’m really proud of the work they do. 

We had a power issue in Detroit a couple of days ago that threatened to take WDIV off the air. This was like 10 p.m., 11 p.m. Marla [Drutz, WDIV VP/GM] called me and said, All the engineers came rushing in, everybody came rushing in. They had to do a lot of moving things around very quickly, making sure the generator works properly, all the things you have to do when you’re suddenly without power. Nobody watching us knew what was happening, it was all behind the scenes. It was a mad scrabble. 

Marla said to me, ‘I just got in my car and went downtown at 10 p.m. because I just felt I had to be there.’ I understand what she meant because I had those experiences as a GM. It was not that Marla was pulling cable or could do anything to hook up the generator, I think she just felt the need to be there to just buck everybody up and make sure they knew she was there for them. Most of those guys ended up working all night to get everything duct taped-up, so to speak. It was all very successful, they did a great job. 

That’s the kind of thing as a GM that you love to do, that has a great sense of energy. That’s the part I probably miss. Other parts of the job, not so much.

NEW YORK—Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group, is B+C’s Broadcaster of the Year, an award she will receive at TVB’s Alt Forward Conference on Thursday, Oct. 1. Barr will be profiled in B+C’s awards issue on Sept. 21. That issue of the magazine also will include recipients of the new B+C Awards.

Barr has led the broadcast TV division of Graham Holdings since 2012. Under her leadership, Graham Media Group was named B+C’s 2016 Station Group of the Year. Previously, she was president and general manager of ABC-owned stations in Chicago and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Among her individual accolades, Barr received the Golden Mike Award from the Broadcasters Foundation of America in 2018. 

She is TV Board chair for the National Association of Broadcasters and the vice chair of the NBC Affiliate Board. She also serves on the boards of the Associated Press and the Television Bureau of Advertising and has been an active member of the National Association of Broadcasters and the Illinois Broadcasters Association. She was inducted into the 2016 Silver Circle of the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 

Chicago-based Graham Media Group comprises seven local media hubs, Graham Digital and Social News Desk, delivering local news, programming, advertising solutions and digital media tools for television, online, mobile, OTT, podcasts and audio devices. GMG operates in six states: KPRC–Houston, WDIV–Detroit and WSLS–Roanoke (NBC); KSAT–San Antonio (ABC); WKMG–Orlando (CBS); WJXT–Jacksonville (fully local) and WCWJ–Jacksonville (CW).  Based in Detroit, Graham Digital is a digital media and technology development group widely recognized as a leading industry innovator. Social News Desk, headquartered in Atlanta, provides its 2,500-plus worldwide newsroom-customers with a single dashboard to publish, measure, curate and monetize local news content on social platforms.

Previous recipients of the Broadcaster of the Year award include Hilton Howell of Gray Television (2019), Jack Abernethy of Fox Television Stations (2018) and Jordan Wertlieb of Hearst Television (2017).

WASHINGTON—Emily Barr will continue as the NAB Television Board Chair, as the president and CEO of Graham Media Group was re-elected to the role during the virtual NAB Board of Directors meeting held earlier this week.

Joining Barr as part of the Executive Committee Board of Directors’s TV Board will be Ralph Oakley, president and CEO of Quincy Media Inc., as first vice chair; Perry Sook, president and CEO of Nexstar Media Group, as second vice chair; and Pat LaPlatney, president and co-CEO at Gray Television, was tapped as the third vice chair.

In addition, Margaret Tobey, senior vice president of Regulatory Affairs at NBCUniversal, was appointed to the designated TV network seat on the Executive Committee.

The full results, including for the Radio Board, are available on the NAB website. 

WASHINGTON—The NAB has announced the results from its board elections, with Jordan Wertlieb, president of Hearst Television Inc., voted to serve as chairman for the NAB Joint Board of Directors. Wertlieb takes over the position from Caroline Beasley, CEO of Beasley Media Group, whose term had expired.

Other results included the election of Graham Media Group President and CEO Emily Barr as the NAB Television Board chair. She will be joined by Ralph Oakley, president and CEO at Quincy Media Inc., as the TV Board’s first vice chair, and Perry Sook, Nexstar Media Group Inc.’s president and CEO, as the second vice chair.

On the radio side, David Santrella, president of Broadcast Media, Salem Media Group, was elected Radio Board chair. Randy Gravely, TriState Communications Inc. president and CEO, is now Radio Board’s first vice chair, and Bruce Goldsen, the president and co-owner of WKHM-AM/FM, WIBM, Jackson Works Inc., is the second vice chair.

In addition, Brandon Burgess, chairman and CEO of ION Media Networks, was appointed as the designated TV network seat on NAB Board’s Executive Committee, while Alfred Liggins, CEO and president of Urban One Inc. is Radio Board’s major group representative seat with the Executive Committee.

The elections took place during the NAB Board of Directors meeting from June 11-12 in Washington, D.C.

NEW YORK—With attendees dressed to the nine, the Broadcasters Foundation of America honored Emily Barr and Ed McLaughlin, and raised funds for broadcasters in need during its annual Golden Mike Award gala.

Emily Barr, president and CEO of Graham Media Group, was honored during the event at this year’s Golden Mike Award recipient. In addition, the organization recognized the late Ed McLaughlin with the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award. The broadcaster previously served as chairman of the BFA. McLaughlin’s widow accepted the award on his behalf.

In addition to the awards handed out, BFA reports that it raised $250,000 during the event to help broadcasters in need, as part of its mission to support broadcasters and their families affected by events or disasters throughout the year.