MILFORD, Mass.—The Massachusetts Broadcasters Association celebrated its broadcast radio and television member stations’ localism and connection to their communities by awarding Sound Bites Awards in 21 categories at its annual Sound Bites conference on Thursday, November 13 at the Doubletree Hotel in Milford.

The MBA began the awards by awarding the third “Broadcast Champion” award to Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey for his career-long commitment to local broadcasters including the creation of the current television retransmission consent landscape via the landmark 1992 Cable Act and his AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act, which would ensure AM radio stations continue to be included in every vehicle sold in the United States.

For the second straight year the winners in the Station of the Year category were Audacy’s Mix 104.1 (WWBX-FM) and Hearst Television’s WCVB Channel 5 in television. MyFM 101.3 (WMRC-AM) and Springfield’s Fox affiliate Boston 25 (WFXT) were runners up in the Station of the Year category.

Highlighting broadcasters’ commitment to their communities, Rock 102 (WAQY) won the radio Sound Bites Award for best Public Service Announcement for their PSA supporting Rick’s Place, which provides grief support to children, teens and their families through facilitated peer activities, school-based programs, and community outreach. In the television Public Service Announcement category Boston 25 took home first place for their Jimmy Fund “Scooper Bowl” PSA.

94.7 WMAS and WCVB Channel 5 won #WeAreBroadcasters awards for their Radiothon for Baystate Children’s Hospital and coverage of the 2025 Boston Marathon, respectively. The #WeAreBroadcasters Award highlights a unique event or program produced and promoted by a station that highlights the station’s connection to their community.

Guests included National Association of Broadcasters Director of Government Relations Ray Quiñones, and Senior Editor of Investigations, Equity and Justice for GBH News and New England First Amendment Coalition board member Jenifer McKim. Long time Massachusetts radio personality and Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Famer Candy O’Terry hosted the event.

Now in its fourteenth year, the Sound Bites Awards received more than 250 award entries, highlighting the excellent work done each year by local broadcasters in Massachusetts. See a complete list of winners at massbroadcasters.org/winners.

BOSTON—Local communities that collect franchise fees from pay-TV providers are worried that the increase in cord cutting could threaten the future of community access TV. In Massachusetts, one legislator has responded by proposing a bill that would allow municipalities to levy a fee on streaming services like YouTube TV, Sling TV and DirecTV Now (also known as virtual Multichannel Video Program Distributors or “vMVPD”).

In “An Act Relative to Digital Entertainment on Public Rights of Way,” Democratic state legislator Matt McMurtry is proposing a 5% fee on digital streaming providers who are “using the public rights of way in order to sell their services to Massachusetts residents.” The fees would be collected twice a year and distributed to the state general fund, municipalities and community media centers.

Although vMVPDs offer many of the same channel lineups as traditional cable TV, they have been exempt from paying franchise fees. Since these OTT (over-the top) services ride on the back of high-speed broadband provided by traditional cable TV, legislators like McMurtry see little difference between the two.

“This legislation is a much-needed update to the way consumers receive digital entertainment streaming services. Multimillion-dollar media companies are using our public rights of way to deliver their product, yet are not paying their fair share for that use,” McMurtry said. “Fees charged to traditional cable providers support our local community media centers, which are an important resource to local public, educational and government news and information. As consumers are offered alternative streaming methods, we need to modernize our law to assure that community media centers are supported.”

Approximately 85 legislators have signed on to the bill, which was proposed the same week that the FCC voted to deregulate local cable franchise fees, a move that opposing FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said “cuts at public, educational and governmental channels across the country.”

“It goes beyond placing reasonable limits on contributions subject to the statutory franchise fee and jeopardizes the day-to-day costs, like staff and overhead, required to run such stations,” she added.

A dozen states have already imposed similar fees on streaming services (or in the case of California, Colorado and Illinois, have individual municipalities that have adopted such fees), according to public interest group Mass Access, which voiced its support for the bill.

“For decades, the funding provided by cable companies has helped provide funding to support vital programs at the municipal level—including community media centers and PEG channels,” said Melinda Garfield, president of Mass Access. “Community Media centers and PEG channels serve the community, they are an important and vital resource that we need to protect. These new streaming services should be held to the same standards, accept the same responsibilities, and make the same contributions as cable companies.”