MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J.—Now, amidst a pandemic, is not the time to raise regulatory fees for broadcasters, argues New Jersey Broadcasters Association President and CEO Paul Rotella in a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and the FCC commissioners. 

“I felt obligated to respectfully request that the FCC suspend any consideration of raising regulatory fees for radio and television during this particularly troublesome time and postpone the rulemaking process on this issue until our nation’s societal way of life and economy have been fully restored,” Rotella wrote.

The FCC is scheduled to discuss regulatory fees as part of its Commission Open Meeting on May 13.

Rotella cites that broadcasters have been hard hit during the coronavirus outbreak, most having sustained “60-70%” declines in ad revenues, he says. Rotella continues that raising fees will hobble stations that have become a key source of information during this crisis.

The FCC has broken down what it estimates 2020 regulatory fees will come out to online.

“If these snowballing fees force stations to go dark, there’s no other local entity that could ever replace them,” Rotella wrote. “To be sure, Mr. Chairman and commissioners, this is not the time to raise fees.”

MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J.—
The New Jersey Broadcasters Association is pulling out all the stops for its NJBA 70th Anniversary Dinner & Gala Nov. 2 in Atlantic City, N.J.
This year’s Howard L. Green Humanitarian of the Year Recipient is Ben Ferencz, the sole surviving Nuremberg Trial prosecutor. Notably, Ferencz was recently profiled by Leslie Stahl for a segment on “60 Minutes,” which is celebrating its 50th anniversary and also named as the association’s inaugural inductee to the NJBA Hall of Fame for TV.The 2017 radio honorees are Connoisseur Media’s CEO Jeffery Warshaw, who has served on our NJBA Board of Directors; WKXW(FM)’s Dennis and Judi of the “Dennis and Judi Show,” “Imus in the Morning” producer and television personality Bernie McGuirk from Cumulus and Westwood One, Press Communications CFO Rich Morena and WSUS morning host Steve Andrews. “I’m very proud of the accomplishments of each of these very special broadcasters, who typify the best our industry offers to the vast and diverse radio and television audiences we serve,” said NJBA President/CEO Paul Rotella. “They have made New Jersey an innovative and time-tested leader not only in broadcast, but public service and entertainment, as well.”Rotella also announced that NJBA has added a television division in order to better advocate for television broadcasters. It will be headed by NJBA Chairman Bob McAllan, who works for WJLP(TV).“We also saw early on how TV issues impacted radio and visa-versa, so this was an opportunity to offer more opportunities for our affiliate members in both Philadelphia and New York City,” Rotella said. The ceremony will be rebroadcast to N.J. high schools, colleges and universities, which is supported by the New Jersey Education Association.Cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m. and the doors to the banquet hall will open at 7 p.m., with the main event commencing at 7:30 p.m.Attendees can buy a table of eight at the following rates: NJBA member table— $550, affiliate member — $700; and nonmember table —$750. Alternatively, individual tickets can be purchased, which cost: $75 for NJBA member; $90 for affiliate members; $100 for nonmembers; and $65 for students. And for those who don’t like to plan ahead, all tickets at the door cost $125.Also, broadcasters who plan to spend the night in Atlantic City can get a discounted rate at the Tropicana, if you mention NJBA (group code HBCA70) when you call for your reservation. This story originally appeared on TVT's sister publication Radio World. 

The event’s 2017 theme is “Broadcast’s Heritage and Enduring Impact on Society” and will honor a variety of industry figures, as well as “Holocaust survivors, war heroes, state and national leaders, and other dignitaries,” according to an announcement.

MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J.—The New Jersey Broadcasters Association would like to see State Emergency Communications Committees around the country wield more power and ensure broadcaster input in the development of EAS state plans.

Paul Rotella, president and CEO of NJBA, tells TV Technology he asked the Federal Communications Commission to clarify the role of SECCs in preparing and maintaining each state’s EAS plan.

“The SECCs have been ignored for years. I don’t believe New Jersey is the only state with this problem. Our SECC has no teeth and basically been abandoned,” Rotella said.

“I think their demise started when the FCC and FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Administration] began sharing some EAS duties. Then the FCC thought FEMA was doing certain things and vice-versa. Therefore, I think local and state officials now look at SECC like it has been delegitimized.”

In addition, Rotella says law enforcement “could be overreaching a bit” when it comes to its involvement in New Jersey’s SECC.

“This isn’t a slam on law enforcement. They are trying very hard, but they are not broadcasters. They need funding, more staff and tech training. They also need our help and expertise to make sure EAS works correctly.”

Rotella’s association, along with the New Jersey State Police, went so far as to ask that state’s Attorney General’s Office to review FCC rules and regulations regarding the scope and authority of the New Jersey SECC and its state chairperson.

“The AG’s office concluded several years ago that while the FCC has established a SECC in every state there does not seem to be any clearly defined authority or direction. From that point on and after the subsequent retirement of the state’s communication officer, the New Jersey State Police have taken more and more control of EAS,” Rotella said. “At one point they even rewrote the state EAS plan and were ready to disseminate it in good faith, but without obtaining approval from the SECC, NJBA, or FCC.”

He believes the FCC understands his group’s concern with the SECC structure and “could put out a notice or rulemaking or something” to reinforce or possible recreate the SECC.

Separately, in a recent letter to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New Jersey State Police, Rotella pushed the need for better technology for public warning in the state.

“The NJBA supports the acquisition and implementation of a statewide voice and text-based emergency notification system featuring FM radio-based notification and EAS text and audio for the state of New Jersey,” he wrote, describing its stance in the association’s newsletter.

Rotella points to a system such as AlertFM, which delivers emergency messages using data subcarriers of existing local FM radio stations, providing overlapping and redundant signal coverage. The broadcast messages are free to the public, according to NJBA.

“Parenthetically, I think it is time for the state to look at investing in a new FM-based alert system to supplement what we have. We should take advantage of the FM infrastructure that is already in place in New Jersey and elsewhere. It works well in other parts of the country,” Rotella said.

This story first appeared on TV Technology's sister publication Radio World.