Lifetime Achievement Recipient and Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inductees Announced!
The MAB has announced the 2009 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Inductees to the Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner is Specs Howard (pictured right), whose real name is Jerry Leibman. Specs has been in the broadcasting industry nearly 60 years and is best known as the owner and founder of the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts.

The 2009 Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inductees are truly a credit to the industry with a combined experience of over 140 years of service to the broadcasting industry:
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1. Attending the 2009 Annual Meeting & Leadership Retreat gives Michigan Radio and TV owners and managers insight into the uncertain future of the industry and how to position themselves for success in the new media landscape.

2. The event is highlighted by a panel of industry leaders speaking directly to you, the Michigan broadcaster, with the opportunity to speak with them in a discussion format. Don’t just read their articles in the trades, talk with them one-on-one!

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A New Century Brings New Challenges; New Opportunities
The Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB) continues a year-long celebration of 60 years of service to Michigan broadcasting. To commemorate this milestone, we've been highlighting each decade in our association's history; and this month we conclude with a look at the present decade: 2000 through 2009.
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Have You Considered Incentive Programs to Achieve Reductions in Force?
by Terry Kasiborski, Butzel Long

In these very trying economic times, virtually all employers, including broadcasters, are looking for ways to reduce costs. Since payroll costs are such a significant part of overhead, reductions in force naturally come to mind.

Involuntary reductions in force often involve very difficult, indeed sometimes gut wrenching, decisions for broadcasters who are required to decide between two or more fully qualified and loyal employees. Also, involuntary terminations may result in litigation or other types of claims by the displaced employees. However, by offering employees incentives to remove themselves from the workforce, a broadcaster may be able to avoid difficult choices between who stays and who goes.
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State Lawmaker Joins Broadcasters in Performance Tax Fight
State Senator Hansen Clarke (D-Detroit) recently introduced Senate Resolution 58, urging Congress to oppose any effort to impose a Performance Tax.

A former legislative aide to Congressman Conyers and an elected official within Conyers’ district, Senator Clarke, drafted the resolution to recognize the valuable contributions local broadcasters make in local communities around the state, and describe the negative impact a performance tax would have on a broadcaster’s ability support the communities they serve and the jobs they create.
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Speaker Dillion Looks to Ballot as Possible Tax Reform Solution
Voters could be asked in a November statewide election to approve parts of a wholesale tax-restructuring plan that would include doing away with the Michigan Business Tax surcharge, House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Township) stated during a public forum discussion at the Detroit Chamber Policy Conference.
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Get the latest legal updates by reading the MAB Legislative & Legal Monitor!
The MAB Legislative & Legal Monitor is published as neccessary with the latest information important to broadcasters. Not receiving the monitor? Please email Dave Jessup at jessup@michmab.com to sign up TODAY!

Past issues are available in the Members Only section of the MAB website. Click here to view the latest Legislative & Legal Monitors.

Detroit Area Broadcasters Rally against Performance Tax
In a display of solidarity, Detroit’s broadcasters united against Performance Tax during a town hall meeting hosted by Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Detroit) and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). The meeting comes two weeks after the House Judiciary Committee sent H.R. 848 to the House floor. Local broadcasters were upset not only about the legislation itself, but by Conyers’ choice to allow for local public comment after he saw the bill pass.
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MAPB Announces 2009 Pioneer Award Winners
The board of directors for the Michigan Association of Public Broadcasters (MAPB) announced the 2009 recipients of the Professional Pioneer Award and the Volunteer Pioneer Award. These awards are presented annually as recipients are realized. Recipients will be honored Tuesday evening, July 14 at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Join us for this celebration at a cost of $60 per person.
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WDET Presents Community Programming Initiative on Detroit's Mortgage Crisis
In June and July, Wayne State University's WDET-FM is presenting a series of programs to introduce station listeners to the people and organizations operating "on the front line" of Detroit's mortgage crisis. The community programming initiative is part of a national project taking place in 32 markets across the country and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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CMU Public Radio Presents "Michigan's Bottom Line: Hybrid Economy"
On May 29, CMU Public Radio presented a special program highlighting how alternative energy is changing what powers cars, homes and jobs. "Michigan's Bottom Line: Hybrid Economy" was hosted by Michigan Public Radio's Rick Pluta and Sarah Hulett with a contribution from CMU Public Radio's Amy Robinson.
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WGVU Productions Honored with Communicator Awards
WGVU Productions is proud to announce that seven of its projects have been honored by The Communicator Awards. The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition that recognizes outstanding work in the communication field. Winners were chosen from over 7,000 total entries.
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Sign-Up Now For 2009 Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program
Can you afford a FCC fine? Can you afford not to take advantage of a great savings opportunity to get your station fully FCC compliant and free from a routine FCC inspection for three years?

The MAB has opened up scheduling for the 2009 Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP). The inspections are a no-risk way to check your station's FCC compliance.
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2009 Summer Raffle: The Odds Are In Your Favor
Take a chance on winning one of these three great prizes as part of the MAB Foundation 2009 Summer Raffle. Proceeds from this fundraiser support broadcast scholarships, education and internships in Michigan!
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Looking for a Tax Write-Off? Donate to the MAB Foundation and Help your
2009 Taxes!
The MAB Foundation is looking for fun and exciting items to be auctioned as part of the Online Auction. Do you have tickets for sporting events, the theater or movies that you can donate? How about overnight stays, vacation packages, golf or skiing?
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MAB and MABF Join The Social Networking World!
You can now find the MAB on your favorite social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter with periodic updates on association activities and urgent member notifications. Whether its with a PC or through mobile applications, you can stay in touch with your Association.
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Reminder: BCS Monthly Training
Broadcast Compliance Services (BCS) assists MAB member stations in meeting EEO outreach requirements through its broad outreach program enabling broadcasters to post and list job openings with thousands of contacts nationwide.

As part of this service, BCS offers monthly conference call training on a weekly basis. Click here for participant information and a schedule as well as complete information on this MAB member service.
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MAB Legal Hotlines Save Members TIME and MONEY!
Are you taking advantage of your MAB Legal Hotlines? One of the nation's leading communication attorneys, David Oxenford, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, can help you with your FCC and regulatory questions. It's FREE to you because MAB has a special arrangement and we pay for all members to get their questions answered.

Say your corporate office has an attorney and you use them for advice and counsel. That's great, but you can sound a lot smarter when you call them by getting to understand the issue better by speaking with David first.
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