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Radio World

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No, Really, You Cant Win

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 12:08 PM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/programming-and-sales/no-really-you-cant-win


iHeartMedia faces a possible $20,000 fine in a contest rules violation
case. The Federal Communications Commission said the company’s history of contest rule violations played a factor in the amount of the penalty.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau said the case involves a contest — ironically called “You Can’t Win” — that was held by WBGG(FM) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
(via @CastronovoShow Twitter)

A person who attempted to participate on May 30, 2019, had won a separate station contest, the “Southwest Flyaway Fridays,” on March 1, so the station call screener didn’t allow him to participate. The listener then argued that the station wasn’t following its own contest rules.

When the FCC inquired, the company replied that an employee had applied a
past exclusion rule incorrectly but it also said this wasn’t relevant
because the listener would have been ineligible anyway. But the commission ruled that the “plain language” of the contest rules indicated otherwise.

Even if there was an ambiguity, it continued, FCC precedent is that
ambiguous rules are to be “construed against the interests of the promoter
of the contest.”

The commission also didn’t accept the station’s argument that the person raising the complaint didn’t have “standing” in the case. (Readers who are
involved in creating radio station contest rules may wish to read the FCC
NAL for specifics of why the commission didn’t accept iHeart’s various arguments.)

The base forfeiture in contest cases is $4,000 for each violation; the FCC opted to increase the proposed penalty to $20,000 in part because the
station also failed to maintain the contest rules on its website for at
least 30 days after the end of the contest, as required.

But another factor in raising the amount, the FCC said, is that “the
licensee is the pro forma assignee of an affiliate with a history of
violating the Contest Rule.” The commission listed several examples of contest cases 2000 to 2012 involving stations owned by what was then called Clear Channel.

The station has 30 days to pay the fine or to reply with any counter
argument.

This was the second time in as many days that the FCC has mentioned
problems of past rule compliance by a major broadcast group; in an
unrelated case we reported earlier, the commission took Cumulus to task for various past EEO and other infractions.

The post No, Really, You Can’t Win appeared first on Radio World.


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ASCAP Reports Record Revenue

Posted: 01 Mar 2022 11:51 AM PST https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/programming-and-sales/ascap-reports-record-revenue


ASCAP reported record revenue for 2021, collecting $1.335 billion.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers said, “Increases
in collections from the audio streaming and audio-visual sectors pushed ASCAP’s domestic revenue to $1.011 billion in 2021, up 4.4%, an increase of $42.5 million over 2020. This was the first year that ASCAP domestic
revenues from U.S.-licensed performances surpassed $1 billion.”

It said the strategic growth plan it launched in 2015 has driven revenues
to grow at a 5% compound annual growth rate since then.

“ASCAP’s identification, matching and processing of trillions of musical performances drove record-setting distributions that exceeded $1 billion
for the fifth year in a row and increased $41 million over the previous year, for a total oaf $1.254 billion available for distribution to its more than 850,000 songwriter, composer and publisher members in 2021.”

It said the total available for domestic distributions of licensed and administered performances was $912.6 million, a 2.4% increase over 2020. It said strong domestic performance offset a drop in revenue from foreign societies of 9.7% “due largely to business closures and the lack of vaccinations.” But its international distributions were up 5.9%.

Its annual report is posted at www.ascap.com/annualreport.



The post ASCAP Reports Record Revenue appeared first on Radio World.

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