Chairman of broadcasters' group says he's looking out for his fellow small-town station operators

While the National Association of Broadcasters looks for a new president, it is being overseen by its board chairman, an owner of small-town radio stations, Steve Newberry, right, of Commonwealth Broadcasting of Glasgow, Ky., had small markets in mind as he discussed his NAB role with TVNewsday:

"We are looking for somebody who can be a great spokesperson for local broadcasters, someone who has the ability to navigate Washington and advocate for our needs there. At the same time, we want someone who understands the nuances of our business and can relate to a small-market broadcaster as well as one of our publicly traded members."

A commenter identified as John Salov wrote, "It would be nice if they represented all broadcasters. Perhaps the next level of management will bring into the NAB the community broadcasters. These mainly lower-power stations spend almost 100 percent of their broadcast day covering the communities they serve. I have heard that the lower-power stations are not in favor with the full-power station base at the NAB due to the cost of the license. Lower-power stations do not have must-carry protections or, for the most part, network affiliations. They do, however, have a base of female and minority ownership and have no voice at the NAB. Could this be the time to reach out to the community broadcasters and work with them to advance the cause of all broadcasters?" (Read more)