Industry News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The former General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has joined Wiley Rein LLP, today going by the “Wiley Law” brand, as the co-Chair of its Appellate Practice.

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Thomas M. Johnson Jr., has joined Wiley as a partner.

Johnson has more 15 years of experience in private practice and public service at the federal and state levels, representing clients in high-stakes appellate and regulatory litigation matters.

And, he has advised clients on all stages of Federal agency rulemaking, adjudication, and litigation, in fields ranging from communications to environmental law to securities to labor and employment.

in his role as the FCC’s General Counsel, Johnson successfully persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Commission’s media ownership reforms, resulting in last week’s unanimous ruling in favor of the Commission in FCC v. Prometheus Radio Project.

Johnson also “successfully defended” the Pai Commission’s “net neutrality” repeal at oral argument before the D.C. Circuit. “While naturally building upon a regulatory litigation practice that focuses on communications, technology, and the internet, Mr. Johnson will be positioned to strengthen Wiley’s capabilities in administrative law and appellate litigation across all sectors and practice groups,” the law firm says.

“Tom is an accomplished leader who has been an innovator throughout his career,” said Wiley Managing Partner Peter D. Shields. “His deep understanding of administrative and appellate law on a wide range of issues – as well as his nuanced insights from working in the government and private sector – will be indispensable to our clients.”

Kathleen A. Kirby, co-chair of Wiley’s Telecom, Media & Technology Practice, added, “Among Tom’s many accomplishments at the FCC is his important work streamlining regulations, strategically and successfully leading the effort to defend the Commission’s decision to relax certain media ownership rules before the Supreme Court, and freeing up spectrum for public use for 5G and other applications. His foresight and ingenuity greatly contributed to the efficient operations of our country’s communications systems, especially given the increased network demands of the past year. We’re thrilled he’s joining the firm.”

Prior to serving as FCC General Counsel, Mr. Johnson was the Deputy Solicitor General in the Office of the West Virginia Attorney General, where he helped develop litigation strategy and draft briefs in a series of challenges under the Administrative Procedure Act to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules under the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. In addition, he managed a team of attorneys, drafted briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals, and argued seven cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

It boasts the moniker “Key Weird Radio.” And, it presently has a Construction Permit for a Class A signal putting 680 watts of power over the southernmost city in the continental U.S.

Now, “the most diverse radio station” in Key West is heading to a new owner.

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What are the most active brands using spot radio?

The list of companies isn’t so different for the week ending April 4 than it was in the prior week. And, that’s good news for Radio.

Why? It demonstrates stability, with certain brands committing to the medium. Among those brands: Progressive, Indeed, and GEICO. That said, Bank of America is back, with a No. 7 placement in the most recent Spot Ten National Radio report.

With GEICO firmly in place as the top brand using Spot TV, by play count, there’s lots of new activity at over-the-air television with respect to campaigns getting a boost.

For the week ending April 4, a Unilever brand and a Procter & Gamble Co. brand, in particular, made waves with consumers.

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With T-Mobile President/CEO Mike Sievert gushing with confidence and a big trade marketing budget in play, TVision was designed to change pay TV for good.

It failed to catch on with consumers. But, one Wall Street feels Sievert’s plan worked — to the long-term detriment of MVPDs.

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With all eyes last week turned to Washington, D.C., and also fixated on a major audio media company’s name change, attention is just now being placed on the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Here, a judge has cleared the way for Alpha Media to exit from debtor-in-possession status.

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She holds a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law and until now has been a senior associate at Mayer Brown LLP.

Starting today, she’s now the lead in-house counsel for Townsquare Media.

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Taking the role of SVP/General Counsel is Allison Zolot.

At Mayer Brown, she served as an associate in Mayer Brown’s New York office and a member of the Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice. Her practice focused on representing financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and other multinational corporations in complex commercial and securities litigation in federal and state courts.

Specifically Zolot concentrated on the areas of banking and financial services, including actions involving alleged violations of the securities laws and allegations of fraud or misrepresentation in the sale of complex financial instruments, such as residential mortgage-backed securities (“RMBS”) and other derivative instruments.

Townsquare CEO Bill Wilson said the local audio and digital media company is “thrilled to have such a talented lawyer” join the company.  He continued, “Allison is a strong and effective leader who will make a great addition to our senior management team.  I look forward to working with Allison as we continue to drive long-term growth and shareholder value through the execution of our ‘Local First’ strategy.”

Allison Zolot, Townsquare Media

Zolot said she is “humbled by the opportunity to work with Bill and the company’s senior management team.”

Mayer Brown has been her lone professional position following her receipt of a Fordham J.D. in 2009.

In late February, RBR+TVBR first shared the news that TEGNA was adding to its pot of digital multicast networks by stirring up a third creation.

As of today, Twist is on the air, putting a focus on women — and perhaps the LGBTQ+ crowd, too.

With a focus on lifestyle and reality programming including Top Chef Masters, Clean House, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Dance Moms, Tabatha Takes Over, Tiny House Nation and Flipping Out, Twist is already available in 41 TEGNA markets — and 43 of the top 50 Nielsen DMAs.

Aside from the TEGNA stations, Twist will also be found as a digital multicast for 11 Univision stations — a huge boost giving the network access to viewers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia.

Then, there are 31 stations licensed to HC2 Broadcasting, a company that is paring down assets but intent on operating a core group of low-power TV stations in various markets.

In Indiana’s biggest market, DuJuan McCoy‘s Circle City Broadcasting has placed Twist on a digital multicast channel associated with WISH-8 in Indianapolis.

Other partners include Adell-owned WADL-38 in Detroit and CNZ Communications’ WIWN-TV in Milwaukee.

“With today’s launch of Twist, reality TV just got much more exciting for over-the-air viewers,” said Brian Weiss, president and general manager of TEGNA’s entertainment networks. “Audiences craving lifestyle and reality programming, who have been underserved in the multicast space, now have free access to high quality shows that have never before been available over-the-air.”

For nearly four and a half years, he has been linked to a group of Cumulus Media stations comprised today of WSBN-AM “ESPN 630” and highly regarded Talker WMAL-FM in Washington, D.C.

Before that, he led sales for iHeartMedia’s D.C. and Baltimore stations as a Sr. VP of Sales, a job he took in September 2009.

Sadly, his current post at Cumulus will be his last, as Ken Roberts has passed away. According to one media report, he was 65 years old.

Cumulus Media EVP/Operations Dave Milner confirmed Roberts passing, with a statement distributed to radio trade publications early Monday. “This is such tragic news and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family,” Milner said of Roberts. “Ken was a passionate and smart professional, who cared greatly for the team in D.C. He had been a friend and coach to so many in radio and we’re all better because of our time with Ken. We send our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Ken’s family, and are grateful for the time we had with him.”

Roberts in November 2020 had been promoted to VP/Market Manager from VP/Sales of the Cumulus/D.C. duo. He succeeded Jake McCann, who “returned home” to Philadelphia in
late December to lead The HOW Group, a real estate investment group.

With that promotion, Roberts said, “I am proud to continue our mission of super serving our listeners, employees and client partners. I am humbled to be part of our great history and excited to be part of our future.”

Among those already mourning the loss of Roberts is Jay Rosenberg, President/CEO of Rosenberg Media. “We lost a friend, a great husband and father, and great leader in the radio community.”

According to Rosenberg, Roberts died on Saturday. The cause of death has not been formally released. However, RBR+TVBR has learned that Roberts suffered from a suspected heart attack.

Roberts arrived in the Baltimore-Washington corridor in fall 2009, after spending 19 months in Phoenix as Director of Sales for Bonneville’s stations. From March 2001-February 2008, he was GSM of Susquehanna Radio’s former Dallas station group. It was his entry into radio, having served before that as VP of Videoaxs, which created “unique revenue programs that incorporated advertising and content distribution platforms.”

Roberts is a graduate of Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey.

Funeral arrangements were not disclosed by Cumulus Media.

He is not to be confused with original KROQ station owner Ken Roberts, who passed away in May 2014 at the age of 73.

The recent Radio World article “Quick, We Need a Temporary AM Antenna” showcased the ingenuity of WMJC engineers as they scrambled to get a station back on the air quickly.

While improvised antennas are one way to return to the air and can serve as an acceptable emergency or auxiliary antenna in a pinch, they may not be the best or easiest way to get an AM station back on the air. 

The HPR.0990 is designed to handle transmitter power up to 250 Watts.

AM stations faced with the dilemma of a damaged antenna, or one down for maintenance or replacement, have a commercially available option that is cost-effective and quickly deployable, one that allows them to remain on the air with reasonable coverage.

The Information Stations Specialists HPR.0990 is a resonant center and top hat loaded vertical monopole antenna with an integral 50 Ohm transmission line matching unit and optional quick-deployment ground radial system. 

A typical installation requires setting a simple wood or metal support pole or a short tower to mount the self-supporting antenna using a quick deployment ground radial system or a connection to the station’s existing ground radial system at its base. 

The antenna is side-mounted on the support using the included saddle clamps to attach it to the support pole. Due to its resonant design and integral impedance matching, the HPR.0990 can be directly connected to the transmitter’s 50 Ohm coaxial output without the need for an additional impedance matching network.

The base of the antenna is ideally mounted about 15 to 20 feet above ground level, which places the tip of the antenna about 45 to 50 feet high. This installation configuration, using the quick deployment ground radial system, shows a measured efficiency of 100 mV/m per kilowatt at 1000 kHz increasing to 175 mV/m at the top of the AM band. HPR.0990 efficiency declines gradually as the operating frequency moves toward the bottom of the band AM band due to the longer wavelengths, but despite its small stature, the HPR.0990 can still produce efficiency of 55 mV/m per kilowatt at 540 kHz.

Tuneup and installation are quick and easy once the support mast is erected and secured. The HPR- 0990 is designed to handle transmitter power levels of up to 250W. 

There are currently four HPR.0990 installations in commercial temporary use, serving stations in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Iowa. In addition to commercial applications, the HPR.0990 is well suited for use under Part 90.242 as a higher efficiency Travelers Information Station antenna.

My familiarity with the HPR.0990 comes from my role assisting Information Station Specialists with the design, development and field testing of this antenna as a contract engineer. The antenna was born out of the need for a more efficient cost-effective compact AM and TIS antenna capable of medium power levels. 

Based on its field deployment success, the HPR.0990 has achieved those goals.

The author worked for Collins Radio, then spent most of his career with General Motors engineering and Delphi/Delco Electronics as an advanced development engineer and engineering manager for the design of automotive radios and infotainment products. He founded engineering project firm PD Technologies.

The post ISS Antenna Is an Option in an AM Pinch appeared first on Radio World.