As the old year exits stage right and the new year makes its way to center stage, we thought we'd string together a compendium of quotes which appeared in RBR/TVBR during the past year. Today: August 2004

* "We have no reason to believe that the terms and conditions of TV JSAs differ substantively from those of radio JSAs..." - - FCC, looking into making TV JSAs attributable (8/3/04 RBR #150)

* "As president, I will expand opportunities for people of color in the media, by appointing FCC commissioners committed to enforcing equal employment and insuring that small and minority-owned broadcasters are not consolidated into extinction." - - John Kerry (8/6/04 RBR #153)

* "This is a great move by Clear Channel. As the largest company, they're exhibiting great leadership." - - Citadel Chairman/CEO Farid Suleman on CCU inititative (8/6/04 RBR #153)

* "We're still waiting and have no idea when it's going to turn around." - - ACME Communications CEO Jamie Kellner on the ad environment in his quarterly conference call (8/10 TVBR #155)

* "National radio ad spending has been unpredictable. Including all of our marketers, executive sales management and transactional sellers, we have proactively shifted our focus to aggressive new business initiatives such as calling on upper-level advertisers and agency decision-makers, and going after promotional, newspaper and print ad budgets." - - Interep CEO Ralph Guild in his quarterly conference call (8/11 RBR #156)

* "I'm 86 years old!" - - CBS Correspondent Mike Wallace, after being arrested for arguing with officers of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) outside a restaurant. (8/12 TVBR #157)

* "Clearly, something must be done to mitigate the consumer disruption that is certain to occur if consumer sets throughout the home become obsolete at the flip of a switch. It would seem that making converter boxes affordable is the key to this brewing problem." - - NAB on 20.5M homes without cable or satellite TV (8/16/04 RBR #159)

* "Until the ownership rules are finally resolved, television station sales activity will continue to be weak." - - BIA Financial Network VP Mark Fratrik (8/18/04 RBR #161)

* "They got back about 8PM and started broadcasting emergency information. They were able to find one land line working and they actually started taking some calls from folks in the area to report damages and things like that. And the way they were able to do it was the most primitive of all broadcasting-Mike talked into the fax handset and held the earpiece up to the mic so the people listening on the radio could actually hear the caller." - - CC Radio SVP/Southeast Jay Meyers on Hurricane Charley (8/23/04 RBR #164):

* "In a fair fight, XM Satellite Radio would capture a good share of the US audience. Unfortunately, competition in the broadcast industry is anything but fair," Forbes writer Scott Woolley in an article titled "Broadcast Bullies" (8/31 RBR #170)

* "Radio continues to grow because it provides an indispensable service to the local community. I would not expect you to understand this. The relationship between Radio and its listeners is special and often inexplicable. I do, however expect your publication to offer unbiased coverage of businesses and industries. Something you and Mr. Woolley missed this time." - - Backyard Broadcasting CEO Barry Drake, responding to the Forbes article (8/31 RBR #170)

* "Imposing a recording requirement on all broadcasters for such a small fraction of a percentage of offending programs would be unnecessary, arbitrary and capricious." - - John Wells King and Melody A. Virtue of law firm Garvey Schubert Barer (8/31/04 RBR #170)

* "What do we get in return for granting TV stations free use of our airwaves? Unfortunately, when it comes to coverage of issues important to our nation, the answer is less and less." - - FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, writing in the New York Times on limited network coverage of policital conventions (8/31/04 RBR #170)