Radio News ®

File this one under: Pay up
As part of the current license renewal process, the FCC Media Bureau has hit a whopping 28 broadcast stations with $3K fines for problems with their public files. All were radio stations. Although the statutory max on the fines was $4K, the MB ratcheted them down one grand in view of the licensees' "voluntary disclosures of the violations."
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A media giant is born: NBC Universal
A little over a month after General Electric/NBC won the bidding for the US entertainment assets of Vivendi Universal, the $14B acquisition has been finalized. The merger, which is expected to close next year, will create a $43B media giant called NBC Universal, which will rival Viacom, Disney and News Corp. in scope and size.
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Senators call for NBC-Vivendi hearings
The proposed merger of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE) had gotten little attention on Capitol Hill, since VUE has no broadcast licenses. But it looks like the merger won't get a free pass. With media consolidation now a hot button, two key senators are planning to hold hearings on the merger. | Full Story Click Here |

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McDonalds' launching
"Real Life Choices" in January
The NY Daily News reports McDonald's is beefing up its nutrition education program in New York, via an initiative this January dubbed "Real Life Choices." The program will not include any new menu items. Instead, it will offer helpful suggestions on how to make existing sandwiches and treats more healthy. It may, for instance, tell dieters seeking fewer carbohydrates to skip the bun, or suggest barbecue sauce instead of mayonnaise-based toppings, the story said. | Full Story Click Here |

Dentsu named Hawaii's new marketing
contractor to Japan
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reports the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau has tapped Dentsu, the major Japanese agency, to handle its $1M account marketing the state to Japanese tourists. The review was initiated because Hawaii had been losing Japanese travel share since 1992, when 14.5% of Japanese outbound travelers came to the islands, according to the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the Pacific Asia Travel Association. Last year, Hawaii's share of the market had declined to 9%. | Full Story Click Here |

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Transactions

$25,000,000 KSBI-TV Oklahoma City from Locke Supply Co. to Family Broadcasting Group Inc.

$515,000 WEMR-AM & WCWY-FM Wilkes Barre-Scranton (Tunkhannock PA) from Citadel Broadcasting Company to Geos Communications

$42,500 WPBQ-AM Jackson MS (Flowood MS) from PBD Corp. to TalkQ Corp.

N/A KAZU-FM Monterey-Salinas CA (Pacific Grove). 100% of Foundation of California State University, Monterey Bay.

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