TAB Chairman Jason Hightower, owner of KMOO Mineola, died Mar. 20. He was 37.

 

Hightower was fighting a recurrence of brain cancer.

 

 

Local radio broadcasters and the international record labels faced off in a U.S. House hearing this month over whether radio stations should be required to pay performers for the music they air.

 

It was the highest profile showdown so far this year in the battle against a performance tax.

 

The tax would replace the longstanding system of exchanging free music for free promotion of recordings, concerts and other events.

 

 

Most Texas TV stations that haven’t already gone all-digital are on track to continue analog broadcasts until June 12.

 

Stations must comply with an extensive set of new rules adopted by the FCC March 13.

 

Some of the rules are intended to help viewers better understand antenna options and the need to rescan converter boxes after June 12.

 

 

The House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee voted unanimously, 11-0, to approve CSHB 670, by Rep.

 

Trey Martinez-Fischer, D-San Antonio.The move comes after a marathon 13 hour negotiation session on bill language between media representatives and the prosecutorial community.

 

Committee Chairman Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, personally led the session which lead to the drafting of a committee substitute.

 

The bill would create a qualified journalist/source privilege and protections for journalist work product.

 

 

 

The effort is underway as Congress considers renewing the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act of 2004.

 

Nominations are now open for TAB’s annual awards.

 

This year’s distinguished awards will be presented during TAB’s 56th Annual Convention & Trade Show, Aug. 19-21 at the Renaissance Austin Hotel.

 

 

The Texas Broadcast Education Foundation will award up to $16,000 in scholarships this May.  There are eight scholarships; each is worth $2,000.

 

Students enrolled in a broadcast curriculum at a college or university in Texas can receive the money to help defray expenses for the 2009-2010 school terms.

 

Interactive applications are now available online.

 

TAB partnered with the Texas Association of Broadcast Educators (TABE) to hold a combination career expo and conference on Feb. 27.

 

Six broadcast companies representing 15 stations talked to students and recruited employees during the event.

 

Each broadcaster can earn a quarter point of EEO credit by sending a person with hiring capability to a career expo.

 

 

Sales teams are covering more accounts and pitching businesses they’ve never worked with before. But learning the skills needed to succeed can be daunting.

 

As stations’ training budgets have evaporated, they’ve found an invaluable resource in TAB’s LocalBroadcastSales.com offering.

 

This online 24-7 training curriculum features the top broadcast sales trainers in the country covering everything from social media and key advertising categories, to emerging ad markets and basic sales training.

 

LocalBroadcastSales.com is available exclusively to TAB members in Texas for a nominal fee.

 

There’s no limit on the number of sales team members from one station or cluster logging onto the site.  And there’s no limit on simultaneous users.