Genachowski Says Radio Audience Has Grown 10%

RADIO ONLINE | , , | :am CT

Speaking the NAB convention on Wednesday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said that he knew "first-hand the challenges of local broadcasting" and he "certainly understands the real-world impact on broadcasters of the economic crisis." Even so, he said broadcast radio's audience has grown 10% and to further help meet those challenges, he noted that the Media Bureau recently authorized power increases HD radio, as well as updating rules to let AM stations use FM translators.

"And as a new generation of startups with funny names but growing audiences seek to provide content to local communities on new platforms, more and more broadcasters are seeking to extend their reach beyond the traditional platform," he added. "As I heard one broadcaster say: Wayne Gretzky goes where the puck is going; we need to go where the audience is going: online and mobile."

Genachowski pointed to the recent snowstorms in DC, where local broadcasters provided a lifeline for the community, using web sites and Twitter feeds to help residents who had lost power get up-to-the-minute information through their computers and phones.

Last month, he noted, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced a major local journalism initiative that will form teams of multimedia journalists who will report via multiple platforms -- TV, radio, online and mobile.

"I noted with interest that NAB has copyrighted a new word to describe your transforming industry in this multiplatform world: "broader-casting," Genachowski continued. "We want to work with broadcasters as you seek to reach your audience both over the air and through the Internet. A core goal of the FCC is to foster a thriving, healthy and competitive media landscape on all platforms."

Additionally, Genachowski believes "it's vital that the Internet remain free and open for content creators like you to innovate and reach your audience, and vital also that you can protect your content online against unlawful copyright infringement."

On media ownership, Genachowski said the FCC will soon launch the next stage of its review of the ownership rules. "Two points. First, I believe Congress was right when it instructed the FCC to review its ownership rules on a regular basis to make sure the rules fit the changing facts and economic realities of the marketplace. Second, I believe that the traditional Communications Act values of competition, localism, and diversity remain core and essential values in the 21st century."