From the Corner Office

I have spent my share of time in Washington, DC, on behalf of the NAB and as an individual broadcaster, lobbying to protect the interests of our company and our industry.  Never before have I felt the need to enlist the help of Greater Media employees and listeners.  However, as I reflected upon the damage that the Performance Tax could do to our industry and our company, I felt justified, even compelled, to write an open letter to every employee of Greater Media, and everyone who listens to the company's stations.

Here is the argument that I made to them, and in this column, I make the same argument and request to each of you.

As a radio professional, I hope you are aware of the legislative battle in Washington in which the record companies are seeking to charge radio stations a performance fee for every song we play on the air. This fee would be in addition to the royalties we already pay to the songwriters' organizations, including ASCAP and BMI. The proposed bill could be potentially devastating to all of us who work in radio, and violates the long-standing and mutually beneficial relationship between radio stations and recording artists, in which we provide broad exposure and promotional impact in exchange for music content.

I would like to personally ask for your help in opposing the Performance Tax.  We have started a petition to oppose the proposed "performance royalty act," which will be distributed to Members of Congress on behalf of Greater Media and will contain the signatures of our employees and listeners.  I also encourage you to call your Congressional representatives and ask them to support the "Local Radio Freedom Act" currently pending in both the House and Senate, which would discourage a performance tax on local radio stations.

Greater Media has created a special website, http://www.helpsaveradio.org, where you can learn more about the Performance Tax, sign our on-line petition, and find your congressional representatives by ZIP code.

While we have won the first battle in opposition to the proposed Performance Tax, we still have much to do. This is just the beginning.

I invite you to join us in stopping this proposed tax, which we believe would have a significant, negative impact on our stations and on our listeners, advertisers and the communities we serve.

Please feel free to e-mail me by clicking on the "Ask Peter" icon posted below. I would love to hear your feedback or answer any questions you may have.

Peter

July 2009

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