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National Association of Broadcasters
 
 
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The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a trade association
Industry trade group

An industry trade group, also known as a trade association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry....
 representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio
Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic radiation with frequency below those of visible light.Electromagnetic radiation radio propagation by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space....
 and television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 broadcaster
Broadcaster

Broadcaster may refer to:* A broadcasting organization, one responsible for the production of radio and television programs and/or their transmission....
s in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The NAB represents more than 8,300 terrestrial radio and television stations
List of United States over-the-air television networks

In the United States, for most of the history of broadcasting, there were only three or four major national broadcasting networks. From 1946-1956 these were American Broadcasting Company, CBS, NBC, and DuMont Television Network....
 as well as broadcast network
Broadcast network

A broadcast network is an organization, such as a corporation or other Voluntary association, that provides live television or recorded content, such as film, newscasts, sports, and Public affairs programming Television program for Broadcasting over a group of radio or television stations....
s.

NAB was founded in 1922 (the same year that the nonprofit BBC was founded in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
) at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. The association's founder and first president was Eugene F. McDonald Jr.
Eugene F. McDonald

Eugene F. McDonald founded Zenith Electronics Corporation in 1921, a major American radio and electronics concern.He was born in 1886 in Syracuse, New York, New York....
, who also launched the Zenith corporation.

NAB worked to establish a commercial radio
Commercial broadcasting

Commercial broadcasting is the practice of broadcasting for profit. This is normally achieved by interrupting normal programming to air advertisements, also commonly called "commercials" in this context....
 system in the United States.






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The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a trade association
Industry trade group

An industry trade group, also known as a trade association, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry....
 representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio
Radio

Radio is the transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic radiation with frequency below those of visible light.Electromagnetic radiation radio propagation by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space....
 and television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 broadcaster
Broadcaster

Broadcaster may refer to:* A broadcasting organization, one responsible for the production of radio and television programs and/or their transmission....
s in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The NAB represents more than 8,300 terrestrial radio and television stations
List of United States over-the-air television networks

In the United States, for most of the history of broadcasting, there were only three or four major national broadcasting networks. From 1946-1956 these were American Broadcasting Company, CBS, NBC, and DuMont Television Network....
 as well as broadcast network
Broadcast network

A broadcast network is an organization, such as a corporation or other Voluntary association, that provides live television or recorded content, such as film, newscasts, sports, and Public affairs programming Television program for Broadcasting over a group of radio or television stations....
s.

Founding

The NAB was founded in 1922 (the same year that the nonprofit BBC was founded in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
) at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. The association's founder and first president was Eugene F. McDonald Jr.
Eugene F. McDonald

Eugene F. McDonald founded Zenith Electronics Corporation in 1921, a major American radio and electronics concern.He was born in 1886 in Syracuse, New York, New York....
, who also launched the Zenith corporation.

Commercial radio

The NAB worked to establish a commercial radio
Commercial broadcasting

Commercial broadcasting is the practice of broadcasting for profit. This is normally achieved by interrupting normal programming to air advertisements, also commonly called "commercials" in this context....
 system in the United States. The system was set up in August 1928 with the establishment of General Order 40 — a radio reallocation
Frequency allocation

The radio frequency electromagnetic spectrum is an aspect of the physical world which, like land, water, and air, is subject to usage limitations. Use of radio frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum is regulated by governments in most countries, in a Spectrum management process known as frequency allocation or spectrum allocation...
 scheme by the Federal Radio Commission
Federal Radio Commission

The Federal Radio Commission was a government body that regulated radio use in the United States from its creation in 1926 until its replacement by the Federal Communications Commission in 1934....
 which awarded the choicest frequencies and broadcast times to the then-emerging commercial radio industry. In the wake of General Order 40, a loose coalition of educators, nonprofit broadcasters, labor unions, and religious groups coalesced to oppose the NAB and their allies through the 1920s and 1930s, and to develop a public, nonprofit, license-funded radio system without commercials (similar to what happened with the BBC). The coalition claimed that the commercial industry would only promote profitable programming, thereby reducing the quality and future potential of radio broadcasting.

Not having the political connections, resources, or publicity of the NAB and the commercial radio industry, the non-profit coalition eventually lost the fight with the passage of the Communications Act of 1934
Communications Act of 1934

The Communications Act of 1934 was a United States federal law enacted as Public Law Number 416, Act of June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064, by the 73rd Congress, codified as Chapter 5 of Title 47 of the United States Code, et seq....
.

Notable NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame Inductees

Television Radio
2008: Bob Barker 2008: Larry Lujack
2007: Meet the Press 2007: Rick Dees
2006: Regis Philbin2006: Dick Purtan
2005: The Tonight Show2005: Jack Buck

2004: Roger King2004: Mormon Tabernacle Choir "Music and the Spoken Word"
2003: The Wonderful World of Disney Television Anthology Series2003: Scott Shannon
2002: Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In2002: Dick Orkin
2001: Ted Koppel2001: "Cousin Brucie" Bruce Morrow
2000: Saturday Night Live2000: Tom Joyner


Low-power FM radio


NAB is not opposed to additional low power FM stations provided those stations do not undermine the integrity of the existing signals currently in operation. Instead of risking interference to the hundreds of millions of people who regularly listen to their favorite full power FM stations, the FCC should aggressively process pending license applications, which everyone agrees will not cause interference. Additionally, the FCC should use better studies that address the issues the Radio Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000 required to ensure that any new low-power stations do not undermine existing full power stations. This viewpoint is backed by other groups.

Satellite radio

Many satellite radio
Satellite radio

A satellite radio or subscription radio is a digital radio signal that is broadcast by a communications satellite, which covers a much wider geographical range than terrestrial radio signals....
 enthusiasts have criticized the NAB for lobbying against legislation approvals for those services. The NAB protested the FCC's approval of both satellite radio services in the United States — XM
XM Satellite Radio

XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television....
 and Sirius
Sirius Satellite Radio

Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in the United States and Canada, owned by Sirius XM Radio. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tennessee, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of sports, news and ente...
 — and furthermore criticized the 2008 merger of the two companies.

White space

The NAB has lobbied against the use of white spaces
White space (telecommunications)

In telecommunications, white spaces refer to radio frequency allocated to a broadcasting service but not used locally. In the United States, it has gained prominence after the FCC ruled that unlicensed devices that can guarantee that they will not interfere with assigned broadcasts can use the empty white spaces in spectrum....
, unused broadcast spectrum lying between broadcast channels, for wireless broadband internet and other digital use. The NAB has claimed that use of white space will interfere with existing broadcast spectrum, even though tests by the Federal Communications Commission at levels far stronger than that being advocated for in policy circles have not supported such claims. Indeed, the FCC has recommended the use of white spaces for broadband and other digital use.

Similar organizations

Organization similar to the NAB exist in individual U.S. state
U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 state of the United States that share sovereignty with the federal government of the United States . Because of this shared sovereignty, an United States is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of Domicile ....
s, including Georgia Association of Broadcasters
Georgia Association of Broadcasters

The Georgia Association of Broadcasters represents radio and television Broadcastingers across the U.S. state of Georgia . It is affiliated with the National Association of Broadcasters....
 (GAB) in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a U.S. state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against United Kingdom rule in the American Revolution....
, and the Illinois Broadcasters Association (IBA), in Illinois. In Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters
Canadian Association of Broadcasters

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters is the national voice of Canada's private broadcasters, representing the vast majority of Canadian programming services, including private radio and television stations, specialty, pay and pay-per-view services....
 (CAB) has a similar role.

NAB awards

The NAB presents several annual awards:
  • NAB Marconi Radio Awards
    NAB Marconi Radio Awards

    The Marconi Radio Awards are presented annually by the National Association of Broadcasters to the top radio stations and on-air personalities in the United States....
    , to the country's top radio stations and personalities
  • NAB National Radio Award, to an outstanding individual leader in the radio industry
  • NAB Crystal Radio Awards
    NAB Crystal Radio Awards

    File:Nab crystal radio awards.gifThe NAB Crystal Radio Awards are presented annually by the National Association of Broadcasters to American radio stations....
    , to radio stations achieving excellence in community service


Gatherings

NAB's annual spring convention is the NAB Show. It typically draws over 100,000 industry professionals. NAB also manages the NAB Radio Show which is held each autumn and draws over 3,000 radio professionals. Additional NAB events can be found at .

External links