Washington - Jun 13, 2012 - The National Association of Broadcasters Board of Directors met for its regularly scheduled summer board meeting.

In the radio board of directors meeting, Don Benson, president and CEO of Lincoln Financial Media, was elected to be the radio board chair by unanimous vote. John Beck, senior vice president and market manager, Emmis Communications St. Louis, was elected radio board first vice chairman by unanimous vote, Caroline Beasley, executive vice president and CFO of Beasley Broadcast Group, was elected radio board second vice chairman by unanimous vote, and Jose Valle,president, Univision Radio, was elected to be the radio board's major group representative seat by unanimous vote.

Kelly Cole provided an update regarding efforts to educate lawmakers on the benefits of radio chips in cell phones, citing nine House members who recently made floor statements thanking broadcasters for providing lifesaving information during times of crisis. Cole also pointed out the effective testimony given by Steve Newberry, president and CEO of Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation, and Jeff Smulyan, chairman and CEO of Emmis Communications, at The Future of Audio hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology the week of Jun 4, 2012.

Smulyan provided a summary of strategies to educate policy makers and the public on the importance of radio enabled cell phones, noting that cell carriers prefer charging escalating rates for streaming applications rather than activate radio chips for free broadcast radio. Michelle Lehman outlined available tools and resources offered by NAB to educate the public on the benefits of radio enabled cell phones. These include online and advertising resources as well as messaging points.

NAB Chief Technology Officer Kevin Gage briefed the radio board on activities of the Radio Technology Committee and discussed the continued evaluation of the AM Engineering Study to determine recommendations regarding AM regulatory options. Gage also briefed the board on audio technology trends and HD Radio developments.

In the joint board of directors meeting, Gordon Smith was nominated to continue as NAB president and CEO. The motion was approved unanimously.