NAB Chief Has Mean Game of Hardball

[SOURCE: TVWeek, AUTHOR: Doug Halonen]
David Rehr took the reigns at the National Association of broadcasters this week. In his former job as president of the National Beer Wholesalers Association he was known to give his all for the cause of beer. When American Medical Association urged the National Collegiate Athletic Association to ban beer ads on college sports programming, he let it be known that the beer association might publicize the fact that the nation's 700,000 physicians cause 120,000 accidental deaths every year. When right-wing Christian fundamentalist organizations opposed alcoholic beverages, he referenced Jesus' first miracle was turning water into wine. He also convinced the White House drug czar to not include alcohol in an anti-drug advertising campaign. That's the kind of agile lobbying that NAB's members hope Mr. Rehr will be able to deliver. The broadcast TV industry sorely needs a legislative miracle or two to ensure its continued viability as it moves into an increasingly uncertain future, particularly as TV stations are forced to make the transition to digital. High on the industry's wish list is legislation that would require cable TV operators to carry all of the programming streams multicast on broadcasters' new digital channels-regulation that broadcasters believe will enable them to staunch the hemorrhaging loss of viewer eyeballs to the multi-channel competition offered by cable, satellite, and now phone companies. It's unclear if Mr. Rehr will be able to deliver, in part because many of his victories for the beer industry were of a defensive nature, and the broadcast industry needs a strong offense to win many of the key legislative battles on the horizon.
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