Fred Baker getting out of the business?
Posted on Oct 25, 2009 in News
The Performance Rights Act (PRA) threatens to force many local radio broadcasters off the air if it passes through Congress. The costs will just be too high, and one broadcaster has already predicted closing his doors.
Fred Baker, Jr., president of KISR radio in Arkansas, says, “if it does go through, I will probably get out of the business. There are too many people trying to hack at it as it is. I have some sympathy for the performers, but let’s look at the big labels. What salaries are they getting at the top? What kind of cars are they driving? It is one of the most stupid, self-serving things I have heard of. It’s beyond the pale.”
Bill Pharis, president of Fort Smith Radio Group in Arkansas, has seen cutbacks already:
“We’ve gone over to talk programming on three of our stations,” said Pharis. “… One of the reasons we did that is because of the fees for music. We pay a reduced rate for music on those talk stations. That’s another reason across the country news and information is now the No. 1 format. People are trying to avoid those fees where they can. They’re not looking to add any more. It won’t help (artists). It’ll hurt them.”
Source: Southwest Times Record
