WASHINGTON, DC -- Representatives from the National Association of Broadcasters met with members of Congress and representatives from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to reiterate the negative impact an additional performance fee would have on local radio stations and its 235 million weekly listeners.

NAB Joint Board Chairman Steve Newberry, president and CEO of Kentucky-based Commonwealth Broadcasting, and NAB Radio Board Chairman Charles Warfield, president and COO of ICBC Broadcast Holdings, along with representatives from the National Association of Black-owned Broadcasters and the Spanish Broadcasters Association attended the meeting. Rep. Mike Conaway (TX-11), an original co-sponsor of a countering resolution known as The Local Radio Freedom Act, also participated in today's meeting.

Commenting on today's meeting, NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton issued the following statement:

"Out of deference to key members of Congress, NAB representatives met today with representatives of RIAA and the music industry to discuss pending performance tax legislation. NAB representatives, along with representatives of minority-owned radio stations, reiterated our strong concerns over the negative impact that the bill would have on the ability of free and local radio stations to continue serving our listeners."

Meanwhile Utah Democrat Jim Matheson (UT-2) became the 253rd member of House of Representatives to cosponsor the Local Radio Freedom Act, a bipartisan resolution that opposes "any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge" on local radio stations for music aired free to listeners. To date a bipartisan group of 253 House lawmakers and 27 U.S. Senators have publicly expressed opposition to the RIAA-backed legislation.

The 253 House cosponsors of the Local Radio Freedom Act include:

Robert Aderholt (AL-4)
John Adler (NJ-3)
Rob Andrews (NJ-1)
Todd Akin (MO-2)
Rodney Alexander (LA-5)
Jason Altmire (PA-4)
Mike Arcuri (NY-24)
Steve Austria (OH-7)
Michele Bachmann (MN-6)
Spencer Bachus (AL-6)
Brian Baird (WA-3)
Gresham Barrett (SC-3)
John Barrow (GA-12)
Roscoe Bartlett (MD-6)
Melissa Bean (IL-8)
Shelley Berkley (NV-1)
Marion Berry (AR-1)
Judy Biggert (IL-13)
Brian Bilbray (CA-50)
Gus Bilirakis(FL-9)
Sanford Bishop (GA-2)
Roy Blunt (MO-7)
John Boccieri (OH-16)
Jo Bonner (AL-1)
John Boozman (AR-3)
Dan Boren (OK-2)
Leonard Boswell (IA-3)
Charles Boustany (LA-7)
Allen Boyd (FL-2)
Kevin Brady (TX-8)
Robert Brady (PA-1)
Bruce Braley (IA-1)
Bobby Bright (AL-2)
Paul Broun (GA-10)
Corrine Brown (FL-3)
Henry Brown (SC-1)
Ginny Brown-Waite (FL-5)
Vern Buchanan (FL-13)
Michael Burgess (TX-26)
Dan Burton (IN-5)
Steve Buyer (IN-4)
John Campbell (CA-48)
Shelly Moore Capito (WV-2)
Ken Calvert (CA-44)
Anh "Joseph" Cao (LA-2)
Mike Capuano (MA-8)
Dennis Cardoza (CA-18)
Russ Carnahan (MO-3)
Christopher Carney (PA-10)
Andre Carson (IN-7)
John Carter (TX-31)
Bill Cassidy (LA-6)
Michael Castle (DE-AL)
Ben Chandler (KY-6)
William Lacy Clay (MO-1)
Mike Coffman (CO-6)
Tom Cole (OK-4)
Mike Conaway (TX-11)
Jerry Costello (IL-12)
Joseph Courtney (CT-2)
Ander Crenshaw (FL-4)
Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
John Culberson (TX-7)
Elijah Cummings (MD-7)
Artur Davis (AL-7)
Danny Davis (IL-7)
Geoff Davis (KY-4)
Lincoln Davis (TN-4)
Charles Dent (PA-15)
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL-21)
Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25)
Norm Dicks (WA-6)
Joe Donnelly (IN-2)
Steve Driehaus (OH-1)
John Duncan (TN-2)
Chet Edwards (TX-17)
Vernon Ehlers (MI-3)
Brad Ellsworth (IN-8)
Jo Ann Emerson (MO-8)
Bob Etheridge (NC-2)
Mary Fallin (OK-5)
Chaka Fattah (PA-2)
John Fleming (LA-4)
Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1)

Bill Foster (IL-14)
Virginia Foxx (NC-5)
Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11)
Scott Garrett (NJ-5)
Elton Gallegly (CA-24)
Jim Gerlach (PA-6)
Phil Gingrey (GA-11)
Kay Granger (TX-12)
Sam Graves (MO-6)
Al Green (TX-9)
Gene Green (TX-29)
Parker Griffith (AL-5)
Brett Guthrie (KY-2)
Ralph Hall (TX-4)
Deborah Halvorson (IL-11)
Phil Hare (IL-17)
Gregg Harper (MS-3)
Alcee Hastings (FL-23)
Doc Hastings (WA-4)
Dean Heller (NV-2)
Wally Herger (CA-2)
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL)
Baron Hill (IN-9)
Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15)
Pete Hoekstra (MI-2)
Tim Holden (PA-17)
Duncan Hunter (CA-52)
Bob Inglis (SC-4)
Lynn Jenkins (KS-2)
Timothy Johnson (IL-15)
Walter Jones (NC-3)
Jim Jordan (OH-4)
Steve Kagen (WI-8)
Marcy Kaptur (OH-9)
Dale Kildee (MI-5)
Mary Jo Kilroy (OH-15)
Ron Kind (WI-3)
Jack Kingston (GA-1)
Mark Kirk (IL-10)
Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-1)
Larry Kissell (NC-8)
John Kline (MN-2)
Frank Kratovil (MD-1)
Doug Lamborn (CO-5)
Leonard Lance (NJ-7)
Rick Larsen (WA-2)
Tom Latham (IA-4)
Steve LaTourette (OH-14)
Robert Latta (OH-5)
Jerry Lewis (CA-41)
John Lewis (GA-5)
John Linder (GA-7)
Chris Lee (NY-26)
Frank Lucas (OK-3)
Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2)
Dave Loebsack (IA-2)
Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9)
Ben Ray Lujan (NM-3)
Cynthia Lummis (WY-AL)
Daniel Lungren (CA-3)
Don Manzullo (IL-16)
Kenny Marchant (TX-24)
Betsy Markey (CO-4)
Jim Matheson (UT-2)
Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4)
Michael McCaul (TX-10)
Tom McClintock (CA-4)
Patrick McHenry (NC-10)
John McHugh (NY-23)
Mike McIntyre (NC-7)
Howard McKeon (CA-25)
Cathy McMorris Rogers (WA-5)
Kendrick Meek (FL-17)
Charlie Melancon (LA-3)
Michael Michaud (ME-2)
Brad Miller (NC-13)
Candice Miller (MI-10)
Gary Miller (CA-42)
Jeff Miller (FL-1)
Walt Minnick (ID-1)
Harry Mitchell (AZ-5)
Alan Mollohan (WV-1)
Dennis Moore (KS-3)
Jerry Moran (KS-1)
Sue Myrick (NC-9)

Randy Neugebauer (TX-19)
Devin Nunes (CA-21)
Glenn Nye (VA-2)
James Oberstar (MN-8)
Pete Olson (TX-22)
Solomon Ortiz (TX-27)
Frank Pallone (NJ-6)
Erik Paulson (MN-3)
Bill Pascrell (NJ-8)
Ron Paul (TX-14)
Mike Pence (IN-6)
Tom Perriello (VA-5)
Tom Petri (WI-6)
Pedro Pierluisi (PR-At Large)
Joe Pitts (PA-16)
Todd Platts (PA-19)
Ted Poe (TX-2)
Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL)
Bill Posey (FL-15)
David Price (NC-4)
Tom Price (GA-6)
Adam Putnam (FL-12)
George Radanovich (CA-19)
Nick Rahall (WV-3)
Charles Rangel (NY-15)
Dennis Rehberg (MT-AL)
Dave Reichert (WA-8)
Silvestre Reyes (TX-16)
Phil Roe (TN-1)
Harold Rogers (KY-5)
Mike Rogers (AL-3)
Mike Rogers (MI-8)
Dana Rohrabacher (CA-46)
Peter Roskam (IL-6)
Mike Ross (AR-4)
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18)
Edward Royce (CA-40)
Dutch Ruppersberger (MD-2)
Bobby Rush (IL-1)
Paul Ryan (WI-1)
Tim Ryan (OH-17)
John Sarbanes (MD-3)
Steve Scalise (LA-1)
Jean Schmidt (OH-2)
Aaron Schock (IL-18)
Allyson Schwartz (PA-13)
David Scott (GA-13)
Pete Sessions (TX-32)
Joe Sestak (PA-7)
John Shimkus (IL-19)
Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1)
Heath Shuler (NC-11)
Bill Shuster (PA-9)
Mike Simpson (ID-2)
Albio Sires (NJ-13)
Ike Skelton (MO-4)
Adrian Smith (NE-3)
Christopher Smith (NJ-4)
Zack Space (OH-18)
Mark Souder (IN-3)
John Spratt (SC-5)
Cliff Stearns (FL-6)
Bart Stupak (MI-1)
John Sullivan (OK-1)
Harry Teague (NM-2)
Lee Terry (NE-2)
Mike Thompson (CA-1)
Glenn Thompson (PA-5)
"Mac" Thornberry (TX-13)
Todd Tiahrt (KS-4)
Pat Tiberi (OH-12)
Dina Titus (NV-3)
Mike Turner (OH-3)
Fred Upton (MI-6)
Peter Visclosky (IN-1)
Greg Walden (OR-2)
Timothy Walz (MN-1)
Lynn Westmoreland (GA-3)
Ed Whitfield (KY-1)
Charlie Wilson (OH-6)
Joe Wilson (SC-2)
Rob Wittman (VA-1)
Frank Wolf (VA-10)
Don Young (AK-At Large)

The Local Radio Freedom Act's 27 Senate cosponsors are:

John Barrasso (WY)
Max Baucus (MT)
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
Christopher Bond (MO)
Sam Brownback (KS)
Richard Burr (NC)
Thad Cochran (MS)
Susan Collins (ME)
Mike Crapo (ID)

Michael Enzi (WY)
Judd Gregg (NH)
Kay Hagan (NC)
James Inhofe (OK)
Johnny Isakson (GA)
Mike Johanns (NE)
Tim Johnson (SD)
Mary Landrieu (LA)
Joseph Lieberman (CT)

Blanche Lincoln (AR)
Benjamin Nelson (NE)
Jim Risch (ID)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Olympia Snowe (ME)
Jon Tester (MT)
John Thune (SD)
David Vitter (LA)
Roger Wicker (MS)

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In order to bring the benefits of HD on Freeview to as many people as quickly as possible, the Freeview HD rollout has been accelerated with an advance network so that viewers in London, Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds, Bradford and Birmingham receive signals by the end of March 2010.

The majority of viewers will come into coverage at the same time that they go through digital switchover – including viewers in Manchester in December 2009 and those in Cardiff, who will get Freeview HD by the end of March 2010. For the 7% of the UK population who switched before December 2009, a retrofit programme will bring them into coverage before the end of November 2010.

New DVB-T2 technology will deliver an increase in capacity of 67% to the BBC's Multiplex B, efficiently creating the space needed for UK public service broadcasters' HD transmissions. The UK will be the first country in the world to launch this new standard, and its successful implementation is the result of pioneering work by the BBC in collaboration with partners including Ofcom, Arqiva, Siemens and receiver manufacturers. To view Freeview HD, audiences will need equipment containing this new technology. Freeview HD receivers (set-top boxes, digital television recorders and integrated televisions) will be available from early 2010.

From January 2010, viewers will be able to use the Freeview website to find out when HD services will be available at their postcode. The BBC is also working closely with Digital UK to ensure that information about Freeview HD is made available as part of digital switchover communications.

Caroline Thomson, the BBC's chief operating officer, said: "This is a terrific step forward, and it's a great achievement that the BBC and its partners have been able to work together to overcome some really difficult technical challenges to bring HD to the Freeview platform through world-leading innovation. We're really excited about the prospect of seeing BBC HD and HD channels from the other public service broadcasters on Freeview next year."

Ilse Howling, Freeview's Managing Director, said: "This is great news for the millions of Freeview homes and viewers who are looking forward to getting high definition with no subscription next year."

Richard Lindsay-Davies, Director General of the Digital TV Group (DTG), the organisation that publishes the technical specification for Freeview and Freeview HD, said: "This is a landmark moment in UK broadcasting history. The launch of Freeview HD consolidates the UK's position as a global leader in the deployment of digital television services.

While this is a fantastic technical achievement the success of any service is defined by the consumer experience. The World Cup in 2010 will be a key driver for Freeview HD take-up and broadcasters, platform operators and the consumer electronics industry have worked hard to ensure that it can be enjoyed in high definition on the Freeview platform."

[1] 1.5% of the population are unable to receive any Freeview services; these audience members have the option of using the Freesat service.

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Comfort stated: 'Being a guest on Future Radio is great fun for me. I can talk about my passion for marketing, my passion and interest in business, and my love of Norwich. Listeners to the show are really encouraged to write, text, or email in and ask questions about the issues in business that are affecting them, regardless of the markets they operate in. We often wind up debating how a business in Norwich has marketed its products or discussing why a brand has adopted a particular strategy. It is really fun and it is always off the cuff.'

Comfort has worked with some great brands in our region, and also has an MBA from the University of East Anglia. He is also a Director of Buy Local, helping the organisation with its business strategy and marketing planning work in Norwich and Norfolk. Since setting up his own company, he has helped many businesses to develop compelling and differentiated marketing strategies and plans; develop new brands or refine their brand identity; build media and communications activity; and produce innovative ideas to enter new markets.

Norman lives in Norwich and is very passionate about the region. He loves visiting the North Norfolk coast, and is always trying to find new brands or great examples of marketing in the region.

For more information on Norwich marketing consultant Norman Comfort visit http://www.getcomfortableltd.co.uk.

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The 2009 Country Music Awards program opening with the headline singer sharing the stage with a couple of unlikely co-stars: a pair of red Foamiture chairs. During the opening song of the program the singer threw one of the chairs from the raised stage with a dramatic flourish. The all foam construction of the chair allowed it to bounce off the lower stage without harm.

'We're pleased to see our chairs used in such a high-profile event as the CMA program,' said R. W. Steury, President of Veada Industries and Foamiture. 'Throwing our chair from a stage demonstrates the durability of our design and construction methods. That's why Foamiture is now used in college dorms, homes, hospitals, and even police stations all over the country.'

'Veada Industries now Foamiture has been designing and building high quality furniture for over 40 years. We eliminated the middleman to deliver high value, unique seating solutions at very competitive prices,' added D. V. Steury, Vice-President.

Foamiture offers a wide variety of seating solutions including sectionals, sofas, chairs, ottomans, bean bag style furniture, as well as kid's furniture and now, dog beds in assorted sizes and colors. The Foamiture.com Website provides multiple e-commerce conveniences including customer reviews and ratings, easy swatch selection, multi-path navigation, and a simple, secure, check out process.

About Foamiture.com

Foamiture is simply well designed, well made 100% foam furniture. Unlike other furniture, there are no wood supports or metal frames in any Foamiture furniture product. The body of Foamiture is made entirely of advanced Reflex Plus Natural foam that has been manufactured for comfort, support, and durability.

Together with its parent company, Veada Industries, the company has been manufacturing high-quality furniture for over 40 years. Foamiture engineers are experts in the field of seating and have worked closely with foam suppliers to develop the materials used in Foamiture. This foam is engineered with exactly the right density to be sturdy but comfortable. The result is affordable, attractive, easy-to-move furniture equally at home in a small space, lounge area, or recreation room. It is ideally suited for use in dorm rooms, apartments, basements, recreation rooms, and institutional settings. Foamiture is quality furniture - not cheap furniture that you'll soon have to throw away. Foamiture.com

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KAWASAKI, Japan, DUESSELDORF, Germany, NEC Electronics (TSE: 6723) today introduced its three new 16-bit All FlashTM microcontrollers (MCUs) with embedded IEEE802.15.4-compliant 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) radio frequency (RF) transceiver for ZigBee® RF4CE, an industry standard for remote control in consumer electronics. The new MCUs are ideal for RF remote control and provide the lowest level of power consumption in the industry. The three new MCUs come with 56 pins and 8x8mm quad flat no-leads (QFN) packages, and part numbers differ according to their flash memory capacity: the µPD78F8056 offers 64 kilobytes (KB) of flash memory, the µPD78F8057 has 96 KB, and the µPD78F8058 has 128 KB.
To support development tasks of the ZigBee RF4CE applications, NEC Electronics also provides a ZigBee RF4CE software development kit (SDK), which includes a ZigBee RF4CE stack library and a three-channel real-time sniffer, capable of simultaneously monitoring packets from the three RF4CE frequency channels, as well as an evaluation board with NEC Electronics' µPD78F8058 MCU.
To align with advanced digital TVs, set-top boxes (STBs), Blu-rayTM disc devices and other audio-visual (AV) home entertainment devices, radio frequency remote controls alleviates several shortcomings of infra-red remote controls, such as unidirectional communication and line-of-sight limitations. The two-way communication in RF4CE remote controls enables advanced home entertainment systems to support sophisticated features. By eliminating line-of-sight problems, AV systems can form networks of their own for command-and-control purpose, thereby enhancing the user's experience. Security features of the RF4CE standard authenticate legitimate devices and protect data exchanges within its network.
NEC Electronics began providing ZigBee-based solutions in 2004. To meet market expectations for RF remote control based on ZigBee RF4CE specifications, NEC Electronics developed these ultra-low-power MCUs integrated with a low-power IEEE802.15.4-compliant radio transceiver in one package. In addition to the RF4CE application, these MCUs also can be used for 802.14.5 wireless networking.

The primary features of the new MCUs are as follows:

* (1)Lowest level of power consumption in the industry
The new MCUs combine NEC Electronics' ultra-low-power 78K0R/Kx3-L 16-bit CPU and the ultra-low-power IEEE802.15.4 compliant 2.4 GHz RF transceiver with hardware MAC functions, realizing the lowest level of power consumption in the industry. These three offer current consumption of 18 milliamps (mA) during reception and 19 mA during transmission.
* (2)Flash EEPROM programmable and erasable at 1.8V
With a built-in voltage booster, NEC Electronics' new MCUs with radio connectivity allow applications to program and erase flash EEPROM at 1.8 V, offering longer lifetime with two dry batteries while counting frames and storing the non-volatile count values, which are key elements for security.
* (3)Development support
NEC Electronics' ZigBee RF4CE SDK includes a ZigBee RF4CE library, automatic transmission (AT) commands and its interpreter, and a three-channel real-time sniffer that can simultaneously observe packets in the three RF4CE frequency channels. An evaluation kit, which is comprised of an RF module board with an NEC Electronics µPD78F8058 MCU and a flash programming and debugging board, is also available for evaluation and prototyping.

NEC Electronics believes these new MCUs will contribute to the evolution of the next-generation remote-control functionality in consumer electronics.

Exhibition at Embedded Technology 2009
NEC Electronics' three new MCUs will be showcased in the company's booth at the Embedded Technology 2009 (ET 2009), to be held in Yokohama, Japan from November 18 to 21.

Pricing and Availability
Samples of the new chips are currently available and pricing varies depending on memory capacity. For example, the unit price of the µPD78F8058 MCU with 128 KB of flash memory and 8 KB of RAM is priced at US$5 each. Mass production is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2010, and is expected to reach a monthly production of 1,200,000 units by 2011. A ZigBee RF4CE SDK and evaluation kit are also available now. More information about NEC Electronics' extensive MCU product offerings can be found at here
(Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice.)

Please refer to the attachment for the main specifications of NEC Electronics' new MCUs.

About ZigBee
ZigBee: Control your world
ZigBee is the global wireless language connecting dramatically different devices to work together and enhance everyday life. The ZigBee Alliance is a non-profit association of more than 300 member companies driving development of ZigBee wireless technology. The Alliance promotes worldwide adoption of ZigBee as the leading wirelessly networked, sensing and control standard for use in consumer electronic, energy, home, commercial and industrial areas.
For more information, visit: www.ZigBee.org.

About ZigBee RF4CE
ZigBee RF4CE: More flexibility and control
The ZigBee RF4CE specification is based on IEEE 802.15.4. MAC/PHY radio technology in the 2.4GHz unlicensed frequency band and enables worldwide operation, low power consumption and instantaneous response time. It allows omni-directional and reliable two-way wireless communication, channel agility for enhanced co-existence with other 2.4GHz wireless technologies, simple secure set-up and configuration. For more details, visit www.zigbee.org/rf4ce.

About NEC Electronics

NEC Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) specializes in semiconductor products encompassing advanced technology solutions for the high-end computing and broadband networking markets; system solutions for the mobile handset, PC peripheral, automotive and digital consumer markets; and multi-market solutions for a wide range of customer applications. NEC Electronics Corporation has subsidiaries worldwide including NEC Electronics America, Inc. and NEC Electronics (Europe) GmbH. More information about NEC Electronics worldwide can be found at www.necel.com.

(Remarks)
All Flash is a trademark of NEC Electronics Corporation in Japan and other countries. SuperFlash memory technology used in NEC Electronics' 32-bit devices is licensed from Silicon Storage Technology Inc. SuperFlash is a registered trademark of Silicon Storage Technology in the U.S., Japan, and other countries. ZigBee is a registered trademark of the ZigBee Alliance. Blu-ray is a trademark of Blu-ray Disc Association. All other registered trademarks or trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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The partnership will provide Hungama's consumers with a world-class collection of music from classic artists, contemporary global stars and up-and-coming talent.

Commenting on the association, Stefan Blom, EMI Music's Executive Vice President Commercial Development for the region, said "We are very pleased to announce this new partnership with such and innovative and progressive company as Hungama. The digital music market in South Asia is still in the early stages of development, with new products and services being developed and network speeds increasing, offering great potential for our artists on Hungama's platforms."

Adding to this, Neeraj Roy, Managing Director & CEO, Hungama Digital Media said, "We are very excited about this partnership. It will allow us to expand our repertoire and make internationally popular content more accessible to consumers in South Asia. With access to a rich catalogue of music content, consumers in the region will have more options to great digital entertainment."

Hungama's audience will be offered full length music tracks, videos, mobile wallpapers, live concert footage, ringtones, caller ring back tones and other digital entertainment formats. Hungama will be deploying this content through its entire distribution network which includes all telecom operators in the region, partner sites such as BSNL.Hungama.com, and home-grown portals which include Hungama.com, India's first ever premium digital entertainment store.

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Huge new single Interstate is as melodic and anthemic as ever, recorded in the band's Cardiff Studio with producer Richard Jackson, this is a song about "freedom, no stress, being away from everything and basically driving along a big long road to God knows where". This track, like the album as a whole, finds Rob Hawkins and Paul Mullen further developing the shared lead vocal duties begun on the last album.

The release also features artwork inspired by an abstract painting by Rob on the sleeve.

Meanwhile, The Automatic are putting the finishing touches to their third album. Titled Tear the Signs Down, the new album will be released through EMI Label Services in the UK and Ireland in February 2010. Before then, the band will be embarking on a twelve date UK tour to preview a host of new material (full tour dates below)

Michael Roe, Vice President EMI Label Services - Europe, said: "EMI is very excited to be working with The Automatic. With Tear the Signs Down they have made a great album and with the reach of EMI's sales and distribution network behind them we're looking forward to helping them further develop their career."

THE AUTOMATIC ON TOUR NOVEMBER 2009

10th Tunbridge Wells Forum
11th Southend Chinnerys
12th Kingston Upon Thames New Slang @ McCluskys
13th Rhondda Cwmparc
14th Wrexham Central Station
19th Swansea Oceana
20th Preston Lava Ignite
21st Ipswich Liquid
25th Sunderland Independent
26th Carlisle Brickyard
27th Stockton on Tees Ku Bar
28th Coventry Kasbah

The Automatic are: Rob Hawkins (vocals, bass), Paul Mullen (vocals, guitar), James Frost (guitar), Iwan Griffiths (drums)

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Commenting on the iBiquity-NPR announcement, NAB Executive Vice President Dennis Wharton said:

"NAB is encouraged by this consensus agreement of iBiquity and NPR for optional increased digital power for FM HD Radio stations. We urge the FCC to move quickly and allow stations to operate at increased power according to the criteria in the agreement. This will result in greatly improved indoor reception for digital signals, including multicast signals, and pave the way for greater service reliability using portable HD Radio devices."

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Washington, D.C. -- Whitney Houston. Bob Marley. Edith Piaf. Placido Domingo. Busta Rhymes. Joni Mitchell. Whether influencing a genre or providing the soundtrack that defined a generation, each of these artists has established a firm place in music history. NPR is asking audiences to help decide which voices rise to the top for "50 Great Voices" -- a year-long exploration of iconic, distinct and memorable vocalists in recorded history, set to launch on-air and online in January 2010.

Voting is now open at the "50 Great Voices" site (npr.org/greatvoices): a striking interactive lets visitors listen to more than 100 nominated artists, and select their five favorites. Polling begins today and will remain open through November 16.

With "50 Great Voices," NPR is hoping to discover and rediscover awe-inspiring vocalists from around the world and across time. Last month, listeners and visitors to NPR.org were asked to nominate artists; NPR and a panel of experts whittled down the nearly 8,000 submissions to about 100 singers -- a mix of familiar names (we see you, Elvis Presley and Biggie Smalls) and surprising discoveries (like singer Alim Qasimov from Azerbaijan).

Audience votes will influence the final 50 artists to be profiled in the series -- which will spotlight the lives and legacies of these voices through radio pieces on all of NPR's programs, and online at NPR Music. The music discovery web site will offer additional content for all of the featured artists, including archival material, live performances, interviews and news.

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"Freelance Theater is about tackling challenges common to freelance writers, but in a new way," said Yolander Prinzel, one of Freelance Theater's co-founders and the blogger behind Freelance Writerville (FreelanceWriterville.com). "It's designed to take a humorous approach to serious topics while giving freelancers practical ideas they can incorporate into their own businesses. The first episode, for example, deals with a current hot button issue among freelance writers -- working too hard for too little money and struggling to get out of that cycle. "

Prinzel partnered with freelance business writer and the blogger behind All Freelance Writing (AllFreelanceWriting.com), Jennifer Mattern, in developing Freelance Theater. The two freelancers share a no-nonsense approach to helping other writers navigate the business aspects of freelance writing -- a theme carried through to the Freelance Theater shows.

The first episode in the MadLance series is "The Dead Don't Write," an approximately ten minute audio play tackling the issue of "vampire clients" in honor of Halloween. Visitors to FreelanceTheater.com can listen to a streaming audio version of the episode directly from the site or they have option to download an mp3 version to listen to on their computer or their favorite portable device.

About Freelance Theater

Freelance Theater began development in July 2009 and was launched in October 2009 by Jennifer Mattern (a freelance business writer and professional blogger) and Yolander Prinzel, ACS (a freelance financial writer and FINRA series 7, 66, and 2-15 licensed financial representative). With a bit of silliness, sarcasm, and an occasional slap on the wrist, the shows' writers / hosts will present fictional stories designed to wake writers up to industry issues with possible solutions and advice to help them thrive in their own freelance writing careers.

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This will result in the closure of one BBC Red Button interactive video stream and the BBC News Multiscreen stream.

The News Multiscreen will still be available on Sky and Virgin Media and its video content can be seen via BBC Online.

The BBC remains committed to delivering the very best video content to Freeview viewers via its remaining interactive stream.

While Multiplex B will be fully reserved for HD services in the parts of the UK that have been through digital switchover, the BBC will, through a competitive tender, offer to the market the two vacant streams available in other parts of the UK in the interim period to 2012.

The two streams will be available in approximately 80% of the country from the end of 2009, and coverage will reduce to zero when switchover is complete in 2012.

The BBC has launched its competitive bid process which will provide third parties the opportunity to launch new services for audiences in the UK.

Caroline Thomson, Chief Operating Officer for the BBC, said: "The BBC has identified an opportunity to release temporary spare spectrum capacity to any interested companies that wish to launch new services for audiences in the UK.

"Not only does this mean that we are ensuring that spectrum is used as efficiently as possible but it will also deliver better value for money for licence fee payers."

— WebWireID106614 —

Dallas, TX, October 23, 2009—Telecommunications Properties Inc. has been contracted by the Louisville Arena Authority to oversee design, installation, and management of a state-of-the-art in-building wireless system for the new sports arena complex now in development.

The authority board contacted TPI when the technical issue of cellular transmission quality emerged as a problem requiring special expertise. Construction materials interfere with signals creating cut-outs and distortions of sound. For arena patrons, mobile phone interference is an annoyance, but in cases of emergency, 'first-responder' communications is a vital public safety matter.

A sub-set of emerging solutions—called 'distributed antenna systems' (DAS)—is in constant development by telecommunications providers. But the management of such a project requires more than conventional vendor contracting. Texas-based TPI has performed countless DAS installations over the years as value-added outsource, and demonstrated an on-staff capability that won the LAA contract.

'For the duration of the Louisville project, we'll be acting as a virtual extension of the Arena Authority,' said Jimmy Chiles, president of TPI. 'We are honored and excited to accept the in-building wireless responsibility from the folks in Kentucky,' Chiles added.

TPI will help sort out and select sub-contractors, and oversee quality assurances among all related technology providers. TPI has installed and manages infrastructural telecommunications for properties in Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Houston. The new Dallas Cowboy Stadium is a TPI client.

CONTACT:
Jeff Alexander, Wireless Systems Manager; 214-231-3346
www.tpicom.net

— WebWireID106306 —