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(By Buzz Knight) Chances are, you've heard about The Council for Research Excellence(CRE). However, after just returning from a quarterly members meeting, I am convinced it is important to highlight the mission and purpose of this great organization. Following, are a few facts radio industry professionals should know about the CRE.

iHeartMedia Nashville debuted ALT 97.5, “Nashville’s Alternative station,” at noon on Friday, March 31. Artists listeners will hear include Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Cage The Elephant, and U2.

It’s a piece of proposed legislation that all of radio is keeping an eye on. And now three more members of the House have joined as cosponsors. Adding their support for the Local Radio Freedom Act in the House are Reps. Ted Budd (NC-13), Liz Cheney (WY-AL), and Austin Scott (GA-8). The Act now has 168 cosponsors in the House and 21 in the Senate.

According to Interpublic Group's Magna, while advertising growth around the globe is expected to grow at a pace just under 4% to $511 Billion, digital will continue to boom, as advertisers move money from other budgets, online. Digital is expected to grow double-digits and become the top advertising category this year, passing Television.

This goes back to our March 27 story (Reporter Gets Fired After Lawmaker Complains). 32 year old Jacqui Helbert says she was fired from her job as a reporter at WUTC after a lawmaker complained she did not properly idenitify herself as a reporter. Now she's fighting back.

Two items that will be favorable to non-commercial radio stations will come up at the FCC's next Commission meeting on April 20 and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has written about them in his latest blog. Here are the specifics...

You may recall our story with Galaxy CEO Ed Levine ("An Argument For More Deregulation") where he detailed how his company is no longer fighting for advertising dollars just with the newspaper, other radio stations, and a TV station. He detailed how the unregulated world of digital is gobbling up ad dollars while radio continues to find itself handcuffed by ancient FCC rules. We found another example for you thanks to BIA/Kelsey's Mark Fratrik...

They say they are leveling the playing field. Congressman Jerrold Nadler and Congressman Marsha Blackburn have reintroduced the Fair Play Fair Pay Act, which is a bill, they say, " to create a modern and uniform system of rules governing music licensing for digital and terrestrial radio broadcasts." Translation: you will pay a tax to play music. Here's what the bill says...

Regarding Nadler's bill to tax radio stations, musicFIRST Executive Director Chris Israel said, “This bipartisan legislation, together with recent developments that demonstrate strong support for the performance rights of artists, shows clear momentum for reaching a solution to copyright reform that establishes free-market pay for all music creators and technology-neutral rules for music services."

In response to the Nadler bill, NAB President and CEO Gordon Smith said the legislation is a job-killer and radio plays an indispensable role in breaking new artists and promoting record sales. Here's Smith's full statement...