By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionOn Friday, the FCC released a Public Notice announcing that the rules requiring the inclusion in the online public file of TV station “shared services agreements” is now effective after having been approved by the Office of Management and Budget pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act. This obligation for TV stations to put in their public file… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Assignments and Transfers,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionAt its open meeting yesterday, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking looking to ease the paperwork involved in the sale of a satellite television station – i.e. a station, usually in a smaller market that is associated (and often rebroadcasts) another station in that market. As we wrote here when we summarized the… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Assignments and Transfers,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe FCC last week released its tentative agenda for its March open meeting. On it was a single item dealing with broadcast issues, a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to ease the paperwork involved in the sale of a satellite TV station. This item is another action as part of its Modernization of Media… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe FCC in December issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, looking at changes in the national television ownership caps. We summarized the issues raised in that Notice here. The FCC yesterday issued an Order extending the comment dates in that proceeding. Comments are now due on March 19, with replies on April 18.… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionAt its December meeting, the FCC adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to review the national ownership cap for over-the-air television, which limits one owner from having attributable interests in television stations reaching more than 39% of the national audience. That Notice was published in the Federal Register on Friday, setting February 26 as the… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in EEO Compliance/Diversity,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionAs we wrote last week, Prometheus Radio Project and the Media Mobilizing Project have filed an appeal of the FCC’s November decision to eliminate the newspaper-broadcast and radio-television cross-ownership rules and to relax the local TV ownership rules (see our summary here). These groups have now filed a request – an Emergency Petition for a… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionPrometheus Radio Project and Media Mobilizing Project, public interest groups who have been opponents of relaxation in the FCC’s broadcast ownership rules, have filed the first Petition for Review of the FCC’s Order on Reconsideration of the Quadrennial Review of those rules. In November, the FCC by a 3 to 2 vote eliminated the rule requiring that… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Digital Television,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionAt its meeting yesterday, as expected, the FCC approved significant changes to its broadcast ownership rules and also approved the roll out of ATSC 3.0 – the next generation television transmission standard. While any change in ownership rules is always a contentious issue, and thus the 3-2 strict party-line vote approving the ownership changes might… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Digital Television,Multiple Ownership Rules,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionYesterday, we previewed the FCC’s likely decision to significantly change its ownership rules for television owners – proposing to take actions including allowing TV duopolies in markets with fewer than 8 independent TV voices after the combination, allowing some combination of the Top 4 TV stations in certain markets, repealing the radio-TV cross-ownership rules, and… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionAccording to the testimony given yesterday by FCC Chairman Pai at an oversight hearing before the House of Representatives Communications and Technology Subcommittee, the FCC is likely to release today a draft of its order on reconsideration of last year’s FCC decision on its Quadrennial Review of its broadcast ownership rules (the rules restricting the… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionYesterday, the FCC issued a Public Notice declaring the proposed acquisition of the Tribune television stations by Sinclair Broadcast Group a “permit-but-disclose” proceeding. This is not an unusual occurrence in a large broadcast combination where policy issues may be considered. This simply allows the parties to the transaction, and any other party who files comments… Continue Reading