By David Oxenford on Posted in FM Radio,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionTomorrow, the Petitions for Reconsideration of the FCC’s multiple ownership decision is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register (see the pre-publication draft here). This will start the clock on comments on those petitions. If publication occurs as scheduled, comments will be due on Tuesday, January 17 and replies on Friday, January 27 (update:… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in AM Radio,Assignments and Transfers,FM Radio,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionFCC Chairman Tom Wheeler this week released a “fact sheet” setting out a summary of the draft order now circulating among the FCC Commissioners for review and possible approval. This order, if adopted, would resolve the Quadrennial Review of the FCC’s ownership rules. As we wrote here, the US Court of Appeals for the Third… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in EEO Compliance/Diversity,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe FCC has extended the time for filing comments in its ownership proceeding. While comments on the new Quadrennial Review of the ownership rules had been set to be filed by July 7 (see our article here), the Commission has now extended the deadline until August 6 at the request of the Coalition for Smaller Market… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe National Association of Broadcasters on Monday asked the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to overturn the interim processing policy statement adopted by the FCC’s Media Bureau requiring that the FCC scrutinize every new Shared Services Agreement. As we wrote last month, the FCC has decided that television Joint Sales Agreements… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in FM Radio,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe text of the FCC’s decision on the attribution of Joint Sales Agreements for multiple ownership purposes, and the termination of the 2010 Quadrennial Review of the ownership rules and the start of the 2014 Quadrennial Review, has now been released by the FCC. In a slim 211 pages of text, plus another 24 pages… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe FCC meeting yesterday proposed to attribute Joint Sales Agreements (making them “count” for multiple ownership purposes – meaning that one broadcaster can’t do a JSA with another station unless it can own the other station). The Commission also apparently kicked the can down the road on all other multiple ownership matters – not changing… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionThe agenda is out, and the FCC’s likely action on their Quadrennial Review of the multiple ownership rules now seems to be much clearer. And the decision seems likely to follow the rumors circulating in Washington for weeks (about which we have written here and here), with new regulatory wrinkles added to those previously suggested. … Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in AM Radio,EEO Compliance/Diversity,General FCC,License Renewal,Multiple Ownership RulesMarch is one of those few months on the FCC’s regulatory calendar where there are few routine filing deadlines. While stations that filed their renewal applications in February need to continue to run their post-filing announcements, and those that are going to file renewals in April (the end of the renewal cycle for radio stations) should… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionWhile we hate to turn this into the JSA/SSA blog, it appears that events are moving quickly on that front, so there is seemingly some news almost every day. The week before last, the big news was comments of the Department of Justice filed with the FCC, suggesting that Joint Sales Agreements be attributable (meaning… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionOnly two weeks ago, we were writing about the FCC’s consideration of TV Joint Sales and Shared Service Agreements (or “side-car arrangements” as some have called them) as being an issue that was just being reviewed at the FCC by the new Chairman and his staff. Now, according to press reports (including this one), the… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Cable Carriage,Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionTV Shared Services Agreements have been one of the targets of public interest groups since the start of the current Quadrennial Review of the FCC’s multiple ownership rules (see our articles here, here, here and here). Public interest groups, in their zeal to stop any media consolidation (including newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership – even if that prohibition… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership RulesThe FCC’s multiple ownership proceeding was going to be decided at last, before Christmas, or at least that was what was suggested by many news reports as recently as early last week. Published reports suggested that a draft proposal was circulating at the FCC, and that it was expected to be acted on in December –… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership RulesSince the start of the FCC’s examination of its multiple ownership rules in anticipation of its Quadrennial Review of these rules, the question of TV shared services agreements has been one raised by public interest groups, suggesting that combinations of local TV stations for news or sales purposes are not in the public interest, as… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership RulesThe FCC has extended to April 17 the date by which Reply Comments must be filed in the Commission’s multiple ownership proceeding. Comments were to have been filed by April 3, but several public interest groups requested more time to respond to comments filed in the proceeding by media industry groups and also to see… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership RulesThe FCC issued its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in its reexamination of its multiple ownership rules, suggesting limited changes in its rules governing the number of interests that one person or company can have in media outlets in a particular community. The FCC’s tentative conclusions leave most of the current rules in place – including rules that… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Multiple Ownership Rules,TelevisionIn an eagerly anticipated case involving TV stations in the Honolulu market, the FCC’s Media Bureau determined that a programming swap that permitted one company to hold the licenses of both the NBC and CBS affiliates in a single market, and to also provide technical and office services and news programming to a third station in the market, was permissible under… Continue Reading
By David Oxenford on Posted in Programming Regulations,Public Interest Obligations/Localism,TelevisionAt its meeting today, the FCC vacated its 2007 Order mandating an online public file and the filing of the Form 355 “Enhanced Disclosure” form that detailed the public interest service of television broadcasters. But these requirements are not gone, as the Commission has adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking asking to reinstate an obligation for… Continue Reading
