Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The FCC and FEMA conducted their annual Nationwide Test of the EAS system on Wednesday, August 11. All broadcasters should… Continue Reading…
Auction for New AM and FM Channels Ends with Almost a Third of the Channels Unsold – Does the Result Say Something About the FCC’s Local Ownership Rules?
The FCC this week announced the end of Auction 109, which offered for sale construction permits for 139 new stations – 4 AM stations in the St. Louis area whose licenses were surrendered by the prior licensee, and 135 new FM channels. 97 of the channels were sold but 42, including all of the AM… Continue Reading…
Embedding Social Media Videos on Your Website? – Court Case Says Get Permission from Copyright Owner First
We’ve written before over the controversy as to whether embedding pictures or video served by a social media site on your website negates the need to get explicit permission from the copyright owner for that use. For years, many had relied on old court decisions that employed a “server test” – a site was only… Continue Reading…
Reminder: Nationwide EAS Test Tomorrow
As we wrote several months ago, the Nationwide EAS test is scheduled for tomorrow, August 11, 2021 at 2:20 pm ET, with “day of test” information to be filed with the FCC on ETRS Form Two by August 12. The FCC issued a reminder last week, and FEMA sent an announcement of the test out… Continue Reading…
Reminder: Submit Your Final Repacking Invoices Soon
The FCC yesterday issued a Public Notice reminding all full-power and Class A TV stations that were repacked in Phases 1 through 5 of the post-incentive auction repacking of the TV band (and repacked stations that were granted permission to transition prior to Phase 1) that they must submit all remaining invoices for reimbursement from… Continue Reading…
FCC Audits Another 200 Broadcast Stations on EEO Performance
On Friday, the FCC released another of its regular EEO audit notices (notice and list of affected stations available here), asking approximately 200 radio and TV stations, and the station employment units with which they are associated (i.e., commonly owned stations serving the same area), to respond to the audit notices by September 20, 2021. Audited stations must upload… Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 31, 2021 to August 6, 2021
Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. In the run-up to the August 11 National EAS Test, the FCC released a Public Notice reminding broadcasters to ensure… Continue Reading…
The Local Journalism Sustainability Act – Another Congressional Proposal to Help Local Media
Last week, another bill was introduced in both the House and the Senate with the intention of supporting local media to help offset the erosion of their advertising base by digital media. The Local Journalism Sustainability Act (text of House bill here, and summary of Senate bill here) proposes certain benefits for local newspaper subscribers,… Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 24, 2021 to July 30, 2021
Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The FCC wants to refresh the record on its collection of information about the race and gender of broadcast employees…. Continue Reading…
August Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters: National EAS Test, License Renewals, EEO Reporting, Political Broadcasting Rules Proposals, Media Ownership Comments, Annual Regulatory Fees, and More
While the regulatory deadlines in August may be a bit lighter than other months, there are still several important regulatory dates to keep track of, some of which are detailed below. All broadcasters should have August 11 circled and highlighted on their calendars as the date of the next National EAS Test. And there are… Continue Reading…
This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: July 17, 2021 to July 23, 2021
Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the last week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. The four television network affiliates groups have asked the FCC to clarify its new rules for sponsorship identification of programming… Continue Reading…
FCC To Clarify Political Advertising Rules – No Significant Changes Proposed
Last week, it was announced that the FCC would be considering some changes to its political broadcasting rules at its monthly open meeting in August. In some quarters (see, for example, this article), that raised concern that significant changes were coming in time for the 2022 Congressional elections. But, when the draft of the proposed… Continue Reading…
