Dates To Remember

Posted on April 29th, 2016 by

May 9, 2016: comments due on EAS NPRM. June 1, 2016: AM & FM Stations in Michigan & Ohio: if full-time employee threshold is met, complete EEO public file report and place same in public file as well as post on station website. If station has 11 or more full-time employees, prepare and electronically file […]

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TV Auction Clock Phase – Where Art Thou?

Posted on April 29th, 2016 by

After forecasting that the clock phase of the TV Incentive Auction would likely begin at the end of April or early-May, everyone expected the third confidential letter to be sent around mid-April, with mock auctions in late April. The FCC apparently has other plans. As of this writing, applicants who made an initial commitment in […]

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Focusing on Post-Auction Landscape

Posted on April 29th, 2016 by

The FCC has recently heard from the TV industry on two critical issues that will affect the post-auction television landscape. The first is repacking the TV band, where many issues remain unresolved and the industry is pushing for repacking to be done on a regional basis as opposed to all at once on a nationwide […]

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FCC Publishes Studio on Hispanic TV Ownership

Posted on April 29th, 2016 by

In its latest effort to study diversity in ownership, the FCC has published an extensive study of Hispanic television stations in the United States. The study examines the relationship between Hispanic-owned television stations, the programming they offer, and the impact on Hispanic viewing. The study, which is currently being peer-reviewed, suggests that Hispanic station ownership […]

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FCC Denies Request for Further AM Booster Experimental License

Posted on April 29th, 2016 by

A broadcaster in Puerto Rico, previously authorized to use AM synchronous boosters under the FCC’s experimental rules, has been denied a request for a third booster station that would have extended beyond the AM station’s .5 mV/m groundwave contour. Ultimately, the FCC characterized the request for another booster as an attempt to circumvent its rule […]

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Commission Denies Permit Tolling Request Alleging CDBS Hacking and Gender Discrimination

Posted on April 29th, 2016 by

The holder of a construction permit for a new AM station that had already been tolled two years has been denied a request for further tolling based on, among other things, allegations of CDBS and FRN account hacking, along with gender discrimination. We thought these arguments novel enough to give them some space here. Apparently, […]

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Dates to Remember

Posted on January 29th, 2016 by

January 29, 2016: 1st AM window for Class C and D AM stations to file modification applications for commercial band FM translators. Window closes July 28, 2016. February 1, 2016: minimum fees are due to SoundExchange for year 2016 for stations streaming on the internet. AM & FM Stations in Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi: if […]

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HCCB at NRB Convention

Posted on January 29th, 2016 by

Joe Chautin and Elise Stubbe will be in Nashville for the National Religious Broadcaster’s convention February 22-26, 2016. We look forward to seeing you there. If we don’t yet have a meeting planned with you, or if you are not a client but would like to meet with us, please email us so we can […]

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First 250-Mile FM Translator Modification Window for AM Stations Opens Today

Posted on January 29th, 2016 by

Despite the snow and several days of being closed, and many private calls for a delay, the FCC has stuck with the January 29, 2016 opening date for the first of two 2016 filing windows for AM stations to modify FM translators by relocating them up to 250 miles to permitted locations within their coverage […]

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Ownership Reporting Evolves Again

Posted on January 29th, 2016 by

Since back in 2008 when the FCC adopted goals to increase diversity in broadcasting, they’ve been trying to conceive of concrete actions that can be taken to promote diversity in broadcasting. To establish a basis for doing so, the FCC has sought data to determine current broadcast station ownership by minorities and women. Ironically, the […]

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