Broadcasters and device manufacturers widely support an FCC proposal to allow AM radio stations to voluntarily go all-digital, in comments posted in docket 19-311 by Monday night’s deadline. New rules should involve “a straightforward procedure for stations to notify the Commission of a change to all-digital operations and, likewise, a notification of reversion to analog or hybrid operations,” said Bryan Broadcasting, the originator of the petition that spawned the NPRM. Hubbard and others praised all-digital AM. The company operates such a station under experimental license (see 1911200056).
Coronavirus concerns are forcing the cancellation of more industry summits and prompting the FCC to ban nonessential travel and participation in large gatherings (see 2003040061). America's Communications Association Thursday also announced the cancellation of its March summit.
The FCC is suspending “noncritical” domestic and international travel for employees (see 2003040060) and its involvement in “non-critical large gatherings that involve participants from across the country and/or around the world.” That's until further notice as a preventive measure related to the coronavirus, said a public notice Wednesday. Chairman Ajit Pai, Commissioner Brendan Carr, and Media Bureau staff were all slated to participate in the NAB Show April 18-22 in Las Vegas. The commission and NAB didn’t comment. The agency is also barring visitors to headquarters and facilities who in the past 14 days “have been in any country that is the subject of a COVID-19- related CDC Level 3 Travel Warning.” Those countries are currently China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, the PN said. “Similarly, employees and contractors who, during the most recent 14 days, have been in any of these countries are being asked not to enter FCC facilities.” An aide to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks said a planned hearing on artificial intelligence co-hosted by the commissioner will still take place in Detroit March 16. “The Chairman’s Office, in consultation with the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, the Office of Managing Director, and Office of General Counsel, will continue to monitor developments and will implement additional precautions (or relax current precautions) should circumstances warrant,” the PN said.
Univision’s acquisition by two investment firms in the wake of Apollo Global Management’s Terrier deal isn’t a sign of investor cash heading into broadcasting, industry analysts told us this week. The purchase of a majority stake in Univision by Searchlight Capital Partners and Forgelight, announced Feb. 25 (see 2002250053), isn’t expected to hit regulatory snags at the FCC or DOJ. The Univision deal “isn’t a bellwether of a flow of private equity into broadcasting,” said Patrick Communications media broker Gregory Guy.
Actions by the TV Oversight Monitoring Board after a critical FCC report aren’t enough to address the board’s failings, said Parents Television Council President Tim Winter in an interview Monday. TVOMB’s actions, which include announcing plans to implement spot checks of content and issuing its first “annual report” in January, are “only to get federal regulators off their back, so they can say they did something,” Winter said. Since the board is controlled by the programming industry and serves as its own oversight, it can't be effective, Winter said. “The TVOMB had more than eight months to implement meaningful reforms that would demonstrate to parents the Board’s commitment to improving the ratings system and its oversight,” Winter wrote TVOMB. “If TVOMB does not see a problem, they are unlikely to find remedies." Winter wants Congress and the FCC to disband the board and create a more effective system. The spot checks, changes to the organization’s website, and the annual report were among FCC recommendations to Congress (see 1905160085). “The Monitoring Board took this feedback extremely seriously,” it said in January. TVOMB and its current chairman, NCTA President Michael Powell, didn’t comment now.
The FCC unanimously approved an NPRM Friday seeking comment on proposals to allow devices that use the TV white space to operate with higher power in less-congested areas. The item’s final text hadn’t been released, but the final notice was little changed from the draft, said Office of Engineering and Technology staff. That was as expected (see 2002250084).
Commissioners Mike O’Rielly, Jessica Rosenworcel and Geoffrey Starks Friday criticized an FCC NPRM, approved 3-2, proposing sharing communications outage information with other federal and state agencies. The two Democrats dissented.
Nexstar and Sinclair expect a 2020 political advertising boom and didn’t lay out any immediate merger and acquisitions plans, in respective Q4 calls Wednesday. Nexstar CEO Perry Sook and Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley have opposite views on the upside of sports betting. Executives of both companies said their stocks are cheap. Sinclair ended the day down 15% at $23.36. Nexstar fell 6% to $107.02.
Military training, precision agriculture and immigration enforcement are among possible uses for datacasting using public TV spectrum and ATSC 3.0, America’s Public Television Stations’ summit heard Tuesday. FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly endorsed public TV’s focus on datacasting, in a speech. “You may just be on to something here,” he said. “Please keep me posted.”
America’s Public Television Stations CEO Patrick Butler isn’t concerned about public TV being level funded in the next federal budget, but in an interview Monday conceded that APTS plans to ask for a funding increase might face difficulties. “I want to manage expectations,” he told the 2020 APTS Public Media Summit.