Broadcaster consortium Pearl TV has launched a new effort to create “affordable, basic” converter boxes to allow ATSC 3.0 signals to be received on existing non-3.0-capable TVs, it said in a news release Friday. Although 3.0 converter boxes are already commercially available, the Pearl TV program is aimed at creating lower-cost models, in line with the low-cost converters sold during the digital TV transition, a spokesperson told us.
The FCC should approve the Nexstar/Tegna deal in part because Nexstar provides a platform for conservative voices and offers conservative perspectives on issues, said the Center for American Rights in a filing posted Tuesday in docket 25-331. “Nexstar’s proven commitment to viewpoint diverse programming and fact-based news validates its record as a custodian of the public interest,” CAR said.
If the FCC acts to relax ownership caps on full-power FM stations, it should take “complementary measures” for low-power FM, said the Low Power FM Advocacy Group in reply comments posted Monday (docket 22-459). “Increased concentration alters the economic environment in which smaller broadcasters operate, particularly those without access to multi-station sales operations, regional branding, or capital reserves,” the group said. The FCC “cannot reasonably credit the benefits of scale without also considering how increased local market power affects broadcasters that lack those advantages.”
Gray Media and NBC have reached a multiyear extension for affiliation agreements in all of Gray’s 54 markets, said a Gray news release Tuesday. Gray’s NBC affiliates reach over 14 million households, the release said. The agreement includes full carriage of the NBC network, including the Olympics, the release said.
President Donald Trump again said that networks should lose their “licenses” because of unfavorable coverage of his administration. In a post on Truth Social Wednesday, Trump also said that CBS should put late night host Stephen Colbert to sleep and also slammed late shows on ABC and NBC. “If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn’t their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated? I say, YES!” wrote Trump at 12:36 a.m. on Wednesday. The FCC doesn't license television networks. Trump posted about Colbert and other late-night shows at around the same time. “Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck, with no talent or anything else necessary for show business success. Now, after being terminated by CBS, but left out to dry, he has actually gotten worse, along with his nonexistent ratings,” Trump said. “CBS should, ‘put him to sleep,’ NOW, it is the humanitarian thing to do!” David Ellison, owner of CBS parent Skydance Paramount, is attempting to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, and has argued that his family’s favorable relationship with the White House would ease regulatory approval for such a deal. Earlier this week, CBS’s flagship news show 60 Minutes pulled a segment unfavorable to the administration at the last minute (see 2512220028). After slamming Colbert Wednesday morning, Trump also panned the other network late shows. “Who has the worst Late Night host, CBS, ABC, or NBC??? They all have three things in common: High Salaries, No Talent, REALLY LOW RATINGS!” Trump wrote.
The FCC should reinstate the 2016 AM radio revitalization FM translator windows, said a petition for rulemaking from a host of radio broadcasters Monday. The 2016 proceeding temporarily allowed AM broadcasters to purchase FM translators within 250 miles of their location and relocate them to rebroadcast the AM station’s content on the FM band at an available frequency. Monday’s petition proposed making the policy permanent rather than a window and extending the reach to 500 miles “primarily to assist stations on both coasts, the Gulf, and either border with Canada or Mexico.” The petition also called for limiting stations to three translators per AM license.
The FCC should avoid policies that “would grant already-dominant affiliate station groups additional leverage,” said a joint filing from several civil rights groups Monday in the agency’s proceeding on broadcaster network/affiliate relationships. The groups include the Multicultural Media Telecom and Internet Council, the National Urban League, LGBT Tech and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
Arguments from civil rights and public interest groups against eliminating local radio ownership caps are “rooted in a pre-digital era,” said JVC Media CEO John Caracciolo in reply comments posted Monday in docket 22-459. “Opponents equate ownership fragmentation with diversity and localism. Experience has shown that under-resourced ownership often results in reduced local content, fewer employees, and diminished community service.”
The FCC should allow low-power TV and Class A stations to increase their power and “unlock opportunities” for 5G broadcast pilot programs, said LPTV Broadcasters Association Chairman Frank Copsidas in a meeting last week with acting Media Bureau Chief Erin Boone and Media Bureau staff. “LPTV power limits were established over 30 years ago and reflect the technology of the time,” said an ex parte filing posted Friday in docket 25-224. “Broadcast technology has come a long way and the technology exists to allow LPTV/Class A stations to increase their power while keeping their signal within the licensed contour,” it said. “This would result in much improved reception for consumers and/or first responders, definitely serving the best interest of the public.”
NAB has created a website, Game On, to highlight sports events airing on broadcast TV rather than on streaming services or MVPD networks, the group said in a news release Thursday. The site appears to be aimed at making the case for eliminating broadcast-ownership limits. “Big Tech giants like Amazon and Netflix, with their vast resources, can outbid broadcasters to get sports leagues to air games on their pay-to-watch platforms. This takes games off local TV stations that air them for free and makes it increasingly hard for fans to tune in,” the release said.