Regulation

NEW YORK (AP) — The makers of “Sesame Street” are suing the promoter of a new Melissa McCarthy movie, saying it’s abusing the famed puppets’ sterling reputation to advertise the […]

The FCC adopted a rule in 2013 requiring broadcasters to present aurally on a secondary audio stream all emergency information provided visually during programming other than during regularly-scheduled newscasts and newscasts that interrupt regular programming. In 2015 it granted some temporary waivers. On Friday, the commission granted a request for a five-year extension of the current waiver until May 26, 2023.

The FCC this week issued its 2018 Regulatory Fee Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that puts in motion the process for payment of regulatory fees which will likely be due sometime in September.

Major sports leagues want the federal government involved in overseeing legalized sports betting, but states say that would be an infringement on their rights.

Eight women alleged to CNN that they were subjected to actor Morgan Freeman’s inappropriate behavior during film and television productions.

At issue are requests by defendants accused in a San Francisco slaying who wants videos and other content posted to Facebook and Instagram by the victim and a witness. The defendants say their constitutional right to a fair trial entitles them to the social media records to prepare their case. Attorneys for the companies say a federal privacy law prevents the release of user content, and the defendants have other ways to get the material.

A federal judge in Manhattan ruled on Wednesday that President Trump’s practice of blocking Twitter users who criticize him was improper.

A group of House Democrats on Wednesday accused FCC Chairman Ajit Pai of trying to evade congressional oversight of his agency. The 13 Democrats on the House Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, which oversees the FCC, sent a letter to Pai calling him out for failing to respond to oversight letters or fully answering questions during congressional testimony.

The Environmental Protection Agency blocked reporters from several news outlets from a national summit on Tuesday where Scott Pruitt, the agency’s chief, was speaking. An EPA spokesman said the agency barred reporters from attending due to space limitations inside the venue.

The settlement comes after testimony and new records emerged in the final stages of a weekslong civil trial bolstering contentions by the victims that Sinclair’s KOMO Seattle and Helicopters Inc. ignored long-standing safety concerns.

The FCC will take new comments from the public on Sinclair Broadcast Group’s $3.9 billion bid for Tribune Media. The agency is reopening its review of the merger for public comments after the two companies proposed to sell off some local stations in an effort to bring the deal in line with media ownership restrictions. The public will have until July 12 to weigh in on the docket.

Culture Secretary Matt Hancock says he’s “reviewed the relevant evidence” and that he is “minded not to issue” an intervention notice. He says the “proposed merger does not raise concerns in relation to public interest considerations which would meet the threshold for intervention”.

Last week, the Supreme Court struck down a ban on states prohibiting sports betting. That means that there is no blanket federal ban on sports betting, and it leaves each state to regulate as it may wish. For companies ready to take bets on sporting events, and media companies who want to take advertising from sports betting companies, in most cases they need to wait for the states to make decisions on how to proceed.

The NYPD confirmed the probe following a 60 Minutes broadcast Sunday night in which an unnamed woman accused celebrity chef Mario Batali of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2005.

Fox News Channel settled a plethora of discrimination suits this week, got a new CEO in longtime executive Suzanne Scott, and Friday the Rupert Murdoch-owned cabler won a festering $10 million surveillance lawsuit against former host Andrea Tantaros.

The 957 stations moving to new channels in the FCC repack of the TV band might get up and running on those channels in two years as the agency has mandated, but many may have to settle for temporary side-mount antennas and loss of coverage for three to five years because there aren’t enough tower rigging crews to go around. What can be done?

FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly: “There is a false narrative in Washington, DC, that … everything the commission has done in the media space over the last 17 months has been to benefit one company, in this case, Sinclair Broadcast Group. This misguided fantasy is perplexing to other broadcast stations across the country that have seen real benefits to our actions. That is why I believe it is time to call these assertions for what they truly are: a rhetorical tool designed to divert attention from opponents’ lack of substantive objections to the underlying policies, combined with what seemingly appears to be an extreme personal dislike for the company itself.”

The ruling by the New York state Supreme Court’s appellate division means former “Apprentice” contestant SummerZervos’ lawyers can press ahead with a demand for Trump campaign documents and other records while they await another appeals court decision that is likely months away.

Gray, which owns ABC affiliate KSFY Sioux Falls, S.D., and has a deal to buy NBC affiliate KDLT, tells the FCC that the economic advantages to co-ownership will let it invest more into the programming and facilities of both stations, including state-of-the-art technology, newsgathering and improved talent.

Brad Kern, the subject of #MeToo complaints is no longer leading the CBS drama. Sources say EP Chris Silber is set to assume showrunner duties, with Kern as consultant.

A Delaware judge has denied CBS’ request for a temporary restraining order to bar controlling shareholder Shari Redstone from blocking a planned vote today by the CBS board of directors on a move that would dilute Redstone’s voting power in the company.

Chancellor Andre Bouchard on Wednesday granted CBS a temporary restraining order prohibiting National Amusements Inc. from taking any action to thwart a scheduled Thursday board vote on a dividend that would dilute National Amusement’s preferred stock voting power from 80 percent to 17 percent, effectively giving CBS independence.

The Senate approved a resolution Wednesday to nullify the FCC’s net neutrality rollback, dealing a symbolic blow to the FCC’s new rule that remains on track to take effect next month. The final vote was 52-47. As expected, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me., joined Democrats in voting to overturn the FCC’s controversial decision. The legislative victory is fleeting because the House does not intend to take similar action

A bill that would protect the FCC’s net neutrality rules from being repealed passed a key procedural hurdle by a 52-47 vote, clearing the way for a final vote Wednesday afternoon. Three Republicans joined the 49 Democrats in voting to begin debate on the measure.

Two media giants head to court as the TV mogul places a last-ditch bet on outmaneuvering Shari Redstone, with the fate of an empire on the line.

The Redstone-controlled company National Amusements issued a statement today saying it “has delivered written consents to CBS to amend CBS’ Amended and Restated Bylaws, effective immediately, to safeguard against unlawful action by CBS and its special committee in derogation of their fiduciary obligations to shareholders.”

With just hours to go before a hearing in Delaware court that could determine the fate of any CBS and Viacom merger and likely the future of Les Moonves, Shari Redstone and National Amusements hit back hard this morning against the media corporation’s move to dilute them out of the picture.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is signing an executive order to try to reform the federal government’s confounding information technology structure. The White House says Trump will order agencies […]