Broadcasters Ask FCC to Stay Order Requiring Disclosures Of Foreign Government-Sponsored Programming
The National Association of Broadcasters, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council and the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters have asked the FCC to delay implementation until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rules on the issue.
In urging the FCC to OK the proposed JSA waivers involving Nexstar and Marshall Broadcasting, the group wants the FCC to subject approval of the deal to annual reporting requirements as well as other conditions. The critical question for NABOB, for this deal and any others, according to the association’s filing: “Is this transaction designed to produce a free-standing, independent broadcast operation at the conclusion of the JSA agreement?”
The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters suggests that rather than outlawing all JSAs and SSA, the FCC should let stations restructure them to guarantee that the operated stations would eventually be transferred to a minority owner or otherwise serve the public interest. If so, they would be given a waiver to operate for some longer period of time, say five years.
