The FCC on Thursday published its order calling for a hearing on the proposed $3.9 billion Sinclair Broadcast Group acquisition of Tribune Media. Sinclair revised the proposed deal on Wednesday after FCC Chairman Pai expressed concerns over some station spinoffs. To no avail. In today’s order, the FCC said: “Material questions remain because the real party-in-interest issue in this case includes a potential element of misrepresentation or lack of candor that may suggest granting other, related applications by the same party would not be in the public interest.” That could spell big trouble for the station group that goes far beyond the current proposed deal.
The “daily” White House press briefing is a thing of the past. The White House has only held three on-camera briefings in the past 30 days, according to the administration’s own records on WhiteHouse.gov.
Did an AT&T price hike spark a Department of Justice appeal? Even if the telecom’s Time Warner acquisition ultimately is upheld, uncertainty threatens to impact everything in Hollywood, from the pending Fox sale to the auction for Sky.
The FCC Transparency Act, which mandates that the FCC publish the drafts of items to be considered in a public meeting 21 days ahead of the vote, was reintroduced by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). Under FCC chair Ajit Pai, it had already become a matter of practice.
The U.S. Justice Department has proposed an expedited schedule for an appeal of a judge’s ruling that allowed AT&T to buy movie and TV show maker Time Warner, according to a court filing on Wednesday.
Rep. Devin Nunes is sitting on an eye-popping pile of money he’s raised in recent months, with little reason to spend it yet. Except for one splurge: an unusually aggressive — and sustained — offensive against his local newspaper, which he is tearing into as “fake news.” In a campaign ad running more than two minutes — and appearing not only online, but also on radio and TV — Nunes casts the dominant newspaper in his California district as a “band of creeping correspondents,” criticizing The Fresno Bee for its routine reporting practices and for its coverage of a controversy surrounding a winery in which the Republican congressman invests.
Exclusives
The Next Gen TV local simulcasting rules have received the approval of the Office of Management and Budget. This means that voluntary use of the ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard is a go — another milestone for TV operators seeking an addressable advertising solution and superior audio and visual quality.
The FCC said late on Wednesday it had voted unanimously to refer Sinclair Broadcast Group’s $3.9 billion acquisition of Tribune Media to an administrative law judge, a blow to the firms’ chances of winning approval. The decision came the same day Sinclair announced it was changing some of the divestitures proposed in the deal; it withdraw the proposed sales of KDAF Dallas and KIAH Houston to Cunningham Broadcasting.
While Google can easily afford the record fine, the ruling could hurt the company’s business model, which relies on giving away its operating system in return for opportunities to sell ads and other products.
In response to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s concerns, the company says it will withdraw the proposed sales of KDAF Dallas and KIAH Houston to Cunningham Broadcasting.
What Does ‘Designated For Hearing’ Mean?
In light of yesterday’s announcement that the FCC chairman has proposed that portions of the acquisition by Sinclair Broadcast Group of the television stations owned by Tribune Media would be designated for hearing, one question that many have asked is, “What does designation for hearing mean?”
A federal judge on Tuesday lifted a controversial order requiring The Los Angeles Times to delete information in an article published over the weekend. U.S. District Judge John Walter walked back his original decision after the Times protested with the support of newsrooms across the country, citing First Amendment concerns.
It says it “expects to work with the FCC to explore ways to address the concerns identified,” adding that “until we have reviewed the order it is difficult to explain the potential issues it might create for the transaction.”
Ion, Trinity and Univision have weighed in at the FCC with supplemental evidence for what they argue is the need to roll back the FCC’s 39% cap on a TV station group’s national audience reach, and preferably all the way rather than raising it once again.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles prosecutors have charged reality TV star Farrah Abraham with two misdemeanor charges over a scuffle with a Beverly Hills hotel security guard last month. […]
How Sinclair Lost Trump’s FCC
“Sinclair’s style in Washington is exhibit A of how to squander the most favorable regulatory environment in decades,” said one industry official.
The company said it has been completely transparent in dealings with the commission over its proposed Tribune merger. Even worse, Reuters reported that it had seen a draft of the hearing order that suggested that the Sinclair merger proposal may “involve deception” and that is a violation that could not only scuttle the Tribune deal, but also could result in the loss of all its station licenses.
A draft FCC order seen by Reuters on Monday said that Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.’s application for approval to purchase Tribune Media may “involve deception.” The order said that “Sinclair’s actions here potentially involve deception” and noted possible “misconduct.”
FCC Sets 2018 Application Fee Schedule
This year’s application fees will go up by 3.7% in response to increases in the CPI from October 2015 to October 2017. The order also reiterates the commission’s goal of moving to electronic payments as opposed to payments by mail, and notes that it will continue to require electronic payment for additional categories of applications. The new fees won’t kick in until 30 days after the FCC’s order shows up in the Federal Register. In other words, you’ve got some time to prepare and file applications and still take advantage of the current fee schedule.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said Monday he has “serious concerns” about Sinclair Broadcast Group’s acquisition of Tribune Media, announcing he will schedule a hearing on the transaction before an administrative law judge.
On Aug. 24, the Hearst-owned Pittsburgh ABC and Cozi TV affiliate will be the first Pittsburgh station to move frequencies under the spectrum repack.
The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday to take testimony from Facebook, Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube unit and Twitter on whether social media companies are filtering content for political reasons, the committee chairman said.
The U.S. Justice Department has only a remote chance of overturning AT&T’s takeover of Time Warner, Chief Executive Randall Stephenson said on Friday, while warning the case could affect bidding for 21st Century Fox.
FCC Kidvid Reform Is Chance To Find Better Way
Everyone agrees that the media marketplace has changed in the 20 years since the FCC adopted it children’s television rules. There has to be a way to acknowledge that cable, the internet and smartphones take some of the burden off broadcasters. But broadcasters have to offer up some new, innovative proposals. It’s the right thing.
Comments opposing the Sinclair-Tribune deal were piling up in the FCC’s docket Thursday (July 12), the deadline for replies to comments on Sinclair’s fifth version of the deal. Many appeared to be form comments generated by a call to arms (headlined “Stop Trump TV!”) by activist group Democratic Underground. More than half of the 25 comments on the first page of the electronic docket had the same first paragraph beginning with, “I urge the FCC to deny the merger petition ….”
New proposed regulations may chill the media’s use of drones for newsgathering purposes. They would make it a civil offense to fly a drone over private property at less than 200 feet without permission. Beyond that, a landowner could sue for per se aerial trespass — he or she wouldn’t even need to show damages from the drone passing over the property.
Two Democratic senators have asked the FTC to investigate the business practices of smart-television manufacturers amid worries that companies are tracking consumers’ viewing behavior without their knowledge.
