In just two weeks, the FCC will consider a Report and Order that would authorize channel sharing outside the context of the incentive auction.
This would allow stations with auction-related channel sharing agreements to continue to operate if their auction-related agreements expire or otherwise terminate.
The consideration of GN Docket No. 12-268, MB Docket No. 03-185, and MB Docket No. 15-137 is a major development for the owners of television stations. In fact, Stephan Sloan, a Rhode Island-based Director at Media Services Group, says the evolution of the channel share concept is one of “profound change.”
It’s so major, he says, that a broadcast TV station owner in a Top 5 market could save between $30 million and $40 million in landing an over-the-air home.