Washington Beat

Matthew Wesolowski is known across the industry for his SSR Communications, and for his efforts asking the FCC to create a "Class C4" FM radio station. He is now also known for having his proposal for a new Class C3 FM in Enterprise, Utah, bested by a counterproposal filed by a pair of Arizona station licensees.

In an appearance at the 2026 NAB Show, FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty used a 1998 appearance by then-Chairman Michael Powell and what his vision was for advancing the public interest in broadcasting as a foundation for her thoughts on why the FCC's renewed focus on the subject is of vital importance.

Landover Saturn 5, a company led by CEO Laurence Zimmerman committed to the proliferation of next-generation consumer wireless, has submitted a Request for Rulemaking with the FCC to permit "the repurposing of UHF channels 28-36 for flexible 5G/6G broadband use."

The FCC is moving forward with a pleading cycle in which it is seeking comment from interested parties as to whether or not The E.W. Scripps Co. may move forward with the acquisition of 23 television station from INYO Broadcast Licenses — a deal that would reverse the sale of those properties to INYO by Scripps in late 2020.

The Celebration of Service to America Awards, presented by Bonneville International and Hearst Television, is part of the Foundation’s mission to bring national attention to the vital work being done by local broadcasters. New this year is a podcast category.

Three landlords in the Empire State have been given fair warning from the FCC to do what they can to silence unlicensed FM radio station operations originating from buildings they own.

The Media Bureau of the FCC this week released an Order that extends an existing waiver of a rule that would require broadcast TV stations to provide an aural representation of visual, non-textual emergency information that is displayed during non-newscast programming.

There were less commercially licensed radio stations — regardless of band — at the end of Q1 2026 than there were at the end of 2025. That's one key takeaway from the latest Broadcast Station Totals courtesy of the FCC.

The Director of Communications and Social Media and Communications Coordinator at the NAB now have a VP of Communications as part of their team, and she's inbound from Alexandria, Va.-based bipartisan reputation management PR firm Purple Strategies.

One of two FCC cybersecurity workshops placed on the calendar for mid-May is specifically designed to educate radio and television station owners, and will feature speakers from the Commission, federal partners and industry experts.

The Cumulus Media-owned conservative-leaning spoken word FM serving the National Capital Area has selected its next Operations Manager. And he'll be taking the role after moving from California, starting May 4.

The CEO of a major American automaker publicly suggested cutting all radio from entry-level vehicles at the 2026 New York International Auto Show this past week, raising fresh alarms for broadcasters still waiting on Congress to act on saving the AM band, let alone FM.

The president's FY 2027 budget has been released, and it includes no dollars for local public television stations — even after a loss in a D.C. district court this week for his Executive Order which ended “taxpayer subsidization of biased media” by ending federal funding of both NPR and PBS. APTS's head responded.

An informal objection to the license renewal of a Greenwood, Miss., radio station filed by Larry Fuss has been denied, clearing the way for the licensee to obtain that important authorization. For that to happen, however, a Consent Decree between the station owner and the Commission was signed.

There's a new Chief Information Officer at the Commission, and it sees the former Chief Digital Officer at the Food & Drug Administration take responsibilities for setting and overseeing the overall technical vision of the agency led by Brendan Carr.