Washington Beat

Two years ago, Joe Crowley emerged as the Chairman of pro-recording industry lobbying group musicFIRST. Now, there's a change in leadership, with Crowley exiting. His duties will be divided up by two individuals serving as co-Chairmen.

This is no unlicensed buccaneer. Rather, it is a low-power FM facility that's run afoul of FCC rules nevertheless. Why? It went over the line on permissible underwriting announcements.

The LPTV Broadcasters Association, the advocacy group founded by entrepreneur and "local power TV" licensee "SuperFrank" Copsidas, says that it "full-heartedly supports the Congressional initiative to roll out ATSC 3.0 at a rapid pace." However, there's a caveat to that statement.

“Stay there without a book, magazine, newspaper, profit-and-loss sheet or rating book to distract you, and keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off.  I can assure you that you will observe a vast wasteland." Those are the infamous words shared in 1961 by then-FCC Chair Newton Minow, who has died at the age of 97.

How serious is the FCC when it comes to non-receipt of regulatory fees in a timely manner? Just ask the owner of an AM radio station in Southwestern Virginia, who must now pay up for nine years of delinquency or risk losing his license.

At the end of 2022, the co-founders of My Broadcasting Corp. signed off on an asset purchase agreement giving them 100% of the stock in Border International Inc. held by Canadian giant Rogers Sports & Media. Rogers' ownership in the licensee was maxed out at 20%, given its status as a foreign owner. Now, the men behind My want the FCC to give it the OK to own all of WLYK.

On February 28, 2023, television stations located in New Jersey and New York were required to file applications for license renewal for terms expiring on June 1. Two stations failed to do so.

The Senior Deputy Chief of the FCC Media Bureau's Policy Division has sided with Comcast, denying the request of a broadcast ministry to give its northern Mendocino County-based TV station "must carry" status in Santa Rosa, Calif.

A tentative selectee was chosen in "NCE MX Group 200" by the Media Bureau's Audio Division. Then came a Petition to Deny from one of the applicants who wasn't chosen by the Commission. Al Shuldiner, the Audio Division Chief, reviewed the petition, and subsequently denied it.

The cease-and-desist actions are a result of the PIRATE Act, and it puts the landlords on notice that they could end up with a $2 million fine if the property owner doesn't take measures to stop any individual or entity who is considered to be a broadcasting buccaneer.

In 1989, he purchased this AM, changing the format from Country to Blues, Gospel, and Soul Music. In his bio, Roosevelt Gremillion admits, “I didn’t know much about owning or operating a radio station, but I was willing to learn…I had no choice!” Now, Gremillion is learning another lesson.

Licensee, beware: the FCC's Enforcement Bureau has issued the first of its Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) audit letters for 2023 to randomly selected radio and television stations. What should you do if your station or stations have received a letter?

It seemed pretty plain and simple: An FM translator licensed to Opp, Alabama, was to be transferred to the licensee of WAMI-AM from the seller. Then came an informal objection courtesy of Marble City Media. It turns out that had merit with FCC Audio Division Chief Al Shuldiner.

With the release on Tuesday by the Commission of a Report & Order, amendments to Part 74 of the Commission's rules for low-power television and television translators to remove obsolete rules for analog TV operations are now in effect.

Retired D.C. attorney Erwin Krasnow and Doug Ferber of Tieline are still being talked about at the NAB Show among brokers, attorneys and executives for their exclusive articles that appeared in RBR+TVBR on what can go wrong at closing for a buyer or seller, and how to ensure that the closing is completed on the scheduled date. Here's a classic column from 2019 that demonstrates what they said best.