Washington Beat

With the 2020 U.S. presidential election fast approaching, Nielsen has rolled "an enhanced cross-platform version" of its Nielsen Voter Ratings platform, which is designed to give media buyers and sellers ways to best reach and understand the media preferences of potential voters.

As the U.S. enters a heated 2020 presidential election year, a new Pew Research Center report finds that Republicans and Democrats place their trust in two nearly inverse news media environments. What could this mean for your broadcast media station, and the implications on ratings and long-term ad revenue?

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has announced his intent to appoint a Associate Chief of the Office of Economics and Analytics, as well as a Senior Economic Advisor to the OEA Chief and Chief of OEA’s Auctions Division.

The NAB has spoken up against public advocacy groups that do not want the FCC to abide by an association request to reconsider its recently adopted orders regarding political file rules for broadcast radio and television. In particular, NAB refuted the advocacy groups’ "erroneous claims" that the FCC’s new rules did not burden broadcasters or raise any First Amendment concerns.

The NAB Leadership Foundation is accepting entries for the 2020 Celebration of Service to America Awards, recognizing outstanding community service by local broadcasters. Winners will be honored at a black-tie gala attended by prominent broadcast industry executives and influential policymakers and regulators on June 9, 2020 in Washington, D.C.

The FCC has certified four Spectrum Access System (SAS) Administrators, paving the way for full commercial operations in the 3.5 GHz band. The Commission in 2019 approved these SAS Administrators for initial commercial deployments, and FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says today's action allows for full commercial use of this critical mid-band spectrum for broadband connectivity and 5G.

Before spring arrives, broadcasters need to tend to important regulatory matters in February. If your team find yourselves eager to plan now, Wilkinson Barker Knauer partner David Oxenford offers a quick synopsis of what's of key importance to radio and TV station owners and managers over the next five weeks.

The former deputy general counsel of the FCC has joined law firm Davis Wright Tremaine as partner in its Washington, D.C. office. As part of a newly launched Products Counseling team, he will provide holistic counsel to tech companies launching new products and help them navigate changing regulations.

Mike O'Rielly has been the radio industry's No. 1 point person at the FCC under the leadership of Chairman Ajit Pai, largely due to his fierce efforts to silence pirate radio operators. Then, there is his anti-payola efforts. But, O'Rielly is also a key voice at the Commission on TV industry needs, and he'll be at the Grand Hyatt in Washington in March for a big cable industry event.

Want a president of the U.S. who can "rebuild America." If so, you may just be fueling a massive influx of political ad dollars at spot television from the campaign of one Mike Bloomberg. The latest Media Monitors Spot Ten TV report shows the Bloomberg campaign ranking at No. 1 by ad campaign — dominating all ad brands and categories.

The Director of Business Development for Morgan Murphy Media and the VP/GM of Bryan Broadcasting Corp., the Texas radio station owner seeking FCC regulatory approval of digital-only AM broadcasts, have been elected as co-chairs of the National Association of Broadcasters Political Action Committee (NABPAC).

The Federal Communications Commission is opening a window for applications under its Honors Engineer Program, launched in 2018.  During this window, the Program is open to recent graduates with an engineering degree and current students who will graduate this spring.

In honor of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) on Wednesday (1/15) co-hosted a film screening and tribute honoring a longtime, trailblazing Detroit Congressman.

As we enter the 25th year of the existence of the “FCC Compliance Certification Program,” Media Information Bureau featured columnist Ken Benner argues that the program deserves "a realistic review of its history of licensee protection from massive fines, fees, forfeitures and most significantly, legal expenses."

A silent AM radio station licensed for 10kw of power from 1 tower has just received its death sentence from the Media Bureau and the FCC's Office of the Managing Director. Why? The station's owner, not to be confused with a big licensee involving Apollo Global Management, failed to pay its delinquent regulatory fees owed to the Commission.