Shared cultural moments, freely available to every household for generations, are increasingly being pulled behind paid streaming platforms. What does this mean for over-the-air stations that have always made this content universally accessible?
NAB Chief of Staff Michelle Lehman shares her thoughts on the subject in a column shared by the broadcast media industry’s chief advocacy group.
“As families across America gather this Thanksgiving, many of us will find our way to the living room after dinner to tune into the traditions we’ve shared for generations,” she writes, noting how NBC’s national coverage of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade juxtaposes against Apple TV becoming the home for “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.”
There’s also the NFL, with games now available exclusively through streaming platforms.
“These broadcasts are more than entertainment,” Lehman writes. “They are part of the rhythm of the holiday – uniting communities, generations and neighborhoods across the country. And they are made possible by local television stations, freely available to every household, no subscriptions or logins required. But this uniquely American tradition is under threat.”
She then assails the efforts of “Big Tech giants,” as they “try to rewrite the rules of media” by “pulling cherished cultural moments off the public airwaves and locking them behind digital paywalls.”
Lehman continues, “The very events that once brought us together, in real time, are increasingly fragmented across streaming platforms like Amazon, Netflix and Apple. Suddenly households need multiple subscriptions, user accounts and stable broadband just to access what used to be free with a TV and an antenna.”
A “major culprit” for the NAB executive? “Outdated federal regulations, which continue to shackle your local stations with restrictions that no longer reflect today’s media reality,” she pens. “These rules limit our ability to invest in the content our communities count on and give global tech platforms a massive advantage when it comes to paying for live sports and entertainment.”
Lehman concludes her column with a rallying cry and a call for rule reform from the FCC. “Local broadcasters are the only ones ensuring that everyone – no matter where they live or how much they can pay – has access to trusted news, vital emergency alerts and the cultural moments that shape our lives,” she writes. “But if Washington doesn’t update the rules that govern local stations, this vital lifeline is at risk. This Thanksgiving, let’s remember what truly connects us. It is not just the meal – it’s the stories, the laughter, the traditions we pass down on screen and off. The Federal Communications Commission must act now to modernize the rules that govern broadcasting. Because when we protect local stations, we protect the threads that hold our communities, and our holidays, together.”
