On September 30, the FCC voted to begin the long-delayed 2022 Quadrennial Review of the nation’s media ownership rules. “Steps to accelerate the transition” to NEXTGEN TV were on track for an affirmative vote, pending the status of an October Open Meeting at the FCC that could have been curtailed by the federal government’s shutdown.
All signs point to a thaw in the Commission’s local ownership rules, and to an acceleration of ATSC 3.0 adoption by TV station owners. Has all this activity generated excitement among the brokerage community? Absolutely. “The most important headline from a broker’s perspective really is the potential relaxation of the radio ownership rules,” says Greg Guy, the founder and managing partner of media brokerage firm Tideline Partners.
