FCC Takes Wraps Off Media Ownership Proposal

WASHINGTON—Deregulation proposals that were hinted at from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Oct. 25 will be made official Thursday, Oct. 26. The proposal would eliminate the newspaper-broadcast crossownership rule and the radio-TV crossownership rule; allow for dual station ownership in markets with fewer than eight independent voices after the duopoly; eliminates attribution of joint sales agreements as ownership; and creates an incubator program. Many broadcasters are celebrating the proposal, while some Hill Democrats call it a gift to the Sinclair-Tribune potential merger. The item is scheduled for a vote on Nov. 16.

Read the full story on TVT’s sister publication B&C.