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FCC Eliminates UHF Ownership Discount


The Frog

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Could the TV companies actually buy radio stations if iHeart or Cumulus collapses?

Yes, and let's also invest in horse and buggy companies, Western Union, Fotomat and 8-track player manufacturers.

 

iHeart and Cumulus (or their unhappy creditors) will be begging for foreign companies to bail them out first.

 

Seriously. Who would want to buy into radio, especially a company previously named after an obsolete class of broadcasting on the AM band and saddled with $20B debt?

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Yes, and let's also invest in horse and buggy companies, Western Union, Fotomat and 8-track player manufacturers.

 

iHeart and Cumulus will be begging for foreign companies to bail them out first.

 

Seriously. Who would want to buy into radio, especially a company previously named after an obsolete class of broadcasting on the AM band and saddled with $20B debt?

 

They won't buy stations unless they already own some, like Scripps. I could see Scripps buying stations in markets where it has TV but no radio — say, Phoenix.

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They won't buy stations unless they already own some, like Scripps. I could see Scripps buying stations in markets where it has TV but no radio — say, Phoenix.

I do not see Scripps buying into radio beyond the legacy Journal stations. There's no need to do so.

 

Same with Sinclair: they'll keep the legacy Fisher radio stations and WGN 720 because why in the hell not. They don't want any other radio stations otherwise, and they sure as hell won't buy into iHeart and Cumulus when they go belly up.

 

You could place a toe tag on this issue, that's how dead it is.

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Seriously. Who would want to buy into radio, especially a company previously named after an obsolete class of broadcasting on the AM band and saddled with $20B debt?

 

C'mon...

You don't think a smartphone in the 540khz to 1700khz band would be fun?

50kw "cell sites" all over the country...even a few "clear channels" or "conelrads"

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C'mon...

You don't think a smartphone in the 540khz to 1700khz band would be fun?

50kw "cell sites" all over the country...even a few "clear channels" or "conelrads"

Conelrads? Heck, let's bring back the EBS Jingles!

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Conelrads? Heck, let's bring back the EBS Jingles!

 

Back to a more simple time...

Who even cared about "Global Warming"?

...hell were were lucky if we got 20 minutes warning to bring in the potted plants...in case of accidental nuking.

 

We convinced millions of school kids that a fiberboard school desk can protect against a 80-kiloton blast.

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Back to a more simple time...

Who even cared about "Global Warming"?

...hell were were lucky if we got 20 minutes warning to bring in the potted plants...in case of accidental nuking.

 

We convinced millions of school kids that a fiberboard school desk can protect against a 80-kiloton blast.

The only benefit from "Duck and Cover" is that it resulted in one of Lewis Black's funnier routines... lol

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Back to a more simple time...

Who even cared about "Global Warming"?

...hell were were lucky if we got 20 minutes warning to bring in the potted plants...in case of accidental nuking.

 

We convinced millions of school kids that a fiberboard school desk can protect against a 80-kiloton blast.

 

don't forget the "bomb shelter" radio studios... yes that cinderblock room in the basement that the pa's take their smoke break in is gonna protect us and keep us on air for days... or until the op in master control keels over onto the console and switch off the bomb shelter feed...

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don't forget the "bomb shelter" radio studios... yes that cinderblock room in the basement that the pa's take their smoke break in is gonna protect us and keep us on air for days... or until the op in master control keels over onto the console and switch off the bomb shelter feed...

 

KSCO AM 1080 in Santa Cruz ,Ca. has a real honest to God 1940's style bomb shelter at it's studios and transmitter site. It's pretty bad ass.

 

Here are details of the place....it's still a working radio station.

KSCO_Sale_Document(1).pdf

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  • 1 month later...

The UHF loophole is already being challenged in court. And now some Democratic House members have formed a bill to permanently ban the loophole.

 

The "Local And Independent Television Protection Act" would:

  • Require the FCC to act within 90 days to permanently end the UHF discount; and
  • Grandfathers any stations owned prior to September 26, 2013, which is commensurate with the FCC’s previous efforts to end the UHF discount.

So that would mean the approved Tribune-Local TV deal from December 2013 (or any other deals after that, involving groups that exceeds the current cap) wouldn't be grandfathered if this bill becomes law. But with the Democrats being the minority, the question is would this bill even pass?

 

Pai said after the reinstatement of the loophole, that he was going to conduct a comprehensive review on the future of national ownership cap later on this year. But remember, the FCC doesn't have the authority to modify the ownership cap. Any changes to the cap has to be approved by both houses of Congress.

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The UHF loophole is already being challenged in court. And now some Democratic House members have formed a bill to permanently ban the loophole.

 

The "Local And Independent Television Protection Act" would:

  • Require the FCC to act within 90 days to permanently end the UHF discount; and
  • Grandfathers any stations owned prior to September 26, 2013, which is commensurate with the FCC’s previous efforts to end the UHF discount.

So that would mean the approved Tribune-Local TV deal from December 2013 (or any other deals after involving groups that exceeds the current cap) wouldn't be grandfathered if this bill becomes law. But with the Democrats being the minority, the question is would this bill even pass?

 

Pai said after the reinstatement of the loophole, that he was going to conduct a comprehensive review on the future of national ownership cap later on this year. But remember, the FCC doesn't have the authority to modify the ownership cap. Any changes to the cap has to be approved by both houses of Congress.

 

It'll be assigned to a committee and languish. Or potentially to several committees to make it languish even more.

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The UHF loophole is already being challenged in court. And now some Democratic House members have formed a bill to permanently ban the loophole.

 

The "Local And Independent Television Protection Act" would:

  • Require the FCC to act within 90 days to permanently end the UHF discount; and
  • Grandfathers any stations owned prior to September 26, 2013, which is commensurate with the FCC’s previous efforts to end the UHF discount.

So that would mean the approved Tribune-Local TV deal from December 2013 (or any other deals after that, involving groups that exceeds the current cap) wouldn't be grandfathered if this bill becomes law. But with the Democrats being the minority, the question is would this bill even pass?

 

Pai said after the reinstatement of the loophole, that he was going to conduct a comprehensive review on the future of national ownership cap later on this year. But remember, the FCC doesn't have the authority to modify the ownership cap. Any changes to the cap has to be approved by both houses of Congress.

Congress can't pass anything. Even bills flaunted by the ruling party. Republicans are trapped in their own dysfunction and hubris to unite behind any policy that can pass either chamber, and Democrats have zero leverage to force a vote on this bill.

 

Altji Paid Off knows this, which is why he did what he did (along with a nice kickback or two from the Smith Klan). Reinstating the UHF Discount rule is a deliberate end-around to bypass Congress and modify the ownership cap without their input, and it will be assumed as the law of the land.

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The UHF loophole is already being challenged in court. And now some Democratic House members have formed a bill to permanently ban the loophole.

 

The "Local And Independent Television Protection Act" would:

  • Require the FCC to act within 90 days to permanently end the UHF discount; and
  • Grandfathers any stations owned prior to September 26, 2013, which is commensurate with the FCC’s previous efforts to end the UHF discount.

So that would mean the approved Tribune-Local TV deal from December 2013 (or any other deals after that, involving groups that exceeds the current cap) wouldn't be grandfathered if this bill becomes law. But with the Democrats being the minority, the question is would this bill even pass?

 

Pai said after the reinstatement of the loophole, that he was going to conduct a comprehensive review on the future of national ownership cap later on this year. But remember, the FCC doesn't have the authority to modify the ownership cap. Any changes to the cap has to be approved by both houses of Congress.

 

It probably won't get anywhere. Heck, even a Republican-introduced bill would have a hard time getting anywhere. If seen as benefiting Sinclair, the Democrats will likely vote en masse against it (at least almost), while there would be local pressure on GOP members as well.

 

Also in Huffman's own district, the soon-to-be-Sinclair station is basically a satellite of KRCR anyway, so it doesn't do any local news? KIEM is the only local news source from what I understand, and that is essentially independently owned.

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Even by the standards of Eureka television, this is just...bad!

 

Presenting a high-definition newscast has them ahead of KIEM, but yeah.

 

I mean, how do you even read that: "NorthCoast News, KAEF ABC 23 HD, Get the Facts Right @ 11PM, Arcata - Eureka - Fortuna"? There is absolutely no visual hierarchy.

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Presenting a high-definition newscast has them ahead of KIEM, but yeah.

 

I mean, how do you even read that: "NorthCoast News, KAEF ABC 23 HD, Get the Facts Right @ 11PM, Arcata - Eureka - Fortuna"? There is absolutely no visual hierarchy.

"From the city, to the Cali's, to your hometown. Now, Complete Coverage. It's WJZ. Maryland's News Station."

 

^^^ I thought that was one of the more awkward and clumsy news opens out there. I was wrong, so wrong.

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"From the city, to the Cali's, to your hometown. Now, Complete Coverage. It's WJZ. Maryland's News Station."

 

^^^ I thought that was one of the more awkward and clumsy news opens out there. I was wrong, so wrong.

From the city, to the county, to...

 

Maryland is one of the states where if you're in the city, you're not in the county, and vice versa (Virginia is the same way: Arlington is a county (with a collection of neighborhoods, that seems and acts more like a city than a county - based on my point of reference), Alexandria is a city, Fairfax County surrounds Fairfax (City). When you see the map of Fairfax County, there's a piece cut out - that's Fairfax (City)

 

J

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Presenting a high-definition newscast has them ahead of KIEM, but yeah.

 

I mean, how do you even read that: "NorthCoast News, KAEF ABC 23 HD, Get the Facts Right @ 11PM, Arcata - Eureka - Fortuna"? There is absolutely no visual hierarchy.

 

The tease alone would have me switching stations based on the length; you can write those a lot shorter than they are and there's just no hook. For all that uninformative and stupid 'the news STARTS NOW!' three-second teases grate on my nerves, you don't need a long minute to start your newscast before leading into a 30 second open with awful CGI and an awful 70s-ish SNL open rendering of their building.

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