FCC Actions
The FCC is seeking additional information from Standard General in regards to its pending acquisition of TEGNA including its 64 television stations and 2 radio stations along with its contingent asset swap with the Apollo Global Management owned Cox Media Group as Apollo will hold a significant non-voting and non-attributable stake in the company.
The FCC is requesting all documents submitted to the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission as well as answers to the following questions:
- Describe the Combined Company’s anticipated retransmission negotiating strategy Post- Transaction. Does the Combined Company anticipate jointly negotiating retransmission consent agreements or otherwise coordinating with Apollo Global Management’s regarding the carriage of stations in Overlap Markets or Non-Overlap Markets Post-Transaction?
- Do the Combined Company and AGM intend to enter into (or have they already entered into) any Sharing Agreements, or any other agreements, including related to programming, operations, or sale of advertising, whether or not such agreements involve stations in the same market? If so, please describe.
- Provide a detailed explanation with supporting data describing how the Applicants anticipate the Transaction would serve the public interest in general and, more specifically, how the Transaction would improve local programming in the affected markets through investment in local content and production capabilities, including specific business synergies and efficiencies that would facilitate such investment or otherwise aid the operation of the stations, were the proposed Transaction to be consummated.
- Describe any changes regarding the composition of series A preferred shareholders since the filing of the Applications and submission of Exhibits B and C of the Contribution, Exchange and Merger Agreement, as well as a narrative description of any changes to the rights and/or restrictions of the series A and B preferred shareholders contained in Exhibits B and C of the Contribution, Exchange and Merger Agreement submitted with the Applications.
- Provide an accurate and detailed accounting of the impact the Transaction is expected to have in terms of anticipated staffing reductions.
Responses are due by June 13 ahead of the June 22 deadline to file petitions to deny. Oppositions are due by July 7 and replies by July 18. In order to protect any competitively sensitive materials, the FCC has instituted a Protective Order limiting highly confidential information to outside counsel, consultants and employees with a requirement to sign and return a document accepting the terms.
A Notice of Illegal Pirate Broadcasting was issued to Sharif Small’s 5447-5459 Park Heights Ave 21215 LLC for a transmissions on 90.3 in Baltimore MD from LPK Shipping, with Small’s company listed as the property owner making him liable for a fine up to $2 million if following the ten day response period any individual or entity engages in pirate radio broadcasting from the property.
Radio Bonners Ferry, Inc.’s 1450 KBFI Bonners Ferry ID has been issued a Notice of Violation for failing to maintain station logs for multiple periods between January 1 and February 23 of this year. An Enforcement Bureau agent reviewed the station’s logs and noticed missing entries from 1/1 to 1/9, 2/2, 2/4 to 2/5, 2/7, 2/19, and 2/21 to 2/23 due to its automatic logging failing.
The Political File rule changes adopted in January will take effect on July 5 following their publication in the Federal Register.
Deletions
The following stations were deleted as their licenses expired on June 1 after failing to file timely renewals:
- State University of New York’s 90.7 WETD Alfred NY
- Leatherstocking Media Group’s 1050 WBVG Baldwinsville NY
- Corning Community College’s 91.9 WCEB Corning NY
- Nyack College’s 88.7 WNYK Nyack NY
- Union Free School District #1’s 91.1 WOSS Ossining NY
- State University of New York’s 93.9 WQKE Plattsburgh NY
- State University of New York’s 90.3 WAIH Potsdam NY
FM Changes
Omni Broadcasting Classic Rock “100.3 K-Rock” WTKE-FM Niceville/Fort Walton Beach FL applies
