The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced a significant public affairs campaign aimed at prompting the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to modernize regulations governing local television and radio ownership. This multifaceted campaign will encompass national advertising targeting Washington policymakers, public education initiatives for viewers and listeners, and resources empowering consumers to contact lawmakers, the White House, and the FCC directly.
“This campaign underscores the urgent need to modernize outdated FCC ownership regulations that put the future of local TV and radio stations at risk,” stated NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “In today’s media environment, local broadcasters must have the ability to grow and compete with Big Tech platforms that operate without similar restrictions.”
This initiative coincides with a wave of optimism among broadcast executives regarding potential regulatory shifts under the current administration and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has previously characterized the situation as a “break glass moment for America’s broadcasters.” Several broadcast group executives have openly discussed their readiness for potential mergers and acquisitions should regulatory changes materialize.
“We are up against enormous unregulated tech companies like Meta and Google, leaving an uneven playing field for broadcasters. And to compete, we need the ability to get bigger and stronger,” explained Mike Steib, Tegna’s CEO, during a recent earnings call. Nexstar Media Group Chairman and CEO Perry Sook echoed these sentiments during his company’s earnings call, stating, “I feel the prospect is as good as it has been in my career to see meaningful ownership regulatory reform. No one can, with a straight face, defend the current rules in the current environment.” Sook further confirmed Nexstar’s engagement in discussions about potential asset deals, adding: “If there’s a love connection and regulations change that would permit the acquisition to go forward, and it’s highly accretive, it’s something we would strongly consider doing in the broadcast television space and the digital space.”
Current FCC regulations limit television broadcast groups to reaching less than 39% of TV households nationwide and impose restrictions on the number of network-affiliated stations they can own within a single market. Similar restrictions apply to radio ownership. The NAB contends that these rules, established decades ago when broadcasters primarily competed among themselves, now hinder their ability to compete effectively with unregulated platforms such as YouTube, Amazon, and Spotify.
Over 500 broadcasters are scheduled to attend NAB’s State Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., next week to advocate for ownership reform and other industry priorities. This campaign runs concurrently with NAB’s petition to the FCC for updated rules concerning ATSC, proposing a transition to ATSC 3.0 by 2028 for major media markets.