The FCC appears to finally be ready to crack open the 2022 Quadrennial Review, and for the first time in a long time, radio’s ownership limits appear to legitimately be on the table.
Scheduled for a Commission vote during its September meeting, Chairman Brendan Carr says he plans to reopen discussion of the Local Radio Ownership Rule, along with the Local Television Rule and the Dual Network Rule.
In its 2023 Order concluding the 2018 Quadrennial Review, former Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel’s FCC unsurprisingly upheld this rule, citing concerns that increased consolidation could harm competition, localism, and ownership diversity. In a dissenting opinion, Carr criticized what he sees as outdated rules contributing to radio’s decline, sharing an anecdote from Powell, Wyoming, where he visited a struggling station operated with minimal local presence.
However, pressure for reform has continued to build.
The Commission’s move comes on the heels of a July ruling by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in a consolidated case brought by Zimmer Radio, Beasley Media Group, the NAB, and other stakeholders. The ruling partially upheld the FCC’s 2023 Order on the 2018 Review but criticized the agency’s methodology, particularly its limited consideration of digital competition in assessing market dynamics.
While the court upheld the FCC’s authority to treat non-broadcast platforms as distinct from radio, it noted that this approach may not stand indefinitely, especially as digital audio options like podcasts and music streaming continue to grow in reach and revenue.
The decision also struck down two elements of the Commission’s television ownership restrictions, citing reliance on outdated data and flawed justifications. Though those rulings apply specifically to television, they signal an opening for future legal challenges to the FCC’s radio policies if broadcasters can demonstrate similar market shifts and regulatory imbalance.
NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt applauded the new review, saying, “We commend Chairman Carr for jump-starting the long-overdue 2022 Quadrennial Ownership Review. Outdated rules have held broadcasters back for too long. Modernizing them means stronger local journalism, more investment in communities, and the live sports fans count on. Broadcasters welcome this long-awaited step forward.”
The FCC’s next Open Meeting is scheduled for September 30 at 10:30a ET.
Just look at the number of cars in a radio station parking lot after 10 am.
If the number is zero, and all that’s there are the station vans. Doors locked, yet transmitter’s all running and broadcasting, maybe we have a problem with being local!
DUH!
That’s what it’s coming to.
Lifting the caps (assuming Loper-Bright allows the Commission to do so) won’t help local broadcasters that much except to give them a path to get out of the game.
I own 4 small stations in WV, we employ a full-time news/sports director but must compete against a fair sized regional operator and, well, King Kong, with 4 stations in the market and only one employee.
Doesn’t help, too, paying over $6K in taxes (regulatory “fees”–another big government lie)
Comments are closed.