For three years, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act has been radio’s defining fight in Washington. The fight isn’t over yet, but with the finish line in view, attention turns to a crowded horizon of ownership caps, FCC waivers, and a Commission short on members.
In our upcoming Forecast issue, Radio Ink asked Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth’s Frank Montero and the NAB’s Shawn Donolin and Rick Kaplan what’s next on the horizon for radio in Washington after the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.
Here’s some of what they told us:
“I don’t know if it’s the next big frontier, as it may happen concurrently with passage of the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, but I would say the next big game changer for radio will be the relaxation of the FCC’s market ownership caps, particularly the subcaps limiting how many AMs versus FMs a broadcaster can own in a market.”
“I think the [market cap] waivers are a signal that the FCC is ready to act [on the 2022 Quadrennial Review]. We saw it with TV waivers. The granting of radio waivers tells me that the Chairman has an idea of what the post-Quadrennial Review regulatory landscape will look like and the Commission is ready to start approving those ownership combinations, signaling that the new rules will likely take effect in the near future.”
“All indications are that the FCC is poised to act to modernize the local TV and radio rules through its congressionally mandated quadrennial review. We expect the FCC will move to give radio station groups the flexibility they need to compete in these crowded listening and advertising markets. Radio broadcasters of all sizes have done a great job explaining what they are facing in local markets across the country and how owning additional stations in local markets can help them compete and serve listeners with a wide array of music and entertainment.”
Curious about who said what? Radio Ink‘s annual Forecast issue comes out this Monday, November 9. Click HERE to subscribe today for as little as $3.33 per month. Then hear more from Montero and Kaplan in person at Forecast 2027 on November 12 at the Harvard Club of New York City, where they join the “Broadcast on the Docket” session.
