FCC reinstates duplication rule
June 12, 2024It was a partisan effort to be sure, but the FCC has reinstated Section 73.3556 of the Commissions rules – that being the radio duplication rule for commercial FM stations. The rule does not apply to AM signals.
The regulation puts a restriction on commercial FMs from duplicating more than 25% of their programming during their broadcast week if they are co-owned and overlap coverage area.
While the move is aimed to foster diversity, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has opposed this rule since long before the FCC eliminated it in 2019. Their arguments include “unprecedented competition” from digital platforms which have emerged in recent years such as streaming services. While they acknowledge that it would protect traditional broadcasting, but would also hinder the industry’s evolution as the result of new media challenges. Additionally, they say it could add unnecessary cost to the FM operations. These were dismissed by the commission.
The reversal was made at the petition of musicFIRST Coalition, the Future of Music Coalition, and REC Networks.
(Radio+Television Business Report)
(h/t: Pat Cloonan)
What would this mean for stations owned by a mega-broadcaster like EMF ? Air1 and K-Love seem to be everywhere, and certainly overlap signals.
Excellent question…
I wonder who is even doing this, I don’t think any full power stations in this area are duplicating. I hear translators doing it, where I can hear a few Froggy stations with the same program.
I hear K-Love with their translator on 88.7 that covers the same area, I can’t see how the translator is getting them into a weak signal area at all, so to me that seems duplicated, but are translators exempt?
I don’t actually get the politics involved, only that the NAB has always pushed for more freedom for stations to do as they will for their business.
Boomer
Politics (like Action News) is everywhere.
I found a little bit more depth over Radio World, which is an organ of the commercial radio industry.
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“For decades, the Federal Communications Commission has built its media policies around the values of localism, competition, and diversity. I believe in these values because over history they are the best guideposts we have for communications policymaking,” Rosenworcel wrote.
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That’s interesting to hear, after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and consolidation that followed.. Unless she meant the decades prior to 1996.
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She continued: “I also believe we can modernize our rules while still honoring these principles. Here we do just that. The rationale for providing AM radio with additional flexibility to duplicate programming does not pertain to FM radio. The economic and signal quality issues are different, and the impact of content duplication is not the same. That is why today we do what we should have done in 2020—work to preserve relief to AM radio based on arguments supported by our record, and work to ensure continued diversity of programming on the FM dial.”
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It seems like favoritism to AM radio then, could it be part of AM Revitalization efforts?
Original article:
https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/headlines/fcc-reinstates-radio-duplication-rule-for-commercial-fm-stations