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Articles Posted in Television

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Meeting Your Annual Children’s Television Programming Reporting Obligations

The deadline to file the 2024 Annual Children’s Television Programming Report with the FCC is January 30, 2025, reflecting programming aired during the 2024 calendar year.  In addition, commercial stations’ documentation of their compliance with the commercial limits in children’s programming during the 2024 calendar year must be placed in…

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2024 Fourth Quarter Issues/Programs List Advisory for Broadcast Stations

Broadcasters’ next Quarterly Issues/Programs List (“Quarterly List”) must be placed in stations’ Public Inspection Files by January 10, 2025, reflecting information for the months of October, November, and December 2024. Content of the Quarterly List The FCC requires each broadcast station to air a reasonable amount of programming responsive to…

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FCC Enforcement Monitor December 2024

Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published the FCC Enforcement Monitor monthly since 1999 to inform our clients of notable FCC enforcement actions against FCC license holders and others.  This month’s issue includes: Unauthorized Oregon Radio Station Transfers Yield $16,000 Penalty Consent Decree Over Upgrade of EAS Equipment Includes $1.1 Million Payment…

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Audio Description Requirements Extend to Nielsen Television Designated Market Areas 101 to 110 on January 1

Beginning January 1, 2025, the FCC’s audio description requirements will expand to commercial television stations affiliated with ABC, CBS, FOX, or NBC in 10 additional Nielsen Designated Market Areas (DMAs): Johnson City-Bristol-Kingsport, Reno, Greenville-New Bern-Washington, Davenport-Rock Island-Moline, Tallahassee-Thomasville, Lincoln & Hastings-Kearney, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Johnstown-Altoona-State College, and Augusta-Aiken.  Audio-described programming…

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FCC Grants Retroactive Six-Month Extension of Audible Crawl Waiver

Many television broadcasters were left scratching their heads last month when a longtime waiver associated with the FCC’s emergency information accessibility rules expired on November 26.  That confusion was resolved today, when the Media Bureau granted the National Association of Broadcasters’ (“NAB”) request for a retroactive extension of the waiver…

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The 2025 Broadcasters’ Calendar: A Touchstone for Broadcasters Contemplating Trump 2.0 and the Very Unpredictable Year

One thing about being part of a heavily regulated industry—you know well in advance most of the regulatory obligations and deadlines you’ll be facing in the year ahead.  While that brings no solace to broadcasters, it does lend a certain level of predictability to an often unpredictable industry. For more…

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FCC Proposes Updates to Broadcast Rules

At its final Open Meeting of 2024, the FCC on December 11 adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) seeking comment on the elimination or updating of several rules applicable to broadcast stations, as well as other changes intended to clarify ambiguities and to make the rules consistent with current…

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FCC Enforcement Monitor November 2024

Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published the FCC Enforcement Monitor monthly since 1999 to inform our clients of notable FCC enforcement actions against FCC license holders and others.  This month’s issue includes: Late License Application Leads to $8,500 Consent Decree for Digital Replacement Translator Licensee Hawaii TV Station’s Late Uploads Lead…

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Annual EEO Public File Report Deadline for Stations in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont

December 1 is the deadline for broadcast stations licensed to communities in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont to place their Annual EEO Public File Report in their Public Inspection File and post the report on their station…

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FCC Provides Stations Affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton More Time to Upload Third Quarter Issues/Programs Lists

Following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene across the American southeast and in anticipation of Hurricane Milton’s arrival, the FCC has announced an extension of the deadline to upload Third Quarter Issues/Programs Lists for radio and television stations in states particularly affected by Hurricane Helene (note that the Public Notice…