News – Page 197 – Tennessee Association of Broadcasters

December Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – EEO Reports, December FCC Meeting and Getting Ready for New Years’ Obligations

By David Oxenford|2018-11-25T11:24:02-06:00November 25th, 2018|Legal News|

While the holidays may be upon us, there is no rest in the broadcast regulatory world. December 1 brings routine EEO public file report obligations for radio and television station employment units with 5 or more full-time employees for stations located in Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode...… Continue Reading

Please Welcome Seth Williams!

By FHH Law|2018-11-21T14:00:03-06:00November 21st, 2018|Legal News|

Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth is pleased to announce a new member of our team! Seth Williams joined us as an associate on November 15 after spending several years in private practice at another D.C.-area law firm. While still in school, Seth also gained experience in several areas of communications law, working as an intern at...… Continue Reading

Agenda for FCC’s December Meeting – Start of Next Quadrennial Review of the Ownership Rules and Elimination of License Posting Requirement

By David Oxenford|2018-11-21T10:39:44-06:00November 21st, 2018|Legal News|

The agenda for the FCC’s December 12 open meeting is to be released today. As has become customary, the Chairman yesterday blogged about the issues to be considered at the meeting. For broadcasters, there are two matters of interest. The first will be the initiation of the next Quadrennial Review of the FCC’s ownership rules....… Continue Reading

FCC Streamlines Hearing Aid Compatibility Reporting Requirements for Service Providers

By Seth Williams|2018-11-21T09:39:46-06:00November 21st, 2018|Legal News|

On November 16, 2018, the FCC released a Report and Order amending the hearing aid compatibility (“HAC”) reporting requirements for wireless service providers. In short, the order changes the emphasis for disseminating HAC information to consumers from FCC reports to service provider websites, requiring service providers to post additional information on their websites about the...… Continue Reading

Deadline Announced for AM Revitalization Comments

By Peter Tannenwald|2018-11-20T21:41:03-06:00November 20th, 2018|Legal News|

Attention all you AM radio nostalgia buffs and others interested in the future of AM radio, who hopefully read our post of October 10 about the FCC’s proposals to allow higher power operation by smaller AM stations by reducing nighttime signal protection for 50 kW Class A AM stations. The FCC’s proposals have been published...… Continue Reading

Comment Dates Set on FCC Proposals to Change Clear Channel AM Interference Protection Standards

By David Oxenford|2018-11-20T09:44:07-06:00November 20th, 2018|Legal News|

The FCC last month released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking suggesting a lessening of the interference protections afforded to Class A AM stations – what are commonly known as the “clear channel” stations. That NPRM was published in the Federal Register today setting a deadline for filing comments on the FCC’s proposals of January 22...… Continue Reading

Another Caution on Social Media – Be Careful What You Share

By David Oxenford|2018-11-20T09:42:06-06:00November 20th, 2018|Legal News|

Can retweeting or sharing someone else’s content get you into trouble? Possibly, based on news reports of a recently filed lawsuit seeking damages for defamation from a cable TV host who retweeted a twitter photo suggesting that someone has made racially derogatory comments. This case seems similar to the one about which we wrote here,...… Continue Reading

FCC Fine for Premature Construction of Radio Station – Don’t Construct New Facilities Without FCC Permission

By David Oxenford|2018-11-19T10:39:15-06:00November 19th, 2018|Legal News|

The FCC has for decades prohibited the “premature construction” of broadcast stations – constructing new stations or new facilities for existing stations prior to the issuance of an FCC construction permit. In recent years, fines for such activities have been rare. But, last week, the FCC issued a Notice of Apparent Liability proposing to fine...… Continue Reading

Hey Alexa – Remind Me How Much You Are Increasing My SoundExchange Music Royalties

By David Oxenford|2018-11-14T13:31:06-06:00November 14th, 2018|Legal News|

At almost every broadcast conference, there is a discussion of using Alexa, Google Home and other smart speakers and digital assistants to increase the reach of broadcast radio stations. Discussions of how to get listeners to tune in and how to monetize the listeners on these new platforms are regularly included. But rarely is there a...… Continue Reading