This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: August 20, 2022 to August 26, 2022

By |2022-08-27T21:28:40-05:00August 27th, 2022|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. Revisions to the pending Journalism Competition and Preservation Act were released to the public this week (revised draft bill). The... Continue Reading…

Facebook to Reject New Political Ads the Week Before the November Election – Why Broadcasters Can’t Do That

By |2022-08-25T10:32:40-05:00August 25th, 2022|Legal News|

Facebook will disable “new” political ads the week before this year’s November mid-term election (see its post on this policy here), just as many broadcast stations will be struggling with commercial inventory issues, trying to get last minute political ads on the air without having to dump all of their regular commercial advertisers who will... Continue Reading…

FCC Enforcement Monitor August 2022

By |2022-08-24T15:01:54-05:00August 24th, 2022|Legal News|

Pillsbury’s communications lawyers have published 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: Sponsorship ID Violations Lead to Consent Decree With $60,000 Payment Unauthorized Station Transfers and Silent Stations Result in $25,000 Civil Penalty and Compliance Plan Retailer […]

2022 Upcoming FCC Deadlines

By |2022-08-24T13:55:39-05:00August 24th, 2022|Legal News|

  2022 Upcoming Broadcast Deadlines   September Annual Regulatory Fees – On a date not yet determined, but certainly before September 30, 2022, annual regulatory fees will be due. These will be due and payable for Fiscal Year 2022 and will be based upon a licensee’s/permittee’s holdings on October 1, 2021, plus anything that might...… Continue Reading

Watch for Congressional “Franking” Ads in the Last Weeks Before the Pre-Election Period – The FCC Political Broadcasting Implications

By |2022-08-24T10:14:37-05:00August 24th, 2022|Legal News|

We have been receiving numerous calls from broadcasters about “franking” ads from Congressional representatives running for reelection.  Congress each year allows its members to spend certain amounts of money to communicate with their constituents.  This was traditionally done through mailings, which Congressional representatives could send through the US mail without any postage charges (hence the... Continue Reading…

A Church Gets Called Out for Adaptation of “Hamilton” – Looking at the Copyright Issues

By |2022-08-23T11:14:27-05:00August 23rd, 2022|Legal News|

Recent press reports have talked much about a Texas church that decided to put on a production of the musical Hamilton – both live and streamed via YouTube.  The church not only put on the performance of the musical, but also adapted the script to include material with religious themes not included in the original... Continue Reading…

FCC Releases Second EEO Audit Notice for 2022 – Reviewing a Broadcaster’s EEO Obligations

By |2022-08-22T07:54:21-05:00August 22nd, 2022|Legal News|

The FCC last Friday released its second EEO audit notice for 2022 (available here), this time targeting approximately 130 radio and TV stations.  Those stations, and the station employment units (commonly owned stations serving the same area) with which they are associated, must provide to the FCC (by uploading the information to their online public inspection file) their... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: August 13, 2022 to August 19, 2022

By |2022-08-21T09:20:13-05:00August 21st, 2022|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past week, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. On August 19, 2022, the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau issued the second set of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) audit letters for... Continue Reading…

$60,000 Fine on LPTV Station For Political Broadcasting and Sponsorship Identification Issues with Ad Packages Containing News Program Appearances

By |2022-08-18T10:47:29-05:00August 18th, 2022|Legal News|

Last week, the FCC entered into a consent decree with the operator of a low power TV station, where the broadcaster admitted to violating FCC rules by selling advertising packages that included guaranteed appearances of the advertiser on a local news and information program, without any notice to viewers that the programming was sponsored.  The... Continue Reading…

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