Political Broadcasting

$233,000 Proposed Fine for Sponsorship Identification Rule Violations – Warning, if the FCC Fines You Once, Don’t Do the Same Thing Again

By David Oxenford|2019-08-09T08:38:16-05:00August 9th, 2019|Legal News|

The FCC this week issued a Notice of Apparent Liability proposing a $233,000 fine to Cumulus Media for violations of the sponsorship identification rules. The fine illustrates not only how seriously the FCC takes its sponsorship identification rules (particularly in the context of political and issue advertising) but also the how aggressively the FCC can... Continue Reading…

Looking at Equal Opportunities – When Does the Appearance of a Political Candidate on a Broadcast Program Trigger Equal Time Obligations?

By David Oxenford|2019-07-24T10:44:30-05:00July 24th, 2019|Legal News|

In the last few days, much has been written about the decision of a national radio broadcaster to prohibit the host of a country music radio program from airing an interview of a Democratic Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on a nationally syndicated program. This decision has prompted many questions as to when the FCC’s equal... Continue Reading…

Preparing for the 2020 Elections – Our Updated Political Broadcasting Guide

By David Oxenford|2019-06-17T10:25:34-05:00June 17th, 2019|Legal News|

2020 will no doubt be a very active year for political advertising. To help broadcasters sort out the confusing rules they need to follow in connection with such advertising, we have updated our Political Broadcasting Guide for Broadcasters (note that the URL for the updated version has not changed from prior versions, so your bookmarks...… Continue Reading

Political Broadcasting Issues to Consider Now for the 2020 Election Campaign

By David Oxenford|2019-05-31T10:23:07-05:00May 31st, 2019|Legal News|

The 2020 presidential elections already loom large, with one of the over 20 Democratic candidates for the Presidential nomination seemingly appearing on whatever TV talk show you tune into on your TV set. With the first debate among these candidates scheduled for late June, it seems like we have a real election already underway –...… Continue Reading

FEC Seeks Comment on Proposal for Change in TV Political Disclosures

By David Oxenford|2019-02-12T08:05:25-06:00February 12th, 2019|Legal News|

We usually think of the FCC as the agency that sets the details of the broadcast disclosure obligations for political candidate’s TV ads. But the Federal Election Commission has its own rules for political advertising that are binding on the candidates, rather than on the stations. But because these ads run on broadcast stations, stations...… Continue Reading

Important Dates for Broadcasters in 2019 – A Broadcaster’s Calendar

By David Oxenford|2019-02-06T10:33:03-06:00February 6th, 2019|Legal News|

While the shutdown of the Federal government delayed FCC activities in January, with the government back in business (hopefully for the long term), we have put together a Calendar of Important Dates for Broadcasters for 2019, available here. The calendar highlights normal regulatory dates like those for Annual EEO Public Inspection File Reports, Quarterly Issues...… Continue Reading

FCC Shuts Down Because of Government Funding Impasse – What Does It Mean for Broadcasters?

By David Oxenford|2019-01-04T10:27:11-06:00January 4th, 2019|Legal News|

Do you have a deal to buy a new station or a planned technical modification that needs FCC approval? Well, it looks like those plans may have to wait as the budget controversy in Washington has shut down the FCC. But what does the shut-down really mean for broadcasters? The FCC clarified some of the...… Continue Reading

Demands to Pull Attack Ads in the Closing Days of the Election – What is a Station to Do?

By David Oxenford|2018-10-31T09:57:13-05:00October 31st, 2018|Legal News|

As we approach Election Day, the political ads seem to be getting more and more frequent, and often more and more nasty. We provided this overview of what a station should do when it gets an attack ad two years ago, and the ads have not become kinder in the intervening period, so we will...… Continue Reading

Beware of the Political File Obligations in this Hot Political Advertising Year

By David Oxenford|2018-10-01T10:47:28-05:00October 1st, 2018|Legal News|

In this “political” year with Congressional mid-term elections in November, including many hotly contested races for seats in the US House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as many state and local elections, I receive many questions from broadcasters across the country. Perhaps the area in which most questions are received deals with the...… Continue Reading