Programming Regulations

Targeting Candidate Appearances Outside Newscasts, FCC Eliminates Political Equal Opportunities Safe Harbors

By Scott R. Flick|2026-01-21T19:42:20-06:00January 21st, 2026|Legal News|

In a not all that surprising development for those who monitor Chairman Carr’s pronouncements, the FCC’s Media Bureau today released a “Guidance on Political Equal Opportunities Requirement for Broadcast Television Stations” narrowing the programs found exempt from the Equal Opportunities requirement. The clear target is appearances by candidates on the TV broadcast networks’ morning and […]

Tiptoeing on the Sidelines: 2026 Update on Super Bowl Advertising and Promotions

By Mitchell Stabbe|2026-01-21T11:36:39-06:00January 21st, 2026|Legal News|

Mitchell Stabbe, our resident trademark law specialist, today takes the controls of the blog for his annual look at the legal issues in Super Bowl advertising and promotions (see some of his past articles here, here, here, and here). Take it away, Mitch: The 2026 NFL Playoffs have had more down-to-the-wire games this year than ever before. Consequently,... Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: January 12, 2026 to January 16, 2026

By David Oxenford and Keenan Adamchak|2026-01-18T08:32:21-06:00January 18th, 2026|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. Continue Reading…

This Week in Regulation for Broadcasters: January 5, 2026 to January 9, 2026

By David Oxenford and Keenan Adamchak|2026-01-11T07:12:41-06:00January 11th, 2026|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 our Broadcast Law Blog, we published an article about our Broadcasters’ Regulatory Calendar, identifying many regulatory dates and deadlines... Continue Reading…

Crystal Ball Time – What Are the Regulatory and Policy Issues Broadcasters Should Be Expecting to Deal With in 2026?

By David Oxenford|2026-01-09T11:18:58-06:00January 9th, 2026|Legal News|

It’s the start of another year, so it is time to dust off the crystal ball and look at what we expect to be the big regulatory and legislative issues facing broadcasters in the new year. Looking back on our forecast for 2025 that came out just over a year ago, I was surprised to... Continue Reading…

A Broadcaster’s Regulatory Calendar for 2026 – Important Dates for Staying in Compliance With Your Legal Obligations

By David Oxenford, Keenan Adamchak and David O'Connor|2026-01-06T09:22:33-06:00January 6th, 2026|Legal News|

2026 has begun, so it is time to look at the regulatory dates of importance to broadcasters in the new year. Later this week, we will look ahead at some of the broadcast issues likely to be tackled by the FCC and Congress in this new year. But today, we will look at dates and... Continue Reading…

The Past Two Weeks in Regulation for Broadcasters: December 22, 2025 to January 2, 2025

By David Oxenford and Keenan Adamchak|2026-01-04T08:30:59-06:00January 4th, 2026|Legal News|

Here are some of the regulatory developments of significance to broadcasters from the past two weeks, with links to where you can go to find more information as to how these actions may affect your operations. On our Broadcast Law Blog, we posted our review of the regulatory dates and deadlines affecting broadcasters coming in... Continue Reading…

Preparing for an Unpredictable Year: The Pillsbury 2026 Broadcasters’ Calendar

By Scott R. Flick|2025-12-31T13:37:09-06:00December 31st, 2025|Legal News|

While there was much talk of broadcast deregulation at the FCC in 2025, the two big deregulatory changes of the past year were actually delivered by federal appeals courts. Specifically, the Eighth Circuit’s elimination of the TV Big-4 duopoly rule, and Pillsbury’s own victory in a Fifth Circuit ruling that the FCC lacks authority to […]

January 2026 Regulatory Dates for Broadcasters – Quarterly Issues/Programs Lists, Children’s Television Programming Reporting, New Webcasting Royalties, Expansion of Audio Description Requirements, Comment Deadlines, Political Windows, and More

By David Oxenford and Keenan Adamchak|2025-12-28T09:46:55-06:00December 28th, 2025|Legal News|

Today, we would normally publish our look back at the prior week’s regulatory activity of importance to broadcasters but, as we noted last week, we are taking this week off and will publish a summary of the regulatory activity during the two week holiday period next Sunday. But, as the start of a new month... Continue Reading…