Time To Protest Tribune's FCC Waiver Requests

From http://www.rbr.com/

Tribune Broadcasting’s “Joint Plan of Reorganization for Tribune Company and its Subsidiaries” requires the transfer of all of its FCC licenses, and it exposes all relationships held by dint of a waiver to reconsideration.


The FCC put the proceeding, listed under MB Docket No. 10-104, under ex parte permit-but-disclose procedure at the request of Tribune counsel.


Petitions to deny are due 6/14/10.


Those submitting a petition or otherwise commenting on the proposed transaction become a party to the proceeding, and are encouraged to state their case fully the first time around – new issues are not permitted in responses.


To recap, there are three simple waiver-requiring cross-ownership situations include the pairings of WPIX-TV and Newsday in the New York City DMA, KTLA-TV and the Los Angeles Times in the Los Angeles DMA and WSFL-TV and the Sun Sentinel in the Miami DMA.


Chicago is a special situation: a three-entity market, and the iconic grouping of WGN-AM, WGN-TV and the Chicago Tribune. The combination has already been granted a permanent waiver by the FCC.A flagship/satellite relationship exists between WTTV-TV Bloomington IN and its satellite, WTTK-TV Kokomo IN; a waiver is required to keep that situation in place.


Finally, two waivers are required in Hartford CT. For starters, there are two television stations, WTIC-TV and WTXX-TV, combined with The Hartford Courant, requiring a cross-ownership waiver. And Tribune bought WTXX under a failed station waiver, which it needs to have renewed.


“One-man-band” Television News-gathering Growing


The use of the “one-man-band” concept is on the rise by broadcast television station news departments.


A survey on the use of one-man-bands came from RTDNA and Hofstra University under Hoftstra professor Bob Papper.


31.7% of surveyed stations say they primarily send out one-man-bands, up from 22.3% three years ago.


Those using it some of the time are now at 29%, up from 26.9%.


21% said it gets occasional use, down from 22.3% and 18.3% do not use it at all, down from 28.6%.


The survey indicates that the trend is moving further in the direction of one-man-bands,
although the practice is more prevalent in small markets and small newsrooms.


Among stations with 51 or more employees, 8.5% make strong use of the practice.


Three years ago, 27.7% of stations said they expected to use the practice going forward, a number that increased to 43.1% this time around.


We can expect the practice to continue to spread throughout the industry.