O'Rielly Supports Eliminating AM/FM Subcaps, Main Studio Rule
There’s “little reason” to maintain AM/FM subcaps, and the main studio rule should be eliminated or severely modified, Commissioner Mike O’Rielly said Tuesday in a speech at the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference. O’Rielly also highlighted pirate radio enforcement (see…
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1703280074) The radio industry has “made a compelling case” that the subcap limits “no longer make any sense,” O’Rielly said. Even if larger AM station owners “exited, opting for FM stations" after the rule change, "it would only increase the chances for new entrants, like Hispanic radio and others, to serve diverse and niche populations,” he said. “Since minority ownership has been one of the biggest obstacles to modernizing our media ownership rules in the eyes of some, isn’t this potentially a good thing?” He said the FCC should look at “raising the overall ownership caps within a market.” The main studio rule is among several “archaic” rules faced by radio stations, and is no longer relevant now that all radio public file requirements have been moved online, he said. On the post-incentive auction repacking affecting radio stations, he said: “Collocation of radio and TV transmission facilities is a common situation, so as we get into the nuts and bolts of repacking, rest assured that I will keep your concerns in mind and work toward an outcome that minimizes the impact on TV and radio stations alike.” O’Rielly acknowledged in his remarks that the 2017 Hispanic Radio Conference has been called the most important ever held, a point his written remarks footnoted to a Radio Ink article on how the Trump administration’s immigration policies could adversely affect Hispanic radio advertisers and listeners. “In all fairness, I only have so much control within my own universe, so I hope you will forgive me for not commenting on other topics,” O’Rielly said of the matter.