The FCC should “suspend any consideration of raising Regulatory Fees for radio and television” during the COVID-19 pandemic and postpone the regulatory fees order, the New Jersey Broadcasters Association asked Chairman Ajit Pai. A May 13 vote is planned (see 2004220048). “Broadcasters have been hard hit,” said NJBA President Paul Rotella in the letter posted in docket 19-105 Wednesday. Pai might consider ways to mitigate the fees' impact on stations (see 2004230046).

In C-band clearing, the FCC should clarify broadcast network operators can seek relocation cost reimbursement directly from the Relocation Payment Clearinghouse, NPR representatives told Wireless and International Bureau and Office of Economics and Analysis staffers, per a docket 18-122 filing posted Wednesday. It urged a public notice seeking comment on a cost catalog, with reimbursable equipment and services and range of costs, before such a catalog is issued. The public radio programmer said the accelerated relocation form should ensure affected earth stations have repacked without interruption of service and will still get substantially the same or better satellite service in the reduced C-band spectrum allocation. SES said the accelerated relocation election adequately spells out satellite operators' responsibilities and thus frees the FCC from having to address future disputes by making clear satellite operators cover pro rata shares of clearinghouse costs.

More radio broadcasters supported (see 2004220039) a petition asking the FCC to authorize radio stations to use zoned broadcast technology analogous to TV single frequency networks, commenting this week in RM-11854. Many were from smaller radio broadcasters and nearly identical. Zoned broadcast coverage would allow radio stations to offer “targeted emergency alerts, local news and public interest programming, live local events of great interest to small portions of the station service area,” and “geo-targeted weather information,” said Philips Broadcasting, Pikes Peak Community College, Lake Broadcasting, Peak Radio and many others. BIA Advisory Services studies show geotargeted underwriting increases station revenue, said Way-FM Media Group: The small change needed to rules for boosters “is modest and undoubtedly worthy of active consideration.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) asked President Donald Trump Monday to keep the Javits Convention Center open as a 2,500-bed COVID-19 Army field hospital through the fall flu season, Cuomo told his daily coronavirus briefing. Javits was one of four temporary facilities the Army Corps of Engineers built at the height of the crisis in the New York City area to reduce the strain on hospitals. “We’re now talking about the possibility of a second wave of the COVID virus or COVID combining with the regular flu season in September, which could be problematic again for the hospital capacity,” said Cuomo. “So the facilities we built, I spoke to the president about leaving them in place until we get through the flu season." Javits “we have to think about,” acknowledged Cuomo. "You can’t reopen the convention center, obviously, with the hospital beds in it." Javits is scheduled to host NAB Show New York Oct. 21-22 and the Audio Engineering Society convention Oct. 21-24. Neither NAB nor AES commented Monday. NAB already lost this month's Las Vegas show to COVID-19 (see 2003110036). AES put out an appeal Friday for $500,000 in funding by June 1 to keep it afloat amid multiple cancellations of sponsored events on which it relies for financial support (see 2004230055).

The Schedule 303-S radio license renewal form includes a new question to comply with ownership rules restored by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Prometheus IV decision, said an FCC Media Bureau public notice. The FCC appealed that decision to the Supreme Court (see 2004170065). The question, which asks stations to certify compliance with the ownership rules, replaces an interim process (see 1912200051). Renewal applications submitted before April 17 will be processed based on the interim procedures, Thursday's PN said.

The LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition urged supporters Thursday to contact members of Congress to support putting funding in the next major COVID-19 legislative package for local media outlets, including low-power TV stations and Class A broadcasters. NAB and other media groups urge lawmakers to include language in future legislation making broadcasters and other local outlets eligible for the Small Business Administration-administered Paycheck Protection Program (see 2004090066). A stop-gap measure to add $310 billion in PPP funding (HR-266), which the House passed 388-5 Thursday, “does not include local media funding, LPTV emailed members. “The focus now is to shift to the next” measure, so it advised to contact one's members of Congress “and let them know how you are helping out” amid the pandemic. “Most all indie Class-A and LPTV already qualify” for PPP funding, unlike NAB member stations, LPTV said. “Since NAB does not rep us we need to keep representing ourselves in this process.” The American Television Alliance, which opposes NAB’s PPP request (see 2004160063), believes “there is nothing in” the program “that prohibits a small business broadcaster from participating, and ATVA would never advocate against” those broadcasters’ “eligibility for relief,” a spokesperson said. “However, a majority of ‘local’ stations are owned by parent media conglomerates and they should not get a special deal.”

ATSC asked members to contribute news about their 3.0 product and services deployments or development plans for a “progress report” to be posted on the group’s newly revamped website in time for the NAB Show Express virtual event May 13-14. Any member may contribute by May 4, and there's no charge to participate, said ATSC Tuesday. It plans to publish the progress report online by May 11.

The FCC should let radio stations deploy FM booster technology analogous to TV single frequency networks that would allow for more targeted broadcasts, said a host of radio stations in comments posted in RM-11854 through Wednesday. Called zoned broadcast coverage, the technology would allow “hyper-localized content” such as geotargeted weather reports and emergency messaging, said GeoBroadcast's March petition for rulemaking. Emmis Communications and smaller broadcasters support the FCC's kicking off a rulemaking on the technology. “The proposal would bring numerous benefits to consumers, local communities and radio broadcasters,” said Ashley Communications, Hubcast, Southwest Media and others in nearly identical comments. The agency would need to make “a small change” in the rules around signal boosters to enable the technology, Emmis said. Rec Networks is supportive but concerned it could cause a “booster boom.”

License renewal applications for TV stations in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia are available and may now be filed, said the FCC Media Bureau in Tuesday’s Daily Digest. Applications in that first license renewal group are due June 1, and TV stations in subsequent license renewal groups will be able to access applications six months before the expiration date of their license, the PN said. “The form sections remain largely the same, however, prior to answering, licensees should take note of the changes to the Children’s Television Programming and ownership questions.”

Institutional Shareholder Services recommended against most of a slate of candidates for Tegna’s board supported by the broadcaster's largest shareholder Standard General (see personals section, this issue), Tegna said Friday. Tegna "shareholders should be concerned about the potentially heightened impact of boardroom dysfunction, given the current environment,” said ISS. Standard and Tegna each created websites backing their preferred board candidates (see 2003310054). Tegna disagreed with the ISS report’s recommendation of a single Standard supported candidate, Colleen Brown. The report recommends Brown as a check on the current board’s evaluation of future deals. “The TEGNA Board’s actions demonstrate that such a check is not necessary,” the TV station owner said. Standard released a statement Monday from its CEO Soohyung Kim blasting Tegna’s Q1 performance, with revenue of $684 million, up 32 percent year-over-year, as “disappointing.” “Even after years of under-performance, the Board refuses to acknowledge the need for change,” Kim said. Tegna CEO Dave Lougee called the performance “strong” in the Q1 release. The company suspended its 2020 guidance and 2021 preliminary outlook: “The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with regard to the broader advertising industry, remains uncertain.” Current leadership has “successfully managed through recessionary operating environments in the past, and we are confident that we are well equipped to successfully navigate the challenges that will come,” the Tegna release said.