​The DVB Steering Board approved a new next-generation subtitling delivery specification based on the World Wide Web Consortium’s Timed Text Markup Language (TTML) platform, DVB said in a Monday announcement. The new spec complements “bitmap”-based subtitling, which has been in use for more than 20 years, DVB said. TTML subtitles are “increasingly being adopted” by standards bodies, including ATSC and SMPTE, it said. The new spec “will allow service providers to transition over time to a common TTML subtitle format for both broadcast and internet delivered services,” it said. TTML subtitling for ATSC 3.0 is defined in the A/343 document, approved as a final ATSC 3.0 standard in December (see 1707180040).

The FCC Enforcement Bureau issued eight notices of violation against alleged unlicensed radio operators in Florida and one against an alleged pirate in California Friday, show documents released Monday. All Florida notices were issued for unlicensed signals said to be operating out of residences. Two were for homes in Miami, and others were warned in North Lauderdale, Miami Gardens, Pompano Beach, West Palm Beach, and two more in Oakland Park. The California NOV was issued against Stewart Kantor in San Jose, whose alleged unlicensed operation interfered with “over 200 sites of Verizon Wireless.”

The UHD Alliance will have more ubiquitous market presence and “expanded vision” under its new chairman, Warner Bros. Vice President-Technology Michael Zink, and new president, Mike Fidler, a former Sony and Pioneer executive, Fidler told us. The “original focus” of the alliance, formed at CES two years ago, was developing specifications, “and that’s still going to be a core part of the direction,” said Fidler. Members “also understood there was a need in the marketplace for greater education around the entire UHD category,” he said. “It’s very important for consumer education to be at a broader level of support coming out of the alliance.” Outgoing alliance President Hanno Basse, Fox Films chief technology officer, conceded at the NAB Show that he wished the Ultra HD Premium logo had wider market presence (see 1704240064). The alliance wants to boost membership to include the “traditional audio companies” and wants more participation from content companies, he said. The alliance also wants to expand its outreach to “the broadcast community, and how that evolves into an effective way to deliver a premium experience,” he said.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau warned a Brooklyn unlicensed radio operator, said a notice of violation released Friday. On June 29, agents found Ernest Nardi operating on an unlicensed frequency, the NOV said: Nardi admitted to it.

The FCC needs to re-examine the 39-month repacking deadline and reimbursement procedures, said Meredith Corp. in a letter posted in docket 12-268 Friday. The TV station owner supported a recent petition for reconsideration filed by Ion (see 1708020055): “Meredith has serious concerns with the timing of reimbursement payments and hopes the Commission will clarify timing for partial and full reimbursement for repacking.” Like Ion, Meredith questioned rules on reimbursement differences between tube and solid state transmitters, saying “the time for the Commission to address these issues is dwindling, as planning, paperwork, and manufacturing is already starting.”

The FCC should include requirements for simulcasting and signal quality in rules for the ATSC 3.0 transition and require that negotiations to carry the transmissions using the new standard be held separately from retransmission consent negotiations, said representatives of the American TV Alliance in meetings Monday and Tuesday with aides to Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, according to an ex parte filing in docket 16-142. The ATVA contingent included representatives from AT&T, Charter Communications, Dish Network, Verizon and the American Cable Association, the filing said.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau issued three notices of violation against two Florida unlicensed radio broadcasters and against the licensee of an Atlanta translator for broadcasting on a frequency reserved for aviation. The unlicensed notices were issued to Frances Chapman, the owner of a Lake Worth, Florida, residential property that the bureau found to be the source of an unlicensed broadcast, and to American College Express, owner of a commercial property in Hollywood, Florida, that also was found to be hosting an unlicensed broadcaster. Youngers Colorado Broadcasting’s translator was found to be operating for a week on 123.05 MHz when it’s licensed for 101.1 MHz, a notice of violation said. The broadcasts “caused harmful interference to the aviation band,” it said. The FCC issued a warning Tuesday about interfering with the aviation band (see 1708080069).

LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition Director Mike Gravino shared with FCC officials “a potential solution to end the vacant channel war.” The ideas were presented to Incentive Auction Task Force Chair Jean Kiddoo and staff from the IATF, Media Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology, said an ex parte filing in docket 12-268. The version of the presentation posted to the Electronic Comment Filing System was partially redacted, coming after the group proposed “truce” for ending the disagreement over reserving vacant TV bands for unlicensed use (see 1708020041), which appeared to be based on using low-power TV spectrum to help deliver rural broadband. The FCC also should do an economic analysis of the impact of the repacking on LPTV and translators, the filing said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency placed “non-functional sound-alike” emergency alert system audio files on its website to be used in educational public service announcements, FEMA said in a filing posted Wednesday in FCC docket 15-94. The filing was an update to a Nov. 9 conference call with the Public Safety Bureau where making the files available online was discussed.

Sinclair and Tribune received “second requests” from DOJ last week for additional information about the first buying the second broadcaster, the buyer announced in a Q2 earnings release. Tribune consolidated operating revenue fell 2 percent to $469.5 million. Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker called results “mixed” in an email to investors, and she and CEO Peter Kern blamed costs associated with a programming shift at WGN America. “Those changes are now behind us, and we expect a much more profitable 2018 with more original hours than the network has ever carried,” Kern said. The deal with Sinclair is “on track,” Kern said. Tribune didn't hold a Q2 earnings call. Some think the move to ATSC 3.0 (see 1706070063) could be helped by the deal and others fear the reshuffling of TV stations' frequencies now that the incentive auction is over could be delayed (see 1708080067).