The FCC order laying out the requirement for ATSC 3.0 simulcast waivers (see 2006160064) takes effect Aug. 17, says Friday’s Federal Register. Thursday’s FR included the FCC’s declaratory ruling clarifying that broadcast ownership restrictions don’t apply to ATSC 3.0 datacasting (see 2006090055), which took effect June 9. Comments on an accompanying NPRM are due Aug. 17, replies Aug. 31.

Cox and ViacomCBS signed a multiyear deal that renews CBS affiliations for five stations, the programmer said Wednesday. It said CBS affiliates will remain available on its CBS All Access streaming service and be distributed across vMVPD platforms. The stations are KIRO-TV Seattle; WJAX-TV Jacksonville; WHIO-TV, Dayton; KYMA-DT Yuma, Arizona; and KVIQ-LD Rio Dell, California.

A group of low-power FM stations and engineers petitioned for reconsideration of the FCC update to LPFM technical rules (see 2004220065), said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 19-93. The order didn’t provide a factual or record basis for not incorporating rule changes to allow LPFM stations to increase their power, a proposal LPFM advocates call “LP-250,” the petition said. “Reviewing the FCC’s rationale, it does not present an argument against LP-250.” The petition seeks reconsideration of rule changes for directional antennas and transmitters. The petitioners include Peter Gray of KFZR-LP Frazier Park, California; Makeda Dread Cheatom of KVIB-LP San Diego; and engineers/public interest advocates Todd Urick of Common Frequency and Paul Bame of Prometheus Radio Project.

Radio's future remains unclear, said BIA Advisory Services Chief Economist Mark Fratrik in a Tuesday webinar his firm hosted. The economy and local advertising showed signs of improvement in May and June as states and localities reopened, but recent surges in COVID-19 cases could “put a stop sign on recovery,” Fratrik said. Ad trends tend to lag slightly behind the broader economy, said BIA Managing Director Rick Ducey. Pandemic economic issues also affect regions differently, so a station’s outlook can depend on its market, Fratrik said. Radio is slowly reclaiming its audience reach, Fratrik said. Its audience reach numbers are overall 95% of March, he said. Drive-time listening numbers are down because of a drop in commuting, but midday numbers are up from listeners working from home, he said. Stations shouldn’t expect much of a boost from political commercials because radio traditionally isn't a main outlet for political spots, Fratrik said. That could change this year as campaigns look for replacements for in-person political rallies, said Mark Levy, president of Revenue Development Resources. Money that would have gone to campaign branded merchandise for such rallies or for donor luncheons could get snapped up by radio, he said.

Low-power TV stations and TV translators have a year remaining to transition from analog to digital, said the FCC Media Bureau in a reminder public notice Monday. The deadline is July 13. “The digital transition date is a hard deadline -- no extensions or continuation of analog operations will be permitted,” the PN said. Stations that need extensions on their digital construction permits have until March 13 to file such requests, the PN said: Stations should file technical filings such as minor change applications by May 1.

The FCC lacks statutory authority to let low-power TV stations broadcast analog audio -- which NPR calls “Franken FM” -- generally or to grandfather existing Franken FM services specifically, said NPR in calls last week with aides to every FCC member except Mike O’Rielly, per a filing posted Friday in docket 03-185. The public interest would be better served by letting FM stations use the channel 6 spectrum instead, NPR said. “The spectrum occupied by a single LPTV Channel 6 station could accommodate up to thirty FM stations,” allowing for a more diversity of voices, NPR said. LPTV channel 6 proponents argue the stations provide important services to minorities (see 2006260065).

About 500 radio station owners will formally band together this week to create scale and sell national ads as the Independent Broadcasters Association, said Adams Radio Group CEO Ron Stone in an interview Friday. The group's members own a combined 2700 stations, he said. The group is Stone’s brainchild, and is intended to help smaller radio stations compete with larger entities such as iHeartRadio and Cumulus. “The concept is to serve independent radio stations in ways we are NOT being served by existing organizations and provide independent operators with ways to drive revenue and achieve cost benefits from scale that cannot be achieved alone,” Adams said on the IBA’s website. The group is focused on competition rather than lobbying, and isn’t intended to duplicate NAB, Stone said. Members will include Adams, Cromwell Group and Dick Broadcasting, Stone said.

Nexstar concealed information about the value of stations sold to Marshall Broadcasting and exerted financial control over those stations after divesting them to Marshall in 2014, said Marshall Broadcasting in a filing at the FCC intended as a second supplement its 2019 call for a hearing designation order against Nexstar (see 1909090039). Marshall is also involved in a breach of contract lawsuit against Nexstar over the same allegations, currently stayed in New York Supreme Court (see 1911010061). The broadcaster said Nexstar’s filings in Marshall’s bankruptcy litigation showed it had concealed financial information from Marshall. The bankruptcy filings provide evidence “of Nexstar’s intent not only to defraud MBG from receiving promised assets as part of the sale of stations with an inflated purchase price, but also to seize primary financial control over MBG’s funds,” Marshall said in the FCC supplement. Nexstar didn’t comment.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau proposed penalties of $5,200 against Texas FM owners Gow Media and $6,000 for Townsquare Media for failing to award promised prizes to winners of radio contests, said notices of apparent liability Wednesday. Both enforcement actions were triggered by complaints from snubbed 2016 contest winners. Townsquare’s KSII El Paso offered free Elton John tickets to the ninth caller, and GOW’s KFNC Mont Belvieu offered a vacation to a resort in Mexico to the winner of a fantasy football contest. Townsquare blamed the failure to provide the tickets on “human error” and gave its complainant free tickets to an Elton John concert in Las Vegas after receiving the letter of inquiry. Gow said the resort reneged on its commitment to provide the prize, and paid out $3,600 cash to its complainant after getting the LOI. EB said the stations' actions to address the situation after the fact don’t negate liability for breaking rules.

The FCC shouldn’t delay proposed compliance deadlines for expanding video description requirements to the top 100 designated market areas, said the American Council of the Blind in reply comments posted Tuesday in docket 11-43. NAB pushed for a delay, in part because of COVID-19 (see 2006230056). The FCC’s initial tentative conclusion that the cost of implementing audio description regulations for DMAs 61-100 was justified was unchallenged during initial comments on the NPRM, ACB said. “Compliance with these requirements should not be technically difficult or economically burdensome.” The FCC has mechanisms for broadcasters to ask for exemptions due to economic burdens, and those should be used instead of a blanket delay, ACB said. “There are so many small details that get left out when audio description isn’t available, often leaving blind viewers with a different perception of the show or film than their sighted peers,” said Access to Independence. “Making audio description more widely available is an excellent step toward creating a universally designed media experience.”