Failing to pay new FCC increased application fees could delay processing of new applications, Wilkinson Barker broadcast attorney David Oxenford said in a blog post Tuesday. The FCC announced application fees would be increased effective Tuesday (see 1608300047), and the fee increase affects many common broadcaster filings such as applications for transfers of control, new technical facilities, license renewals and biennial ownership reports, Oxenford said.
Free Access & Broadcast Telemedia filed the opening brief in its second court challenge of the FCC incentive auction rules, according to documents filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C Circuit. FAB’s previous challenge of the auction rules was dismissed for a lack of standing (see 1608010060), because the company owned no low-power TV stations. For this challenge, FAB has co-filers that hold LPTV licenses and participated in the debate over the auction order: Signal Above, Grace Worship Center and Excellence in Christian Broadcasting. FAB’s previous case challenged the incentive auction as an unconstitutional taking of LPTV property. Its latest case argues the auction is an illegal punishment of broadcasters, and allowing wireless carriers to evict LPTV stations from their spectrum is “an unconstitutional delegation of Congressional authority to a private entity,” FAB said in a news release.
LG will use the IFA show in Berlin to demonstrate the “power” of high-dynamic-range technology with broadcasters and content providers, the company said in a Friday announcement from Seoul. In addition to showcasing HDR10 and Dolby Vision, one demo will involve transmitting with hybrid log gamma (HLG) HDR technology favored by broadcasters like the BBC and NHK using SES’ Astra satellite network and the BBC’s terrestrial broadcasting system, LG said. HLG uses “a single distribution bitstream which can be decoded by both dedicated HDR receivers and legacy non-HDR receivers,” it said. “This new standard is designed to enable broadcasters to send HDR transmissions over cable and to provide streaming live content, making HLG an excellent choice for broadcast HDR services.” At IFA, LG will be the first publicly to demonstrate HDR technology combining high-frame-rate transmissions with HLG content, it said.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau proposed a $10,000 penalty against Jose Luis Gerez for allegedly operating a pirate radio station in Queens, New York, said a notice of apparent liability. It said Gerez received warnings by bureau agents several times since 2013, but repeatedly reactivated his radio station and was caught operating it as recently as June. Gerez’s “deliberate disregard of the Commission’s warnings warrants a significant penalty” the NAL said.
CBS’ All Access digital subscription VOD service is now available on the Xbox One, the network said in a Thursday announcement. The $5.99-per-month service includes streaming access to more than 7,500 on-demand TV episodes from current and previous seasons of classic shows, original series and CBS stations live in more than 150 markets. CBS’ subscribers spend more than half their viewing time streaming via connected devices, and three-quarters for live local feeds, said Rob Gelick, general manager-digital platforms, CBS Interactive Entertainment. Subscribers also can view CBS All Access on Android, iOS and Windows 10 devices via app and via Xbox 360, Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku players and Roku TV, said CBS. More devices will be added to the list in coming months, it said.
The new version of the FCC emergency alert system handbook requires much work from broadcasters and contains few instructions, said Fletcher Heald broadcast attorney Harry Cole in a blog post. Though the Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council said the old version contained inaccurate instructions, the new one “seems to avoid those problems by opting not to provide instructions in the first place,” Cole said. The handbook is filled with blank spaces and is “more of a do-it-yourself effort than an FCC-provided regulatory roadmap.” Cole said. Calling the book a “tabula rasa,” he also said it isn't set up for onscreen completion and could require a typewriter to complete. Broadcasters have until Sept. 28 (see 1608190037) to have the handbook “located at normal duty positions or EAS equipment locations when an operator is required to be on duty and be immediately available to staff responsible for administering EAS tests,” Cole noted. Tabula rasa is a Latin term meaning "blank slate."
Beasley Media Group will buy FM translator K268CS Las Vegas from Southern Nevada Educational Broadcasters for $700,000, said a news release from Media Services Group. MSG broker Bob Heymann represented Beasley in the deal. The transaction is the third-highest cash price paid for an FM translator, Heymann told us.
NextVR will team with Fox Sports to broadcast the opening match of the Bundesliga soccer league’s 2016-17 season in live virtual reality, the companies said in a Monday announcement. The match, which pits Bayern München against Werder Bremen, is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Munich time (2:30 p.m. EDT) Friday. It's the first time the Bundesliga league will broadcast live to an international audience in VR, they said. Viewers will have the ability to watch a produced feed with cameras placed in the stands, along the sidelines, midfield and behind the goal, they said. The broadcast will be available for free through the Fox Sports portal on the NextVR platform viewable on Samsung Gear VR headsets, they said.
Madison Square Garden's buy of 3.2 million shares, or 12 percent, of Townsquare from GE Capital won some analyst praise Wednesday after the deal was disclosed. It's “a strategic move,” Noble Financial emailed investors. The investment could allow MSG to expand its live events business into smaller markets and help with Townsquare sponsorships, Noble said. "Townsquare can leverage MSG's sales capacity and broadening geographic presence," emailed Macquarie Capital of what it called an approximately $30 million "summer shocker move."
The FCC “eagerly allowed” broadcasters to build their networks under the UHF discount “with absolutely no indication that such ownership would not be permanent or transferable,” said Ion, Univision and Trinity Broadcasting on an Aug. 11 conference call with an aide to Chairman Tom Wheeler, according to an ex parte filing posted Tuesday in docket 13-236. The UHF Discount lets broadcasters count UHF stations as half-stations for purposes of calculating how close they are to the FCC's national ownership cap. “The Companies represented on the call had utilized the Discount, with the Commission's full encouragement, to develop competitive television networks that have added to the diversity of viewing choices.” If the FCC eliminates the discount, “only full grandfathering for the current owners and free transferability to new owners would guarantee that their investments would not be lost and that the value of their programming networks and network reach would not be jeopardized,” the companies said. A waiver policy to consider “new ownership structures” for the affected companies “is neither workable nor realistic,” they said. A draft FCC order would eliminate the discount (see 1608080051).