Lawmakers introduce bill to protect local media

US Representatives David Price (D-NC) and Jared Huffman (D-CA) introduced a new bill to permanently end the FCC’s UHF discount loophole and protect local television markets from corporate consolidation. The “Local and Independent Television Protection Act” would repeal the UHF discount, an obsolete counting formula that corporations use to undercount their national audience reach and avoid audience reach limits.

The legislation has immediate impact on the pending Sinclair-Tribune merger. By counting UHF stations as only half a station, Sinclair claims its Tribune acquisition would give the combined company a 45 national audience reach. Without the obsolete UHF discount, a Sinclair-Tribune combination would result in 72 percent national audience reach. The national audience reach limit is 39 percent. The size of the merged company has led to strong opposition across the political spectrum.

“Our democracy depends on a diverse media that can address local needs and serve the public interest,” Rep. Price said. “The FCC’s decision to reinstate the technically obsolete UHF discount is a thinly veiled attempt to fast track mega mergers at the expense of Americans who want reliable and trustworthy news from their local broadcasters. The issue of continued corporate media consolidation isn’t a problem for just Democrats or just Republicans – it’s a problem for anyone who wishes to receive news and other programming from a local broadcaster that isn’t captive to a political or corporate agenda.”

Links:

Democrats Seek to Eliminate UHF Discount (Broadcasting & Cable, Aug. 22, 2017)

Price, Huffman Introduce Local and Independent Television Protection Act (US House, July 27, 2017)

Sinclair to buy Tribune for $3.9 billion (Speed Matters, May 12, 2017)

Opposition to Sinclair-Tribune merger grows on left and right (Speed Matters, Aug. 11, 2017)