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A record number of consumers called the Federal Communications Commission’s national helpline Thursday in response to a nationwide DTV soft test. The FCC helpline received more than 55,000 calls from consumers, a single-day record. The helpline has averaged 15,000 calls per day since May 1 and prior...
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Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairman Michael Copps last week said the process for renewing station licenses should be radically altered. We couldn’t disagree more. There are stations on the ropes around the country, and tinkering with the renewal process right now could drive many of them...
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Swearing on television remains potentially punishable by FCC fines following a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the power of federal regulation over “fleeting expletives” in live broadcasts. In a 5-4 vote written by Justice Antonin Scalia, the court upheld a Bush administration Federal Communications...
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FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein will unveil the FCC’s new, enhanced digital transition Web site at the NAB Show on Tuesday. The new site, www.dtv.gov, will help guide consumers, providing them with local TV support and answers to questions about DTV equipment and installation. The site will also...
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The Federal Communications Commission has partnered with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps to for a digital transition outreach effort. Forty-nine at-risk cities believe to be less prepared for the DTV switch have been targeted for the outreach effort. AmeriCorps NCAA members will help individuals...
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If Americans continue to prepare themselves at the current rate for the June 12 switch to all-digital television signals, the number of homes that aren’t ready by the deadline could be quite small, vindicating the Obama administration’s decision to push back the transition. Last week, the Nielsen Co...
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About 44% of the country’s TV stations aren’t going to wait for the national switch to digital television on June 12, instead dropping their analog broadcasting signals before the deadline. Stations that wanted to switch before June 12 had to notify the Federal Communications Commission by today and...
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The Federal Communications Commission is giving a reluctant go-ahead to a new round of early DTV switchovers, telling stations they can terminate their analog signals starting April 16, but imposing more conditions on network affiliates. The FCC said the network affiliates could switch only if at least...
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While technology issues may sit at the top of the to-do list for Julius Genachowski, President Obama’s nominee to lead the Federal Communications Commission, he may be compelled to delve into the world of television before the ink on his business cards dries. Several people who know Mr. Genachowski say...
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As the welcomes roll in for Julius Genachowski, whom President Obama formally announced Tuesday as his nominee for FCC chairman, so are hints of some of the challenges and changes he could bring. Expectations for change from Mr. Genachowski quickly started to surface on issues ranging from indecency...
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The Federal Communications Commission is kicking off the formal process of re-examining the V-chip and other technologies that could protect kids from potentially indecent content on video—on television and other video devices. The FCC announced the review last night. Congress last year passed legislation...
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President Barack Obama made it official today, nominating Julius Genachowski to be chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. “I can think of no one better than Julius Genachowski to serve as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,” the president said in a statement. “He will bring...
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The Senate today added a ban on the Federal Communications Commission reintroducing the Fairness Doctrine to proposed legislation giving residents of the District of Columbia the right to vote. The Fairness Doctrine, which required broadcasters to offer equal time to differing viewpoints, was abolished...
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For television executives, the early rush by 421 stations to switch to digital-only signals last week was an I-told-you-so moment, even if their public statements were more gracious. Despite a push for postponement, a majority of stations that made the transition to digital-only signals on Tuesday had...
Posted to
The Business of Television
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News
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Sun, Feb 22 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Digital, DTV, Print Edition, FCC, Digital Transition, NAB, San Diego, WRSP, KGTV, KOCB, KOKH, Oklahoma City
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The Federal Communications Commission said calls to its digital-TV transition help lines decreased Wednesday, the day after 417 stations switched away from analog signals. The decline may suggest that more viewers were concerned about the prospect of the DTV transition than actually had problems with...