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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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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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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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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...
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The Business of Television
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News
on
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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In the end, a bad brew of poor planning and politics led Congress to delay the nation’s transition to all-digital television signals by three months to June 12. In the poor planning column: An underfunded coupon program to help pay for analog converter boxes; public outreach in some markets that raised...
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The congressional decision to postpone to June the switch to digital television has placed a crucial decision in the hands of stations: Delay or proceed? If stations go forward and switch to digital broadcast signals on the original Feb. 17 date, they may leave unprepared viewers in the dark. For TVWeek's...
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On Tuesday, the House of Representatives will vote on whether the transition to digital broadcast television will be delayed, setting off a new scramble by broadcasters to adjust to a changing DTV switch deadline. After a political back-and-forth that kept station managers off-balance for two weeks,...
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President-elect Barack Obama’s expected appointment of longtime friend Julius Genachowski as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission will put the agency’s leader closer to power than any FCC boss in recent administrations. Mr. Genachowski’s close relationship with President-elect Obama stretches...
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Barack Obama has so many crises on his plate, the concerns and troubles of the TV industry seem about as relevant as the Wednesday night lineup on the Reelz Channel. Nonetheless, those of us who care about the state of the small screen can still hope that Mr. Obama’s commitment to change will be applied...
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With the Feb. 17 switch to all-digital television signals heading for a delay—most likely until June—TV stations are contending with a whole new world of uncertainties and potential costs. When President-elect Barack Obama last week called for a delay, media companies including News Corp., NBC Universal...
Posted to
The Business of Television
by
News
on
Sun, Jan 11 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Broadcast, Digital, DTV, Print Edition, FCC, NTIA, John Podesta, Department of Commerce, Brack Obama, TV Stations
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In the clearest sign yet that the switch to digital television signals won't go off seamlessly, the Department of Commerce said the coupon program that funds signal converter boxes for consumers needs more money. At the current pace of redemption, the $1.5 billion the government set aside to fund...
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West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s ascension to the chairmanship of the Senate Commerce Committee could mean a Senate far more active on broadcast television issues, industry executives and public-interest groups say. But media executives yearning for a drastic change in terms of how the government...
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A House Energy & Commerce Committee report may have been damning of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin’s leadership, but it appears it won’t result in any quick congressional restructuring of the nation’s communications agency. While it’s still early, upcoming changes at the...
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As President-elect Barack Obama juggles a cratering economy and two wars, broadcasting and consumer groups are throwing him another sticky issue—the impending switch to digital over-the-air broadcasting. While less than 1% of TV viewers lost their signals during the Sept. 7 DTV test in Wilmington, N...
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California Congressman Henry Waxman’s ascension to chairman of the House committee that oversees media and advertising issues may confront the television industry with a double-edged sword. Rep. Henry Waxman Rep. Waxman hails from a district that represents the heart of Los Angeles’ creative community...