At the insistence of television owners, the FCC recently reevaluated its ownership limits and came to a decision that was the exact opposite of what TV groups wanted, further restricting the number of stations one entity can own in a given market. NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt lobbied for changes to the regulations, and now says the organization is focused on ensuring broadcasters maintain a path to viability.
During an interview with TVNewsCheck’s Talking TV, LeGeyt shared his disappointment in the ruling by the FCC, adding that he believes there are policymakers in Washington D.C. who share his disappointment. However, he said in spite of the decision by the FCC, the NAB remains committed to providing support to broadcasters.
“I think the newspaper industry speaks for itself. And what I’m focused on is ensuring that broadcasters have the ability, when audiences are cord-cutting, to ensure viable revenue streams,” LeGeyt said. “We know that the major tech players, Facebook and Google, have absolutely eaten up the marketplace for digital advertising. And we see that audiences are fleeing the traditional ecosystem.
“And in light of that, how do broadcasters compete, not go the way of the newspaper industry, without increasing where they choose to do it some scale, both in the local markets and in the national markets? I think it is very, very difficult to justify how tightening the ownership rules is going to enable broadcasters to achieve the scale, to invest in the type of local journalism that our audiences have come to expect, as well as to innovate,” Curtis LeGeyt continued. “So that’s really where we are focused right now, advocating for greater scale.”
