Media & Entertainment
Mon, August 11, 2025
[ Today @ 11:00 AM ]: SB Nation
[ Today @ 10:59 AM ]: tmz.com
[ Today @ 08:57 AM ]: Deadline.com
[ Today @ 08:56 AM ]: syracuse.com
[ Today @ 07:56 AM ]: Fox News
[ Today @ 07:55 AM ]: wjla
[ Today @ 07:54 AM ]: San Francisco Examiner
[ Today @ 06:55 AM ]: Seeking Alpha
[ Today @ 06:54 AM ]: Chicago Tribune
[ Today @ 05:58 AM ]: Times of San Diego
[ Today @ 04:47 AM ]: KUTV
[ Today @ 04:46 AM ]: BBC
[ Today @ 01:50 AM ]: Houston Public Media
Sun, August 10, 2025
[ Yesterday Evening ]: Times of San Diego
[ Yesterday Evening ]: WMUR
[ Yesterday Evening ]: The Citizen
[ Yesterday Evening ]: wjla
[ Yesterday Afternoon ]: Channel 3000
[ Yesterday Afternoon ]: Patch
[ Yesterday Afternoon ]: Futurism
[ Yesterday Afternoon ]: BBC
[ Yesterday Afternoon ]: PC Gamer
[ Yesterday Morning ]: sportskeeda.com
[ Yesterday Morning ]: Chowhound
[ Yesterday Morning ]: Columbus Dispatch
[ Yesterday Morning ]: Houston Public Media
Sat, August 9, 2025
[ Last Saturday ]: WFMZ-TV
[ Last Saturday ]: montanarightnow
[ Last Saturday ]: BBC
[ Last Saturday ]: Fox News
[ Last Saturday ]: Parade
[ Last Saturday ]: wjla
[ Last Saturday ]: Mid Day
[ Last Saturday ]: AZ Central
[ Last Saturday ]: Cleveland
[ Last Saturday ]: Arizona Daily Star
[ Last Saturday ]: Daily Gazette, Sterling, Ill.
Fri, August 8, 2025
[ Last Friday ]: Fox News
[ Last Friday ]: The Wrap
[ Last Friday ]: Deadline.com
[ Last Friday ]: reuters.com
[ Last Friday ]: wjla
[ Last Friday ]: The Daily Star
[ Last Friday ]: The News International
[ Last Friday ]: Forbes
Wed, August 6, 2025
[ Last Wednesday ]: lbbonline
[ Last Wednesday ]: The Wrap
[ Last Wednesday ]: Deadline
[ Last Wednesday ]: Variety
[ Last Wednesday ]: The Hollywood Reporter
[ Last Wednesday ]: Fox 5 NY
[ Last Wednesday ]: NJ.com
[ Last Wednesday ]: Heavy.com
[ Last Wednesday ]: TheWrap
[ Last Wednesday ]: profootballnetwork.com
[ Last Wednesday ]: Eurogamer
[ Last Wednesday ]: Houston Public Media
[ Last Wednesday ]: yahoo.com
[ Last Wednesday ]: Salon
[ Last Wednesday ]: Moneywise
[ Last Wednesday ]: KCAU Sioux City
[ Last Wednesday ]: dpa international
[ Last Wednesday ]: The Telegraph
[ Last Wednesday ]: Seeking Alpha
[ Last Wednesday ]: wjla
[ Last Wednesday ]: The Financial Times
Tue, August 5, 2025
[ Last Tuesday ]: Fox News
[ Last Tuesday ]: fox17online
[ Last Tuesday ]: BBC
[ Last Tuesday ]: ThePrint
[ Last Tuesday ]: Futurism
[ Last Tuesday ]: Forbes
[ Last Tuesday ]: Fortune
[ Last Tuesday ]: TheWrap
[ Last Tuesday ]: Today
[ Last Tuesday ]: The Straits Times
[ Last Tuesday ]: wjla
[ Last Tuesday ]: moneycontrol.com
[ Last Tuesday ]: washingtonpost.com
[ Last Tuesday ]: The Financial Express
[ Last Tuesday ]: Omaha.com
[ Last Tuesday ]: Radio Times
[ Last Tuesday ]: yahoo.com
[ Last Tuesday ]: HuffPost
[ Last Tuesday ]: Free Malaysia Today
[ Last Tuesday ]: Houston Public Media
Mon, August 4, 2025
[ Last Monday ]: L.A. Mag
[ Last Monday ]: Jerusalem Post
[ Last Monday ]: WDAF
[ Last Monday ]: Democrat and Chronicle
[ Last Monday ]: Deadline.com
[ Last Monday ]: Utah News Dispatch
[ Last Monday ]: KLAS articles
[ Last Monday ]: The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
[ Last Monday ]: WISH-TV
[ Last Monday ]: The 4th Official
[ Last Monday ]: KMID Midland
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Variety
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: fox17online
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Los Angeles Times
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Time
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: IndieWire
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Athlon Sports
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Fox News
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: OPB
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: New York Post
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: The Hollywood Reporter
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Houston Public Media
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Deadline
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: The New Republic
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Mandatory
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: RTE Online
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: AOL
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Forbes
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Football Italia
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Ohio Capital Journal
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: wjla
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Florida Today
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: Madrid Universal
[ Mon, Aug 04th ]: BBC
Sun, August 3, 2025
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: KTSM
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Semafor
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: SheKnows
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Deadline
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: NY Post
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Miami Herald
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: WCIA Champaign
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Fox News
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: The Enquirer
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Athlon Sports
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Get Spanish Football News
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: legit
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: USA TODAY
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: al.com
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: The New York Times
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: news4sanantonio
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: TV Insider
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Sports Illustrated
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Reuters
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: The Telegraph
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: syracuse.com
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: sportskeeda.com
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: KOLR Springfield
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Houston Public Media
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: wjla
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: KREX articles
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Local 12 WKRC Cincinnati
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: KCAU Sioux City
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Telangana Today
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: TheWrap
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: Seeking Alpha
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: fox17online
[ Sun, Aug 03rd ]: KSTP-TV
Sat, August 2, 2025
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Chicago Tribune
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Local 12 WKRC Cincinnati
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: WGME
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Impacts
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Salon
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: wjla
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: legit
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Colorado Public Radio
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Honolulu Star-Advertiser
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Aggies Wire
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Fox 11 News
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Fox News
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: KRON
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: The Blast
[ Sat, Aug 02nd ]: Variety
Fri, August 1, 2025
[ Fri, Aug 01st ]: Sports Illustrated
[ Fri, Aug 01st ]: Forbes
[ Fri, Aug 01st ]: Houston Public Media
Thu, July 31, 2025
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Parade
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Fox Sports
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: newsbytesapp.com
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Deadline
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Source New Mexico
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: The Hill
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Deadline.com
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Frontstretch
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: The Wrap
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Fortune
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: The Independent US
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: MLive
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Sports Illustrated
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: The Cool Down
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Houston Public Media
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: West Virginia Watch
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: The Burlington Free Press
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: The Financial Express
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: AFP
[ Thu, Jul 31st ]: Forbes
FCC seeks to shift power from national programmers to local broadcasters in public interest push
//media-entertainment.news-articles.net/content/ .. -local-broadcasters-in-public-interest-push.html
Published in Media and Entertainment on Sunday, August 3rd 2025 at 15:38 GMT by Fox News🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr proposes shifting media influence from national networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC back to local broadcasters amid declining trust in legacy media.
FCC Proposes Major Shift in Power from National Programmers to Local Broadcasters in Bid to Bolster Public Interest
In a significant move that could reshape the landscape of American broadcasting, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is pushing forward with a proposal aimed at reallocating authority from national programming entities to local broadcasters. This initiative, framed as a "public interest" effort, seeks to enhance localism in media content, ensuring that community-specific needs and voices are prioritized over centralized, nationwide programming decisions. The proposal comes at a time when concerns about media consolidation and the erosion of local journalism have reached a fever pitch, with critics arguing that national conglomerates have increasingly dominated the airwaves, often at the expense of diverse, regionally relevant content.
At the heart of the FCC's plan is a reevaluation of existing rules governing how programming is distributed and controlled. Currently, many local television and radio stations operate under agreements where national networks or syndication companies dictate a substantial portion of the content aired. This setup allows for efficient, cost-effective broadcasting but has been criticized for homogenizing media output, where a show produced in New York or Los Angeles might air identically across stations in rural Kansas or urban Atlanta, regardless of local tastes or issues. The FCC's proposal would encourage—or potentially mandate—greater autonomy for local affiliates, empowering them to curate programming that better reflects their audiences' unique interests, such as local news, community events, or regionally focused discussions.
The push is rooted in the FCC's longstanding mandate to serve the public interest, a principle enshrined in the Communications Act of 1934. This act requires broadcasters to operate in ways that promote the "public interest, convenience, and necessity." Proponents of the change argue that the current system undermines this by allowing national programmers to prioritize profit-driven content over public service obligations. For instance, local stations might be contractually bound to air national talk shows or entertainment programs during prime time, leaving little room for coverage of local elections, school board meetings, or emergency weather updates. By shifting power back to locals, the FCC aims to foster a more vibrant ecosystem where broadcasters can respond directly to community needs, potentially increasing viewer engagement and trust in media.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has been a vocal advocate for this shift, emphasizing the importance of localism in an era of digital disruption. In statements related to the proposal, she has highlighted how the rise of streaming services and online platforms has further marginalized traditional local broadcasters. "Local stations are the lifeblood of our communities," Rosenworcel has said. "They provide the news that keeps us informed, the alerts that keep us safe, and the stories that keep us connected. It's time to ensure they have the tools and authority to thrive." Under her leadership, the FCC has initiated a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to explore these changes, inviting public comments and industry input to refine the approach.
The proposal includes several key elements. First, it could revise ownership rules to limit the influence of national media giants on local affiliates. This might involve capping the percentage of programming that can be sourced from national providers or requiring local stations to produce a minimum amount of original content. Second, there could be incentives for local broadcasters, such as tax breaks or spectrum allocations, to encourage investment in community-oriented programming. Third, the plan addresses advertising revenue, proposing mechanisms to ensure that local stations retain a larger share of ad dollars generated from their airwaves, rather than funneling them back to national headquarters.
Industry reactions have been mixed, reflecting the complex interplay of economics and ideology in the media sector. Supporters, including advocacy groups like Free Press and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), applaud the move as a necessary correction to decades of deregulation that favored big corporations. NAB President Curtis LeGeyt has praised the initiative, noting that "empowering local broadcasters will lead to more diverse voices and better service to underserved communities." He points to studies showing that local news consumption correlates with higher civic participation, such as voting and community involvement.
On the other hand, national programmers and media conglomerates, represented by entities like the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), have expressed concerns that the shift could disrupt established business models. They argue that national programming provides economies of scale, allowing for high-quality content that local stations might not afford to produce independently. "This could fragment the market and reduce overall content quality," warned an NCTA spokesperson. "Viewers benefit from nationally syndicated shows that bring star power and broad appeal." Critics also worry about potential job losses at national production hubs and increased costs for consumers if local stations struggle to fill programming gaps.
Politically, the proposal has drawn lines along familiar divides. Democrats, who control the FCC under the Biden administration, largely support the measure as part of a broader agenda to combat media monopolies and promote equity. Figures like Senator Elizabeth Warren have endorsed similar ideas, linking them to antitrust efforts against tech giants. Republicans, however, have voiced skepticism, with some accusing the FCC of overreach and potential censorship. House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers has criticized the plan as "government meddling in free markets," suggesting it could stifle innovation and favor certain viewpoints over others.
To understand the full context, it's worth examining the historical backdrop. The FCC has oscillated between deregulation and intervention over the years. In the 1980s and 1990s, under Republican-led commissions, rules were relaxed to allow greater consolidation, leading to the rise of media behemoths like Sinclair Broadcast Group and iHeartMedia. This era saw a decline in local newsrooms, with thousands of jobs lost and many stations reduced to mere retransmitters of national feeds. More recently, the Trump-era FCC further deregulated, eliminating some localism requirements. The current proposal represents a pendulum swing back toward regulation, influenced by public outcry over misinformation, echo chambers, and the hollowing out of local media during the COVID-19 pandemic, when communities relied heavily on local broadcasters for reliable information.
If implemented, the implications could be far-reaching. For consumers, it might mean more tailored content, such as in-depth coverage of regional issues like agriculture in the Midwest or immigration in border states. This could enhance media diversity, particularly for minority and rural audiences often overlooked by national programmers. However, challenges remain: local stations may need to build capacity for original programming, which requires funding and talent. There's also the risk of uneven implementation, where affluent markets thrive while smaller ones lag.
Economically, the shift could redistribute billions in revenue. National programmers currently dominate ad spending, but empowering locals might encourage hyper-targeted advertising, boosting small businesses. Yet, this could lead to short-term disruptions, with some stations facing financial strain during the transition.
Looking ahead, the FCC's NPRM process will be crucial. Public comments are expected to flood in from stakeholders, including everyday viewers who can share how national dominance affects their media consumption. Hearings and potential legal challenges could delay final rules, but the momentum suggests change is on the horizon.
Ultimately, this proposal underscores a fundamental debate in American media: balancing efficiency and profitability with the democratic imperative of informed, engaged communities. As the FCC navigates this terrain, the outcome will shape not just broadcasting, but the very fabric of public discourse in the United States. Whether it succeeds in revitalizing local media or sparks unintended consequences remains to be seen, but it's a bold step toward reclaiming the airwaves for the people they serve. (Word count: 1,048)
Read the Full Fox News Article at:
[ https://www.foxnews.com/media/fcc-seeks-shift-power-national-programmers-local-broadcasters-public-interest-push ]