NABOB Comments Ask FCC to Retain Existing Ownership Rules

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, May 1, 2019

NABOB

The National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters (NABOB) has filed comments in the FCC's 2018 Quadrennial Review of its broadcast ownership rules. NABOB stated that "any change in the local radio ownership rule to allow increased consolidation will have a significant negative impact on African Americans and other minority station owners and entrepreneurs."

NABOB further wrote that "any elimination or relaxation of the Subcaps rule would be particularly damaging for the AM radio industry as a whole, in addition to being damaging to African American AM station owners." This position is the exact opposite of comments filed earlier by NAB calling for elimination of AM caps and relaxation of FM and TV ownership caps.

The trade group pointed out that "the ownership of broadcast radio and television stations has been in steady decline ever since: (1) Congress repealed the minority tax certificate policy in 1995, (2) the Supreme Court decided the Adarand case in 1995, and (3) Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996."

NABOB continued, "The proponents of elimination or relaxation of the Subcaps rule have put forth justifications for these rule changes that are not supported by the facts. Advertisers are unlikely to shift dollars away from Facebook, Google and other internet companies to broadcast media, because advertisers recognize that the two media deliver audiences in very different ways. Advertisers seeking to buy radio can buy it now regardless of who owns the stations."

NABOB President Jim Winston said, "The reasons given for eliminating or radically relaxing the Commission's local radio ownership rule are not adequate to justify increased consolidation of ownership in local radio markets. The AM radio industry would be greatly injured by the proposals that have been put forth. We are pleased to see iHeartMedia and other companies rejecting these proposals."