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FCC Lists Stations Eligible For Auction


The Frog

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Today, the FCC released a Public Notice with a 45-page Appendix listing all full-power and Class A television stations eligible to participate in the reverse auction and receive protection in the repacking process. Licensees should immediately review the Appendix to ensure their station has been included and to determine whether the appropriate authorization for their facility has been listed for auction participation and protection in the repacking. Any station that believes it has been wrongly omitted from the Appendix must file a Petition for Eligible Entity Status by July 9, 2015.

https://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2015/db0609/DA-15-679A2.pdf
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What does this mean, really? I don't understand. Does that mean that the stations would sign-off, if sold or this is just to protect a station and their business or what?

 

 

el·i·gi·ble

 

ˈeləjəb(ə)l/

 

adjective

 


  1.  
     
     
    having the right to do or obtain something; satisfying the appropriate conditions.
     
     
     
     

 

 

All this list does is show which stations can participate in the auction, if they choose to.

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This really doesn't warrent much discussion. We already knew virtually every full power & class A station is eligible to participate in the auction.

 

So, the FCC put out the "official" list of damn near every full power & class A station in the country. And, then asked "did we make any clerical errors?" That's all this really amounts to.

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I'm thinking that the following types of stations are auction candidates...

 

- Stations in very small markets (like Zanesville) in close proximity to major markets. If they're bleeding cash, they would be stupid not to sell. Even one of WHIZ's stations (the former WHIZ-FM on 102.5) moved their COL to a city closer to Columbus, and the owner leased out the station to another local broadcaster who was displaced when their own station was sold to Ohio State. If it can happen in radio, television is a certainty since Zanesville is dependent on Columbus for all other affiliations and if the market is collapsed, WCMH is very easily available.

 

- JSA/SSA stations, especially ones that are the 3rd or 4th station operated by one owner. An easy method of compliance is to keep the highest rated one, dump the next highest rated one (in the top 4), then keep one of the remaining properties below the top 4 with the best ratings or optimal signal for television viewership. Through multicasting, four streams (and possibly more) can be crammed onto 2 broadcast stations easily.

 

- Non-profit stations with the sole purpose of obtaining must-carry status are as good as gone....that is, if they're willing to sell or in DESPERATE need of $$$.

 

- Same can be said for duplicate affiliations of ANY kind, unless they are geographically necessary, as their limited reach negates any real benefit of auction proceeds.

 

Now if a group gets distressed and is forced to sell off between now and the auction, the market should provide a way to make room for any displaced major affiliation...

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What would happen to stations like WHIZ-TV Zanesville OH, the only station in its market but in close proximity to Columbus?

Well, on one end of the spectrum absolutely nothing could change from how it is today. On the other end of the spectrum the station could leave the air IF they choose to participate and accept the FCC's bid. However, there are also a whole host of scenarios that fall in between those two ends of the spectrum that could play out. So, way too many variables to guess what the "final" outcome of said station will be post-auction.

 

 

Also, I still think a lot of people are misunderstanding just how the incentive auction will work.

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