August 2025

This week as the FCC announced a suspension of its biennial ownership report filing requirement until 2027, ticking a box on the NAB’s deregulatory wish list. The Media Bureau’s July 29 Public Notice waives the odd-numbered-year requirement for both commercial and noncommercial AM and FM stations to file Form 323 or 323-E.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals handed down its decision last week on the appeals of the FCC’s December 2023 decision following its 2018 Quadrennial Review to leave the local radio and television ownership rules largely unchanged.  The Court’s decision was a victory for television owners, declaring the restrictions on the ownership of two of the Top 4 TV stations in any market to be contrary to the record and ending that restriction unless, within 90 days, the FCC can show that there was in fact record evidence supporting the restriction.