TVAnswers.org Newsletter | November 15, 2017

TVAnswers.com Newsletter

NOVEMBER 2017


NAB Launches Newsletter to Keep Stations Informed

Welcome to the National Association of Broadcasters' Monthly Repack News, a newsletter to keep stations informed as they transition to new frequencies. The spectrum repacking process will impact nearly 1,000 TV stations nationwide, and radio stations that collocate on their antennas. Our goal is to ensure these stations are informed and viewers are prepared about the changes coming to television.

In this newsletter, you will get the latest on NAB’s viewer education tools, legislative action to ensure stations and their viewers are not harmed in the repacking process and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) information about station moves.

We encourage your feedback. If you have questions or information to share with other stations, please email us at NABMarketing@nab.org.

Click here to add your contact information to stay informed.


Capitol Hill Hearing on Repacking Process

U.S. Capitol

In September, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a hearing to discuss the repacking process.

Lyn Plantinga, vice president and general manager of News Channel 5 in Nashville (EW Scripps) and Rick Kaplan, NAB executive vice president of Legal and Regulatory Affairs and general counsel, testified on behalf of the commercial broadcast industry. Both urged Congress to act now to increase funding to fully reimburse TV and radio stations for their relocation costs. They also asked that legislators ensure that no station is forced off the air due to an inability to meet current relocation deadlines due to circumstances outside of its control.

Witnesses and members of Congress alike expressed support for increasing the $1.75 billion fund to fully reimburse broadcaster relocation costs. To coincide with the hearing, NAB ran this ad in a Capitol Hill publication to highlight the complexity and enormous cost of station relocation.

NAB continues to advocate for swift passage of legislation that would ensure broadcasters and their viewers and listeners are not harmed in this process.


Legislation Addresses Radio Issues During Repacking

Recently, House Reps. Bill Flores (TX-) and Gene Green (TX-29) introduced the bipartisan "Radio Consumer Protection Act" that would reimburse radio stations for costs that result from station moves during the spectrum auction repack. Currently, radio stations are not eligible for reimbursement if they incur costs due to a TV station on their tower that is moving frequencies.

This bill would protect and reimburse the 678 radio stations – and their countless listeners – that would be impacted by the auction repack. NAB strongly supports this bill and we encourage you to reach out to your policymakers to ask them to support this legislation.


FCC News: October Activities

Your team at NAB is communicating regularly with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to stay on top of the repacking schedule and advocate on any issues that may arise. If you have concerns or need assistance with a repack issue before the Commission, please let our Legal and Regulatory team know by calling the hotline at (866) 682-0276 or emailing legal@nab.org. Access to the legal and regulatory experts at NAB is free to all members.

The latest news from the FCC is that during the past month, seven stations were granted permission to move to their post-transition channel early, five of which will be completing channel changes prior to the first phase. To see what changes are being approved, click here to view the FCC’s transition files and a change log.

Approximately 90 percent of stations reported to the FCC in October that they expected to be able to complete all transition tasks in time to meet deadlines. However, not every station has completed the necessary RF or structural studies or received necessary permits to begin work.

Also last month, the FCC announced the initial reimbursement allocations for eligible broadcasters, which made approximately 52 percent of currently estimated and verified costs for commercial stations and their pay-TV partners and 62 percent of currently estimated and verified costs for non-commercial stations available for reimbursement. You can read the public notice here.

The FCC provides information on the repacking process – including phase assignments, transition updates and reimbursement news here.


TVAnswers.org: The Go-to Resource for Viewer Education

TVAnswers Resources

As you prepare to educate your viewers about the changes coming due to the repacking process, check out the tools available to you at TVAnswers.org/Tools. NAB has done the research for you, crafting messaging to minimize viewer confusion and help them understand how to rescan their TVs and converter boxes. Tools are available in English and Spanish.

Start by checking out this checklist of activities to help you get started. NAB is also providing talking points, sample scripts and crawls and even automated phone messaging. Stay tuned for customizable TV and radio spots for stations to use and a video to help viewers understand how to rescan their TV sets, launching in early 2018.

The website TVAnswers.org launched this summer as the go-to resource for consumers for rescanning information. It includes a database for viewers to learn which stations are moving and when, as well as instructions on how to rescan their TV sets.

We urge you to use these tools and coordinate with other stations in your market to send a clear, consistent message and minimize viewer confusion. Reach out to us at NABMarketing@nab.org with questions.


Get Social

Facebook

To stay informed of the latest news from the TVAnswers.org campaign – NAB’s campaign to educate viewers about the repack – follow us on Twitter at @tvanswers or Facebook at facebook.com/tvanswers. Be sure to tag us in any social media posts regarding your station’s move to a new frequency.



Have You Set a Transition Date? Let Us Know!

In order for NAB to help your station educate viewers, we need to know exactly when you are making the transition. As your plans become firm, please let us know which date you’ll be moving to a new frequency by filling out this simple form.

If you are responsible for multiple stations, you can also send an email to NABMarketing@nab.org and we’ll populate our database on TVAnswers.org to ensure your station information is current and accurate.