FEBRUARY 2018

NAB hosted a luncheon on February 7 with more than 30 partner organizations to brief them on what we are doing to prepare viewers for upcoming TV station frequency moves.

We kicked off this month with a briefing with more than 30 partner organizations in Washington, D.C., where we shared what the National Association of Broadcasters is doing to prepare viewers for upcoming TV station frequency moves and discussed how we can work together to help spread the word among their members. This month, we are also continuing our dialogue with stations to ensure your questions and concerns are addressed and that you have the resources you need to educate your viewers. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates, and post a message or tweet from your own social media channels using #PlantoRescan to share what you’re doing to inform your audiences about your station’s frequency move. Please continue to share your feedback and send your questions to NABMarketing@nab.org.

To help our partner organizations educate their members and your viewers about the changes coming to local TV, we have developed tools, including talking points, newsletter copy and social media posts, which they can access at TVAnswers.org/Partners. Feel free to share this link with organizations in your community that can help spread the word.

We’re looking forward to connecting with various groups and continuing our comprehensive and widespread campaign outreach. This week, NAB’s TV Answers campaign representatives attended the League of United Latin American Citizens’ legislative conference where we shared information about station moves with attendees. Later this month, we’ll be finalizing customizable TV and radio spots, social media materials and other resources that will be made available to stations to use as part of their viewer education efforts. We’re also planning extensive media outreach to educate consumer reporters and other journalists on how to help prepare over-the-air viewers for the changes coming to local TV stations.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Addresses Repack Shortfall

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has unanimously passed a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reauthorization bill that would address the shortfall in funding available to stations for the broadcast spectrum auction repack. This legislation creates new accounts to cover full-power TV station repack costs in excess of the current $1.75 billion Television Broadcaster Relocation Fund, related radio station costs, low-power TV and translator repack costs and FCC consumer education costs.

Though this bipartisan committee action, led by Chairman Greg Walden (OR-02) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone (NJ-06), is an important step in addressing funding concerns about the repack, there's still a long way to go in the legislative process. Further, it remains uncertain if Congress will secure the funds for the FCC to make the reimbursements to stations. NAB will remain committed to working with the House and Senate to secure sufficient funding to cover broadcaster repack relocation costs.

FCC to Conduct Site Visits to Some Repacked Stations

The FCC’s Incentive Auction Task Force and Media Bureau announced that they will be visiting approximately 60 repacked television stations over the coming months. These visits aim to validate the existence and functionality of current baseline equipment for repacked stations, as part of the FCC’s effort to ensure that repacking funds are spent prudently. Stations will be randomly selected, and the number of stations visited may be subject to change. The FCC will notify chosen stations by letter and set up a pre-visit conference call to discuss details.

FCC Requirement: Notify MVPDs of Frequency Moves 90 Days Prior

All stations transitioning to a new frequency must notify affected multichannel video programming distributors (MVPDs) by letter at least 90 days prior to their transition date. The notification must include the date and time of any channel changes; pre-auction and post-transition channel assignments; any modification to antenna position, location or power levels; stream identification information for channel sharing stations and engineering staff contact information. A summary of other FCC requirements for transitioning stations is available here.

FCC Opens Window for Displaced Low-Power TV Stations and Translators

Last week, the FCC released a public notice that sets the schedule for low-power TVs and translators displaced in the incentive auction to try and find new channels. The “special displacement window” for filing applications for new channels opens April 10 and closes May 15. The FCC also released a study to help stations figure out what new channels will be available in the repacked TV bands.

Some stations have already moved to new frequencies and we have seen them handle viewers’ questions and comments about their rescan days in different ways. We urge all stations to be prepared to immediately respond to questions and comments that viewers post to social media and provide resources to help viewers through the rescanning process. Providing viewers with consistent messaging will help minimize confusion. As a reminder, tools in English and Spanish, such as talking points, sample scripts and social media posts, are available at TVAnswers.org/Tools to help your viewers understand how to rescan their TVs and converter boxes.

In order for NAB to help your station educate viewers, we need to know exactly when you are making the transition, whether that is due to a channel sharing agreement or the repack. As your plans become firm, please let us know the 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.

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.