https://www.fcc.gov/document/chairman-pai-addresses-national-association-broadcasters
Interesting comments, if somewhat contradictory at times. Worth a read. I'll
just quote a few key points:
"But the biggest reason I'm bullish about this medium is that broadcasting's
strengths-its values-are timeless. I'm talking about localism, diversity, and
public service."
This sounds like obligatory standard slogans to me (I would say, "politically
correct.") I'm not sure whether people really believe this, but for sure FCC
policies would have an impact on how true it is, and/or remains.
"We will always need shared experiences that connect our communities-whether
it's a show on TV that makes us laugh, a song on the radio that makes us sing
along, the wrong winner being announced at an awards show, or a widely-disliked
team mounting a dramatic comeback to win the Super Bowl. That's why I believe
we will always need broadcasters."
Come now, Chairman Pai. None of these shared experiences require "localism."
Typically, they require the deep pockets of major network studios, or sports
leagues with a national footprint. All the ones you just mentioned certainly
do, for example. The key word is "scale."
"Lest you think I'm just up here spraying sunshine, consider Ooyala's February
2017 State of the Industry forecast which offered a sobering assessment of the
hyper-competitive digital video landscape. It found, 'Original, local and
live' are the big three types of [over the top] content that will set services
apart in a standing-room-only video marketplace.'"
I guess this explains why, already 2 years ago, only 39% of TV fare was
consumed "live." And dropping. And indeed earlier in the address, Chairman Pai
said this, which is spot on:
"When I was growing up, Sesame Street was a show that you watched on a
television set at the same time each day. To my children, Sesame Street is a
collection of videos and apps that they can interact with on numerous devices
whenever they want."
I would have held on to that thought. The CONTENT still matters, very much so.
But the politically correct slogans describing a bygone era sound out of touch.
This is not the live broadcast of your local Chamber of Commerce meeting, PTA
meeting, or how your local mom and pop booksellers are going out of business
(due to competition from Amazon).
"But it seems to me that technological innovations have rendered local studios
unnecessary. Nowadays, if individuals want to contact their local station,
they are much more likely to do so by social media, email, or phone call. This
is why, at the FCC's May meeting, we will vote on a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking that tees up eliminating the Commission's main studio rule for both
radio and television broadcasters."
In this part, Chairman Pai discusses eliminating the local studio requirement
for stations. This makes sense to me, however I doubt it serves to STRENGTHEN
any "localism" ideas. More likely, individual correspondents might operate more
independently, more like free agents, and radio and TV stations would evolve
into more regional networks. If anything, ATSC 3.0 SFNs (and he discusses his
encouragement of ATSC 3.0 on a voluntary basis) would help promote just this
sort of "un-local" evolution.
Pai also mentions "AM revitalization," which amounts to AM stations migrating
to analog FM: "Through this effort alone, more than 20% of AM stations in the
United States obtained FM translators to grow their audience. For stations that
chose not to participate, the Commission agreed to open two new FM translator
application windows, in which AM stations can apply for a new translator." And
let's not forget that these translators are in the main AM coverage contour,
NOT small translators at the far edges or over the hills. We went through this
in detail already.
He mentions other work the FCC is doing for AM revitalization, but to me, the
only feasible work would have to involve a digital standard for MW. What ails
analog AM is that it's simply too primitive to provide the audio quality people
have come to take for granted from their devices.
Bert
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