Last week, at NAB Show in Las Vegas, our president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt had the opportunity to speak with broadcasters at every level of our industry. We gathered at the member town hall to discuss the issues that are most critical to local stations, and shared NAB’s policy priorities for the 119th Congress. The work began on day one of the new Congress and administration, and we continue to fight for broadcasters ability to compete with Big Tech giants so local voices remain in our communities.
Without local stations covering local news, sports and weather, Americans would be missing a vital link to their communities. If we only had Big Tech platforms gatekeeping our information, we’d lose Americans’ most trusted source of local news. We’d lose a key component of our nation’s emergency infrastructure. We’d lose a driver of Main Street economies in cities and towns all over the country. And most importantly, we’d lose a human, local connection.
Local broadcasters at NAB Show weren’t there to talk about these worst-case scenarios, but to learn about the newest technologies and innovative best practices they can take back to their stations to keep growing their vital service. They explored the latest in the connected car, content production and delivery, cybersecurity, AI and NEXTGEN TV.
Local TV and radio stations are excited to keep innovating – as long as they can do business on a level playing field that affords them the necessary scale to provide local news, emergency information, entertainment and live sports on every platform.
That’s why, as our team returns to Washington D.C., we are focused on the future of local broadcasting. We are focused on urging the FCC to modernize outdated ownership rules so that broadcasters can not only survive but compete in a world increasingly dominated by Big Tech. Recently, more than 70 lawmakers asked the FCC to modernize the arcane ownership regulations that stifle our industry’s growth.
Local stations don’t have time to wait, and we need the FCC to act now. You can join us in this effort by taking action to urge Washington to modernize outdated ownership rules and give local stations a fair chance to compete and continue their vital service to all Americans.
