Court Rejects Petition To Reverse FCC’s UHF Discount

By John Eggerton, Broadcasting & Cable Online, 7-25-18

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has declined to overturn the FCC’s restoration of the UHF discount on the grounds that the parties challenging it – Free Press, Prometheus Radio – did not have standing to bring the challenge.

That could be a big boost to broadcast M&A, though it might not be the big boost for the Sinclair-Tribune deal given the FCC’s other problems with the deal.

The UHF discount means that only half of a UHF TV station’s audience counts towards the 39% national ownership cap.  The discount allowed Sinclair to bid for Tribune stations that otherwise would have pushed it to almost double that 39% cap.

“I’m pleased with the court’s decision to reject this challenge to the reinstatement of the UHF discount pending the completion of our comprehensive review of the national ownership cap,” said FCC chair Ajit Pai.  » Read More