When it comes to local ownership caps, the National Religious Broadcasters believes the FCC should treat the AM and FM bands differently.
It thinks the commission should adopt “a measured, service-specific” approach, eliminating AM restrictions but keeping the caps for FM. It says the bands face “materially different” market conditions.
The commission is weighing the future of ownership limits as part of its quadrennial review. In each of the largest markets, a licensee currently can own up to eight commercial radio stations and no more than five on each band (FM/AM) in the market. The cap shrinks as the number of stations in a market decreases.
NRB represents 1,100 Christian broadcasters and media organizations in radio, television, digital and emerging platforms.
NRB said the elimination of local restrictions on AM would help stabilize, promote and revitalize the band.
“AM radio faces a distinct and well-documented set of technical, economic and competitive challenges. In this environment, continued application of local ownership caps no longer meaningfully advances the commission’s core policy objectives.”
It said AM ownership flexibility can serve as a stabilizing mechanism, allowing operators to combine resources, spread fixed costs and reinvest in facilities and programming that might otherwise be lost.
“Greater flexibility could also facilitate technical improvements, including transmitter modernization, signal upgrades and enhanced emergency-alert capabilities.”
But NRB urges the commission to retain its local limits for FM radio.
It says FM stations continue to play a central role in local markets, maintain strong audience reach and serve as primary platforms for locally originated news, public affairs, educational and community programming.
Relaxing FM limits would risk accelerating consolidation in precisely the segment of radio where localism and viewpoint diversity remain most vibrant and most vulnerable, NRB believes.
It said that for faith-based, educational and mission-driven broadcasters in particular, local FM ownership is not merely a structural consideration but a prerequisite for serving distinct communities with programming tailored to local needs.
“Further consolidation of FM ownership would likely reduce opportunities for independent ownership, narrow editorial diversity and weaken the connection between licensees and the communities they are licensed to serve.” The association says that would run counter to the objectives of the Communications Act and the commission’s commitment to a locally responsive broadcast system.
NRB expressed concern that further consolidation would “disproportionately harm independent, mission-driven broadcasters, who lack the scale, capital and national infrastructure of large broadcast groups,” and it said increased consolidation “would reduce educational and public-interest programming, which depends on local commitment and community service, not commercial scale or national efficiencies.”
[Related: “NAB Presses FCC to Accelerate Broadcast Ownership Changes”]
