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Discussion of Comcast and NBC Merger, including opening promises from Comcast to preserve local over-the-air broadcasting and increase programming for children and minorities.

"Few broadcasters are likely to bite. As a group, TV stations have already spent more than $15 billion to make the transition to digital TV. Stations are just now beginning to monetize their new digital spectrum, which allows the broadcast of multiple channels."

"One provision, a "Mobile Future Auction," calls for a spectrum auction that allows current licensees, including broadcasters, to voluntarily give up spectrum in exchange for a share of auction proceeds. This provision, which has drawn the ire of the National Association of Broadcasters trade group, is one element of a plan to free up 500 MHz of spectrum over the next decade for mobile broadband use."

Update on the court case between Arbitron radio ratings and Spanish Broadcasting Systems over SBS's refusal to encode their signals so that Arbitron can measure audience. SBS claims that Arbitron's measurment under counts Hispanic listeners and hurts their advertising rates.

"To stop broadcasters from flexing their muscles, the coalition asked the FCC to mandate that disputes be settled by an arbitrator. They also want regulators to bar stations from withholding their programming, their most potent bargaining chip."

"The trial, which should begin by this spring, will transmit up to 20 channels of free and premium programming using signals from eight mobile DTV stations: WDCA (Fox Television Stations); WUSA (Gannett Broadcasting); WPXW (ION Media Networks); WRC (NBC Universal); WHUT (Howard University/PBS); WNVC (MHz Networks); WNUV (Sinclair Broadcast Group); and WFDC (Univision Communications). "One of the key advantages of mobile DTV is the built-in ability to measure viewer activity, giving broadcasters a much better picture of what consumers are actually watching, when they watch, and where," said Brandon Burgess, OMVC President and ION Media Networks Chairman and CEO."

Broadcasting and Cable conducts a sit down interview with Steven Waldman, senior advisor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, to discuss the Governments role in balancing old and new media. Subsidies and media industry economics are also discussed.

"the main bottle necks for mobile broadcast TV are lacks of viable business models, low device variety, slow licensing processes. Despite these limiting factors, the number of mobile broadcast TV users considerably increased around the world in 2009"

"one study found that as much as $50 billion in spectrum could be freed up if policies were adopted to transition broadcast spectrum to mobile spectrum. "

"Who has time to sit on the couch and watch TV anymore? In the last 10 years, broadcasters have lost 25 percent of their audience. So to win back some viewers, the industry has a plan to grab their attention while they are on the move. Beginning in April, eight television stations in Washington, D.C., will broadcast a signal for a new class of devices that can show programming, even in a car at high speed. In all, 30 stations in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington have installed the necessary equipment, at a cost of $75,000 to $150,000

The FCC says it will uphold the lifting of the partial ban on newspaper/broadcast cross-ownership until new decisions by new commissioners are put in place.

Several broadcast companies that reported earnings the past few weeks have pointed out that TV station revenues were down due to the lack of political ad spending in 2009. Since 2010 is a banner year for major Congressional races, local media researcher Borrell Associates expects that TV broadcasters will have something to cheer about. The same can't be said for online media, which will hardly see a fraction of the total $42 billion Borrell says will be spent on political campaigns.

ubroadcast, inc. (UBCI 0.03, +0.00, +3.85%) , a leader in Internet Broadcasting, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Alexandria, VA-based iVu Media Corp., the developer of a state-of-the-art Video Content Management (VCM) system that works in tandem with a High Definition Playback technology. iVu Media's clients include Sony, Ford and Honda. For 2009, iVu Media had revenues of less than $500,000.

"Media-ownership rules should be loosened to allow more consolidation and attract capital to the industry, representatives of the investment community said Tuesday at a Federal Communications Commission workshop on how the agency might change ownership rules later this year."

At an FCC workshop, industry representatives argue for relaxed media-ownership rules to allow more consolidation and to attract capital to the industry. FCC officials are looking at what the agency can do to improve the health of the newspapers, TV and radio stations, which continue to lose customers and advertising revenue to online competitors.

"The Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Plan, announced last week, is aimed at providing nearly universal, affordable broadband service by 2020. And while it takes many admirable steps - including very important efforts toward opening space in the broadcast spectrum - it does not address the source of the access problem: without a major policy shift to increase competition, broadband service in the United States will continue to lag far behind the rest of the developed world."

"The context of this decision is interesting, in that the issue arose in the restructuring of Nassau Broadcasting, where its creditors were to take a controlling position in the company in exchange for a release of some of the company's debt. However, the new ownership position of its creditors, where their interests became attributable for the first time, required multiple ownership reviews in several markets, as these same investors were owners, or holders of significant debt (triggering an EDP issue) in other companies holding radio or TV licenses in nearby markets."

"The details as to how the FCC plans to go from having 50 MHz available for mobile broadband today to 500 MHz in 10 years will result in a pretty big legislative battle as the FCC tries to nab broadcaster spectrum and incumbents and tech firms position to own large chunks of those valuable airwaves."

Interesting assertion that loss of Network prestige is part of the reason that TBS is part of the NCAA basketball deal.