NAB Defends JSAs Against Effort to Make Them Attributable

Tells FCC they are in the public interest and there is no reason to treat TV and radio the same

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/4/2012 8:54:18 AM

National Association of Broadcasters representatives met with the offices of Commissioners Ajit Pai and Jessica Rosenworcel last week to argue against FCC chairman Julius Genachowski's media ownership proposal that some joint sales agreements (JSAs) should count against local ownership caps.

"NAB is concerned that such a change in the attribution rules is not supported by the record, will be harmful to television stations and their viewers, especially in smaller markets, and will undermine the commission's longstanding goals of competition, diversity, and localism."

NAB provided examples of what it said was more than a dozen JSAs that "enhanced local news, improved diversity and strengthened broadcasters' commitment to local programming."

"The Commission should consider the importance of JSAs to stations' ability to offer high-quality service to their viewers," said NAB. "Joint sales agreements are often critical to a broadcaster's ability to improve the quality and quantity of available programming and to remain financially viable in the face of rising competition."

NAB also said there was no reason for treating TV the same as radio, for which some JSAs are attributable.

NAB also argued that cable operators use joint sales arrangements to compete against broadcasters.