Navigating the Complexity of the FCC Auction of Broadcast Spectrum

2016 marked the beginning of the FCC Spectrum Auction, which was six years in planning and played out over a year, finishing up in early 2017. Public Media Company advised numerous public stations in advance of the auction and commissioned a national research analysis of possible auction results for public television stations. The analysis offered the only data that organizations could use to balance...

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Public Media Company Partners with WGBH Business Services to Form Purchasing Service for Public Media Stations

April 4, 2018 – Public Media Company and WGBH Business Services today announced their partnership in a new procurement service designed to coalesce the purchasing power of public TV and radio stations to reduce costs and streamline efforts. Supported by a $250,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the venture is the first of its kind for public media and will be...

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West Virginia Public Broadcasting Rebounds with the Help of Public Media Company

The decline of the coal mining industry hit West Virginia hard, prompting the governor to propose cutting $4.5 million in state funding for West Virginia Public Broadcasting. This cut could have had a devastating impact on West Virginia Public Broadcasting, since it costs $3.5 million annually to broadcast radio and television signals to the mountainous regions in West Virginia. Fortunately, vocal listeners and viewers...

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Nevada Public Radio Expands With Music Station in Reno

Nevada Public Radio recently completed the acquisition of KJIV 89.1 FM in Reno, Nevada, a move that extends their public radio service into a growing and vibrant market. In addition to representing Nevada Public Radio throughout the process, Public Media Company also prepared the business model and financial analysis to test the viability of the purchasing a Reno-based station and launching a  “music discovery”...

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Public TV Urges FCC to Exempt Stations From ATSC 3.0 Simulcasting Rules

“Public broadcasters have asked the FCC to exempt noncommercial TV stations from a regulation requiring them to transmit video in two different broadcast standards during rollout of Next Generation TV technology. In filings with the agency last week, pubcasters also urged the commission to allow broadcasters to use vacant TV channels during the transition to the new broadcast standard, also known as ATSC 3.0....

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Public TV Stations Ready ATSC 3.0 Plans

In their Chat Room this month, THE STANDARD sat down with Marc Hand, CEO and co-founder of Public Media Company, who also leads the Public Media Venture Group, a coalition that includes stations that serve more than 188 million Americans – and that group is squarely focused on the potential for ATSC 3.0 with public TV broadcasters. Since its founding more than a quarter...

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On Tap For CES: Sneak Peeks at ATSC 3.0

Going into the Consumer Electronics Show next week (Jan. 9-12) in Las Vegas, broadcasters will have one eye on exciting new products and services and the other on the rollout of the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard that the FCC authorized last November. “It’s an implementation year,” said Anne Schelle, Pearl CEO. Pearl, a coalition of major TV station groups, is “developing deployment plans...

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FCC Authorizes Next Generation TV Broadcast Transmission Standard

(Via FCC News)  The Federal Communications Commission today adopted new rules to let television broadcasters use the Next Generation broadcast television transmission standard, also called ATSC 3.0, on a voluntary, market-driven basis. The Next Generation TV standard will let broadcasters provide consumers with more vivid pictures and sound, including Ultra High Definition television and superior reception, mobile viewing capabilities, advanced emergency alerts, better accessibility...

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OTA Broadcasting Donates Zombie to WNET

(Via TVNewsCheck) Spectrum speculator OTA Broadcasting has donated the license and other assets of low-power WEBR-CD New York to noncommercial WNET New York, according to the transfer application filed with the FCC. OTA has also agreed to donate $12,500 to WNET. OTA may need the tax deduction. Earlier this year, it sold the WEBR’s UHF spectrum in the FCC incentive auction for $72.8 million,...

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Public TV Station Coalition Formed to Plan for Conversion to ATSC 3.0

(From TVTechnology.com) A group of public TV stations have formed the Public Media Venture Group, which aims to explore operating models and revenue opportunities around the conversion to ATSC 3.0 next-generation broadcast protocol. The coalition says it will coordinate plans for an effective shift to ATSC 3.0, as well as focus on a variety of efforts including emergency communications, increased program streams, and revenue-generating...

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