NAB launches campaign for broadcast ownership reform amid industry M&A discussions

The National Association of Broadcasters has announced a major public affairs campaign aimed at convincing the Federal Communications Commission to modernize local television and radio ownership regulations.

The campaign will include national advertising directed at Washington policymakers, viewer and listener education and resources enabling consumer outreach to lawmakers, the White House and the FCC.

“This campaign underscores the urgent need to modernize outdated FCC ownership regulations that put the future of local TV and radio stations at risk,” said NAB President and CEO Curtis LeGeyt. “In today’s media environment, local broadcasters must have the ability to grow and compete with Big Tech platforms that operate without similar restrictions.”

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The initiative comes as broadcast executives express optimism about potential regulatory changes under the Trump administration and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has previously called this a “break glass moment for America’s broadcasters.”

Broadcast group executives have indicated they are prepared for potential mergers and acquisitions if regulations change.

“We are up against enormous unregulated tech companies like Meta and Google, leaving an uneven playing field for broadcasters. And to compete, we need the ability to get bigger and stronger,” said Mike Steib, Tegna’s CEO, during a recent earnings call.

Nexstar Media Group Chairman and CEO Perry Sook expressed similar sentiments during his company’s earnings call.

“I feel the prospect is as good as it has been in my career to see meaningful ownership regulatory reform,” Sook said. “No one can, with a straight face, defend the current rules in the current environment.”

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Sook confirmed Nexstar is in conversations about possible asset deals, stating: “If there’s a love connection and regulations change that would permit the acquisition to go forward, and it’s highly accretive, it’s something we would strongly consider doing in the broadcast television space and the digital space.”

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Under existing FCC regulations, television broadcast groups are restricted to reaching less than 39% of TV households nationwide and face limits on the number of network-affiliated stations they can own in a single market. Radio ownership is similarly restricted.

The NAB argues these rules, established decades ago when broadcasters primarily competed with one another, create barriers that hinder broadcasters’ ability to compete with unregulated platforms like YouTube, Amazon and Spotify.

More than 500 broadcasters will attend NAB’s State Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., next week to advocate for ownership reform and other industry priorities.

This campaign comes as NAB is also petitioning the FCC to update rules regarding ATSC, proposing a cutover to ATSC 3.0 in 2028 for major media markets.