Duopportunity knocks: Court ruling could open door to small-market combos. (Top of the Week).

Broadcasting & Cable, April, 2002 by McClellan, Steve

TV operators in some small markets may soon be able to add a second station, bringing them the same one-two ad punch and back-office efficiencies major metro owners have enjoyed for three years.

Last week, the federal appeals court in Washington ordered the FCC to rewrite its "eight-voice" test, governing ownership of two stations in a market. The rule limits one company's ownership of two local TV stations to markets where eight separately owned stations remain.

Broadcasters say they need the economies of scale that duopolies create to profit and pay for the switch to DTV in markets too small to pass the voice test. Although the decision still faces the uncertainty of court appeals and an FCC remand, some companies are already champing at the...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Premium Content Partnership | HighBeam Research provides an in-depth online archive library of reference works.