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Dear Friends,
The leaves are turning, the inbox is buzzing, and the association has a lucky seven worth your time. Let’s get into it.
1. October podcast is live. Bill and SuperFrank sat down to talk 5G Broadcast and got so carried away we forgot to bring on a guest. (The guest is fine. The microphones had a great time.) After nearly 8,000 listens last month, can we crack 10,000? Send your questions and comments to Podcast@LPTVBA.org and we will put them on the show, or fill out the Podcast Survey.
2. Comments wanted, and the clock is ticking. XGN / X1 Mobile and Tyche Media have petitioned the FCC to let low-power television stations use the 5G Broadcast standard, a minimum of one 720p linear stream, and dedicate 50% of the remaining spectrum to emergency alerts and first-responder solutions. The petitioners say this is squarely in the public interest. What do you think? File a comment before the October 19 deadline. It is simpler than it sounds. Steps are below.
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How to File a Comment
Prefer to type straight into a web form? Use the FCC ECFS Express Form.
1. In Proceeding(s), type 26-263 and select the matching docket.
2. Add your name, contact details, and address.
3. Type your statement in Brief Comment.
4. Review it, then hit Submit.
October 19 is the deadline. A short, clear comment beats a perfect one that never gets filed.
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3. Grants, grants, grants. Looking for funding for your station? Shana listed some Grant Opportunities for LPTV Broadcasters and Schools in the members portal. Dig in, then tell us how it goes. May all your wishes be granted.
4. Class A stations: quarterly reports. They are due. File them. Future-you will send a thank-you note.
5. The Nationwide EAS test is coming. Are you ready? Now is the time to check the gear, the contacts, and the plan. No one wants to be the station that finds out live.
6. Station sales, now in one place. You asked. We listened. By the time our next newsletter hits your inbox, we will have a new transactions section for recent LPTV and Class A sales. New deals will run in this newsletter, and a running list will live in the members area. Population counts will use public information only.
7. Deal of the month: ConX and HC2. ConX closed on 75% of HC2. Coverage is a little more than 467 million people, which works out to about 30 cents per pop. That mix includes Class A and LPTV stations, plus three full-power stations. Count unique population coverage instead, and the cost jumps to about 70 cents per pop. Overlapping coverage is not a bug. As the technology moves, it is a feature.
Here’s to an October filled with beautiful leaves and the best Halloween costumes ever! Send pictures!
Keep smiling!
SuperFrank
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Our OCTOBER Pocast Is Live!
LPTV: From Bargain Bin to Beachfront — or, The Little Stations That Could… The Game Changer: 5G Broadcast!
In this episode of the LPTV Broadcasters Association Podcast, Frank Copsidas and Bill Christian break down the rapidly evolving world of 5G Broadcast, from the latest developments at IBC in Amsterdam to the technology, receivers, regulatory landscape, and potential new opportunities for LPTV broadcasters.
In this episode:
* What 5G Broadcast is—and how it differs from cellular 5G
* Why mobile reception could be significant for LPTV
* ATSC 1.0, ATSC 3.0 and 5G Broadcast
* Emergency alerts and applications for first responders
* The FCC petitions and regulatory path forward
* The arrival of commercially available 5G Broadcast receivers
* When 5G Broadcast-enabled smartphones could reach consumers
* International momentum behind the technology
* Why broadcast still has a unique advantage when thousands of people need the same information at the same time
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Quarterly Issues /Program Lists
LATEST LIST DUE OCTOBER 10, 2026
By Dan Alpert
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Under the Commission’s Rules, commercial and non-commercial full-power AM, FM, and TV (and Class A low-power television) broadcast stations must place in their online public inspection files, every three months, a list of programs that have provided the station’s most significant treatment of community issues during the preceding three-month period. The list for each calendar quarter is to be placed in the online public file by the tenth day of the succeeding calendar quarter (e.g., January 10 for the preceding quarter October - December; April 10 for the preceding quarter January - March; July 10 for the preceding quarter April – June; and October 10 for the preceding quarter July - September).
These lists must be uploaded to your Online Public Inspection File that should already be established and operating. To upload the Filing, the File should be placed uploaded in “Manage Public Inspections Files” in the Tab entitled “Issues/Programs Lists.”
This latest list should cover the period July 1 – September 30, 2026.
The list must include a brief narrative describing what issues were given significant treatment during the preceding quarter, and a list of illustrative programming that addressed those issues during that quarter. The description of the programs shall include, but shall not be limited to, the time, date, duration, and title of each illustrative program on which the issue was treated. Generally, a list of five or so local issues, and a listing of at least several programs that were broadcast with respect to each issue that addressed those issues, is considered adequate. The programming that is listed need not include only locally-produced programming – if appropriate (i.e., if the programming addressed a local community issue), the list also can include non-local purchased, national, or syndicated programming that has been broadcast on your station.
The quarterly issues/programs list described above must be retained in each station’s Online Public Inspection File until final action has been taken on the station’s next license renewal application.
FCC fines for failing to place the lists in the station’s public file on a timely basis are significant. Fines ranging from $4,000.00 to $10,000.00 are not unusual. Failure to timely place the list in your public file also can affect processing of your next application for renewal of your broadcast license.
A sample Chart that can be used to keep track of issue-responsive programming is attached hereto. Licensees should check to ensure that lists for all quarters since the grant of your last renewal application are also properly in the Public Inspection File. I also am attaching a Sample of a client’s completed Issues/Programs list.
These lists have to be retained in the Online Public Inspection File for the entirety of the current license term.
See Full Memorandum and Example Charts Here
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FEMA and the FCC will conduct a nationwide EAS test on at 2:20 p.m. ET on November 17, 2026. All EAS Participant stations must air the test.
Subject to the caveat below for certain LPTV stations, all EAS Participant stations must file three reports in the FCC’s EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS):
- ETRS Form One is due by October 30, 2026.
- ETRS Form Two is due within 48 hours of the test, by 2:20 p.m. ET on November 19, 2026.
- ETRS Form Three is due by January 4, 2027.
As a reminder, LPTV stations are considered EAS Participants and must air the Nationwide Test. However, TV translator stations and LPTV stations operating as translators (i.e., stations rebroadcasting the programming of another station in its entirety) are NOT required to file ETRS reports.
For additional details about the test and filing ETRS reports, please refer to the FCC’s Public Notice.
Davina Sashkin (She/Her/Hers)
Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer, LLP
Partner
221 W. 6th Street Suite 1030
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UPDATE YOUR PROFILE!
Share more information with members in our community - what sectors you're in, are you buying or selling? Let us know!
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FREE CERT FOR MEMBERS
SiliconDust & the ATSC 3.0 Certificate Authority (ATSC3CA) is offering a free certificate to our members!
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GRANTS
Are you an LPTV broadcaster, station owner, or industry professional?
Learn about possibilities for your communities.
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JOIN US!
We are THE association for the LPTV, Class A, and independent full-power television station business community in the USA. Members include station owners, brokers, legal, consulting, technology, and engineering community.
LPTV Broadcasting Association’s mission is to promote industry collaboration and opportunities - to provide a one source platform for insights, issues, and standards that enable the LPTV industry to thrive. Advisory services include station brokerage, maximizing station value, subchannel leasing, and resource connections.
We provide representation for our members with legislators and policy makers in an increasingly complex security-focused communications landscape.
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