The Jimmy Kimmel spectacle may have grabbed headlines, but it was a sideshow compared to the real story: the accelerating obsolescence of the broadcast TV model itself.

If Brendan Carr’s vision prevails, local TV risks becoming both homogenized and politicized — consolidated into a few large conglomerates, and pressured to avoid programming that might displease those in power.

The real question is whether broadcast ownership rules written for a world of media scarcity can still make sense in a world of communications abundance.

“KidVid” rules were born of good intentions — to ensure children weren’t shortchanged by profit-driven commercial broadcasters. But three decades later, they’ve morphed into an outsourced compliance exercise dominated by a single producer.

Broadcasters seeking regulatory support, legislative goodwill, or community backing — whether for NextGen approvals or large-scale mergers — can achieve it by dedicating some spectrum and revenues to a durable, modernized system of public access.

Should broadcasters be allowed to bulk up to compete with tech platforms, even if it means fewer owners controlling the bulk of local stations? Or should ownership caps remain a bulwark against consolidation, even if that risks leaving broadcasters weaker in the face of digital disruption?

Independence will soon become more commonplace in local TV. Stations can either treat it as a setback — or see it as an opening to redefine their role in their respective communities.

Local broadcast television is edging toward one of the biggest consolidation waves in its history; it’s beginning with the construction of co-owned station duopolies in markets across the country.

If FCC Chairman Brendan Carr truly believes in the importance of media localism, then he should stop treating it as deregulatory wishful thinking and start advocating for policies that directly support it.

The NHL has no clear roadmap for aggregating rights, managing the financial shock of lost RSN revenue, or making the fan experience more seamless across markets.

Eliminating support for public media will ensure that millions of Americans — especially those in less populated, less profitable zip codes — will be more disconnected, unheard, and unseen.

What’s next for local NBA TV broadcasts? A hybrid model that combines the best of old and new.

In today’s world of streaming, mobile viewing, personalized advertising, and advanced digital broadcast technology, the TV DMA has quickly become anachronistic.

In this Q&A, Madhive’s Spencer Potts sits down with Marketecture’s CEO Ari Paparo to talk about how Madhive is using AI to simplify the chaos of local digital advertising.

Not all local stations are created equal, and the paths ahead for network-owned stations and independently owned affiliates couldn’t be more different.

The public interest requires nothing less than the full realization of ATSC 3.0's commercial television potential before spectrum is diverted to enterprise applications.

If broadcast regulation truly needs reform — and it surely does — then retransmission consent must be on the negotiating table.

The local TV industry's long-held ad gatekeeping role is fading — and what replaces it will depend on how quickly broadcasters recognize both the risk and the opportunity.

The generational divide in how Americans consume “television” and TV news has never been more pronounced — or more consequential for the future of local media.

Today’s media economy increasingly favors “retail” or direct-to-consumer (DTC) models - yet local TV has almost no direct relationship with its audience.

Carrying C-SPAN could serve as a broadcaster bargaining chip in negotiations with the FCC, helping to secure favorable regulatory treatment such as relaxed ownership caps and support for the costly ATSC 3.0 transition.

Broadcasters cannot be both innovators and wards of the state.

Diller imagined a network of independent stations breathing life back into "local TV" — a striking contrast to the increasingly cookie-cutter world of national networks and formulaic local newscasts.

MLS still benefits greatly from its exclusive Apple TV+ deal. But recently, clubs have been finding workarounds to earn more exposure (and revenues) from local broadcasts, too.

When station group owners force must-run segments onto local newscasts, they dilute the time and resources available for actual local reporting.

If stalwarts like Wheel and Jeopardy! can be peeled away from the traditional TV syndication pipeline, what’s to stop others from following?

5G Broadcast is gaining traction as a mobile-first digital TV alternative that aligns well with modern viewing habits and global trends toward cellular-based media delivery systems.

At its core, HC2’s petition represents an admission by broadcasters that the future of television is no longer about delivering content to viewers but about repurposing spectrum for data services.

If history has taught us anything, it’s that aggressive deregulation often carries unintended — and sometimes irreversible — consequences.

The question is no longer whether some stations will drop local news — it’s when and how many will.