The FCC Media Bureau seeks comment on procedures for an upcoming auction of 136 FM allotments and four AM facilities, “the license of which have expired and their call signs deleted,” and enacted an accompanying freeze, said an order and public notice Monday. The freeze affects applications that modify allotments involved in the auction, which is called Auction 109. Many permits involved in 109 were originally on offer in Auction 106, which was postponed indefinitely in March because of COVID-19. Auction 106 is now canceled, and applications from participants were dismissed, the PN said. Comments on auction procedures are due March 15, replies March 22.

The FCC Media Bureau proposed a $1,500 forfeiture for a late-filed FM translator renewal application and will grant the renewal for Letcher County Broadcasting's W278BK Jenkins, Kentucky, said a notice of apparent liability and order Friday.

The FCC Media Bureau proposed a $1,500 forfeiture for a late-filed FM translator renewal application, but it will grant the renewal for Heritage Media’s W280FH Leitchfield, Kentucky, said a notice of apparent liability and order in Thursday’s Daily Digest: The station filed late but before its license expired, and there was no pattern of abuse.

The Advanced Warning and Response Network Alliance wants to comment on FCC proceedings arising out of the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act (see 2012040043) on a report on emergency alerting over streaming media, it said in a filing posted in docket 15-94 Tuesday. AWARN Alliance Executive Director John Lawson, ATSC President Madeleine Noland and other members of the AWARN Alliance Steering Committee met virtually with Public Safety Bureau Chief Lisa Fowlkes and staff Thursday. The alliance wants to “re-engage” with “key federal agencies and non-government organizations involved in alerting,” to discuss using 3.0 in emergency communications and the development of “model voluntary agreements” between TV stations and alert originators. Fowlkes listed “responding to directives from Congress in the READI Act” and “convening a new Communications Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council,” as priorities for the bureau, the filing said.

Gray Television will buy Quincy Media for $925 million, the acquirer announced. Quincy owns stations in 16 markets in the Midwest, and the proposed deal would lead to Gray acquiring 11 and divesting others “to facilitate prompt regulatory approvals,” Monday's release said. The divestitures are in markets where Gray already owns a full-power TV station, said Gray Chief Legal and Development Officer Kevin Latek in an email. Gray will hold onto Quincy’s stations in Fort Wayne, Indiana; Peoria, Illinois; Duluth, Minnesota, and others. Markets where stations will be divested include Tucson; Madison, Wisconsin; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The deal will still involve an overlap in South Bend, Indiana, where Gray owns a full-power station and Quincy owns WSJV Elkhart, Indiana, and radio station WGEM Quincy, Illinois. That will require a waiver, Latek said. The TV station isn’t a top-four affiliate and shouldn’t raise antitrust concerns, Latek said. Broadcast industry don’t expect the deal to hit regulatory snags. Quincy didn't comment.

Fifteen more broadcasters supported an FCC zoned broadcast coverage proposal in nearly identical filings posted in docket 20-401 Thursday (see 2101270069). Commenters included HubCast Broadcasting, Hazard Broadcasting and the Marshall University Board of Governors, which holds the license for WMUL(FM) Huntington, West Virginia. As with similar comments earlier this week, the filings focused on benefits of allowing geotargeted radio broadcasts to emergency alerts and local broadcasters.

Stations supported the FCC proposal to allow geotargeted radio broadcasts. KM Communications, KM Radio of Atlanta, Kath Broadcasting, KM Broadcasting of Guam, KM Radio of Breese, Keyhole Broadcasting and Johnny Boswell Radio -- all represented by broadcast lawyer Aaron Shainis of Shainis & Peltzman -- filed nearly identical comments praising the proposals (see 2101110053), posted in docket 20-401 Wednesday. Several of the radio stations are owned or affiliated with KM Communications. "Emergency Alerts would be more impactful” and “Zoned Coverage would make radio much more attractive to small businesses,” said the filings. Interference concerns aren’t an issue because no station would use tech that hurt its own signal, they said. “The limit in the number of boosters should be self-policing.” Comments are due Feb. 10.

Sinclair and Bally’s unveiled a Bally Sports logo Wednesday to go along with 19 renamed regional sports networks that will be rebranded under the casino company’s name over the next few months, part of a 10-year agreement announced in November (see 2011190028). It "signifies a new, transformative chapter in the regional sports business and is representative of our cohesive partnership with Bally's," said Steve Rosenberg, Sinclair president-local sports. The logo rollout is a first step in a “transformational partnership that is going to revolutionize the U.S. sports betting, gaming and media industries,” said Bally's CEO George Papanier. The company will integrate its content, including a fantasy sports platform it's buying from Monkey Knife Fight, into live game day coverage across the RSNs, he said. Sinclair has rights to eventually buy up to 30% of Bally’s stock, pending regulatory approval. Sinclair’s RSN portfolio will receive annual naming rights fees and a percentage of Bally’s Interactive’s marketing spending.

NAB, E.W. Scripps and Tegna asked the FCC to clarify how FCC licensing rules affect TV stations multicasting during the ATSC 3.0 transition, in replies for Monday night’s deadline in docket 16-142. “The clarification and rule changes NAB seeks in this proceeding are ministerial in nature and intended only to ensure that the Commission has a consistent regulatory framework,” said NAB. Recognizing or codifying rules around broadcasters hosting programming streams for other stations is needed to clarify the arrangements don’t create attributable interests for ownership purposes, and that the stream’s originator is responsible for ensuring it complies with FCC considerations such as kidvid and emergency broadcast rules, Tegna said. The clarification would “provide regulatory certainty and efficiencies that would facilitate the deployment of ATSC 3.0 technologies,” said Scripps.

Exempt noncommercial educational stations from new disclosure rules for foreign-sponsored content, Minnesota Public Radio and REC Networks asked in FCC replies in docket 20-299 by Monday night’s deadline (see 2012170075). The rules could require NCE stations to air such identification while broadcasting content bought by the broadcaster from the BBC, MPR said. "A standardized disclosure would be required whenever a foreign governmental entity furnishes program material to a station at nominal cost as an inducement to broadcast such material,” MPR said. “The NPRM does not define ‘nominal cost.’” NCEs aren’t allowed to sell content on their stations anyway, so additional ID isn’t necessary, REC said. That’s not the case for commercial stations, REC said. “We do feel though that for purchased airtime by a foreign government entity, that the specific disclosure that a program is originating from a ‘foreign government’ should be necessary." The FCC's proposals "would duplicate existing laws and rules and sweep in a much broader swath of content than the intended target of foreign propaganda,” said NAB: Rely on Foreign Agents Registration Act rules. If the FCC adopts new rules, they should be “narrowly tailored,” it asked. NCTA made similar points: “Avoid duplication with the disclosures already required” by FARA “and ensure that the rules are reasonable.”