The Media Notepad: Supreme Court rules in favor of FCC in ownership case

Also: Bless The Harts canceled; Boost 97.5 arrives while Clubsteppin’ closes; Bally Sports Net debuts to mixed reviews [Editor’s Note: This post was updated on April 15 to remove some incorrect information regarding Clubsteppin’ 95.1 FM. T Dog Media apologizes for the errors. -T.H.]  As expected, the U.S. Supreme Court voted Thursday to uphold the FCC’s 2017 ownership rules, eliminating […]

Supreme Court to take up FCC ownership rules case

High court agrees to hear longstanding argument There is a lot at stake with the U.S. Supreme Court now taking up the case of the FCC’s ownership rules dilemma, a battle raging for some 40-plus years. For one, this case would be the biggest one yet for the media industry as a decision on the FCC ownership rules have the […]

Rep. Bobby Rush slams Comcast over Byron Allen lawsuit

1st District Congressman not happy with nation’s largest cable company In a huge broadside against one of the country’s biggest cable operators, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) slammed Comcast for their role in a lawsuit involving one of the nation’s most successful African-American media entrepreneurs and may lead the company to be broken up. In a letter to Comcast CEO Brian […]

Supreme Court to Aereo: You’re Out

Ending months of wondering and worrying, the nation’s major broadcasters dodged a major bullet Wednesday when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of them in their case against Aereo (ABC v. Aereo), an Internet startup company which took (or some say stole) broadcasters’ signals and allows subscribers to watch on their laptops, smartphones, and other devices – without Aereo […]

Court tosses FCC Super Bowl fine against CBS

In a move that makes an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court all but likely, The Third Circuit Court Of Appeals threw out the fine against CBS-owned stations for the Janet Jackson Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction”. The court sided with CBS and found the FCC “capricious” and “arbitrary” in changing the rules in not holding fleeting nudity indecent, also concluding […]