Media & Communications Policy – Issues & Developments in the Realm of Communications and Media Policy & The First Amendment

June 5, 2026June 3, 2026 By Adonis Hoffman, Esq.

Who Can Save Local Television? The Merger Main Street May Need

By most accounts, America’s local television stations are in trouble. Declining viewership, diminished advertising revenue, and devastating competition from streaming services have left local broadcasters facing a dire future, and their fate now rests with a federal court in California.

Against this backdrop, Nexstar, America’s largest television station owner, moved to acquire Tegna in a $6.2-billion merger. The deal would establish the combined company as the undisputed leader of local television and promises to serve hundreds of cities with local news, weather, emergency information, sports, and community content.

May 29, 2026May 28, 2026 By Stuart N. Brotman

The Comfortable Fiction of Campus Neutrality

University presidents love to say that their institutional values are clear. It is a comforting claim, and an increasingly hollow one.

The pattern has become familiar. A university adopts a policy that touches on expression. Faculty or students object, arguing it chills speech or signals exclusion. Administrators insist the policy is content-neutral and procedural. Critics point out that no policy lands in a vacuum. The administration expresses concern, perhaps apologizes, and promises dialogue. A committee may be formed. The underlying tension goes unresolved.

May 21, 2026May 20, 2026 By Michael O'Rielly

TMI Embraces Too Much Information

For many of us, The Media Institute – an esteemed forum for convening, debating, and defending the First Amendment’s protections for American media – is affectionately known as “TMI.” In an acronym-heavy town, could that be confused with the slang meaning, “Too Much Information”?

Probably not. But even if it were, the label would still fit in context: The Institute champions the media industry’s access to and right to disseminate a broad range of information.

April 28, 2026April 28, 2026 By Michael O'Rielly

Paramount Deal Doesn’t Trigger Foreign Ownership Concerns

After months of a publicly contested bidding war over the Warner Bros. Discovery assets, Paramount ultimately prevailed. The company now moves to the deal review and approval process with government officials, which will allow the transaction to close in full.

Then it can focus on delivering rich media content to consumers worldwide. One area that shouldn’t cause consternation among regulators is the foreign ownership aspects of Paramount’s financing package. From a Federal Communications Commission standpoint, this should either be a non-issue or require only a pro forma review.

March 17, 2026March 17, 2026 By Stuart N. Brotman

The Most Patriotic Thing Broadcasters Can Do for America’s 250th

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced his “Pledge America Campaign” in mid-February, urging broadcasters to air “patriotic, pro-America programming” in celebration of America’s 250th birthday this July 4. Among his suggestions: starting each broadcast day with “The Star-Spangled Banner” or the Pledge of Allegiance.

I have a better idea.

Before the anthem plays, before a single note of John Philip Sousa is aired, broadcasters should put 45 words on the screen – the words of the First Amendment. It would be the most patriotic thing they could do for America’s Semiquincentennial, and perhaps the most necessary.

March 4, 2026March 3, 2026 By Adonis Hoffman, Esq.

Making TV Great Again – Better Than Ever

Television is experiencing its most consequential and captivating period of the year, a span of several weeks that began with the Golden Globe Awards, Grammy Awards, the Super Bowl – the most watched event in the world – and continues through the Winter Olympics, March Madness, the Academy Awards (Oscars), and the World Cup.

It is a time when millions of Americans and those across the globe gather in front of their TV sets for must-see communal rituals, while thousands more have spent the last few weeks seeking the best buys on big-screen TVs to upgrade their home theaters. The annual January surge in TV sales is more than a seasonal trend; it is a tangible vote of confidence from consumers who see television as the undisputed hearth of the modern home.

February 17, 2026February 16, 2026 By Stuart N. Brotman

It’s Time for Patriots To Declare Themselves ‘Free Expression Warriors’

As America 250 unfolds this year, it’s a sure bet that the term “patriot” will be used more frequently to describe the brave fighters of the American Revolution and those who have followed in modern times.

In the past few years, that description has taken on multiple meanings, often viewed through ideological lenses. Historically a term of national unity, “patriot” is now frequently used as a wedge to separate “true” Americans from those with differing political views.

February 1, 2026January 27, 2026 By Michael O'Rielly

Why I ‘Chose’ The Media Institute

Career paths can be carefully mapped or unexpectedly presented. In this case, the role called me. Late last year, it became clear that The Media Institute (TMI) – an organization I admire for its honorable mission and pivotal functions – needed a new leader, as its legendary head, Rick Kaplar, was ready to reduce his workload.

At that point, my hand reflexively rose to help steer TMI’s future, alongside an able Board of Trustees, with the respectful goal of preserving its high notes while addressing any shortcomings. To be clear, my aim is to maintain TMI at its current level of effectiveness while recognizing the demands of a changing media environment. The historic time and energy invested in TMI’s triumphs deserve no less.

December 9, 2025December 8, 2025 By Guest Author Gary Shapiro

Why Innovation Needs the First Amendment

Our American democracy and our freedoms have long been models for others. For some 250 years, our ability to argue, debate, clash, and ultimately come together has not been a weakness – it has been our superpower!

The First Amendment was the first improvement to our Constitution for a reason. It ensures not only that we speak, but that we can hear one another.

Free speech is America’s secret sauce. It has fueled our economy, expanded opportunity, and made us the most innovative nation in history.

October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 By Adonis Hoffman, Esq.

TV Consolidation – A Moat Against Extinction

Broadcast television, once the unquestioned center of American life, now stands at the edge of obsolescence. What was once a cultural hearth has been pushed to the margins by streaming, cord-cutting, “cord-nevers,” and the algorithmic dominance of Big Tech. Viewers have migrated, advertisers have followed, and revenue models that once sustained thousands of stations are eroding at an accelerating pace.

The uncomfortable truth is that fragmentation has become fatal. American broadcasters, still bound by ownership rules written for another era, are ill-equipped to compete against digital behemoths that operate without limits. Unless policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders embrace consolidation, the medium that has long been free, universal, and trusted risks being reduced to a relic of a bygone era.