Media Regulation – Media & Communications Policy

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 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 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.

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.

September 18, 2025October 22, 2025 By Adonis Hoffman, Esq.

The Future of Conservative Media

The slaying of conservative activist and media personality Charlie Kirk as he spoke at a campus rally in Utah was a tragedy on many levels: the wrenching of a devoted family man from his wife and young children; the fatal silencing of a speaker in a nation where freedom of speech is a constitutional guarantee; and a manifestation of the increasingly brutal partisanship gripping this country.

This senseless killing also has drawn newfound attention to the environment in which Charlie Kirk thrived – the catalyst that propelled him to the forefront of a movement, making him a hero to millions and a public figure to all: conservative media.

July 24, 2025July 23, 2025 By Stuart N. Brotman

Let’s Not Create a Self-Censorship Wave in Comedy

Stephen Colbert’s recent announcement that he has been terminated from hosting The Late Show on CBS has been met with confusion and anger by millions of his fans. The press announcement indicated that the cancellation, effective in May 2026, was the result solely of financial losses for the top-rated series.

But there remains a larger fear that a contributing factor was to punish Colbert’s sharp political jokes that frequently slung arrows at the Trump administration, versions one and two. Put simply, both removing Colbert and eliminating The Late Show entirely after he departs may have a more lasting impact on other comedians now on air or in the future.

June 26, 2025June 25, 2025 By Guest Author Anna Gomez

Government’s Unprecedented Threat to the First Amendment

Our current political moment poses challenges unlike anything I thought I would face as an FCC Commissioner. This Administration has been on a campaign to censor and control since, well, before day one. And since day one the FCC has been implementing the will of this Administration and undermining the First Amendment at every turn.

The First Amendment has protected our fundamental right to speak freely and to hold power to account since 1791. It is foundational to our democracy. Today, the greatest threat to that freedom is coming from our own government.

March 21, 2025March 19, 2025 By Michael O'Rielly

Bringing Forbearance to Video Services

The communications sector is beset by layers upon layers of unnecessary government burdens. While visible in many areas, obsolete policies fastened to traditional video providers – some of which were chiseled over 40 years ago – are clearly ready for the delete button.

Yet, erasing outdated regulations, even if there’s universal agreement, takes massive amounts of time and Herculean effort to overcome the procedural hoops and eventual court challenges. That’s unacceptable in today’s very fluid and competitive video marketplace.