Advocacy efforts could bear fruit

We’re at the halfway point of 2025 and looking back at the past six months it has been an unprecedented whirlwind. We have had successful engagement at a number of events like the WBA Summer Conference, just recently completed in beautiful La Crosse. We held our State Legislative Day in January. We hosted the truly AMAZING Student Forum and Job Fair at Lambeau Field with more than 400 students in attendance. The WBA Awards Gala was again a massive success as 1,493 entries were evaluated and 669 winners we’re announced before a crowd of more than 400.

But 2025 began as one of the most interesting years in broadcasting history. In March of this year, about 20 of your fellow WBA members traveled to Washington D.C. to engage lawmakers in a discussion about multiple topics, including deregulation. The 2025 NAB State Leadership Conference was a point where, finally, we hope, the rubber did meet the road as it relates to deregulation.

On March 4-5 we visited the offices of all eight House Members and both Senators to talk about keeping AM radios in all vehicles, protecting broadcasters from a performance tax, and protecting the deductibility of advertising expenses. We also talked about modernizing antiquated ownership rules, A LOT. We weren’t alone. This was a well-coordinated plan that was a pleasure to be a part of that week. The NAB, ownership groups, key supporters from the House and Senate, and of course state broadcasting associations from all over the country united in one voice and said, “enough” to unfair competition. We asked the FCC to modernize outdated regulations that prevent fair competition. 

On March 12, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced the launch of “a massive, new deregulatory initiative” aimed at eliminating FCC rules deemed unnecessary or burdensome. The FCC opened a new docket titled “Delete, Delete, Delete” in which the agency seeks public comment on which rules, regulations, or guidance documents should be eliminated in the name of streamlining regulatory processes. Chairman Carr posted on X , “The FCC is committed to ending all of the rules and regulations that are no longer necessary.”

Rubber meet road.

This has been a long time coming. We stand on the shoulders of so many who have been pursuing this agenda for decades.  As broadcasters we finally have a chance to see rules created in the middle of the last century amended to reflect the realities of the current century. Keep pushing, fellow broadcasters.