Broadcasters Oppose Stephens County, Georgia, Market Mod Petition
Market modification petitions filed by the Stephens County, Georgia, board of county commissioners lack “required evidence,” said four broadcasters in a joint opposition filing posted Friday. Stephens County wants to be added to the local TV markets of four Atlanta…
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stations, but the broadcasters -- who own stations in South Carolina -- said the Atlanta stations don’t cover content local to Stephens County and the county doesn’t have a history of receiving Atlanta television broadcasts. That the Atlanta stations are in the same state as Stephens County “is neither exclusive nor dispositive,” said broadcasters WYFF Hearst Television, Meredith Corporation, Nexstar and WLOS Licensee. “Neither Congress nor the Commission ever declared or suggested” that a station’s in-state location is more important in considering market modification requests than local focus, history and coverage, the broadcasters said. “There is no evidence that the Atlanta Stations that would be imported into Stephens County have expressed a specific desire to be carried in that county or an intention to provide localized programming that is specifically targeted to the county,” the filing said.