The FCC Media Bureau’s grant of Gray Television’s request to swap KCBD Lubbock, Texas’s channel from 11 to 36 takes effect Thursday, says that day's Federal Register. The bureau also granted Gray’s request to swap KFVS Cape Girardeau, Missouri’s channel from 11 to 32 and to swap WRDW-TV Augusta, Georgia’s channel from 12 to 27.

There's room for growth in streaming and with the spectrum switch involving the C-band, said the head of a cable and telecom tech company. About a quarter of Harmonic’s streaming customers are “in the process of fully launching their new streaming services,” said CEO Patrick Harshman on a Q1 call Monday. Video was $70.3 million in revenue, up year over year and “indicating growth is more than just post-pandemic recovery,” he said. Harmonic is “not immune to the global supply chain constraints,” said Harshman. “We're seeing shortages of several key components and related significantly higher costs,” with some of the most significant impacts on its “shelf hardware products,” he said. The stock closed 13% lower Tuesday at $7.05. Others also are seeing chip crunches (see 2105040071). On TV broadcasting, the vendor is “seeing a general rebound" worldwide and “capturing an increasing share,” the CEO said. “We're also seeing 5G bandwidth reclamation.” Harmonic thinks the success the industry is beginning to experience with C-band “is opening the door to a broader opportunity for wholesale IP video distribution via terrestrial fiber rather than satellite networks,” he said. Harshman sees “substantial new opportunities” in C-band “beginning to materialize in the second half of the year, and we also see it as high probability for 2022,” he said. The “next wave of opportunity” will be in the U.S., though it won’t be “overnight,” he said: A “huge amount of video” throughout the world is still “moving around over satellite networks.”

The National Translator Association plans its in-person annual convention in Salt Lake City May 20-22, said President John Terrill. The event will feature “in-person exhibitors properly distanced, and a combination of in person and Zoom presenters meetings are scheduled in a large room allowing for social distancing,” Friday's release said.

A Radio, Television and Digital News Association survey showing rising attacks on journalists “gravely troubled” NAB, said NAB President Gordon Smith. Twenty percent of TV news directors say their employees have been attacked, and 86% of newsrooms acted to protect staff. RTDNA called the results “alarming” and sought signatures on a petition asking Congress to act to protect journalists. “The bigger the market, the more likely that there have been attacks, with 39% of news directors in top 25 markets reporting attacks,” said the report. “Journalism is more dangerous in the West than any other part of the country; network affiliation made no difference." The survey shows “an unprecedented level of harassment, intimidation and violence directed at journalists covering the historical events of 2020,” Smith said Wednesday. Groups want journalist protection legislation (see 2101120061).

Univision wants the FCC to modify a declaratory ruling to allow the company to be foreign owned in excess of 25% so SoftBank and Liberty Global Ventures can own voting interests of more than 5% in Univision, said an undocketed petition posted Thursday. “Anticipated investments in Univision by SoftBank and a conversion of Liberty Ventures’ investment to voting status have prompted the filing of the instant Petition,” it said. “Approval of these proposed investments in Univision will serve the public interest by allowing the company to raise additional capital.” Softbank invested $1 billion in Univision’s proposed purchase of content assets from Grupo Televisa (see 2104140067).

Gray Television will divest seven TV stations to Byron Allen’s Allen Media Broadcasting for $380 million, in connection with its proposed $925 million buy of Quincy Media, Gray announced Thursday. The stations are owned by Quincy in markets where Gray has overlaps, such as Tucson and Madison, Wisconsin. Gray/Quincy isn’t expected to hit regulatory snags (see 2102010072). The divestiture will close when the Quincy deal does, expected in Q3, Gray said. “At no time will Gray own, control or operate any of the divestiture television stations.” Allen repeated in the release that he plans to invest about $10 billion over the next two years to buy top four network stations “with the goal of being the largest broadcast television group in America.”

OMB approved data collection aspects of the FCC order allowing stations to use all-digital AM tech, says Thursday's Federal Register. The rule takes effect Thursday (see Notebook, 2010270035).

Comments are due May 28, replies June 14 in docket 21-156 for Sinclair's request to swap KBOI-TV Boise from channel 9 to 20, says Wednesday's Federal Register.

America-CV Station Group wants the FCC to allow the company to be up to 100% foreign owned due to a bankruptcy reorganization, said an undocketed petition for declaratory ruling posted Tuesday. The agency already OK'd transfers of control associated with the reorganization, transferring ACV’s four TV stations in Puerto Rico and one in Miami to Vasallo TV Group, which is owned by Spanish citizen Carlos Vasallo, the filing said. The bureau asked ACV to refile its petition after the transfer, it said. ACV was 21.9% foreign-owned before the bankruptcy, it said.

Requirements for qualifying for special bidding credits for new entrants in the FCC’s July 27 auction of radio construction permits -- auction 109 -- will be relaxed because of the Supreme Court’s recent Prometheus ruling (see 2104010067), said a public notice Tuesday. That decision restored the FCC revenue-based definition of eligible entities, and the rules allow investors and creditors of eligible entities to have bigger stakes in existing media properties and still qualify for new entrant bidding credits. The bidding credit provides a discount on the bid amount (see 2102080064). “This relaxed [equity/debt plus] standard was unavailable to applicants in recent auctions due to ongoing litigation, which was resolved by a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision,” the PN said. Normally, an entity can’t qualify for the new entrant credit if its equity and debt interests in mass media exceed 33% of its total asset value, but if an eligible entity is part of that calculation, it can exceed that threshold, the PN said.