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FCC Launches Probe of Media General, Invokes ‘Death Penalty Provision’

Mar 10, 2016  •  Post A Comment

“The FCC has launched an investigation into whether Media General has illegally usurped control of Gray Television’s WAGT Augusta, Ga., an NBC affiliate that it has been operating under joint sales and shared services agreements,” TVNewsCheck reports.

In a court filing Wednesday, FCC Deputy General Counsel David Gossett said the agency has “initiated an investigation and plans to issue a Letter of Inquiry within the near future in order to determine … whether a hearing would be appropriate under Section 312 of the Communications Act.”

The report notes that Section 312 is the panel’s “death penalty provision,” which outlines how the agency might revoke a broadcaster’s license.

TVNewsCheck notes: “That Media General would rile up the FCC for the sake of a single small-market JSA is surprising, given that it and Nexstar Broadcasting Group are asking the FCC to bless their $4.6 billion merger.”

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