Legal Memo

As a result of Supreme Court and FEC rulings, stations should expect to get plenty of non-candidate attack ads this fall. Here's what you need to know about them and the candidate complaints they may generate. Also: the FCC's latest ruling on news exemptions from the equal time law.

The FCC gives broadcasters considerable freedom on how they may use their digital channels, but the freedom does not come without some obligations. And, in some cases, stations may have to cut the government in on a piece of the action.

Our resident legal expert offers a recap on Washington's regulatory and legal moves affecting TV stations and the public as the Feb. 17, 2009, switch to all-digital, full-power broadcasting approaches.

With the FCC leveling new fines against many stations for two incidents recently, here’s a run-down of what can trigger FCC action and what stations can do to avoid it.

The next big day in the race for the White House is Feb. 5 when 25 states hold primaries and caucuses. Keeping abreast of the rules governing political appearances and advertising is the best way of keeping out of trouble on Super Tuesday and election days to come.

TV stations can fully enjoy the windfall from political advertising next year—perhaps $2.6 billion in all—if they avoid becoming entangled in the web of political regulations.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's program for encouraging viewers to upgrade their old over-the-air TV sets for digital reception is the key to preventing a "rude awakening" on Feb. 18, 2009, the morning after analog signals go away.

The Supreme Court ruling on June 25 loosens the issue-ad financing restrictions on corporations and unions in the weeks before elections, saying they may air ads on TV and radio as long as they don't explicitly urge voters to cast their ballots for or against a specific candidate.

This week's court ruling undermining the FCC's anti-indecency regulations raises questions about mounting efforts to regulate TV violence. And there are alternatives to curbing mayhem on the tube.

Viacom's infringement suit against Google's YouTube brings to the forefront the issues that everybody in TV must deal with to protect copyrighted content and avoid liability on the Web and in other digital media.