Howard Stirk Holdings (HSH) applied for the first waiver...

Howard Stirk Holdings (HSH) applied for the first waiver under new FCC attribution rules for joint sales agreements, in a request filed Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1tDIIYh). HSH wants the waiver to let it acquire WMMP Charleston, S.C., WABM(TV) Birmingham, Ala., and WLYH Lancaster, Pa., as part of Sinclair’s paying almost $1 billion to buy Allbritton Communications’ TV stations. Before the text of the new JSA rules was issued, HSH had asked the Media Bureau to confirm (CD April 17 p14) that it would receive such a waiver, but no decision had been issued. HSH had been set to acquire those stations before the bureau issued its new guidelines on deals involving JSAs. After the guidance that was seen as cracking down on JSAs in TV deals, Sinclair said it would restructure the Allbritton deal to sell the stations to a third party and avoid running afoul of new scrutiny on JSAs. If the commission waives the rules for HSH, Sinclair will consent to sell HSH the stations and enter into sharing arrangements, HSH said. “Armstrong Williams, through HSH, will control these Stations.” That control “will clearly serve the public interest,” said HSH. Those benefits include increased public affairs programming and an internship program “targeted at young minority students interested in the technical side of the television business.” Williams is one of the only African-American full-power TV station owners in the country, said HSH.