LeGeyt Says Vegas NAB Show Is On, Wants Action on 'Big Tech'

NAB President Curtis LeGeyt thinks FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel should prioritize paving the way for ATSC 3.0, and is “100% confident” the 2022 NAB Show in late April will be in person as planned, he said at the Media Institute’s virtual Communications Forum luncheon Tuesday. He also targeted tech companies and performance royalties for radio stations, and said the most difficult part of his new job heading NAB is the lack of in-person contact with members due to COVID-19 restrictions. “We don’t have that intimate relationship with our membership,” LeGeyt said. “The way we really succeed is when we can get back to in-person.”

January's CES 2022, at the same Las Vegas venue as the NAB Show and usually on a larger scale -- took place at “the worst possible time" with COVID-19 cases surging from the omicron variant, but still managed to be a positive experience for attendees, LeGeyt said. CES 2022 had about a quarter of the attendance of the last physical CES in 2020 (see 2201100029), but LeGeyt said attendees aiming to get business done there were able to accomplish more because of fewer distractions. Since the NAB Show is less consumer-focused and leans more toward commerce, “we’ll be able to build on that,” LeGeyt said. “There is pent-up demand from the entire NAB Show community,” he said. The April 23-27 show is expected to be mask-free under newly revised COVID-19 rules from Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) (see 2202110020).

LeGeyt said Rosenworcel should look at broadcasting issues more broadly and support the industry’s push to 3.0 as a way to provide alternative information sources for local communities other than tech platforms. The agency has an open proceeding on proposed 3.0 multicasting rule changes (see 2202140051). LeGeyt said “no one could disagree” that every community in the U.S. should have a competitive, locally based news outlet, “but the economic reality isn’t there.” The FCC shouldn’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good, he said.

LeGeyt declined to comment on whether NAB would take the FCC to court over the still-unfinished 2018 quadrennial review but said the need for the agency to update its ownership rules is “existential.” Loosening FCC restrictions on broadcasters to allow them increased scale is part of the formula for “reining in Big Tech,” he said. “Congress and the FCC must take a fresh look at whether these decades-old regulations are helping or impeding broadcast competition and media diversity.”

LeGeyt repeated NAB’s support for a resurrected minority tax certificate but said broadcasters “can’t wait for Congress to act.” NAB has been working with mid-size broadcasters to improve representation in the industry, he said. Broadcasting should be “a reflection” of the local communities it covers, said LeGeyt.

The NAB head targeted tech companies repeatedly in his remarks, citing the proposed Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (see 2202110068) as a way to save local news. “Their market dominance allows them to offer us ‘take it or leave it’ compensation terms that significantly devalue our product,” LeGeyt said of Facebook and Google. “Congress must take action to rein in the gatekeeping ability of the Big Tech giants who are stifling the economics of local news.”

LeGeyt expressed “great frustration” over performance royalties for radio stations. A “one-sided stand-alone performance fee on local radio stations will undermine our service,” LeGeyt said. NAB “welcomes a discussion on music licensing reforms that simplify the system and grow the pie for creators while ensuring an economically viable broadcast industry,” he said.