FCC Okays Journal Request for Green Bay Duopoly Waiver

The Federal Communications Commission has granted Journal Broadcasting a failing station waiver of its duopoly rule so the broadcasters can buy independent WACY-TV Appleton (WI), which is licensed to the same market (Green Bay) as Journal's WGBA.

Journal has already been providing all of WACY's programming under a grandfathered local marketing agreement -- dating back almost two decades -- and argued in seeking the license transfer. Ordinarily, since Journal's purchase of WACY would not leave eight independently-owned stations in the Green Bay market, it would be prevented from owning both stations. But the FCC also has a waiver for so-called "failed stations," which are stations that are either dark or in financial straits (bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings) or that it concludes would be without the financial help of a new owner.