World Media Economics and Management Conference 2016

The upcoming reverse incentive spectrum auction is expected to raise between $25-$40 billion for broadcasters and the United States government, and impact many facets of the broadcast industry. However, the auction has been delayed twice since being mandated in 2012, and many issues surrounding the logistics and success of the auction remain. Questions that surround the auction include: how many broadcast stations will participate, what will happen if not enough stations participate and not enough spectrum clears, and how repacking and coverage issues associated with the spectrum moves will impact broadcast stations. The purpose of this paper is to examine broadcasters' perspectives on the upcoming auction. This examination is conducted through a series of in-depth interviews with broadcast station owners, general managers, media brokers and trade association representatives. The two most common themes to emerge from the interviews was a lack of information about the reverse incentive auctions and a distrust that the FCC would protect the television broadcast industr