2025 Broadcasters Regulatory Calendar – Looking Ahead to Some of the Regulatory Dates and Deadlines for the New Year

2025 has begun – and everyone is speculating as to what the New Year will bring, particularly given the upcoming change in administration in the White House and at the FCC.  Yesterday, we published an article looking at some of the regulatory issues that we expect the FCC will address this year.  And we promised to let you know about some of the deadlines that are already on the 2025 calendar.  So, as we do each year at about this time, we put together a look at the regulatory dates ahead for broadcasters.  To that end, we offer for your review, our 2025 Broadcasters Regulatory Calendar.  While this calendar should not be viewed as an exhaustive list of every regulatory date or deadline that your station will face, it highlights many of the most important dates for broadcasters in the coming year – including dates for EEO Public Inspection File Reports, Quarterly Issues Programs lists, children’s television obligations, annual fee obligations, the Biennial Ownership Report due later this year, and much more.

Unlike 2024, this year will not bring the flood of Presidential and Congressional political advertising that we see in even numbered years.  But there still will be important and likely hotly contested state and local races that will involve local political advertising.  This will include governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia, the New York City mayoral race, and likely other local races, special elections, issue advertising, and possibly even the start of campaigning for the 2026 Congressional elections.  So, we have included a list of local elections that we have been able to identify, and the associated lowest unit rate windows for each of those elections.  Remember, while you don’t have to accept advertising from state and local candidates, once you accept it from one candidate in a race, all of the political rules (including equal time, lowest unit rates, and political file obligations) apply.  See our article here on how the other political broadcasting rules apply to state and local elections, and our article here on what you should be doing to prepare for future elections.

Certainly, as the year progresses, there will be plenty more dates to note, particularly with the new Commission which is quite likely to make changes to existing requirements.  Keep in mind that some deadlines listed here may be changed by the FCC, or new ones may be added.  And we may have missed some obligations that apply specifically to your stations.  So do your own research to stay on top of your regulatory obligations.  Follow our blog where we post a weekly summary of the prior week’s regulatory actions relevant to broadcasters and a look ahead prior to the start of each month at the regulatory dates in the coming month.  Read other newsletters and trade publications and consult your own attorney to stay on top of the regulatory obligations that apply to your stations.  We hope that this 2025 Broadcaster’s Regulatory Calendar will give you a good start on spotting some of the important dates that may be ahead and affect your operations.