SPARTAN RADIOCASTING CO. v. F. C. C.

Nos. 78-1240, 78-1566 and 78-1757.

619 F.2d 314 (1980)

SPARTAN RADIOCASTING COMPANY, Petitioner, v. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, and United States of America, Respondents, Key Television, Inc., Great Lakes Communications, Inc., Wyneco Communications, Inc., D. H. Overmyer Telecasting Company, National Cable Television Association, Inc., Post-Newsweek Stations, Connecticut, Inc., Post-Newsweek Stations, Florida, Inc., Intervenors. SPARTAN RADIOCASTING COMPANY, Petitioner, v. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, and United States of America, Respondents, Post-Newsweek Stations, Florida, Inc.; Post-Newsweek Stations, Connecticut, Inc.; Great Lakes Communications, Inc.; Springfield Television Corporation; D. H. Overmyer Telecasting Company; Key Television, Inc.; Wyneco Communications, Inc.; Summit Radio Corporation; Forward of Illinois, Inc.; Plains Television Corporation; Roy H. Park Broadcasting of Utica-Rome, Inc.; Studio Broadcasting System Division of Highwood Service, Inc.; Winnebago Television Corp.; Pullman TV Cable Co., Inc.; National Association of Broadcasters; Bibb Television, Inc.; RJN Broadcasting, Inc.; Broadcasting-Telecasting Services, Inc.; WBRE-TV, Inc.; Pennsylvania Cable Television Association; Virginia Broadcasting Corporation; The Klix Corporation; Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Company; Desert Empire Television Corporation; Knight-Ridder Broadcasting, Inc.; Capital Cities Communications, Inc.; Scranton Broadcasters, Inc.; New England Cable Television Association; Aberdeen Tele-Cable, Inc.; Allen's TV Cable Service, Inc.; American Video Corp.; Apple Valley TV Cable, Inc.; Asbury and James TV Cable Service; Audubon Electronics, Inc.; B & D Electric, Inc.; Better Cable TV; Big Canoe Corporation; Bishop Cable TV, Inc.; Breckenridge TV Distributing Co.; Brownwood TV Cable Service, Inc.; Cable Antenna Systems; Cablevision of Pennsylvania, Inc.; Carthage Cablevision, Inc.; Cass Community Antenna; CATV General Corporation; Central Communications, Inc.; Central Plains Cable TV; Century Communications Corp.; Chattanooga Cable TV Co.; Clear Cable Co., Inc.; Colby Cable Corporation; Communications Systems, Inc., Intervenors. HENSON AVIATION, INC., Petitioner, v. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, and United States of America, Respondents, Ponderosa Television, Inc.; Raystay Co. d/b/a TV Cable of Waynesboro; Winchester TV Cable Co., Inc., Intervenors.

United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit.

Decided April 11, 1980.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Michael S. Horne, Washington, D.C. (Donna M. Murasky, J. Geoffrey Bentley, Covington & Burling, Washington, D.C., on brief), for Spartan Radiocasting Company (WSPA-TV), Post-Newsweek Stations, Connecticut, Inc. (WFSB-TV), Post-Newsweek Stations, Florida, Inc. (WPLG), Broadcasting-Telecasting Services, Inc. (WBBH-TV), Scranton Broadcasters, Inc. (WDAU-TV), and WBRE-TV, Inc. (WBRE-TV).

Richard Hildreth, Washington, D.C. (Vincent J. Curtis, Jr., Robert L. Pettit, Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, Washington, D.C., on brief), for Henson Aviation, Inc. (WHAG-TV).

Erwin G. Krasnow, Washington, D.C., on brief for National Association of Broadcasters.

Joel Rosenbloom, Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Washington, D.C., on brief, for Knight-Ridder Broadcasting, Inc. (WJRT-TV, WPRI-TV, WTEN(TV), WCDC(TV)), and Capital Cities Communications, Inc. (KFSN-TV, KTRK-TV, WKBW-TV, WPVI-TV, WTNH-TV and WTVD).

Steven A. Lerman, McKenna, Wilkinson & Kittner, Washington, D. C., on brief, for Summit Radio Corp. (WAKR-TV), Forward of Illinois (WRAU-TV), Plains Television Corporation (WICS), Roy H. Park Broadcasting of Utica (WUTR), Studio Broadcasting System Division, Highwood Service, Inc. (KTSB-TV), and Winnebago Television Corp. (WTVO).

Peter Shuebruk, Fly, Shuebruk, Blume, Gaguine, Boros & Schulkind, New York City, on brief, for D. H. Overmyer Telecasting Co. (WDHO-TV), Wyneco Communications, Inc. (KYCU-TV).

Martin E. Firestone, Stein, Halpert & Miller, Washington, D. C., on brief, for Springfield Television Corporation (WKEF).

William M. Barnard, Kenkel & Barnard, Washington, D.C., on brief, for Bibb Television, Inc. (WCWB-TV).

Arthur B. Goodkind, Koteen & Burt, Washington, D.C., on brief, for Amaturo Group, Inc. (KQTV), KCST, Inc. (KCST-TV), McGraw-Hill Broadcasting, Inc. (KERO-TV), NEP Communications, Inc. (WNEP-TV), and Desert Empire Television Corporation (KMIR-TV).

James E. Greeley, Washington, D.C., on brief, for RJN Broadcasting, Inc. (WLFI-TV).

Reed Miller, Arnold & Porter, Washington, D.C., on brief, for Virginia Broadcasting Corporation (WVIR-TV).

William J. Potts, Jr., Haley, Bader & Potts, Washington, D.C., on brief, for Klix Corporation (KMVT).

Howard M. Weiss, Mullin, Connor & Rhyne, P. C., Washington, D. C., on brief, for Ponderosa Television, Inc. (KTVZ).

Keith H. Fagan, F. C. C. (John H. Shenefield, Asst. Atty. Gen., Robert B. Nicholson and Daniel J. Conway, Dept. of Justice, Robert R. Bruce, Gen. Counsel, David J. Saylor, Deputy Gen. Counsel, Daniel M. Armstrong, Associate Gen. Counsel, Washington, D.C., on brief), for Federal Communications Commission and United States of America.

Paul R. Schwedler, Michael B. Isaacs, Washington, D.C., for National Cable Television Association.

Sol Schildhause, Farrow, Schildhause, Dent & Wilson, Washington, D.C., for Moscow TV Cable Co., Inc. and Pullman Cable TV Co., Inc.

Harry J. Ockershausen, Christopher D. Coursen, Dempsey & Koplovitz, Washington, D.C., for Scripps-Howard Broadcasting Company.

Frederick W. Ford, Lovett, Ford & Hennessey, Washington, D.C., for Winchester Cable TV.

John P. Cole, Jr., Joseph R. Reifer, Cole, Zylstra & Raywid, Washington, D.C., for Aberdeen Telecable, et al.

Lewis I. Cohen, Roy W. Boyce, Cohen & Berfield, Washington, D. C., for Pennsylvania Cable Television Association and Raystay Company.

Paul R. Cianelli, Tilton, N. H., for New England Cable Television Association.

Before HALL, PHILLIPS and SPROUSE, Circuit Judges.


K.K. HALL, Circuit Judge:

Spartan Broadcasting Company, a television station broadcaster, petitions to have set aside an order of the Federal Communications Commission allowing television cable companies to show duplicating network programming of competing station affiliates in any cable community where there signals are available over-the-air via traditional antenna reception.1 Previously, the Commission had banned such network competition...

Let's get started

Leagle.com

Welcome to the leading source of independent legal reporting
Sign on now to see your case.
Or view more than 10 million decisions and orders.

  • Updated daily.
  • Uncompromising quality.
  • Complete, Accurate, Current.

Listed below are the cases that are cited in this Featured Case. Click the citation to see the full text of the cited case. Citations are also linked in the body of the Featured Case.

Cited Cases

  • No Cases Found

Listed below are those cases in which this Featured Case is cited. Click on the case name to see the full text of the citing case.

Citing Cases