Testimony of Lyn Plantinga at House Subcommittee Hearing on Broadcast Incentive Auction WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lyn Plantinga, vice president and general manager of E.W. Scripps WTVF Nashville, testified this morning at a House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on The Broadcast Incentive Auction: Update on Repacking Opportunities and Challenges.
Below is her testimony as prepared for delivery.
* * *
Good morning Chairmen Walden and Blackburn, Ranking Members Pallone and Doyle, and members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me here today. My name is Lyn Plantinga and I am the General Manager of NewsChannel 5 in Nashville, Tennessee, where I oversee the day-to-day operations of 149 employees. NewsChannel 5 is proud to be part of the E.W. Scripps Company and its 33 television stations across 24 markets nationwide.
As the number one rated station in Nashville, NewsChannel 5 is dedicated to practicing the Scripps motto - Give light and the people will find their own way. We carry out this mission by telling the stories of people who often do not have a voice, and ensuring accountability for the actions of the powerful. Our commitment to community through coverage of breaking news, severe weather, in-depth investigations, and civic engagement helps make Nashville a better place to live and work.
Behind the newsroom cameras, before a doppler radar image or live feed from our news helicopter can reach our viewers, NewsChannel 5 maintains and operates a sophisticated technical infrastructure to originate and deliver our free broadcast signal, over-the-air, to viewers in middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky. In the Fall of 2019, this infrastructure will be tested when NewsChannel 5 is required to move channels to accommodate an auction of broadcast spectrum that affords our station and our viewers no benefit. At a minimum, we will expend time and resources to significantly reconfigure our operations and educate over-the-air viewers to rescan their televisions so they can find us on our new channel. In a worst case, we will face out-of-pocket costs and viewer disruption that undermines our ability to serve our community.
To put what is otherwise an academic problem in real terms, NewsChannel 5's move will require the purchase and installation of a new transmitter, a new primary antenna, and an interim antenna. We estimate these equipment and labor costs will total $4.1 million for our station alone. While this is a high number, it is not atypical. Of Scripps' 33 local television stations, 17 will be moving channels, including those in Tampa, Buffalo, and Detroit, at an estimated cost of $55 million.
More people turn to NewsChannel 5 for news and information than to any other station in the state of Tennessee. We have earned this position in the market through dependable coverage, quality journalism, and investing in our team and tools to raise the bar every day. Local broadcasters like us, who drew the short straw and face this upheaval through no fault of their own, should certainly not be required to drain additional resources from their coverage by footing the bill for a repack from which we yielded no benefit.
The logistics of our channel reassignment also present significant challenges in completing our move in the timeframe prescribed by the FCC. Though branded as NewsChannel 5 , we will actually move from channel 25 to 36 in Nashville. Over the course of only six weeks, we will need to complete our work and coordinate with two other local broadcasters: the station that occupies the channel we are moving to, and the station that will move into the channel we currently occupy. There is little margin for error and this will all be happening while five additional broadcasters perform similar tower work in Nashville.
We can foresee these difficulties because NewsChannel 5 has been down this road before. Our three previous channel moves during the digital transition proved extremely difficult because of challenges in scheduling the individual components of the channel change, getting equipment delivered, and work done on time. Weather also played a significant role. Heavy rain can prevent a tower crew from climbing, especially on a tower as tall as ours at 1400-plus feet. Several days of rain - or more severe weather - can close the window to complete the project. This repack's compacted timeline and the market pressure of so many stations changing channels at the same time adds to the difficulty.
In conclusion, I want to emphasize our shared goal for a successful transition that accomplishes Congress's objective of deploying additional wireless service. However, NewsChannel 5 asks that Congress take all the necessary steps to ensure that its relocation costs are fully covered by the FCC. We also ask that our viewers are protected from any risk of signal disruption should we be unable to complete our station move on time. Anything less would not only be inequitable, but also undermine the ability of NewsChannel 5 and all impacted broadcasters to continue to serve Nashville and other local communities.
Thank you again for inviting me here today. I look forward to answering any questions.
* * *
About NAB
The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for Americas broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Testimony of Lyn Plantinga at House Subcommittee Hearing on Broadcast Incentive Auction WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lyn Plantinga, vice president and general manager of E.W. Scripps WTVF Nashville, testified this morning at a House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing on The Broadcast Incentive Auction: Update on Repacking Opportunities and Challenges.
