TAB Offers Vast Resources for 2018 Political Season

-Primary window opens Jan. 20

With the political window for the March 6 primary election opening Jan. 20, member stations should be sure to take advantage of all the resources TAB provides for campaign season advertising, including required disclosure forms, legal guidance and LUR calendars. All primary resources are available online and are supplemented by TAB’s legal hotline with attorneys in DC and Texas available with just a phone call.

These services are free of charge to member stations. Staff who haven’t yet established a username and password to access these and many other resources at www.tab.org can do so easily online.  Here’s a rundown of what’s on tap:

Political Calendar – Lists various election and early voting dates, the 45- and 60-day windows during which stations must offer their LURs, and all state and congressional offices up for election.

Political Disclosure Form – Tailored for Texas stations, it captures all the information the FCC requires related to candidate and third-party issue advertising. While many stations ask TAB for the “NAB Political Form”, we cannot distribute that form because it’s copyrighted which is why we engaged our legal counsel to develop one expressly for Texas stations.

Legal Guide & Hotline – This guide is Texas broadcasters’ chief referral resource on the FCC’s political broadcast rules governing political advertising sales practices and on-air content such as appearances in news programming. It addresses some Texas-specific regulations, as well. If the guide doesn’t answer your question, the TAB Legal Hotline likely can do so.

Expert FCC Legal Briefing – TAB’s two-hour webinar on Nov. 30 is archived and available for viewing online. The presentation features Bobby Baker, chief of the FCC’s Political Broadcast Bureau, and attorney David Oxenford with the TAB Associate Member law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer. Oxenford also wrote TAB’s political advertising legal guide.

Political Updates – Staff at member stations can keep up with the latest developments that could impact the election season by taking advantage of the TAB Political Update email newsletter. If you’re not already receiving these much-in-demand briefings, sign up here.

Questions?  Contact TAB's Michael Schneider or call (512) 322-9944.