FCC Adopts a New Selection Process

Television station owners seeking to purchase a second station in a single market may have to rely on the luck of the draw under federal rules adopted Wednesday.

The Federal Communications Commission in August set rules that for the first time allow a single company to own two TV stations in certain large markets. But only a limited number of such double ownerships will be allowed, and the FCC decided that the “easiest and most efficient” way to decide those is by random selection.

Viacom Inc. and CBS Corp., which are combining in a $37-billion transaction, had proposed that applications for such double ownerships be evaluated in the order in which purchase agreements were announced.