CBS, Infinity Leave NAB Over TV Limits

CBS Television and Infinity Broadcasting Corp. quit the National Assn. of Broadcasters to protest the trade group’s support of federal limits on station ownership, the companies said in a statement. The move leaves ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co., as the only major network member of the NAB, which represents broadcasters before Congress and the Federal Communications Commission. Media companies such as Viacom Inc., which owns CBS and Infinity, complain that FCC limits on how many stations a single company can own are outdated. Consumer advocates and small broadcasters say the restriction is needed to ensure good service and a variety of programs. “For some time we have called for the elimination of the national broadcast ownership cap as well as other outmoded regulatory constraints on broadcasters,” CBS and Infinity said in a joint statement. “We cannot remain within an organization that is actively working against those objectives.” The FCC restricts a company to owning TV stations that reach 35% of U.S. households. Viacom, which exceeded that limit when it bought CBS last year, has until May 4 to comply.