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masfJmgton, D(: 20510 
The Honorable Tom Wheeler 
Chairman 
Federal Communications Commission 
445 1 th Street, SW 
Washington, DC 20554 
Dear Chairman Wheeler: 
March 27, 2014 
We write to express our concerns regarding the Federal Communications Commission' s 
(FCC) plan to vote during its March 2014 meeting on a proposed rule change concerning 
attribution of joint sales agreements (JSAs) and other arrangements between TV station owners. 
In small- and medium-sized markets, JSAs and other financial agreements between local 
TV broadcasters to share facilities have a track record for expanding the diversity and localism 
of programming, and enabling efficiencies that have saved lives. In Missouri, we have seen the 
benefits of these arrangements in Springfield and Joplin. In 2006, through a series of 
arrangements, the parent company of a local station was able to invest, reduce redundant costs, 
and expand advertising sales for its smaller competitor. As a result, a once struggling station has 
improved tremendously and was the recent recipient of a National Edward R. Murrow Award for 
Best Newscast. Additionally, in Joplin, a JSA arrangement between two stations provided the 
economic efficiencies that enabled upgrades to the stations' Doppler radar systems, which helped 
save lives when a devastating tornado hit Joplin in May 2011. Lastly, JSAs add to diversity 
across the country by expanding Spanish-language local programming, and, significantly, the 
onJy three stations owned by African Americans operate through joint sales agreements. 
We fully expect existing agreements in Missouri already approved by the FCC to be 
properly grandfathered by any prospective rules. Moreover, we expect that arrangements 
currently awaiting approval under existing rules should be examined in light of the rules when 
the application was made. Finally, we believe the process for considering changes to the rules 
should be made in the context of the Commission's larger media ownership proceeding. 
We strongly urge the Commission to be mindful of the harmful consequences that a rules 
change on JSAs, outside the context of a broader media ownership review, may have on 
diversity, localism, competition, and lives. 
Sincerely, 
280
Wagner 
.S. Representative 
U.S. Representative 
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U.S. Representative