The country’s largest public interest groups representing broadcasters and entertainment companies lined up to congratulate former President Donald Trump on securing a second non-consecutive term in the White House this week.
Hours after cable news outlets projected Trump had clinched enough Electoral College votes to win the presidential race, the commercial broadcasting industry’s lobbying arm, the National Association of Broadcasters, said it looked forward to working with the forthcoming Trump administration on several of its key objectives.
“NAB congratulates President-Elect Trump and the new and returning members of Congress,” a NAB spokesperson said in a statement emailed to The Desk early Wednesday morning. “Local television and radio stations are committed to working with the next administration on policies that will enable increased investment in local journalism, emergency information, sports and entertainment on which our communities rely. NAB will continue its bipartisan work with policymakers to strengthen this free, local service that is essential to our democracy.”
The NAB did not outline specific policy initiatives that it is prioritizing over the next four years, but the lobbying group has made its position clear on a number of legislative issues, including a proposed law that would mandate AM radio tuners in electric vehicles as a safety feature. The organization has also weighed in on a proposal that would see the FCC regulate streaming cable-like services by imposing a requirement that they negotiate directly with the owners of local TV stations for carriage on their platforms. (Currently, streaming services work with the broadcast networks or their affiliate boards for carriage deals; cable and satellite companies are required by law to negotiate distribution agreements with broadcast stations owners.)
The NAB was not alone in its outreach to Trump: On Wednesday, the Motion Picture Alliance (MPA) — which represents the interest of major Hollywood studios, including Netflix, Sony Pictures, Comcast’s Universal and the Walt Disney Company — also congratulated Trump and Congressional lawmakers on their Election Night victories.
The message sent by the MPA emphasized the organization’s commitment to domestic jobs, one of the few policy-based priorities Trump emphasized during his campaign.
“The Motion Picture Association congratulates President-elect Donald Trump and the incoming 119th Congress on their electoral victories,” the MPA said in its statement. “We look forward to working with them on a wide range of important issues for the film, TV, and streaming industry, which supports more than 2.7 million American jobs, boosts more than 240,000 businesses in cities and small towns across the country, and delivers over $242 billion in wages to our workforce each year. We commend everyone who worked this year to ensure fair elections and preserve our nation’s legitimate democratic processes.”
Likewise, Charter Communications CEO Chris Winfrey emphasized his company’s commitment to domestic investments in jobs and service-based offerings. The company offers pay television, broadband Internet and telephone service under the Spectrum brand.
“Congratulations, President-Elect Trump and Vice President-Elect Vance,” Winfrey wrote. “We agree that workforce quality matters, which is why all of our approximately 100,000 employees are U.S.-based and why we invest in them and encourage them to build long-term careers at Charter.”
Winfrey said Charter looks forward to working with the Trump administration and incoming federal lawmakers to “helping with your efforts to deliver the affordable internet service families need to achieve their American Dream – including in the rural areas that we are now building. We wish you success as you lead our country in the coming years.”
