WASHINGTON — Welcome back, Jackson County.
After being assigned to the Chattanooga Designated Market Area by the FCC nearly five months ago, Jackson County will be reassigned to the Huntsville DMA this fall.
“An overwhelming majority of Jackson County residents rely on Huntsville television stations for severe weather coverage and state-specific news.” said U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, whose district includes northeast Alabama. “I am proud to advocate for the thousands of Jackson County residents Alabamians who wanted to continue receiving local news from North Alabama.”
The FCC, by way of market analytics firm Nielsen, reassigned Jackson County to the Chattanooga DMA last November. The move was not welcomed by viewers, lawmakers and emergency personnel.
There were concerns that severe weather information would not be available in a timely matter for Jackson County. The Huntsville Weather Forecasting Office issues warnings for Jackson County but the Chattanooga DMA warnings are issued through the Morristown, Tenn., weather office.
“As the member of Congress representing more than 52,000 Jackson County residents and a lifelong first responder, I view public safety as a top priority,” Strong (R-Harvest) said. “I am hopeful that this reversal will give Jackson County residents the timely and relevant local news coverage their community deserves.”
Strong had formally requested the FCC reverse last year’s decision in the interest of public safety. He also supported market modification petitions to the FCC submitted by Jackson County and the Scottsboro Electric Power Board.
“As a former EMA director, I know firsthand how vital access to severe weather coverage is for our community,” said Scottsboro Mayor Jim McCamy. “I was proud to partner with Congressman Strong and Jackson County leadership on behalf of the city to correct this decision.
“Scottsboro residents deserve nothing short of the most accurate news coverage, and returning to the Huntsville viewing market accomplishes this.”
According to the Nielsen DMA review based on viewing shares, Jackson County will be reassigned to Huntsville in the 2024-25 TV season, which starts Oct. 3.
“Our thanks go out to Congressman Strong, the Alabama Delegation, Huntsville TV Stations, and several entities in Jackson County for their hard work on this issue,” said Jackson County Commission Chairman Bill Nance. “This is great news for the residents in Jackson County who have relied on Huntsville TV stations for decades to provide reliable community coverage.
“We are proud that county residents will once again have access to the severe weather and local news coverage they deserve.”
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