Residents of Jackson County, Alabama will return to Huntsville’s designated market area (DMA) after a brief stent of being reassigned to the Chattanooga, Tennessee DMA by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by way of market analytics firm Nielson.
Television stations across North Alabama were informed on Monday the Nielsen DMA review transferred Jackson County residents back to the Huntsville DMA beginning October 3, 2024.
Congressman Dale Strong announced the return this week after sounding the alarm over the change last year, citing concerns over emergency preparedness and state-specific news.
“An overwhelming majority of Jackson County residents rely on Huntsville television stations for severe weather coverage and state-specific news. I am proud to advocate for the thousands of Jackson County residents Alabamians who wanted to continue receiving local news from North Alabama,” Rep. Strong (R-Monrovia) wrote in a letter to FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel in November.
Congressman Strong formally requested that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reverse this decision in the interest of public safety. He also supported market modification petitions to the FCC submitted by Jackson County, Alabama, and the Scottsboro Electric Power Board.
THREAD 🧵: I am elated to announce that Jackson County will be reassigned to the Huntsville DMA (Designated Market Area) in the fall of 2024.
— Dale W. Strong (@RepDaleStrong) May 6, 2024
“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. I am hopeful that this reversal will give Jackson County resident’s the timely and relevant local news coverage their community deserves,” Strong wrote.
Once the reversal was made public, Jackson County officials shared a sigh of relief and major appreciation to Rep. Strong’s role in keeping Alabama residents in an Alabama media market.
RELATED: Rep. Dale Strong secures $18.5 million for North Alabama projects
“As a former EMA director, I know firsthand how vital access to severe weather coverage is for our community. 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,” said Scottsboro Mayor Jim McCamy.
Jackson County will be reassigned on October 3, 2024.
“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,” Jackson County Commission Chairman Bill Nance said.
“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,” Nance said.
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.