Joint sales agreements are great for TV stations and shitty for viewers, so guess which one the Feds sided with?

If you picked the viewer, you are dead wrong. 

A rider that would grandfather broadcast joint sales agreements for 10 years has been included in a massive federal funding bill that should be approved by the end of the week.

The deal which has already been vetted by key House and Senate leaders, would permit JSAs in effect as of March 31, 2014, to continue rather than having to unwind by the end of 2016 as the FCC had required.

Now stations will have at least until 2025 (likely longer) before they would need to take any action.

What does it mean to viewers?

It means less news options as stations broadcast the same newscast on two different stations.

But see station ownership groups and the NAB have lobbyist and gave big bucks to the politicians. So in reality, the viewer never had a chance at winning this one.