▁market . ▁ ▁The ▁method ▁of ▁most ▁commercial ▁stations ▁– ▁those ▁that ▁rely , ▁at ▁least ▁partly , ▁on ▁advert ising ▁for ▁re venue ▁– ▁acqu iring ▁programs ▁through ▁distrib utors ▁of ▁synd ic ated ▁content ▁to ▁fill ▁time ▁not ▁all otted ▁to ▁network ▁and / or ▁local ▁programming ▁diff ers ▁from ▁other ▁countries ▁world wide ▁where ▁networks ▁handle ▁the ▁responsibility ▁of ▁programming ▁first - run ▁and ▁synd ic ated ▁programs , ▁whereas ▁their ▁partner ▁stations ▁are ▁only ▁responsible ▁for ▁the ▁programming ▁of ▁local ▁content . ▁The ▁international ▁programming ▁model ▁is ▁used ▁in ▁the ▁U . S . ▁by ▁some ▁smaller ▁networks ▁and ▁mult ic ast ▁services , ▁which ▁are ▁more ▁cost - effect ive ▁for ▁their ▁affili ate ▁stations ▁since ▁they ▁require ▁little ▁to ▁no ▁acquired ▁or ▁locally ▁produced ▁programming ▁to ▁fill ▁air time ▁at ▁the ▁local ▁level . ▁ ▁The ▁federal ▁government ▁has ▁im posed ▁limits ▁on ▁how ▁many ▁stations ▁an ▁individual ▁owner ▁can ▁hold . ▁The ▁earliest ▁limits ▁restricted ▁own ers ▁from ▁holding ▁more ▁than ▁five ▁stations ▁across ▁the ▁entire ▁country , ▁and ▁no ▁more ▁than ▁one ▁in ▁any ▁given ▁market . ▁As ▁of ▁ 2 0 1 7 , ▁these ▁limits ▁have ▁been ▁relax ed ▁substantial ly . ▁Since ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁an ▁ownership ▁group ▁is ▁now ▁leg ally ▁allowed ▁to ▁own ▁up ▁to ▁two ▁signals ▁in ▁a ▁market ▁( which ▁can ▁amount ▁to ▁many ▁more ▁actual ▁channels ▁through ▁digital ▁transmission ); ▁since ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 9 0 s , ▁some ▁broad c aster