Dates to Remember 

Posted on February 29th, 2024 by

March 11, 2024 Deadline for comments in the FCC’s Application Prioritization rulemaking Deadline for all broadcast stations with SAGE EAS Equipment to prioritize the CAP-enabled emergency alert message if one is received April 1, 2024 Radio and TV Stations located in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas, Delaware & Pennsylvania:  if five (5) full time employee threshold […]

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March 11 Comment Deadline for Application Prioritization Rulemaking

Posted on February 29th, 2024 by

The FCC has announced March 11 as the deadline for filing comments in the pending Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing an application prioritization rule based upon applicants certifying that they air certain amounts of local programming. The FCC’s announced goal with the proposed rule is to incentivize stations to support “local journalism” and provide programming […]

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FCC Moves Ahead with Reinstating EEO Form 395-B for Broadcast Stations

Posted on February 29th, 2024 by

By a 3-2 vote, the FCC adopted a Report & Order reinstating EEO Form 395-B to collect race, gender and ethnicity of broadcast station employees.  The form was thrown out as unconstitutional over 20 years ago when the data was used to enforce hiring quotas, and then suspended after another court rejected the FCC’s attempt […]

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Low Power FM Window Applications Being Processed

Posted on February 29th, 2024 by

On February 1, the Media Bureau issued a public notice announcing the procedures being followed in processing the 1,336 low power FM applications filed during the early December 2023 filing window.  The notice provides important details about singleton and mutually exclusive applications, amendments, and settlement agreements, including the timing for certain of those actions.  Singleton […]

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EEO Mid-Term Reviews for TV Stations Start Soon

Posted on February 29th, 2024 by

The FCC’s rule requiring a mid-term review of EEO compliance for broadcast stations kicked in last June 1 for radio stations and will begin this June 1 for television stations.  Since license renewals are staggered by state over a three-year period, with radio starting first, and TV a year later, the mid-term review occurs using […]

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Dates to Remember 

Posted on January 31st, 2024 by

January 31, 2024 Web Streaming Stations: deadline to remit annual license fee and related statement of account with SoundExchange for the statutory license allowing streaming of sound recordings on the web. Payment can be made on SoundExchange’s online filing portal “Licensee Direct.” February 1, 2024 Radio and TV Stations located in New Jersey, New York, […]

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FCC Proposes New Application Prioritization Rule

Posted on January 31st, 2024 by

In a 3-2 vote, with both Republican-appointed Commissioners objecting, the FCC has approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to implement an application prioritization rule based upon applicants certifying that they air certain amounts of local programming. The FCC’s announced goal with the proposed rule is to incentivize stations to support “local journalism” and provide programming […]

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Did Your TV Station Complete Its 2023 Children’s Television Reporting?

Posted on January 31st, 2024 by

If your full power or Class A television station did not complete and file a children’s television report and upload children’s television commercial limits documentation to its online public file by the January 30, 2024 deadline, you need to do so immediately. Failure to timely file the annual children’s television report, or reporting less than […]

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EEO Form 395-B Reinstatement Update

Posted on January 31st, 2024 by

Although the Report & Order and Further Rulemaking in the FCC’s EEO proceeding considering whether to reinstate the FCC’s Form 395-B, is on circulation among the Commissioners, it has not yet been made public, even in draft form.  The item is also not included on the FCC’s February Open Meeting Agenda.  It remains possible that […]

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FCC Issues $26,000 EEO Fine

Posted on January 31st, 2024 by

The full Commission recently issued an Order assessing a $26,000 monetary forfeiture for a broadcast licensee’s failure to upload an annual EEO public file report to the public files and websites of the stations in a specific station employment unit.  The public file upload finally occurred 9 months after the deadline. While there were aggravating […]

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