2015 Broadcast EEO Audits Commenced

Several hundred radio and television stations recently received EEO audit notices from the FCC, kicking off their 2015 EEO audit efforts. Each year, approximately five percent of all radio and television stations are selected for EEO audits. Auditees have until March 24, 2015 to respond. A copy of the FCC’s audit letter must be placed in each affected station’s public inspection file.

Usually, the first notice we receive of a new round of EEO audits is the FCC’s public notice announcing an audit. But this time, stations began receiving EEO letters about a week before the notice was published on February 11, 2015. Our call to the Media Bureau’s EEO staff confirmed that the letters were legitimate, and that the notice was to be issued in a few days. Auditees have until March 24, 2015 to respond to the audits. If more time is needed, stations can email Lewis Pulley at lewis.pulley@fcc.gov. He can also respond to any questions.

Pay close attention to the documentation and other information that is being requested, as some of the detail on that as changed.     We’ve been seeing tweaks to the letter for the last several EEO audits, with the FCC refining their processes so that audit information can be more easily processed.