Dates To Remember

Posted on December 1st, 2015 by

October 1 – December 2, 2015: BIENNIAL OWNERSHIP REPORT WINDOW OPEN. Filing required for all commercial stations including LPTV and TV translators. Information must be accurate as of October 1, 2015.

November 30, 2015: rule requiring stations to convert text based emergency information aired on their station outside of news and EAS alerts (i.e. crawls dealing with issues like severe weather) into speech for airing on their SAP channels

December 1, 2015:

Form 317 due for all digital full-power TV, Class A TV, LPTV and TV translators.

AM & FM Stations in Alabama & Georgia: if full-time employee threshold is met, complete EEO public file report and place same in public file as well as post on station website. If station has 11 or more full-time employees, prepare and electronically file mid-term EEO Form 397 and place copy of filed report in your public inspection file. NCE Stations Only: also file biennial ownership report via Form 323-E.

AM & FM Stations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island & Vermont: if full-time employee threshold is met, complete EEO public file report and post same in online public file as well as post on station website. NCE Stations Only: also file biennial ownership report via Form 323-E.

AM & FM Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota & South Dakota: if full-time employee threshold is met, complete EEO public file report and post same in online public file as well as post on station website.

TV & Class A Stations in Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island & Vermont: if full-time employee threshold is met, complete EEO public file report and post same in online public file as well as post on station website.

TV & Class A Stations in Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota & South Dakota: if full-time employee threshold is met, complete EEO public file report and post same in online public file as well as post on station website. NCE Stations Only: also file biennial ownership report via Form 323-E.

December 8, 2015 12pm ET: FCC Form 177 filing window OPENS for full power and Class A stations to participate in 2016 TV Reverse Incentive Auction.

December 8, 2015 1pm ET: FCC webinar on reverse auction process.

December 16, 2015: unresolved NCE FM translator applicants from 2003 window must submit information about number of points to which they are entitled for final determination of applications.

December 21, 2015: comments due on FCC proposal to revise rules regarding foreign ownership of broadcast stations.

January 1, 2016: stations must begin captioning “straight lift” clips – a single excerpt of a program that was captioned when first shown on TV, with the same video and audio as broadcast – that are then uploaded to the internet for further viewing.

January 10, 2016: TV, Class A, AM & FM Stations (commercial and noncommercial): complete 4th quarter 2015 issues/program reports. TV & Class A Stations post same to your online public file. AM & FM stations place in your public file.

TV & Class A stations (commercial only): complete and electronically file FCC Form 398 Children’s TV Programming Report for 4th Quarter 2015. Link to your report should be made automatically by FCC to your online public file. Also compile and post to online public file records relating to station’s compliance with children’s programming commercial limits.

Class A Stations Only: complete and post to your online public file certification of ongoing Class A eligibility.

January 12, 2016 6pm ET: FCC Form 177 filing window CLOSES for full power and Class A stations to participate in 2016 TV Reverse Incentive Auction.

January 20, 2016: reply comments due on FCC proposal to revise rules regarding foreign ownership of broadcast stations.