License Renewal Odds and Ends

Posted on July 31st, 2019 by

With radio station license renewals underway, we’ve noticed a few things that are worth passing along. The FCC is sending blanket reminders of license renewal application filing deadlines to individuals whose email addresses have previously been listed as an email contact for a station in FCC filings. While these email reminders state the deadlines for filing a renewal application and for license expiration, they are a courtesy only. Interestingly, they end with this statement – “If you do not wish to renew the license for the station, you do not need to file an application, but we would appreciate confirmation that you intend to let the station’s license expire as of [insert license expiration date].”

While we know the license renewal process can be a bit laborious, it strikes us as a bit fanciful and funny that a station getting this email reminder would look at the FCC’s invitation and decide “yeah, let’s just mail it in, we’re done.” Maybe the FCC could have a renewal anxiety hotline to talk licensees out of just giving up. Chuckle.