The FCC Enforcement Bureau denied a petition for reconsideration of a $4,000 fine to Aerco Broadcasting Corp. Aerco requested cancellation or reduction of the fine, which was imposed for operating a studio transmitter link (STL) at its station WSJU-TV San Juan, Puerto Rico, the bureau said in an order (http://bit.ly/1n4JKb5). The STL operated on an unauthorized frequency over a nine-month period, it said. Aerco failed to provide sufficient evidence “supporting its claim that it has an inability to pay the forfeiture,” it said.

The owners of several Ohio TV and radio stations have agreed to collectively pay $22,000 for transferring control of licenses without FCC approval, according to a Media Bureau consent decree (http://bit.ly/1sBnabz). Norma Littick, owner of Southeastern Ohio Television System and Southeastern Ohio Broadcasting System, transferred control of the companies to her son Henry Littick five months before filing for FCC approval, the consent decree said. The stations involved are WHIZ-TV Zanesville, WHIZ(AM) Zanesville, WHIZ-FM South Zanesville, WZVL(FM) Philo and WWCD(FM) Baltimore, Ohio.

The FCC Enforcement Bureau proposed a $25,000 fine against Televisa for apparently operating its satellite news gathering vehicles on unauthorized frequencies while telecasting sports programming internationally. “Televisa received a warning advising it to stop operating on channels for which it did not hold a valid station authorization,” the bureau said in a notice of apparent liability (http://bit.ly/1hOhXb3). The bureau proposed the base forfeiture and a $5,000 upward adjustment, it said. Televisa is a multibillion-dollar enterprise, it said.

The FCC Media Bureau denied Maricopa County Community College District’s request for a waiver of the commission’s underwriting rules. Maricopa requested the waiver to adopt measures to address the economic challenges of decreased funding from federal and state sources, the bureau said in a letter to Maricopa (http://bit.ly/1sScCGQ). The stated purposes for the waiver “are not so unique and unusual in itself as to warrant a waiver of the underwriting rules and policies,” it said. “If Maricopa wishes to petition for a change in the rule, the appropriate vehicle would be a petition for rulemaking, not a waiver request.”

The FCC Media Bureau seeks comment on a request from Black Television News Channel for a three-year waiver of the ban on ads carried on direct broadcast satellite noncommercial set-aside channels. Initial comments on the issues raised by BTNC’s request are due June 16, the bureau said Thursday in a public notice (http://bit.ly/1jjAKAG). Replies are due July 1 in docket 14-77.

Internet Broadcasting Systems signed an agreement with Southern California Public Radio to provide digital ad operations for SCPR’s radio station group, IBS said in a Thursday dated news release posted Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1jtK6nw).

The FCC Media Bureau proposed a $15,000 fine for Glendive Broadcasting and its Glendive, Montana, station KXGN-TV, said a notice of apparent liability (NAL) released Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1k2h9nn). KXGN failed to file its children’s programming reports on time for multiple quarters, constituting “apparent willful and/or repeated violations,” the NAL said. The bureau proposed a $6,000 fine against Lake Superior Community Broadcasting and its Michigan stations WBKP Calumet and WBUP Ishpeming for the same violation, said another NAL (http://bit.ly/1orMrqU). A $1,000 fine was proposed against KXLF Communications and its Montana station KXLF Butte for failing to publicize the location of children’s programming reports, said a third NAL (http://bit.ly/REBRPr). The bureau also admonished KWGN Denver for violating the FCC’s host selling rules in 2006 when a cereal commercial aired on the CW that used characters from the kids’ show Xiaolin Showdown, during a broadcast of the show (http://bit.ly/1v5N5Mw).

The FCC Media Bureau won’t “just roll over and abandon” its new scrutiny on deals involving sharing agreements and contingent financial arrangements in the face of the NAB’s court challenge (CD May 13 p3), said Wilkinson Barker broadcast attorney David Oxenford in a blog post Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1stwVbH). “The NAB gave the FCC several chances to do so by writing letters stating its objections to the application of the policy, and all were ignored,” Oxenford said. The challenge of the FCC policy will be closely watched by all companies involved in shared services agreements and those with deals involving potential SSAs, said Oxenford.

Gannett will buy six Texas TV stations from London Broadcasting for $215 million, Gannett said in a news release Wednesday (http://bit.ly/1qDGCZv). The purchase will provide new markets for Gannett’s digital marketing services group and further Gannett’s “transformation into a diversified multi-media company,” said Gannett CEO Gracia Matore in the release. The new stations are expected to generate around $50 million revenue in 2014, the release said. After the closing, current London Broadcasting Chief Operating Officer Phil Hurley will jump to Gannett to lead the six stations, the release said. The deal is not expected to run afoul of FCC ownership rules, a Gannett spokesman told us. The stations involved are NBC affiliate KCEN-TV Temple, CBS affiliate KYTX Longview, ABC affiliate KIII Corpus Christi, NBC affiliate KBMT Beaumont and its digital sub-channel KJAC, Fox affiliate KXVA Abilene and KIDY San Angelo, Gannett said. The deal is expected to close this summer, Gannett said.

The FCC Media Bureau proposed fining four stations that allegedly failed to file children’s TV programming reports in a timely manner. The bureau proposed a $15,000 fine for KYUS-TV Miles City, Montana, owned by KYUS Broadcasting, it said in a notice of apparent liability (http://bit.ly/1ltPuLV). The bureau proposed a $3,000 fine each for Spanish Television of Denver-owned KTFD-DT Boulder, Colorado (http://bit.ly/1mVvYr2), Gray Television-owned WCAV-TV Charlottesville, Virginia (http://bit.ly/1jY0tNG), and K36DB-CD, a Vail, Colorado, Class A station owned by Resort Television (http://bit.ly/1iPwcQR).