The FCC Media Bureau should grant a 26-day extension to Nov. 12 on applications for review of Media Bureau approval of four market modification requests for Franklin, Georgia, said a motion in docket 18-159 Monday from Hearst Television, Nexstar and Meredith. They own stations in South Carolina and North Carolina serving that market. The broadcasters want the extension because another recently approved market modification request -- for Hart County, Georgia -- is “substantially similar,” they said: Since applications for review for all the market modifications are likely to involve the same arguments, “extending the deadline by which the Franklin County Application for Review is due to the same date” as for Hart County AFR “would serve the interests of administrative efficiency and economy.”
The FCC Enforcement Bureau started a proceeding to decide whether to revoke the broadcast license held by Missouri religious nonprofit Ministerios El Jordan. A hearing designation order in Friday's Daily Digest said "there are substantial and material questions" about whether MEL made misrepresentations on applications for its low-power FM KEJM-LP Carthage, Missouri; noncitizens owned more than a fifth of MEJ; MEJ didn't maintain the accuracy and completeness of information in a pending captioned application for modification of KEJM's technical facilities; and MEJ didn't respond to requests for information. MEJ didn't comment Friday.
The FBI has requested Association of National Advertisers cooperation in the bureau's criminal investigation of ad agencies reportedly getting refunds they didn't pass on to advertisers, ANA CEO Robert Liodice wrote members. “Federal law enforcement often needs assistance in identifying potential victims, witnesses, and evidence.” Wednesday's letter encourages members that “may have been defrauded” to retain counsel and audit for “indications of fraud.” The “opening of a federal criminal investigation is a significant event to the industry and to ANA members,” he said. Sinclair, Gray Television, Tribune and other large broadcasters are the targets of separate lawsuits alleging ad price collusion. Those lawsuits cite reports of DOJ's unrelated investigation (see 1810050041). We earlier incorrectly reported that the investigation ANA requested members' cooperation with was related to DOJ's investigation.
Opponents of proposals to relax kidvid rules are asking the FCC to put what’s best for programmers over the needs of children, Commissioner Mike O’Rielly told the Kentucky Broadcasters Association Tuesday. “A chief opponent of these proposals fears a transition to multicast channels because it would lose 98 percent of its advertising revenues,” O’Rielly said. “One of the original purposes of the Children’s Television Act was to limit the amount of advertising towards children.” Removing rules requiring kidvid content on multicast streams “would certainly transition our focus on children’s programming from quantity to quality,” O’Rielly said, in remarks posted Wednesday. “I remain open-minded and will only move forward on a proposal that strikes the important balance of protecting children viewers, modernizing our rules, and providing flexibility.” O’Rielly said the post-incentive auction repack appears to be proceeding smoothly, and the FCC should change rules to acknowledge the increasing competition in media.
The FCC Media Bureau scheduled a webinar on the radio station incubator program (see 1808020048) Oct. 30, said a public notice Tuesday. The 1 p.m. EDT event will include information for potential incubators and incubatees about program (see 1809280052) basics, the PN said.
The FCC shouldn’t adopt a 54 dbu contour limit beyond which full-power FM stations can’t lodge interference complaints against FM translators (see 1808070039), Entercom CEO David Field told FCC Chairman Ajit Pai Thursday, said a filing posted Tuesday in docket 18-119. “If a contour limit is necessary, then the 42 dBu contour is the more appropriate one to use to avoid detrimentally impacting full-service FM stations.” Entercom supports the position of Beasley Media and other large radio groups, which argued that a large portion of their stations’ listening audience would fall outside the proposed 54 dBu contour. Field supports deregulation and “further consideration of the present ownership rules.”
National Translator Association President John Terrill presented his fast track reimbursement proposal for translators (see 1809100033) at an Aug. 24 Utah Broadcasters Association meeting attended by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said a filing posted Friday in docket 12-268. The plan is based on paying a flat reimbursement amount to each translator and a simplified application process. NTA Vice President-Regulatory Affairs Michael Couzens didn’t comment on the apparent lateness of the document.
Two of the lawsuits against Sinclair, Tribune, Gray and other large broadcasters over advertising price collusion (see 1807310054) were consolidated and transferred to U.S. District Court in Chicago, said an order (in Pacer) Thursday from the U.S. District Court judicial panel on multidistrict litigation. The potential class-action lawsuits were filed after reports emerged DOJ was investigating the broadcast groups for conspiring to fix ad prices. Though the order transferred only cases filed in Maryland and Illinois, the plaintiffs expect 15 similar cases in other districts to be transferred to the same court, they said in a filing Thursday. “These actions involve common questions of fact, and that centralization will serve the convenience of the parties and witnesses and promote the just and efficient conduct of this litigation” the panel said. Friday, the companies didn’t comment.
A Miami pirate radio operator reached a settlement with the FCC Enforcement Bureau requiring he pay $2,680 of his $20,000 penalty, but will owe the rest if caught operating a pirate station again in the next 20 years, said a consent decree released Wednesday. After being caught, Sergio Plasencia sent the agency years of tax returns to show he couldn’t afford the proposed $20,000. Along with owing the money if he transmits an unauthorized signal again, Plasencia also will owe if he’s found to have misled the agency about his financial situation.
The FCC’s grant of Ion's request for changes to the DTV table of allotments and community of license for its WPXQ from Block Island, Rhode Island, to Newport (see 1809180049) is effective Thursday, says a final rule for Thursday's Federal Register.