JUNE NEWSLETTER

Vol. VII, No. 6 -- June 2000

Class A LPTV Moves Forward

The Commission has issued a series of Public Notices regarding the LPTV licensees who filed eligibility requests for Class A status for their respective LPTV stations. As we reported several months ago, well over one thousand licensees, closer to 1700 when the final tally was known, submitted requests for Class A status late last year. Earlier this month, the FCC issued a list of nearly one thousand stations which are eligible for Class A status. The remaining licensees' requests were dismissed in a companion Public Notice. Those LPTV stations that met the criteria for Class A status must now submit FCC Form 302-CA to cover the status of their LPTV stations from secondary to Class A. These applications are to be filed with the Commission within the next six months.

As a reminder, a filing window for new and major changes for LPTV stations is scheduled to open on July 31^st and close August 4^th. Applicants for new stations can submit requests for Channels 2 through 69. While Channels 60-69 are set aside for other services, LPTV can utilize the channels on a secondary basis. There is a geographic freeze zone around numerous markets throughout the country. No new LPTV stations can be authorized if they are within 121 kilometers (75 miles) of the frozen communities.

More Time For LPFM

The first Low Power FM window has come and gone. The filers, the total number of which was not known as of the date of this writing, had an additional three days to submit applications. Although the window was originally slated for five business days, the Commission extended it by three additional days since there were problems with the electronic filing system on Saturday and Sunday. It's not known if subsequent windows will likewise be lengthened to ten days, or whether the filing window will include a weekend. Stay tuned.

E-mail vs. Snail Mail

Starting in August, Graham Brock's monthly newsletter can be sent as a WordPerfect document to your email address. This will allow you to receive a report on the changes in the broadcast industry "hot off the presses." If you are interested in receiving the newsletter on the Internet, please email us at news@grahambrock.com. We will, of course, continue to snail mail everyone else. The newsletter will remain available at www.grahambrock.com.

Tower Registrations Re-Visited And Other Matters

On a recent inspection trip, we reviewed a station's tower registration documents and FCC licenses. The tower was properly registered and the number was posted at the base of the tower and at the site access. However, the coordinates listed on the tower registration certificate did not match the FCC station license. While the coordinates can be slightly at variance due to the use of NAD 1983 datum on the tower registration and NAD 1927 on the FCC license, many recent inspections have revealed a greater variation. In some cases, once the tower was registered, the licensee thought the responsibility was over! This is true if the numbers match. If you are buying or selling a station, do you want to delay closing to allow final action to occur on a correction of coordinates application? Double check your station's main license and all auxiliary licenses that originate from the same site as the main.

In addition to the above, the same trip revealed that a station had replaced their main antenna system following a thunderstorm with a slightly different model. However, the FCC was not advised of the change. This type of change merely requires a station license application with no fee. What antenna is currently on your tower and does it match your license?

AM Expanded Band

Recent correspondence with the FCC Staff has disturbing news for those licensees who have an expanded band allotment, or those considering purchasing a station with an expanded band allotment. Although the expanded band allotment plan is still under appeal and is not final, the Commission will let the permits issued in 1997 and 1998 expire at the end of their 3 year period if "tolling" of the permit is not requested by the stations. Tolling, in this case, means suspension of the time period to build. If the permit expires without being tolled, the Commission may not re-issue the permit. Further, the Commission is adamant that dual operation of the parent and expanded band station must be discontinued 5 years following the original construction permit issue date. This may become yet another legal battle with the FCC in the on-going 13 year battle to establish expanded AM band operation. Stay tuned.