GRAHAM BROCK, INC.
Broadcast Technical Consultants
P.O. Box 24466 St. Simons Island, GA 31522-7466
912-638-8028 912-638-7722 Fax 202-393-5133
Vol. VIII, No. 7 - July 2001
The Commission has extended the deadline for the settlement of mutually exclusive
applications for new/major change LPTV stations. In late May, the FCC issued a list of
numerous mutually exclusive applications and there were over a hundred applications that,
due to daisy chaining, were mutually exclusive. The Public Notice stated that settlements
or engineering solutions could be submitted by July 24, 2001, to resolve any mutual
exclusivity. Several parties submitted requests to extend the period in order to allow
resolutions and engineering solutions. The Commission agreed to a 30 day extension,
allowing parties to submit settlements or solutions until August 23rd. If the
conflicts cannot be settled, the applicants will go to a lottery to decide the winning
application. On another low power note, over 1,000 applications for LPFM facilities were
filed during the window in June.
Some time ago, we reported that those applicants who filed for non-commercial
facilities on commercial or non-reserved channels would have to go to auction, along with
those applicants who filed for commercial operations. The FCC's decision was appealed. The
Court's ruling on the appeal has indicated that the Commission must exempt non-commercial
applicants from auction proceedings. This will leave several FM allocations in limbo until
the FCC can determine how to select between non-commercial and commercial applicants vying
for the same facilities.
In these days of consolidation, the number of stations under one roof changes quickly.
On a recent inspection trip of eight stations in the same market area, obtaining access to
the sites was difficult. The staff or management knew where the sites were and how to get
to them, but they were unable to locate the keys to the access gates or transmitter
buildings. In one case, it took two trips and several hours of hunting for keys to access
the site. This becomes a major issue if the station is off the air and you can't get
inside the transmitter building. A complete set of transmitter site, gate, vehicle, etc.
keys should be kept in one location for access, along with the directions to each of the
sites posted with the keys. This is also important if more than one engineer works within
the group of stations or in case someone has to go to the site to deliver a part or to
take the friendly FCC inspector for a visit.
The Commission has released its regulatory fee schedule for 2001. In general, the fees for broadcasters have increased about 7.75% over last year at the request of Congress. The fees for radio stations remain based on the population served by the station. The highest regulatory fees for radio stations are Class B or better with population coverage over 1,000,000 persons; they have to ante up $4,550. The lowest is for a daytime AM station with coverage less than 20,000 persons; they would only owe $250.