FCC Report 1/7: What Constitutes A Community Of License?
FCC Actions
The FCC has upheld a proposed $12,500 fine agains Crocodile Broadcasting’s 94.7 W234DH Baton Rouge LA for willful violation of three rules. The agency states that they failed to file an application for authority to alter the translator’s antenna system, constructing and operating the Translator with an unauthorized antenna at an unauthorized height and with incorrect power, and certifying inaccurately, but without intent to deceive, that it had constructed the Translator as authorized. The FCC has removed the originally proposed condition of requiring reporting status as the issues had been resolved. W234DH rebroadcasts Spanish Tropical “Tropical 105.7” 830 KGLA Norco/New Orleans.
The FCC has approved Jon Pole and Andrew Dickson’s Petition For A Declaratory Ruling allowing the two Canadian citizens’ 123 Corp. to complete their purchase of Border International Broadcasting, Inc. and its 102.7 WLYK Cape Vincent NY for $325,000. Pole and Dickson, who also operate My Broadcasting Corporation in Canada, began operating WLYK in February 2023 first stunting as “102.7 The Pole” and then launching Gold AC “102.7 Lake-FM” on March 17 targeting listeners in Kingston ON.
The FCC has rejected Omni Broadcasting’s Petition for Reconsideration seeking to overturn the cancellation of 93.5 WTKP Port St. Joe FL (along with its applications to relocate into the Panama City market on 93.7 Youngstown and $225,000 sale to Divine Word Communications). The commission had found that WTKP failed to operate from an authorized site from at least June 1, 2016 when its 2015 STA expired until at least September 7, 2017 when the FCC agents observed it operating from the unauthorized site deeming the license expired as no documentation proved it was operating from an authorized site during that time period.
Common Frequency Inc.’s 89.1 KCFH Two Harbors CA was granted a one year license renewal as opposed to the regular 8 year renewal for being silent for 52% of its previous license period with it being off the air from August 11, 2015 to June 5, 2016, August 10, 2016 to August 10, 2017, February 27, 2018 to February 16, 2019 and October 28, 2019 to October 25, 2020.
Michael Radio Company’s 96.5 KLLM Wheatland WY proposed move to 96.7 licensed to Horse Creek has been dismissed for failure to specify a licensable community. Horse Creek was the third community that Michael sought to relocate the station to as they originally filed in December 2022 to relocate the station to 96.7 West Laramie WY, which the FCC requested Michael to demonstrate was a community for allotment purposes. Michael then sought to change it to just Laramie, which the FCC rejected as it was not a preferential arrangement of allotments, stating “retaining a fourth local service at Wheatland would be preferred over an eleventh local service for Laramie.” That led to the August 2023 proposal to rimshot Cheyenne from Horse Creek. White Park Broadcasting filed an objection arguing that Horse Creek does not constitute a community for allotment purposes as “there are absolutely no civic, cultural, religious, social or commercial entities in Horse Creek that serve to create any form of community.”
The commission states that it did not find Horse Creek a licensable community for allotment purposes. The community is not incorporated nor listed with the US Census, but Michael “has neither submitted the testimony of residents nor established the existence of a population grouping evidenced by political, social, economic, commercial, cultural, public service, or religious organizations and services in the community”. The FCC says that it does satisfy the threshold test of being a physical place as being a location on places such as Google Maps, USGS maps, and Laramie County Fire Authority website, but its post office closed in 2017, elementary school and fire services are provided not by the community but by Laramie County and only one business was provided as operating in the community.
Pirate Actions
Two Brooklyn NY property owners were issued Notices of Illegal Pirate Radio Broadcasting. RAAV 2617 LLC was flagged for a facility on 90.5, while 70 Rockaway Parkway was hit as the owner of the property where a 99.3 was operating from.
License Cancellations
Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting turned in the license of 1010 WHKT Portsmouth/Norfolk VA. WHKT lost its tower site in December 2021 and outside a brief resumption in December 2022, had been silent since then.
Townsquare Media has surrendered the licenses of 1290 KJEF Jennings LA and 1490 WTVL Waterville ME as the stations were about the approach the one year limit for being silent.
Silent Notifications […]
