In this letter to the editor, the author comments on Radio World’s March 2023 story “Colorado LPFM Station Is Fined for Airing Commercials.” Comment on this or any article. Email [email protected].
Radio World reported that an LPFM station faced a potential $15,000 fine for airing commercials for almost eight years. I find it horrifying that it took so long for the issue to be addressed and am surprised that a relatively small fine was proposed for something so egregious.
Purchasing a commercial broadcast license is a financial transaction. Money is paid to the government for the frequency allocation in the expectation that the buyer will make more money operating a station than was paid for the license. This is reasonable and fair.
But given the very limited number of slots available, noncommercial stations are different. Although some money is involved, they are a public trust, with the expectation that the stations will be operated without profit, for the public good. Violating this trust hurts everyone.
I know that the LPFM in Colorado is by no means the only station engaging in this practice. Tuning across the band, I hear “Christian” stations with noncommercial licenses airing network broadcasts with original network spots in them. I had thought that Jesus kicked the moneylenders out of the temple, but here they are coming back in again in His name.
I hear college stations airing spots for local businesses. I even hear the occasional underwriting spot that pushes the limits of appropriate use and verges into sponsorship.
We need to be taking this seriously because if noncommercial stations start acting like commercial broadcasters, there will be no reason to retain the noncommercial allocations. That would be bad for everyone concerned.
—Scott Dorsey, Kludge Audio, Williamsburg, Va.
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