The Society of Broadcast Engineers and the National Association of Broadcasters recently released a self-inspection guideline for FM radio stations. The guide is meant to help their members protect broadcast licenses and assets by providing up-to-date, standardized guidance to comply with FCC Rules.
Rules violations can lead to delays in the FCC’s processing of an application, penalties including substantial monetary forfeiture, a shorter license authorization or even loss of a station’s license, according to the document.
Want to test your knowledge? See how you match up against the six sample questions listed below, which we’ve based on information provided in the guide.
Take the Quiz
Q1: You’ve discovered that a member of the station staff broadcast EAS tones inappropriately as a special effect in a radio spot. The FCC requires that you notify it. Do you know the email address to use?
Q2: Many FM stations use Broadcast Auxiliary Services in the form of studio-transmitter links, intercity relays, remote pickup units and transmitter-studio links. Most such licenses are automatically renewed with the main station license. What should the station do if the BAS facility has been discontinued or the station moves its STL facilities?
Q3: Before recording an outgoing phone conversation for broadcast, the licensee must tell the other party of its intention to broadcast the conversation, unless the other party may be presumed to be aware. In what circumstances can the station make that presumption?
Q4: Regarding your station’s Public Inspection File, the FCC states that it should automatically upload the authorizations, filed applications, filed ownership reports, filed EEO documents, contour maps and “The Public and Broadcasting Manual.” But it is the licensee’s responsibility to make sure these items are in place. What should you do if they are not?
Q5: Fill in the blank: Generally, antenna structures that are higher than ______ above ground level or that may interfere with the flight path of a nearby airport or could represent an obstruction to an aircraft must be studied by the Federal Aviation Administration and registered with the FCC.
Q6: Which types of FM stations are exempt from the requirement to have installed operational equipment capable of transmitting the EAS protocol?
Check Your Answers
A1: Should any inappropriate use of EAS tones occur, the FCC requires that it be notified by email to FCCOPS@fcc.gov within 24 hours of discovery. (See page 19 of the guide.)
A2: BAS licenses that are no longer in use but still authorized and reflected in the FCC’s ULS database should be canceled. This requires action by the station. Also, many stations move studios and their associated STL facilities while neglecting to modify the associated BAS licenses. Such moved facilities are considered unauthorized and require new or modified licenses; they also can create frequency coordination conflicts. (See page 12.)
A3: Such awareness is presumed to exist only when the other party to the call is associated with the station (e.g. an employee or part-time reporter), or where the other party originates the call and it is obvious that it is in connection with a program in which the station customarily broadcasts phone conversations. (Page 16.)
A4: The authors of the Guide suggest that the licensee contact the PIF Help Desk for assistance, and consider manually uploading the missing docs to the appropriate Additional Documents folder. Periodic confirmation that all documents can be retrieved from the public-facing (not the admin page) PIF is recommended. The public-facing PIF must be accessible from a link on the station’s home page. (Page 21.)
A5: 60.96 meters or 200 feet. (Page 31)
A6: Class D FM, low-power FM, FM booster and FM translator are the exceptions to the encoding equipment requirement, while the decoding requirement applies to all FM stations except boosters and translators. (Page 39.) But the fact that EAS encoding is optional in certain broadcast services (LPFM, translators, boosters, etc.) does not relieve those stations from other EAS requirements; please see the appropriate guide for the relevant service.
