An Iowa broadcaster will pay penalties to the FCC for neglecting its online public file and not powering down an AM station at night.
Gendreau Broadcast LLC operates KCLN(AM) and KMCN(FM) in Clinton, Iowa. But when it filed for license renewals in 2020, it was met with formal objections that accused it of failing to upload material to its online public inspection file and not including a link to the file on its websites.
According to the FCC, the objections also alleged that KCLN(AM) did not reduce power at night. The station is licensed for 1,000 watts daytime and 100 watts night.
The FCC says Gendreau Broadcast failed to respond to these objections in 2020 and that the agency sent letters asking it to do so. Unsatisfied with the response, the commission subsequently issued a notice of apparent liability saying the company had willfully and repeatedly violated the public file requirements.
Gendreau and the commission then held settlement discussions that have now led to consent decrees including an admission of liability and an agreement to pay a civil penalty of $9,000.
Gendreau must appoint a compliance officer to oversee its OPIF matters, according to the commission, and ensure that it follows a compliance plan. It will need to report back to the commission in a year, at which point the FCC will critique its compliance.
If the FCC is not satisfied that Gendreau has demonstrated substantial compliance with its obligations, the Media Bureau can extend the termination date of the consent decree for up to an additional 24 months.
The license renewals were not addressed in the consent decrees and are being processed through normal FCC procedures.
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