Commercial top 50 U.S. radio stations with more than five employees must post their public file online by Dec. 24 — Christmas Eve. That’s a reminder in the latest edition of the Alabama Broadcasters Association Engineering Notebook newsletter, by veteran engineer Larry Wilkins, but it applies across the country.
Stations should upload existing documents — annual EEO reports, issues and program list, political reports — already included in the paper public file, to an FCC-hosted website.
Luckily for everyone else, stations in smaller markets have a lot more breathing room; those files must be uploaded by March 1, 2018. Overachievers can begin this process at any time, however.
Wilkins seems optimistic about this FCC rule change. He writes, “This online file will be much easier to maintain than the old paper file system.”
This is because the commission will actually add ownership reports, assignment or transfer applications, construction permit applications, FCC licenses and more.
Wilkins writes that the ABA is planning a workshop to address this subject in 2017.
You can subscribe to the Engineering Notebook here.
