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Does the FCC bother enforcing rules for AM Stations?

Mike Sheridan

Mike Sheridan

I was commenting to a friend about an AM station that has applied for an emergency STA (BSTA) and made some false claims in the application. This friend of mine said don't worry about it because the FCC doesn't bother to follow up on complaints about AM stations. He knew of one that was operating at night without authorization and operating with an unmodulated carrier for hours. He complained to the FCC submitting proof and the FCC did nothing. Is this the norm? Doesn't the FCC care about AM stations anymore?

I also remember there was a problem with stations in small towns staying at full power after sunset when they were supposed to reduce power. The stayed at full power to air the local high school football games. Were the stations caught and fined for this illegal operation?
 
Interesting question. I almost wonder if we're talking enforcement on a case-by-case basis.

In the Pittsburgh market, KDKA-1020 got nailed for a contest hoax allegedly perpetrated by a talk show host (although I can understand his claim that it was a joke and no one really, seriously thought he really was offering $1 million).

WZUM-1590 under its last ownership (a Virginia-based ministry) ran into a slew of technical issues with the FCC before its landlord padlocked its studio and it couldn't return to the air from any other locations.

The commission may be famous for its unexpected inspections but I think more often it is a matter of listeners sending tips to the FCC.
 
The Enforcement Bureau doesn't do a great job on any band, it just so happens that there are more operators with limited resources on the AM band.
 
They're still out there enforcing, but they have limited resources. There were 2 stations down south who received NAL's in the past month for not having CAP-equipped EAS.

Cumulus' KTCK Dallas got busted his year for no ASR's posted on the fence outside its 4-tower site.

KPSI 920 in Palm Springs got nailed in June for faded tower paint.

Clear Channel's WRAK in Williamsport, PA had burnt out tower lights and no logs in June. When the station engineer called CC engineering, he was told that the company's policy not to replace burnt out sidelamps until more tower work is needed. The FCC was not impressed.

They're out there, there just aren't enough agents to get everyone rounded up. Check out the field actions:

http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/FieldNotices/
 
Terrestrial radio is now the red-headed stepchild of the FCC. Since deregulation and the astronomical boom in telco systems...we're sort of the Clampetts of the Beverly hillbilly Broadcasters.

Just looking at the NAL's from DC, it appears that if you're close to a listening station, in a major market or unfortunate enough to have a field engineer close by, then you get noticed...otherwise I think you could probably broadcast Latvian Goat Porn 24 hours a day with a 400kHz wide signal wiping out 12 other stations and they wouldn't notice for a couple of years.

(unless you're a pirate broadcaster in Florida, where they seem to have an entire army of FE's out there stamping out the broadcast band insurrection)

Seriously, you see stations moving their antennas 40 miles, lapsed licenses, no stl license...and it goes on for 6-8 years before someone notices. I figure if you live in the middle of Oklahoma, you could fire up a 50KW clear channel in your RV and be drawing social security before someone knocks on the door.
 
You just have to enjoy the "high school football power" that applies to daytimers only on fall Friday nights. It apparently keeps the stations on the air
 
I once worked for an AM whose owner thought STA meant Sports Temporary Authorization. He sent in a request for one to cover every Friday night in football season. I don't know what happened because I left before he got an answer from the FCC. I do know he stayed on the air late every Friday night.
 
Actually in Oklahoma, that would be a bad idea. Corporate for CC is in Tulsa. Many of the rest of us know people far enough up that we could get something done if needed. I've seen a few pirates get caught around here fairly quickly. One even had the local police assisting.... We generally don't care as much about the local drive-in that is not bothering anyone, but someone really putting out power or running commercials gets action quickly. Our state doesn't have the laws like Florida does, but we do have a pretty tight group of engineers, owners, and managers that will "make a project" of someone that goes that far.
 
How about a ND AM station in their submitted BSTA claims they have been kicked off their tower and have moved to a temporary site going down in power from 1kw to 250 watts using a 160 foot horizontal wire that is supposed to be 50 feet above ground with a fence and lock below. There is no fence. To me that's misleading the FCC but is it a violation?
 
There is no fence. To me that's misleading the FCC but is it a violation?
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If you can walk up & touch anything that's hot RF wise it is.

FCC's been through here twice in the last month.
Said he was mostly looking at AMs the last time through.
 
I think you folks have got to realize that our government is doing the best job they can under the circumstances. They’ve got plenty of other things to do…like collecting and storing virtually every phone call, purchases, email, text message, internet searches, social media communications, health information, employment history, travel and student records, and virtually all other information of every American.

Now that’s a big job!
 
Oh yes! But you forgot some of the other direct jobs of the FCC themselves. That's to sell off frequencies from brodcasters and hams to telecom giants for cellular operations, collect fees and fines, and generally create a nuisance for small business including small broadcasters. Yes! We also must not forgot arranging everything for minorities so that have an unfair advantage to own licenses too. Welcome to today's FCC, one of the biggest jokes of government agencies today.
 
And let me add they go after 100 milliwatt menaces hobbyists that threaten to take scads of listeners away from the corporate radio entities.

OK, I can see them going after pirates who are really causing problems but to waste our tax dollars going after 100mW hobbyists?

Then again, this is the same FCC that's had decades to stop the abuses of the telemarketing industry that's ruined phone service for an entire country of citizens.
 
Agreed Bill! 100mw of CRAP comes out of CFLs these days, yet they choose to waste their resources on busting antique radio hobbyists. They are nothing short of ridiculous in their selective enforcement.
 
OKCRadioGuy said:
Yes! We also must not forgot arranging everything for minorities so that have an unfair advantage to own licenses too.
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Well, I was with you up to that point.

The FCC's actually modest minority preference came about because until the 1950's NO minority owned a radio property (TV it was the 70's.) These days, 'minority' includes women, and in some cases, 'small business'!
 
Putting the caps on how many stations could be owned by one group in a market would go a LONG ways towards "helping minorities". It'll be a cold day in hell before that happens.
 
What they love to do is pretend to "help minorities" and "small broadcasters", when it reality they actually prefer the one-stop-shopping of just dealing with the big guys. It's just the way it is I suppose.
 
MickeyD said:
The FCC seems to jump all over AM pirates for some reason.
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And they have no problem harassing legit Part 15 operators using certified, manufactured transmitters installed in a compliant manner. I never knew a .1 watt AM transmitter was such a nuisance. Really?
 
Bill DeFelice said:
And they have no problem harassing legit Part 15 operators using certified, manufactured transmitters installed in a compliant manner. I never knew a .1 watt AM transmitter was such a nuisance. Really?
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It doesn't matter whether or not an AM broadcast band transmitter is certified under Part 15 -- it can still be installed and/or in some cases adjusted so that it is non-compliant with Part 15.

Probably some such AM operators believe that their installations are compliant because they followed the beliefs/instructions/definitions provided by some equipment suppliers, many posts on the Internet, and certain Part 15 website operators.

However unlicensed AM transmitter systems in the US either comply with Part 15, or they don't. The FCC determines that at the time of a field inspection, regardless of the FCC certification that transmitter may have.

Just to note that in viewing the NOUOs shown on the FCC Enforcement Bureau website -- the number of those citations per year issued to unlicensed operators in the FM broadcast band probably are 20+ times greater than those issued to such operators in the AM broadcast band.
 
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