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Inspecting the public file

Go in and ask to see the public inspection file for a specific station in case there are more than one at this facility. Expect that someone will oversee what you are doing to be sure you don't remove or add anything to the file. Look for the Booklet "The Public and Broadcasting" which should be in the file It explains what your rights and obligations are. It also tells you what must be in the file. Smart station never put anything not required in the PI file. The station must permit you to examine the file during reasonable business hours, they are not required to stay overtime or open at other than normal buseinss hours. HINT don't go at lunch time since the fill in at the reception desk may not be up on the procedures and may make you wait for the regular receptionist to get back from lunch. You may ask for copies of anything in the file but at your expense which could include the cost of copying and the time of the person who is doing the copying. YOU MAY NOT remove anything from the file even to copy yourself. YOU MAY NOT add anything to the file. YOU MAY NOT make any marks on the contents of the file. YOU MAY make notes on your own paper/computer and possibly use a camera to copy files, but that will be up to the station. Most stations will cooperate. You are required to present identification that they will probably log.
Good luck and try to go in friendly. If you go in with a chip on your shoulder, the amount of cooperation you get might be bare minimum and delayed. If your friendly you will likely be treated well.
Bilco
 
All I want to do is examine a current Time Brokerage Agreement, I'm not out to report them to the FCC or anything, even if they don't have the latest copy of The Public and Broadcasting.
 
Nope, nothing even shows up when I enter the call letters.

I tried to call the main studio number as listed in the FCC database so I could tell them that I'd be inspecting the public file tomorrow, but it just rang and rang and rang.

I personally knew another person who was interested in setting up a full time Time Brokerage Agreement, who had the funding to do so, and contacted the licensee well in advance of the then-current TBA being terminated due to the bankruptcy of the leasee, but the licensee did not even respond to his inquiry, and they set up a TBA with another leasee. The second leasee ended its TBA with the licensee, and the person I knew who wanted to lease the station was still not contacted. Instead, the licensee set up multiple TBAs with 4 different leasees to each program the station part-time with ethnic formats.

It's been bugging me since the termination of the second lease (probably more than it's bugging my friend who actually wanted to lease the station) why the licensee hasn't contacted my friend, whose proposed format would certainly be higher rated than the multitude of ethnic formats because it would be similar to that station's first 2 formats programmed by the first 2 leasees. By examining the time brokerage agreements, I hope to get a better understanding.

I don't think I'll file an FCC complaint if I discover something I think is wrong.
 
Nick said:
Nope, nothing even shows up when I enter the call letters.

I tried to call the main studio number as listed in the FCC database so I could tell them that I'd be inspecting the public file tomorrow, but it just rang and rang and rang.
Click to expand...

If copies of the TBA's aren't in the public file, and an employee of the licensee isn't on duty, they could be in a world of hurt if the FCC came calling. Birach got nailed for that for an NAL of 30 large.

http://www.commlawblog.com/2010/03/articles/broadcast/absentee-licensee-absent-tbas-30k-fine/
 
I've done it a few times at the competition to play with their heads. "You mean that you won't let me see your public file?"
 
I didn't end up inspecting the public file today, I'll be doing it next week.
I know that the licensee doesn't have a lot of money, and they got screwed financially when the first leasee defaulted on all of its lease payments for 6 months, they had to lay off some employees because of that. I don't want them to get an FCC fine.
 
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