Does anyone know if the FCC requires LP-FM stations to provide a certain amount of local programming? In Galesburg, the religious LP-FM at 95.7 carries all satellite programming (I don't even think the station has a studio in Galesburg) and I think the one at 107.9 in the Quad Cities does too. I thought the purpose of LP-FM stations is to provide local programming relevant to the community the station serves.
Unfortunately, as I understand the LPFM rules, there are no requirements for a licensee to provide ANY local programming. Some confusion as to this point may have come about because it was talked about as a requirement during the creation of the LPFM service, but was never implemented. However, if the LPFM licensee received their license as one of many mutually-exclusive applicants for that particular license, they MAY be required to originate eight hours of local programming per day, if the licensee used that pledge to get "points" to ultimately have the license granted in their favor over other competing applicants. See Sec. 73.872, specifically subsection (b)(3) here:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/cfr_2005/octqtr/47cfr73.872.htm .
Other questions about the service can be answered by checking out the relevant LPFM rules here:
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/bickel/amfmrule.html#LPFM . Also, for more of a layperson's summary of LPFM compliance (requiring less "statutory/regulatory interpretation") see the LPFM compliance checklist here:
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/bc-chklsts/EB18LPFM1205.pdf . (NOTE: definitely NOT an exhaustive list of the requirements!!!)
As for regulating formats, the FCC just doesn't do it. As mentioned before, Canada's CRTC is an example of agency that engages in format "approval" for licensees, but that presents its own problems.
The religious broadcasters have filled the spectrum with AM, FM, LPFM and translator channels to the exclusion of some other programming, but that is what happens when you take a scarce resource (radio licenses), normally largely "regulated" <cough> through free market principles where licenses are sold and purchased by licensees for money, and you plug into the system a bunch of players where profit and economic gain are not concerns (besides "breaking even") into the system. In other words, when the system normally relies on economic pressure of profitability to allocate licenses where they will be most effectively used, and an entity buys into the system that is not motivated by profit, those operators will tend to apply for, build, operate, and hold on to licenses that would normally be released back into the market if they were not yielding more profit than could be realized by selling them. They instead see broadcasting as a mission/calling, and not a business (most, anyway). Over time, those types of stations will be overrepresented in the market, and that is what you are seeing today in many locations.
Not a knock on religious non-profit broadcasters; I just think most of them do no see their operations primarily as a business, which results in them making decisions as to licenses in a different way than secular or profit-motivated licensees, and that does have an impact on the system, especially one so lightly regulated.
Anyway, hope that helps.
