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Objecting to a license renewal

L

LeighNash

Guest
A radio station where I live JUST NOW filed for their license renewal. (They were supposed to last summer and fall.)

They are a vast waste of space on the FM dial. Their application notes that they forgot to take care of multiple basics over the past 7 years, such as public file, EEO, etc.

How can I have my objection to their renewal taken seriously by the FCC?
 
> A radio station where I live JUST NOW filed for their
> license renewal. (They were supposed to last summer and
> fall.)
>
> They are a vast waste of space on the FM dial. Their
> application notes that they forgot to take care of multiple
> basics over the past 7 years, such as public file, EEO, etc.
>
> How can I have my objection to their renewal taken seriously
> by the FCC?

How can I meet a supermodel? Good luck.
 
> > A radio station where I live JUST NOW filed for their
> > license renewal. (They were supposed to last summer and
> > fall.)
> >
> > They are a vast waste of space on the FM dial. Their
> > application notes that they forgot to take care of
> multiple
> > basics over the past 7 years, such as public file, EEO,
> etc.
> >
> > How can I have my objection to their renewal taken
> seriously
> > by the FCC?
>
That's not a very good way to make friends ;)
 
> How can I have my objection to their renewal taken seriously
> by the FCC?

Try searching the FCC's website to find an answer. You can start out by following the link on the right side of the main page to the Media Bureau pages on the site. and seeing what they have to say about the license renewal process. On the media bureau page, the link for "The Public and Broadcasting" serves as a FAQ on a variety of broadcast related questions, including a brief section on renewals and how to challenge them.
 
> How can I have my objection to their renewal taken seriously
> by the FCC?

It's not as difficult as you might think. However you need to make sure you get the correct status of the license renewal via the CDBS database and NOT the daily digest. I have seen items appear in the Daily Digest weeks after they have been processed.

Now here is the tough part for some people, it means breaking out your printer and stamps. Currently you can only object via letter, and must have your name, address on it. If you have anyone who is in the legal profession (read, LAYWER), have them look it over to make sure it is in the proper legal-ese.
 
> A radio station where I live JUST NOW filed for their
> license renewal. (They were supposed to last summer and
> fall.)
>
> They are a vast waste of space on the FM dial. Their
> application notes that they forgot to take care of multiple
> basics over the past 7 years, such as public file, EEO, etc.
>
>
> How can I have my objection to their renewal taken seriously
> by the FCC?
>

The truth is you can't get the FCC to pay much attention to this matter or
any matters similar in scope. The GOP led Congress wrote in so much protection for licensees in the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 that it makes it practically impossible for one person or even a small group of concerned citizens to challenge a license renewal. Public service performance has become largely circumvented as a renewal issue. In combination with the fact that the entire executive branch of the government, the legislative branch and the judiciary are all GOP-big business interests dominated, unless you have very deep pockets you are probably wasting your time. It's frustrating, but unless a licensee has really gone over the top to alienate the public with lewd or lascivious programming, there isn't much hope to get their renewal denied.

Here is some information that directly pertains to this issue:

http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/1996_telecommunications/telecom.html#page109

It may take some surfing through this report, but there are a lot of good points within it that you may include in your complaint letter.

To be successful at something like you are thinking of doing in the instant political climate you might consider forming a group to pursue the issue.
Complaint letters arrive at the Commission by the hundreds and are usually ignored.

Good luck<P ID="signature">______________
Electricity is really just organized lightning.
~George Carlin</P>
 
Re: Supemodel

> That's not a very good way to make friends ;)

But, if he gets an answer, I hope he passes it along to the rest of us geeks. On the other hand, meeting is not nearly a difficult as attracting.
 
Um, your politics are a little misguided

> The GOP led Congress wrote in
> so much protection for licensees in the Telecommunications
> Reform Act of 1996 that it makes it practically impossible
> for one person or even a small group of concerned citizens
> to challenge a license renewal.

Um, Congress was split in 1996, and the Telcom Act of 1996 was decidedly bi-partisan. Let me quote the article that you cited:

Even former President Bill Clinton, who pushed hard for passage of the Act, conceded last year that there has been "more consolidation than we wanted."

> To be successful at something like you are thinking of doing
> in the instant political climate you might consider forming
> a group to pursue the issue.

That's a very good point. In order to be seen as a representative of the community at large, you need to demonstrate that the opinion you've expressed has significant backing with your neighbors. Not only do you want to file a complaint in writing, you want to bolster your contention that the licensee is not performing in the public interest, convenience, and necessity by gathering support from the community at large.

Petitions and letter-writing campaigns are a good way to get attention. Writing letters of complaint to the radio station, with a copy going to the FCC, may also help your cause - especially if they fail to maintain a Public File. Also, enlisting the support of your local Congressional representative, as well as state and local politicians, would be a significant step in the right direction.

Good Luck.
 
104th Congress both houses GOP controlled

Better recheck your sources. Bob Dole (R) and Trent Lott (R) were Senate Majority Leaders of the 104th Congress http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Majority_Minority_Leaders.htm#2 and Dick Armey (R) was House Majority Leader http://clerk.house.gov/histHigh/Congressional_History/leaders.html .

Yes, there was bipartisan support for the bill, but that only shows all politicians who voted for it didn't understand what it's impact would be.

Yes, Clinton failed to veto it, also not fully comprehending its end result.

Before you go accusing me of misguided politics, check your statements for accuracy.





> > The GOP led Congress wrote in
> > so much protection for licensees in the Telecommunications
>
> > Reform Act of 1996 that it makes it practically impossible
>
> > for one person or even a small group of concerned citizens
>
> > to challenge a license renewal.
>
> Um, Congress was split in 1996, and the Telcom Act of 1996
> was decidedly bi-partisan. Let me quote the article that you
> cited:
>
> Even former President Bill Clinton, who pushed hard for
> passage of the Act, conceded last year that there has been
> "more consolidation than we wanted."
>
> > To be successful at something like you are thinking of
> doing
> > in the instant political climate you might consider
> forming
> > a group to pursue the issue.
>
> That's a very good point. In order to be seen as a
> representative of the community at large, you need to
> demonstrate that the opinion you've expressed has
> significant backing with your neighbors. Not only do you
> want to file a complaint in writing, you want to bolster
> your contention that the licensee is not performing in the
> public interest, convenience, and necessity by gathering
> support from the community at large.
>
> Petitions and letter-writing campaigns are a good way to get
> attention. Writing letters of complaint to the radio
> station, with a copy going to the FCC, may also help your
> cause - especially if they fail to maintain a Public File.
> Also, enlisting the support of your local Congressional
> representative, as well as state and local politicians,
> would be a significant step in the right direction.
>
> Good Luck.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
Electricity is really just organized lightning.
~George Carlin</P>
 
Re: Um, your politics are a little misguided

Having the license yanked was prety much impossible even in the "good old days". WDRK, Greeneville, OH had several violations, and it took almost a decade to remove the license. They were still operating even after the FCC said "lock the doors and throw the key away". <P ID="signature">______________
Greetings from Ohio-where the governor wants everyone to know he's sorry.</P>
 
Overwhelming Bi-Partisan Support

My bad for working from memory. Checking the facts, though, the vote was overwhelmingly in favor, with the house voting 414-16 and the Senate, 91-5.

And, as you say, Clinton not only failed to veto the bill, he supported it at the time. Blaming it all on the Republicans seems a bit disingenuous at best.

People in broadcasting fail to understand the far-reaching effects of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 beyond their own industry. I agree that media concentration in broadcasting has been an unfortunate result, but there is apparently a lack of political will to resolve that issue. The FCC has already been slapped down by the courts in their attempt to change ownership limits. That means it's up to Congress, and I haven't heard any great outcry from either side of the aisle to seriously address the issue.
 
Re: 104th Congress both houses GOP controlled

> Yes, Clinton failed to veto it, also not fully comprehending
> its end result.

Bill Clinton actively and aggressively supported the Telecom Act, which is far different from the implications of "failed to veto it." The policies implemented in the Telecom Act had very broad bipartisan support extending way past Bill Clinton, with only a handful of Democrats opposing this legislation.

So, yeah, it was Republicans who largely wrote this bill, but most Democrats happily hopped on the bandwagon.

And note that I don't like the Republican party or it's current policies at all, so I'm certainly not writing this as an attempt to let the Republicans off the hook, either. Unfortunately, this was one instance where both parties supported aboslutely wrong headed policies.
 
Re: Overwhelming Bi-Partisan Support

The '96 Act did more than alter broadcasting regulations. Common Carrier and wireless regulations were also updated for the emerging broadband era. The primary impetus for the Act was to update a decades-old common carrier and wireless scheme to account for a world in which there was more than a single carrier (Ma Bell). The broadcast regulatory aspects were generally not considered as important as the remainder of the '96 Act. In hindsight, of course, we know that broadcasting was probably affected the most.

Did you notice that 10 years later, the Mayses are once again saying the industry needs to consolidate MORE in order to survive?
 
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