Public affairs programming??

[bobdavcav]

What are the requirements for public affairs programming on music stations? I tuned around yesterday morning and here's what I heard, though not paying attention too closely.
92.5 music
93.3 didn't pay attention but I think music.
94.1 music I think, didn't pay attention.
94.9 not worried about them, they probably do more than the FCC requirements.
95.7 simulcasting 106.1 with a talk show. When I tuned into 106.1, they were talking about planning for college, then switched to something about 9-11.
96.5 some entertainment-related talk show.
97.3 news I think.
Didn't really pay attention to 98.1 or 98.9 or 99.9.
I think 100.7 was playing music.
101.5 the usual more music approach, although they probably satisfy the FCC requirement, whatever that is, with John Tesh, which 106.9 runs Sunday mornings.
Other stations I think I know what they do, 104.5 automated music till 9.
105.3 music with interviews by Scott and Sam clear till noon.

 

[w9wi]

There is no requirement.

 

[Bongwater]

I think they did away with a lot of those old requirements a long time ago. Wouldn't surprise me if they twisted the rules to make commercial advertisements themselves count towards "public interest".

 

[fybush]

While there is no longer any specific requirement for newscasts, there is still a requirement that stations include in their public files each quarter an "issues list" that details how the station has broadcast programming addressing issues of importance to the community of license. For a news or talk station, that's easily accomplished just by keeping track of what's been covered during local newscasts and talk shows. For a music station, the easiest way to meet that requirement is usually still to do an hour of boring talk at 5 AM on Sunday, which is why those shows still exist.

The absence of quarterly issues lists in stations' public files has led to a lot of expensive FCC fines in recent years.

 

[Bongwater]

While there is no longer any specific requirement for newscasts, there is still a requirement that stations include in their public files each quarter an "issues list" that details how the station has broadcast programming addressing issues of importance to the community of license. For a news or talk station, that's easily accomplished just by keeping track of what's been covered during local newscasts and talk shows. For a music station, the easiest way to meet that requirement is usually still to do an hour of boring talk at 5 AM on Sunday, which is why those shows still exist.

The absence of quarterly issues lists in stations' public files has led to a lot of expensive FCC fines in recent years.

I always wondered how a public affairs director of a typical major commercial radio station or cluster actually FINDS some of the topics they talk about. Usually it's with some author discussing the importance of compost (which is total whiplash on a station like KISW.)

Even your stuffiest NPR news station finds more relevant things to talk about.....

 

[SeattleObserver]

I always wondered how a public affairs director of a typical major commercial radio station or cluster actually FINDS some of the topics they talk about. Usually it's with some author discussing the importance of compost (which is total whiplash on a station like KISW.)

Even your stuffiest NPR news station finds more relevant things to talk about.....

Some of these programs are syndicated and provided to broadcast stations too.
Here's one, which I think even airs in Seattle: http://www.projecthealthradio.org/

I've heard this company's all over, usually bundled with a half hour local interview program. http://www.mediatracks.com/