Washington State Radio Broadcaster Avoids $20K FCC Fine

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Washington State Radio Broadcaster Avoids $20K FCC Fine

The commission instead admonishes the licensee for knowingly violating technical rules

BY RANDY J. STINE
PUBLISHED: DECEMBER 20, 2023

‘Tis the holiday season, and the FCC is in a forgiving mood. The federal agency has given what amounts to a giant Christmas kiss to a Washington state radio broadcaster that had been facing a $20,000 fine.

The FCC issued a notice of apparent liability to Northwest Rock N Roll Preservation Society (NWS) — a non-profit group operating an adult standards station — in August 2022 for misuse of an FM translator, and for making false certifications in an application with the intent to deceive the FCC.

But, instead of being a scrooge, the FCC has decided to rescind its $20,000 fine against NWS because of the financial burden it would place on the broadcaster. The commission, however, did openly admonish NWS for “its willful and repeated” violation of FCC technical rules.

“A $20,000 forfeiture would be more than twenty times NWR’s average gross income. Not only are NWR’s average gross revenues very small but it has sustained average losses that are over three times those revenues,” the commission said in the most recent order.

{snip}

Licensee Faces $20K Fine for Misuse of FM Translator

FCC says non-profit also made false certifications

BY RANDY J. STINE
PUBLISHED: AUGUST 31, 2023

The FCC says a Washington state radio broadcaster is apparently liable for a monetary forfeiture of $20,000 for unauthorized operations of an FM translator and for making false certifications in an application with the intent to deceive the FCC. ... The Media Bureau has found that Northwest Rock N Roll Preservation Society (NWR), a non-profit group operating an adult standards station, apparently “willfully and repeatedly” violated commission rules by operating K266BM at a variance from its licensed parameters for about six months in 2019–2020.

The story is a complex litany of modification applications and license dates. ... It starts in 2013, when the FCC granted NWR a license to operate an FM translator at 10 watts on Channel 266 at Olympia. The translator would rebroadcast KGHO(LP) in Hoquiam, Wash.

What followed was a series of modified applications from NWR, according to the summary provided by the FCC in the notice of apparent liability.

{snip}

There are some skeptics.

https://www.radiodiscussions.com/threads/seattle-lpfm-roundup.706681/page-4#post-6456905

This seems to be a separate operation:

https://www.facebook.com/RockNRollPreservationSociety/

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Pretty Convoluted Story

Pretty confusing read.
I was unaware of LPFM. Didn't know it was a thing!
I do now.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch for Music Appreciation. The only aspect that made it relevant was

Last edited Wed Dec 27, 2023, 05:02 PM - Edit history (2)

that the LPFM station operator intended to extend the signal of what appears to be a rock-oriented station, and I gather that the "rock and the roll" music is somewhat popular with the kids here at Music Appreciation.

There's an LPFM in Arlington, Virginia, WERA, but it's a tough catch, even barely over five miles away. My iLuv iHD171 n the kitchen can bring it in. LPFM stations are supposed to be more community-oriented, than sending out the bland programming of the typical monolithic Audacy or Clear Channel iHeartMedia station.

Meanwhile ...

NorthEast Radio Watch 12/18/2023: Here Come More LPFMs!

Scott Fybush by Scott Fybush December 18, 2023 in Free Content, Northeast Radio Watch

In this week’s issue… LPFM apps emerge from FCC lockdown – Losing an important radio, tower owner – New country in NH – Sale in northern Maine

By SCOTT FYBUSH

Jump to: ME – NH – VT – MA – RI – CT – NY – NJ – PA – Canada

*As we wind things down for the year, we have one of the two big stories we promised you last week: while we await the financial fate of Audacy, still being dragged out by extensions from its lenders, we almost had to go to our Sunday-night NERW deadline without the other story we expected.

That’s the outcome of the low-power FM window that the FCC opened December 6, and the Commission dumped all the applications – 1336 or so, nationwide – into public view around 9:00 Sunday night.

Never fear, NERW subscribers – we’ve put together an initial list of all the applications in NERW-land, just below the fold for you. As we’d have expected from the two prior LPFM windows in 2000 and 2013, there’s a mix of religious groups (including a big cluster of new Catholic applications in Vermont, all from the same consulting firm), legitimate community groups (including a surprising number of local cable access channels looking to expand to radio), a handful of schools and towns, and of course a decent number of not-quite-legitimate applications, including one on a frequency (87.7) that’s not even available for LPFM use.

{snip}

Do you have an HD radio at hand?

[ProfessorGAC]

3. 1,331 Applications!

Wow, this is a much bigger thing than I imagined. This is over 26 per state!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. There has to be a website for this. Survey says ...

Low-power broadcasting

Low-power broadcasting in the United States

https://www.google.com/search?q=lpfm+radio+stations

Category:Low-power FM radio stations in the United States

The National Low-Power FM Broadcast Station Directory

Prometheus Radio Project