The FCC Media Bureau proposed an $11,000 penalty for Gendreau Broadcasting’s station KCLN(AM) Clinton, Iowa, over online public file violations, an incorrect certification in a renewal application, and operating its station at incorrect power levels without agency permission, said an order and notice of apparent liability in Wednesday’s Daily Digest. Gendreau didn’t upload required issues/programs lists and other materials, and certified it had uploaded them on its renewal application, the filing said. The agency also found similar public file violations occurred at Gendreau’s KMCN(FM) in Clinton, and issued a separate $8,000 NAL on that matter. Both NALs stemmed from informal objections filed against the stations’ renewals by the same person, apparently an employee at another radio station in Clinton.

The FCC Media Bureau extended broadcasters’ waiver of the audible crawl requirements, but by 18 months rather than the two years requested by NAB and with a new quarterly progress report requirement, said an order Friday, the same day the current waiver expired. Consumer groups urged the FCC not to extend the waiver. “The record demonstrates that a viable technical solution for automated descriptions of emergency information presented in graphic form does not currently exist,” the Media Bureau said. “The critical details of an emergency provided in graphic form are in most instances duplicative of information conveyed in textual crawls, which are already aurally described.” Compliance with the requirement for a secondary audio stream describing emergency information conveyed on the main stream through graphics was originally required in 2015 but has been repeatedly waived, most recently by a five-year waiver granted in 2018. The Media Bureau said Friday it granted the waiver for 18 months instead of two years because of the repeated extensions. This extension also comes with a requirement for NAB to submit quarterly status reports to the Media and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau. The reports, which were requested by consumer groups (see 2305150032), should assess the continuing need for the waiver, describe NAB’s outreach to the disabled community about the audible crawl, and NAB’s efforts to develop an automated solution “such as solutions afforded by AI-based systems or the ongoing adoption of ATSC 3.0 in more television markets,” the order said. The reports also need to describe training and best practices for broadcasters on conveying non-textual emergency information, and alternative solutions broadcasters and the disability community pursue, the order said. "Today’s waiver extension is critical for broadcasters to continue to provide vital emergency information to the public," said an NAB spokesperson. "NAB very much appreciates both the Commission’s and consumer groups’ willingness to engage with us to find meaningful ways for broadcasters to serve all of our viewers."

Standard General “misrepresented” the FCC Enforcement Bureau’s position in a news release on the then-pending Standard/Tegna deal, the EB said in a “clarification of the record” filing posted in docket 22-162 Tuesday. Tegna announced Monday the deal had been terminated (see 2305220068). The bureau took issue with a May 17 release from Standard titled “Standard General Provides a Response to FCC’s Invitation to Negotiation with New Disclosures and Commitments,” which suggested the EB had suggested a path to a settlement. In the meetings with FCC commissioners mentioned in the release, the bureau said settlement discussions were allowed but put conditions on any such settlement and clarified that only the questions from the hearing designation order could be settled, not the ultimate fate of the Standard/Tegna deal. “The record here is plain -- the Bureau did not ‘invite negotiation’ or suggest that Applicants ‘quickly attempt to resolve remaining concerns to allow the transaction to move forward,’” the clarification said. Standard didn’t comment.

An association of Black broadcasters urged the Congressional Black Caucus to tell auto manufacturers about the importance of AM radio to the Black community. “It is a crucial resource to maintain cultural and community ties as well as an important source of local news, weather, entertainment, religious and spiritual content every day,” said the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters in a letter Monday to CBC members. Removing AM from cars would be “a huge setback for AM radio stations” and “reinforce the dominance of mainstream media outlets,” NABOB said.

The Standard/Tegna deal has been terminated, Tegna said in a news release Monday. Tegna will receive a $136 million termination fee under the agreement, the release said. Standard General didn’t comment. Tegna will initiate a $300 million share repurchase program and increase its quarterly dividend by 20%, the release said. “These initial actions reflect the Board’s continuing commitment to enhance shareholder value. We are taking the first step of immediately returning a significant portion of the excess capital accumulated during the pendency of the Standard General transaction,” said Tegna Board Chairman Howard Elias in the release. “We are actively reviewing TEGNA’s capital allocation strategy.” Tegna plans an investor call on its Q1 2023 earnings Thursday, the release said. The deal's collapse is "a major victory" for unions fighting the "hedge fund takeover of local news," said a statement from Jon Schleuss, president of the Communications Workers of America's NewsGuild sector. "For too long" hedge funds have taken over newsrooms and burdened them with debt to the detriment of local news, he said.

Requiring AM radio receivers in cars would be counter to the principles of a free-market economy, CTA said Thursday in a blog post, reacting to a bill that would impose an AM mandate (see 2305170051). “Today’s drivers don’t drive Model T’s, and today’s listeners do not listen to gramophones,” said CTA. “While the majority of cars will have AM radios for the foreseeable future, innovation and consumer choice -- not the heavy hand of the government -- should determine the makeup of car entertainment systems.” Consumers who want AM radio in their cars will be able to buy such vehicles, CTA said. Mandating AM installation in cars “would be a nonsensical and counterproductive move by the federal government,” CTA said.

A Mount Vernon, West Virginia, FM licensee must pay delinquent regulatory fees, said the FCC Media Bureau and Office of Managing Director in an order to pay or show cause Friday. West Virginia Broadcasting owes about $11,600 for WTNJ(FM) for unpaid regulatory fees from fiscal years 2013-15, the order said. The broadcaster has 60 days to pay the fees or give the agency reasons why the costs should be waived or deferred.

A “diverse coalition of broadcasters” supports Gray Television’s proposal to modify the FCC’s significantly viewed rules, said Gray in a meeting May 11 with Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer and Media Bureau staff, according to an ex parte filing in docket 20-73. Gray proposed in 2020 that the FCC relax the requirements for a broadcaster to prove its content is significantly viewed to allow the submission of signal reach data in lieu of Nielsen viewership numbers (see 2106100060). “The FCC’s process to modify the significantly viewed list, or to waive the significantly viewed rules, is outdated and burdensome for broadcasters and FCC staff, which reduces local service in small markets and short markets,” Gray said.

Broadcasters should be required to submit frequent reports on their progress toward providing an audio version of on-screen emergency graphics (see 2304260050), said the American Council of the Blind and the American Foundation for the Blind in a meeting Thursday with FCC Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer and staff from the Media Bureau, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, and Disability Rights Office. “We remain concerned that the broadcast industry is not proactively seeking those solutions necessary to fully comply with the Commission’s rules that went into effect 8 years ago while continuing to request waivers,” said an ex parte filing posted Monday in docket 12-107. The Media Bureau asked the consumer groups what type of reporting would be “most beneficial in making progress” toward complying with the audible crawl requirement, the filing said. “We emphasized the necessity of frequent reports on progress, reporting on steps taken to advance research and development into a technical solution, regular community engagement, and training and best practices for broadcasters,” the consumer groups said.

The FCC Media Bureau rolled back a COVID-19-related relaxation of the lowest unit charge (LUC) rules for political ads, said a public notice in Monday’s Daily Digest. In March 2020, the Media Bureau said broadcasters airing free commercials for advertisers during the pandemic didn’t have to factor that into their calculation of their lowest unit rates for political candidates (see 2003260038). “After more than three years, the unprecedented circumstances that necessitated the 2020 Public Notice are no longer present,” said Monday’s PN. “Therefore, effective immediately, the temporary relief provided in the 2020 Public Notice is rescinded.” That means free time provided to commercial advertisers will count for future LUC calculations, the PN said.