The Association of Public Television Stations’ 2015 Public Media Summit is Feb. 22-24 at The Fairmont in Washington. FCC Incentive Auction Task Force Chairman Gary Epstein and Vice Chairman Howard Symons will speak.
The FCC Media Bureau fined NPG of Idaho, licensee of KIFI-TV Idaho Falls, $6,000 for failing to file children’s TV programming reports in a timely manner for five quarters, the bureau said in a notice of apparent liability Thursday. KIFI failed to report late filings in its renewal application, the bureau said. A commercial TV licensee is required to file reports “reflecting the efforts that it made during that quarter to serve the educational and informational needs of children” in public inspection files for each calendar quarter, the bureau said. Payment is due within 30 days, the bureau said. NPG didn’t comment.
The FCC requested comment on exemptions from closed captioning requirements, in a public notice Thursday in docket 06-181. Catholic Television Network of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio/Mass for Shut-Ins, Christian Video Ministries, Church Television Ministry, Crosswalk Chapel/Crosswalk and Riverbend Church/Riverbend filed petitions for exemption from closed captioning requirements for their TV programs because compliance “would be economically burdensome,” the PN said. Comments and oppositions are due March 16.
The Parents Television Council said indecency complaints should be filed with the FCC over Sunday’s episode of Fox's Family Guy. “The episode joked about statutory rape and contained sexually explicit dialogue,” PTC said in a news release. Children are “inherently attracted to animated programming” and the episode aired at 9 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. Central, when kids are likely to be watching TV, PTC said. The episode contained a joke defining the term “frosty jim” as having sex with a frozen urine-filled condom. “Family Guy’s description of this explicit sexual terminology violates the broadcast indecency law,” PTC said. “We believe that joking about statutory rape, as Family Guy did throughout this episode, exceeds contemporary community standards of decency for the broadcast medium.” PTC asked its members to file complaints with the FCC over the episode and urged the FCC to issue a fine. Fox had no immediate comment.
The FCC Incentive Auction Task Force announced California dates for its incentive auction "road show," in a public notice Thursday. Starting March 2, the presentations on will be in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, the PN said.
The FCC seeks comment on proposed improvements to the way it issues some FCC Registration Numbers (FRNs) that will allow users to be uniquely identified without using their Social Security numbers, said a Further NPRM released Thursday and approved by commissioners. The proposal is intended to address privacy and data security concerns while still letting the FCC “obtain data reflecting a more useful, accurate, and thorough assessment of minority and female broadcast station ownership in the United States and reduce certain filing burdens,” the FNPRM said. “Ultimately, such changes to the Commission’s system could assist future initiatives promoting diverse ownership.” The new FRNs would be used only for the collection of data on broadcast ownership reports, and would be called Restricted Use FRNs. Under the proposed system, users would obtain a RUFRN by submitting alternate ID information “including full name, residential address, date of birth, and last four digits of the individual’s SSN,” the NPRM said. The FCC’s registration system (CORES) “will be programmed to verify that the submitted information is complete and does not duplicate any information that is already associated with an RUFRN in CORES,” the NPRM said. The new FRN’s aren’t proposed to be required, the NPRM said. “Individuals who already have a CORES FRN need not obtain an RUFRN and may continue to use the existing number,” it said. “Any individual that wishes to obtain a CORES FRN instead of an RUFRN will be able to do so.” The NPRM seeks comment on the proposal and whether it addresses privacy concerns.
Discovery Communications renewed its long-term distribution agreement with Cablevision Systems, it said in a news release Wednesday. Cablevision subscribers can access Discovery’s 13 networks and TV Everywhere rights through subscriber authentication, it said.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau issued a $17,000 fine against Birach Broadcasting for not fixing a gap in the fence enclosing the antenna for WCXI(AM) Fenton, Michigan, and failing to maintain and make available required program lists, a forfeiture order issued Tuesday said. Birach had argued that since it doesn't own the tower, it is not responsible for the fence, but the bureau disagreed. The fencing requirements apply to “AM licensees, not antenna structure owners,” the order said.
The FCC Enforcement Bureau denied R.J.'s Late Night Entertainment's (RJLNE) petition for reconsideration of a forfeiture order of $22,000, the bureau said in an order Monday. The bureau fined RJLNE for failing to maintain operational emergency alert system equipment, for its FM transmitter from its authorized location and make its public inspection file available, in violation of FCC rule sections 11.35, 73.1690 and 73.3527, the bureau said. Payment is due within 30 days of the order's release. RJLNE didn't comment.
The FCC Media Bureau Video Division approved KCEB License's request to substitute Channel 26 for Channel 51 in Longview, Texas, the bureau said in an order Monday in docket 14-245. The substitution will expand KCEB’s coverage area and eliminate potential interference with wireless operations in the adjacent lower 700 MHz A-block, said KCEB License, licensee of KCEB Longview. The substitution complies with the principal community coverage requirements of Section 73.625 of the rules and technical requirements of sections 73.616 and 73.623, the bureau said. KCEB must electronically submit a minor change application for a construction permit with Form 2100, Schedule A within 30 days, the bureau said.