FCC Levies Fines on Four Stations For Failing to Keep Proper Records

WQRF Rockford (Ill.) hit with biggest fine of $10,000

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/5/2010 1:05:19 PM

This week, the FCC fined four TV stations more than $32,000 for failing to keep the proper records.

Broadcasters have a number of public filing obligations, including on the amount of children's programming they air.

Nexstar's WQRF-TV Rockford, Ill., faces the biggest hit--$10,000--for failure to publicize the existence and location of its kids programming reports. Those are the ones that identify the educational/informational programming.  Broadcasters have to air three hours per week for all their add-supported channels, primary and multicast.

The FCC had issued a proposed fine in 2007, which was challenged by Nexstar because it was larger than other fines for similar violations.  But the FCC countered that those were for omissions of shorter duration, while WQRF had failed to file the reports over the entire length of its license.

Also fined for failing to publicize its kids programming reports was Delmarva's WMDT Salisbury, Md. ($8,000). The company had also challenged the proposed fine, citing differential between its fines and smaller ones or cases in which no fine was levied. The FCC countered that the others were for shorter periods and WMDT's had been for "almost" its entire license term.

Delmarva argued that the kids TV rule was vague, but that did not fly, either.

Louisiana Christian's MNCT ($8,000) and Virgin Islands Public TV's WTJX ($7,000)  were also fined for failing to properly maintain their public inspection file.