WGN Dinged For Kids Ad Violations

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/27/2007 11:52:00 AM

The FCC has proposed fining Tribune's WGN TV Chicago $8,000 for violating its children's TV ad limits.

The FCC limits those ads to 10.5 minutes on weekends, increased to 12 minutes on weekday when presumably there will be more kids in the audience.

WGN violated the limits on four occasions, the station conceded in filing for renewal of its license back in 2005--the FCC wheels on license renewal can grind pretty slowly. Two violations were of only 30 and 60 seconds apiece, but the other two were so-called program-length commercials, of which the FCC takes a particularly dim view.

 The proposed $8,000 fine is the FCC's "base" fine for the violation, which it can adjust according to the number and seriousness of the violations.

Tribune is in the midst of trying to transfer those station licenses as part of an effort to take the company private.