Broadcasting & Cable
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. More…