June Television License Renewal and Announcements Reminder: NC, SC, DC, MD, VA, & WV
June 1, 2020: First Pre-Filing Announcements Should Begin in North Carolina and South Carolina
Television stations licensed to North Carolina and South Carolina will be filing their license renewal applications on August 3, 2020. As part of the license renewal process, these stations must air the first of four renewal pre-filing announcements on Monday, June 1, 2020, and continue such announcements for a two-month period. Follow-up announcements should be aired on June 16, 2020; July 1, 2020; and July 16, 2020.
For more information about the license renewal process, please consult the Wiley Television Station Renewal Primer. Further details about pre-filing announcements, including required time slots can be found in Section II of the Primer. For a sample pre-filing announcement template for full-power stations and Class A stations, please consult Attachment B. For a sample pre-filing announcement for low power television stations originating programming, please consult Attachment C. No pre-filing announcements are required for television translator stations or low power television stations not originating local programming. Note that stations must use visuals with the licensee’s and the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s or Commission’s) addresses when pre-filing information is being presented by the announcer orally. Stations should maintain a record of the timing of these announcements, along with a copy of the transcript used to air them. The FCC requires this information as part of its post-announcement certification process.
June 1, 2020: Station License Renewal Deadlines in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia
Television stations licensed in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia must file license renewal applications and begin airing post-filing announcements on Monday, June 1, 2020. Follow-up announcements should be aired on June 16, 2020; July 1, 2020; July 16, 2020; August 1, 2020; and August 16, 2020. Such announcements must use visuals with the licensee’s and the FCC’s addresses when post-filing information is being presented by the announcer orally. Stations should maintain a record of the timing of these announcements, along with a copy of the transcript used to air them. For further details about post-filing announcements, including required time slots, please consult Section II of the primer. For a sample post-filing announcement template for full-power and Class A stations, please consult Attachment D. A sample post-filing announcement template for low power television stations originating local programming can be found in Attachment E. Prior to filing Form 303-S applications for renewal, stations must submit a Schedule 396 Broadcast EEO Program Report. Information regarding filing Form 303-S applications can be found in Section III of the primer and Attachment H, and information pertaining to filing the Schedule 396 Report can be found in Section VI and Attachment K.
Additionally, within seven days of broadcasting the final post-filing announcement, stations must upload statements certifying compliance with the FCC’s pre-filing and post-filing notice requirements in their respective online public inspection files. A sample certification form is available in the primer under Attachment F. Finally, the FCC requires that stations publish post-filing notices at least once immediately following the filing of the license renewal applications for low power television stations not originating local programming and television translator stations that file for renewal separately from their primary stations. The notices should be made in daily, weekly, or biweekly newspapers published or having circulation in the communities or areas served. A sample notice is in Attachment G.
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If you have any questions regarding the license renewal application or the renewal process, or concerns about your previous FCC filings or record keeping obligations, please contact the Wiley attorney who regularly handles your station matters, or an attorney listed on this alert.
