October Television License Renewal and Announcements Reminder: FL, PR, and the USVI
Television stations licensed in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands must file license renewal applications and begin airing post-filing announcements on Thursday, October 1, 2020. Follow-up announcements should be aired on October 16, 2020; November 1, 2020; November 16, 2020; December 1, 2020; and December 16, 2020. Pre-filing announcements are no longer required.
Post-filing announcements must use visuals with the licensee’s and the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s or Commission’s) addresses when that information is presented orally by the announcer. Stations should maintain a record of the timing of these announcements, along with a copy of the transcript. For further details about post-filing announcements, including required time slots, please consult Section II of the Wiley TV Primer. The Primer also contains a sample post-filing announcement template (Attachment B) and a sample post-filing announcement template for low power television stations originating local programming (Attachment C).
Within seven days of completing the post-filing announcements, licensees of full power and Class A television stations must upload to each station’s online public file a statement certifying compliance with the FCC’s notice requirements. A sample certification form is available in the Primer (Attachment D). Stations should upload these to the “Local Public Notice Announcements” folder in the “More Public Inspection Files” tab. Finally, the FCC requires that low power television stations not originating local programming and television translator stations that file for renewal separately from their primary stations publish a post-filing notice at least once immediately following the filing of the license renewal application. The notice should be made in a daily, weekly, or biweekly newspaper published or having circulation in the community or area served by the station. A sample notice is 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 F, and information pertaining to filing the Schedule 396 Report can be found in Section VI and Attachment I.
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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.
