FAQ: Are LPFM stations required to carry any amount of local programming?

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The only stations that are required to carry local programming are those that meet all of the following:

  • The applicant made the pledge to provide at least 8 hours of local programming per day,
  • The application was mututally exclusive (competing) with another LPFM application AND
  • The FCC's decision to grant the applicant's construction permit was based on their points and not on the outcome of the other applications (whether they moved to other channels or were dismissed for other reasons). An applicant's points come into play under one of the following situations:
    • The applicant reaches a voluntary time-share agreement with another applicant in the same MX group but not all applicants in the group thus aggregating points in order to "win" the channel over other applicants with lower scores.
    • The applicant was the sole applicant with the highest score in the MX group and won the channel being the sole tentative selectee. (For example: 3 applicants in the MX group, one applicant has 5 points and the other two have 4 points)
    • The Commission declares a tie in the group and notifies a group that they are subject to involuntary time sharing. The pledge will remain in place even if the groups reach a universal settlement after the tie was declared.

Stations that were originally singleton (no competing applications), was made singleton as a result of a channel or location move before the grant of the original construction permit (except after the Commission declared a tie) or was made singleton due to the actions on other stations (the other stations moved or were dismissed but you stayed put) are not subject to point pledges.

REC maintains a list of stations that we feel are subject to the point pledge. You can find this list at:
https://recnet.com/pledges

Non-attorney disclaimer: This content did not originate from an attorney and should not be construed as legal advice. REC always recommends consulting an attorney where it comes to the administrative FCC rules.

Topics: 
LPFM program content/station operations/noncommercial nature
References: 

ยง73.872 Selection procedure for mutually exclusive LPFM applications

Answer Date: 
Saturday, May 23, 2015