[BC] The City of License

[Barry Mishkind]

At 01:33 PM 8/28/2006, Kent Winrich wrote
>For example... one of our stations is a full Class C (100kW 2000'), 
>yet it is licensed to a city of about 10,000.  Does that mean that 
>we should only focus on that city?  Or should we be able to cover 
>news from the whole region?  Who decides this?  The FCC?

         Some might say the station did. When the application
         for a new station was made, there were lavish
         statements of how the station was going to be
         the first (second) local service and was going
         to meet a laundry list of community needs.

         Others might say the FCC is responsible for this,
         since they used this "First or second local service"
         issue as a qualification, but never do anything more
         than check the Public File once in a blue moon, to
         see if they actually have an issues/programs list.

         As with the Station ID  issue, the failure of the
         FCC to enforce their own Rules has bred a
         cynical industry that sees no reason to even
         acknowledge the COL anymore.

         Yes, there is the Wal-Mart effect .. killing many
         a mid-west downtown ... and driving stations
         to become rim-shots and move-ins.  But the
         Rule is still in there... and should be deleted
         or enforced.