[BC] Re: Public File cautionary story

[Tom Taggart]

A story at All Access (I believe) indicates there is much more to this story.  Their story indicates that the College claims that the complaint was filed by an employee of Columbia Bible College, and that the bible college was trying to force the school to sell them the radio station 

As even the FCC order reflects, the complaining witness was from this group that is trying to force the school to sell this station to them. 

A policy the Commission seems to encourage with these confiscatory fines for silly violations.  Note the line:
"omission of a single document from the public file is a serious violation***. " referring to the "public and broadcasting" flier last updated during the Carter administration and freely available on the internet.

The college claims this action is part of a pattern of intimidation.  If that is the case I would hope, since this is a state college, that the state takes legal action against this other group--and joins the FCC in this action as part of a 1982 action.

Since the Commission has no real standards as to what programing has to be run on radio, the only purpose of the public file seems to be as a "gotcha."  Allowing such groups as the one here to rummage through the file looking for something to use for extortion against the station. 

We've had much discussion about the end of internet radio. Many college administrations have been hostile to college radio, fearing anything that they can't control.  Many college age students are apathetic about radio anyway, preferring to exist in their own little I-pod driven world.

Actions like this, and the public file fine against Holy Cross College in Worchester last year will eventually leave the reserved band a desert wasteland.  Nothing but National Liberal Radio, preachers, and holy rock from satellite-fed stations.
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