[BC] Political Question

[Sid Schweiger]

"What info is a station required to provide? I thought that political 
buys were noted/ documented in a folder in the public file, including 
rates, flight dates, etc. Is the station required to provide such info 
over the phone, to "anyone" ?
 
Reference to condenced rules or experience with this appreciated."

IANAL, but AFAIK with one exception there's nothing in the rules that requires that public file information to be made available in any form other than "come to our office, see it for yourself, and we'll make copies for a modest fee if you want them."  That one exception is TV stations with web sites, which must under some circumstances place a copy of all public file materials on that web site.

The rules are at 47 CFR §3526 (commercial) and §3527 (non-commercial).  The TV station exception is at 47 CFR §3526(b)(2) or §3527(b)(2).

If I were you, I'd ask what they specifically want, and if you have a scanner in-house, scan the documents to a PDF, attach it to an e-mail, send it off and they'll be happy.  As opposed as I am to having to keep this file, only to have it used like this (and this is virtually the ONLY time it gets used, at least in my experience, other than at FCC inspection time), keeping happy the people who request info from it keeps the licensee out of trouble.

Sid Schweiger
IT Manager, Entercom New England
20 Guest St / 3d Floor
Brighton MA  02135-2040