Under FCC Consent Decree, Cochise Broadcasting To Donate Or Surrender 10 Licenses

Gets Tough Over Silence

The FCC has reached a Consent Decree with TED TUCKER's COCHISE BROADCASTING LLC, COCHISE MEDIA LICENSES LLC, and COCHISE COMMUNITY RADIO CORP. that will see the companies donate some of its stations to non-profit organizations or surrender their licenses while others will receive short-term renewals.  The Commission cited "long-term, chronic failures to operate" the stations as the reason for the penalty, noting that several were on the air for a matter of mere days during their license terms ending in 2013 while being silent for years.  Some have since returned to operation for most of the post-license period, while others have remained mostly silent. 

The Commission's decision stated, "Although some of the COCHISE stations did operate for meaningful periods during their past license terms, most of the stations operated so little that their public service record is essentially non-existent."  The sale of Country KUTQ (102.3 COYOTE COUNTRY)/LA VERKIN-ST. GEORGE, UT to REDROCK BROADCASTING, INC. for $375,000 has been approved with a two-year license renewal pending consummation; REDROCK has been operating the station under an LMA since 2015.

Stations whose licenses will be donated or surrendered include COCHISE MEDIA LICENSES LLC's KXWY/HUDSON, WY; KFMR/BALLARD, UT; KZNM/MILAN, NM; and KHSK/ALLEN, NE; COCHISE BROADCASTING LLC's KTWY and KWWY/SHOSHONI, WY and KZLM/LEWISTON, MT;  and COCHISE COMMUNITY RADIO CORP.'s KDNM/RESERVE, NM and KSFQ/THATCHER, AZ.  Stations to be granted one-year renewals conditioned on operating in compliance with minimum operating schedule rules include COCHISE MEDIA LICENSES LLC's KCDC/LOMA, CO; KCYA/ROLLING HILLS, WY; KRMK/LAS VEGAS, NM; KXBK/TAYLOR, AZ; KXML/FAIRFIELD, ID; and KMXQ/SOCORRO, NM; and COCHISE BROADCASTING LLC's KWYX/CASPER, WY; KGRK/GLENROCK, WY; KXJW/NORTH ROCK SPRINGS, WY; KZXQ/LAKE OF THE WOODS, AZ; and KWXR/RELIANCE, WY.

In a separate Consent Decree with TUCKER's COCHISE MEDIA LICENSES LLC, the company will donate to a non-profit or surrender the license for KXMK/OATMAN, AZ for "a chronic failure to serve the public interest" after a question arose as to whether the station really did, as it told the Commission, return to the air for a day to satisfy license requirements.

« see more Net News