Fine Day At FCC

The FCC has fined DWAYNE SIMON $100 for running a pirate station on 95.9 FM at LANCASTER, CA. The fine was reduced from $10,000 for inability to pay.

In addition, the Commission fined THRESHOLD COMMUNICATIONS $8,000 for tower lighting violations at its Adult Standards KVIN-A/CERES-MODESTO, CA. The fine was reduced from $10,000 due to a lack of willfulness and because of the licensee's overall record of compliance.

CARLSBAD RADIO has been fined $3,200 for operating STL WGW926/CARLSBAD, NM at an unauthorzed location. The company's cluster -- Country KATK (THE CAT), AC KCDY (CD 104), Classic Hits KATK-A (THE HIPPO), and Sports KAMQ-A (ESPN SPORTS 1240) -- moved from one studio location to another without getting authorization to move the STL. The fine was reduced from $4,000 due to a history of compliance.

Similarly, BRAVO MIC COMMUNICATIONS, LLC has been fined $2,400 for operating STL WMU297 in LAS CRUCES, NM at an unauthorized location. BRAVO MIC owns Talk KOBE-A, AC KMVR (MAGIC 105), Oldies KVLC (101 GOLD), and Rock KXPZ (ROCKET 99.5) in the market and had moved the studios and STL without getting proper prior authorization. The fine was reduced from $4,000 due to good faith efforts to comply and its history of overall compliance with the rules.

The Media Bureau has dismissed MARLENE V. BORMAN's petition for reconsideration of its denial of her application to modify and toll construction of the permit for KWFA-A/TYE, TX. BORMAN's complicated situation involved an application for a major change to move the station to ABILENE, TX, a denial of her request for expedited action on that application (which was plunged into a mutually exclusive pool of 15 applications), and the loss of her original site. The Commission ruled that the circumstances delaying her construction of the permit were voulntary and not beyond her control, and as a result, the permit has expired.

The Commission has also rejected an application by FAMILY LIFE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION to change its power, antenna height, and directional pattern at noncommercial KFLO/BLANCHARD, LA because it would interfere with KTAL (TV)/TEXARKANA's analog signal on channel 6. The applicant proposed not building its CP until KTAL permanently moved off channel 6 in the digital transition next year, but the Commission noted that there is no precedent for such a contingent permit and dismissed the application.

RONALD W. COWAN, the former licensee of WVAB-A and WVBA-A/VIRGINIA BEACH, was turned down by the FCC in his attempt to stop the sale of the stations in bankruptcy by Interim Trustee R. CLINTON STACKHOUSE, JR. to SIMA BIRACH's BIRACH BROADCASTING.

And DICK BROADCASTING CO. has been fined $1,000 for public file violations at its Classic Rock WKRR (ROCK 92)/ASHEBORO-WINSTON-SALEM. The fine, for missing quarterly issues/programs lists for 1996-2000, was reduced from $9,000 because the Commission accepted DICK's representation that the lists were properly filed during that period and inadvertently purged.

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