FCC Rescinds Vegas CP, Approves Lane Scranton Sale

The FCC yanks the construction permit for KEMP COMMUNICATIONS' KBTB-A/LAS VEGAS and returns the allocation to pending status after it granted GREEN VALLEY BROADCASTERS, INC.'s petition for reconsideration. KEMP and GREEN VALLEY were two of the three mutually exclusive applicants for a new AM, KEMP at LAS VEGAS and GREEN VALLEY at SAHUARITA, AZ (between TUCSON and NOGALES); KEMP won the CP, but GREEN VALLEY contended that the Commission should have considered the value of local service to an underserved area like SAHUARITA in comparison to a market like LAS VEGAS which is already served by many stations.

In addition, the Commission's Media Bureau departed from precedent in granting the sale of DOUG LANE's WICK-A/SCRANTON, WYCK-A/WILKES-BARRE, and WWRR/SCRANTON to BOLD GOLD MEDIA GROUP. LANE was convicted and sentenced to prison for child molestation and kiddie porn; the FCC would normally yank the stations' licenses due to character issues, but in the present case decided that the arrangement to sell to BOLD GOLD for a market price and disburse the proceeds to LANE's victims should be exempted from the precedent set by the JEFFERSON RADIO case due to "compelling public interest considerations," including the "extraordinary terms" paid by BOLD GOLD and the fact that LANE will not bebefit from the sale.

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