FCC Rules In Three Noncommercial FM Application Disputes

The FCC has rejected PLUS CHARITIES' appeal of the rejection of their application for a new noncommercial FM at COGGIN. IA and the grant of a competing application by NEW BOHEMIA GROUP, INC.  The PLUS application was rejected for failure to cover the community of license with an adequate signal; PLUS argued that defects in NEW BOHEMIA's application should have disqualified it, and contended that the two applicants were being treated differently in similar situations.

In another case involving competing applicants for noncommercial stations, the FCC granted the appeal by GREAT PLAINS CHRISTIAN RADIO of the tentative grant of a new station at BRIDGEPORT, KS to TEMPLO APOSTOLES Y PROFETAS BETHEL.  In rescinding the grant to TAPB, the Commission agreed with GREAT PLAINS that BRODGEPORT is not a licensable community under FCC rules, and has accepted GREAT PLAINS' application for a new station at HUTCHINSON, KS for filing.

And in the case of competing applications for new ALABAMA noncommercial FMs, the Commission has reinstated ARCHANGEL HOLY FAMILY COMMUNICATIONS' application for a new station at MOUNT VERNON, AL and sent ARCHANGEL's application and another by TBTA MINISTRIES at MCINTOSH, AL to a point hearing.  ARCHANGEL challenged TBTA's winning a dispositive fair distribution preference, contending that the gap between the applications' population coverage could be accounted for by differences in software and databases used for the applications; meanwhile, ARCHANGEL's application was dismissed after AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION alleged that the proposed station overlapped its noncommercial Religion WZKM/WAYNESBORO, AL.  ARCHANGEL demonstrated that its application complies with the rules and the Commission reinstated the application nunc pro tunc.

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