Don’t Forget the Upcoming January 10 Deadline for Broadcasters’ Fourth Quarter Reports

Given the many distractions during the holiday season, I thought it would be a good idea to remind readers that January 10 represents a busy quarterly deadline for all radio and television stations. Below is a brief summary of the deadlines, as well as links to our Client Alerts describing the requirements in more detail.

Children’s Television Programming Documentation

All commercial full-power television stations and Class A LPTV stations must prepare and file with the FCC an FCC Form 398 Children’s Programming Report for the fourth quarter of 2010, reflecting children’s programming aired during the months of October, November, and December, 2010. The Form 398 must be filed with the FCC and placed in stations’ public inspection files by January 10, 2011.

In addition to requiring stations to air programming responsive to the educational and informational needs of children, the FCC’s rules limit the amount of commercial material that can be aired during programming aimed at children. Proof of compliance with the children’s television commercial limitations for the fourth quarter of 2010 must be placed in stations’ public inspection files by January 10, 2011.

For a detailed discussion of the children’s programming documentation and filing requirements, please see our Client Alert here.

Quarterly Issues Programs Lists

The FCC requires each broadcast station to air a reasonable amount of programming responsive to significant community needs, issues, and problems as determined by the station. All radio and television broadcast stations, whether commercial or noncommercial, must prepare and place in their public inspection files by January 10, 2011, a list of important issues facing their communities, and the programs which aired during the months of October, November, and December, 2010, dealing with those issues. For a detailed discussion of these requirements, please see our Client Alert here.

DTV Quarterly Activity Station Reports

Those television stations that have not yet completed construction or commenced operation of their final post-transition DTV facilities must continue the required general DTV Consumer Education Initiatives until they commence operation on their post-transition DTV facilities. Such stations will be required to file FCC Form 388 by January 10, 2011, providing the Commission with the details of the DTV Consumer initiatives that they performed between October 1 and December 31, 2010. For a detailed discussion of this filing requirement, please see our Client Alert here.