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Broadcasters: It’s Quarterly Filing Time Again

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Hope everyone had a great July 4th! With the long weekend now behind us, I wanted to remind readers that July 10th represents a significant filing deadline for radio and television stations. Below is a brief summary of the quarterly 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 a Form 398 Children’s Programming Report for the second quarter of 2011, reflecting children’s programming aired during the months of April, May, and June, 2011. The Form 398 must be filed with the FCC and placed in stations’ public inspection files by July 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 second quarter of 2011 must also be placed in stations’ public inspection files by July 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. Radio and television broadcast stations, whether commercial or noncommercial, must prepare and place in their public inspection files by July 10, 2011, a list of important issues facing their communities, and the programs which aired during the months of April, May, and June, 2011 dealing with those issues. For a detailed discussion of these requirements, please see our Client Alert here.