Dates to Remember

Posted on December 31st, 2019 by

January 1, 2020

Radio Stations in Alabama & Georgia – air third post-filing license renewal announcement and additional post-filing announcements on Jan 1, Jan 16, Feb 1 and Feb 16, 2020

Radio Stations located in Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi: broadcast third pre-filing license renewal announcement; the final pre-filing announcement should air January 16, 2020.

January 10, 2020

TV, Class A, AM & FM Stations (commercial & noncommercial): complete 4th Quarter 2019 issues/program lists and upload to online public file.

TV & Class A stations (commercial only): compile and post to the public file records relating to the station’s compliance with children’s programming commercial limits for the period of October 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019; this is the last quarterly commercial limits certification as these are transitioning to annual certifications, with the certification for 2020 due on January 31, 2021.

Class A TV Stations Only: complete and post to your online public file a certification of ongoing Class A eligibility.

TV & Class A stations changing channels as part of the repack or based on voluntary receipt of auction funds should file a transition progress report in LMS (unless the station has already transitioned). Phase 8 stations are exempt from this quarterly filing because their 10-week transition report is due January 3, 2020, and another quarterly report would therefore be duplicative.

January 17, 2020

TV & Class A stations assigned to Phase 7 of the post-auction repack must complete their transition to new channels.

January 18, 2020

TV & Class A stations assigned to Phase 8 of the post-auction repack may begin testing on their new channels; deadline to transition is March 13, 2020

January 19, 2020

Deadline for all pending radio license renewal applicants to file an amendment certifying compliance or non-compliance with the FCC’s reinstated broadcast ownership rules.

January 23, 2020

FCC webinar on revisions to FCC Form 398 Children’s Television Report (1:30-2:30 p.m. ET)

January 29, 2020

Window opens for participants in Auction 106 for any of 130 new FM channels to file short form Form 175 applications; window closes February 11, 2020 at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

January 31, 2020

All Commercial and Noncommercial Radio, TV, Class A, LPTV Stations: Last day to file 2019 Biennial Ownership Report or certification of no change in LMS filing system.

All Commercial and Noncommercial stations that stream music programming must pay the minimum fee to SoundExchange.

February 1, 2020

Radio and TV Stations located in Kansas, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma: if five (5) full time employee threshold is met, prepare EEO public file report and post it to the station online public inspection file and on the station website.

Radio Stations located in Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi – air first post-filing license renewal announcement; additional post-filing announcements are due Feb 16, March 1 & 16, and April 1 & 16, 2020.

February 3, 2020

Radio Stations located in Arkansas, Louisiana & Mississippi – deadline to file license renewal application and EEO program report.

March 30, 2020

TV & Class A stations (commercial only): complete and electronically file via LMS the revised FCC Form 398 Children’s TV Programming Report; this deadline was extended from January 30; this is the first annual report and will cover the period from September 15 – December 31, 2019.