FCC fines several Texas TV stations over “kid vid” rule violations disclosed in 2014 license renewal

The FCC fined four Texas TV stations a combined $10,000 for “kid vid” rule violations disclosed by the stations in their 2014 FCC license renewals.

NBC Telemundo Licensee LLC, licensee of KVDA-TV San Antonio, was fined $3,000 for “apparently willfully and repeatedly violated Section 73.3526 of the Rules by failing to publicize the existence and location of the Station’s Children’s Television Programming Reports”.

The FCC’s rules require each commercial television licensee is required to prepare and place in its public inspection file a Children’s Television Programming Report (FCC Form 398) for each calendar quarter reflecting the efforts that it made during that quarter to serve the educational and informational needs of children. It also requires licensees to file the reports with the FCC and to publicize the existence and location of the reports. 

KVDA filed its license renewal on April 1 and in response to Section IV, Question 10 of its application, the station stated that “announcements concerning the existence and location of Children’s Television Programming Reports were inadvertently dropped, most likely in April 2007, and then reinstated in May 2010.”

Centex Television Limited Partnership, licensee of KXXV-TV Waco, was fined $1,000 for a similar admission on the station’s March 28 license renewal.  KXXV said it “failed to publicize the existence and location of Children’s Television Programming Reports from the beginning of 2013 until the preparation of the renewal application.”   The FCC said “the licensee failed to publicize the Station’s Children’s Television Programming Reports for approximately one year, and we believe that a forfeiture in the amount of $1,000 is appropriate for this violation.” 

Midessa Television Limited Partnership, licensee of KWAB-TV Big Spring and KWES-TV Odessa, was fined $6,000 for “failing to file timely with the commission the stations’ Children’s Television Programming Reports, in violation of Section 73.3526(e)(11)(iii).”

In filing KWAB and KWES’ license renewals on April 1, Midessa said it “failed to file its Children’s Television Programming Reports in a timely manner for multiple quarters for both stations.”

The FCC issued each station a $3,000 fine for “these apparent violations.”

Questions?  Contact TAB's Michael Schneider or call (512) 322-9944.