FCC Fines Texas TV Station $6,000 for Self-Admitted Public File Violation

The FCC has issued a $6,000 Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture to Nexstar Media Inc., licensee of KAMR-TV Amarillo, for “failing to timely file the Station’s quarterly issues/programs lists in violation of section 73.3526(e)(11)(i) of the Rules. 47 CFR § 73.3526(e)(11)(i).”

Section 73.3526(e)(11)(i) of the FCC’s rules require every commercial television licensee to place in its Online Public Inspection File (OPIF), on a quarterly basis, an issues/programs list that details programs that have provided the station’s most significant treatment of community issues during the preceding three month period and must include a brief narrative of the issues addressed, as well as the time, date, duration, and title of each program in which the issues were treated.  These lists must be placed in the station’s OPIF by the tenth day of the succeeding calendar quarter and copies must be retained until final action on the station’s next license renewal application. 

In its 2022 license renewal application, KAMR self-admitted that it had “failed to upload copies of its issues/programs lists in a timely manner.” On July 6, 2023, KAMR amended its license application disclosing additional late filed issues/programs lists. The FCC determined that the lists were not timely filed for nine quarters of the license term. The FCC said five lists were uploaded “more than one year late, two lists between one month and one year late, and two lists between one day and one month late.”  

The FCC said, “under the facts of this case, including the number of late filings and the extent by which they were late, a forfeiture in the amount of $6,000 is appropriate for the Licensee’s apparent failure to timely upload its issues/programs lists.”  Nexstar Media, Inc. must pay the forfeiture within 30 days of the issuance date of the NAL or file a written statement seeking reduction or cancellation of the proposed forfeiture.

Questions? Contact TAB or call (512) 322-9944.