The owner of a Class B AM radio station licensed for 10kw from a tower site in a suburban area of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has received a Notice of Violation — a precursor to a potential forfeiture notice — for operating the facility outside of its licensed parameters.
The “NOV” was sent to Bestov Broadcasting Inc., licensee of WIAC-AM 740, which uses a tower facility in Toa Alta to reach listeners with its spoken word format.
Signed by Dedrick Roybiskie, Regional Director for the Enforcement Bureau’s second region, the violation notice states WIAC on June 11, 2024 was operating with a single tower with a non-directional pattern. That’s what Miami-based field agents observed when there on an inspection.
This is in violation of the terms of the station’s authorization, as WIAC is licensed for a directional one-pattern signal from two towers.
At the time of inspection, Bestov had not obtained an STA to operate with a non-directional pattern and reduced power.
What does this mean for Bestov? It must submit a written statement concerning this matter within 20 days to the Enforcement Bureau fully explaining what happen, and the specific actions it has taken to correct each violation and preclude recurrence.
Bestov has owned the station since 1961. It is the former sibling of WTOK-FM, which for many years was WIAC-FM “Sistema 102” under Bestov ownership.
Much of Puerto Rico is dealing with a widespread blackout, which began on April 16 and was expected to end some 24 hours later.
