The owner of a digital VHF television station serving the National Capital Area from Silver Spring, Md., originally a Hagerstown, Md., property, could be on the hook for a fine for its untimely filing of the station’s quarterly issues/programs lists and for its tardiness in filing its Children’s television programming reports.
Based on the review of Barbara Kriesman, a payment to resolve the matter could be forthcoming from Entravision Communications.
A Memorandum Opinion and Order and Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, adopted and released on Monday, sees the FCC’s Video Division Chief slap Entravision with a $18,000 fine for its dual transgressions.
Issues/programs lists must be placed in the station’s Online Public Inspection File (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.
Section 73.3526(e)(11)(iii) of the Rules requires every commercial television licensee to place in its Online Public Inspection File (OPIF) a Children’s Television Programming Report that details “the licensee’s educational and informational programming efforts, including programs aired by the station that are specifically designed to serve the educational and informational needs of children” during the preceding period.
Entravision failed to do so in a timely manner. And, how did Kreisman’s team find out?
Self-incrimination, as Entravision made the disclosures on its license renewal application back in May 2021. In particular, the company’s WJAL-68 uploaded ten issues/programs lists more than one year late; three issues/programs lists between one month and one year late; and one issues/programs list more than one month late.
There’s more: WJAL filed three quarterly Children’s Television Programming Reports over one year late.
Entravision offered an explanation for the OPIF late-filed items, noting that the tardiness occurred during the time periods when the Commission undertook the reverse auction and post-auction procedures. WJAL relinquished its spectrum usage rights as part of the television incentive auction and entered into a channel sharing agreement with WUSA-9, TEGNA’s flagship property and the CBS affiliate for Washington, D.C.
“As the result of confusion related to the station’s operational responsibilities during implementation of its channel sharing agreement, the licensee inadvertently failed to prepare and upload certain required documents to its OPIF,” Kreisman explained, noting that Entravision says it has taken the necessary steps to ensure this matter won’t be repeated in the future. In fact, a new management team that will undertake greater supervision of staff handling of all Entravision OPIFs companywide has been put into place.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t change Entravision’s culpability, resulting in the $18,000 proposed forfeiture.
