On February 1, 2022, KPCQ-AM in Chubbock, Idaho, near the city of Pocatello, celebrated its fourth birthday under the ownership of its current licensee. But, future birthdays were placed in doubt after Media Bureau Chief Holly Saurer, who was just settling in to her role, sent the station owner a Hearing Designation Order and Notice of Opportunity for Hearing.
Given all of the attention to the Hearing Designation Order sent by the FCC’s Administrative Law Judge to Standard General, TEGNA and Cox Media Group to best answer lingering questions about that deal, did this HDO result in the death of a media property?
No. In fact, KPCQ’s life has been assured, but with conditions.
