By Lauren Lynch Flick and Scott R. Flick
March 2015
The staggered deadlines for noncommercial radio and television stations to file Biennial Ownership Reports remain in effect and are tied to each station’s respective license renewal filing deadline.
Noncommercial radio stations licensed to communities in Texas and noncommercial television stations licensed to communities in Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee must electronically file their Biennial Ownership Reports by April 1, 2015. Licensees must file using FCC Form 323-E and must also place the form as filed in their stations’ public inspection files. Television stations must assure that a copy of the form is posted to their online public inspection file at https://stations.fcc.gov.
In 2009, the FCC issued a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comments on whether the Commission should adopt a single national filing deadline for all noncommercial radio and television broadcast stations like the one that the FCC has established for all commercial radio and television stations. In January 2013, the FCC renewed that inquiry. Until a decision is reached, noncommercial radio and television stations continue to be required to file their biennial ownership reports every two years by the anniversary date of the station’s license renewal application filing deadline.
A PDF version of this article can be found at Biennial Ownership Reports are due by April 1, 2015 for Noncommercial Radio Stations in Texas and Noncommercial Television Stations in Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.