
HOW TO APPLY FOR A BROADCAST STATION
A STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE
- The first step in applying for a new station is to identify
an unused frequency
on which to operate in the area you desire.
- An AM station always requires an individual frequency search
which can be
done by a private consulting engineer of choice. Once the
engineering study
has been done and a frequency is identified, an application
can be filed with the
FCC for that frequency and location.
- The FCC maintains a database listing of open frequencies for
FM and TV
called the FM Table of Allotments and the TV Table of
Allotments, used to
identify FM or TV channels. You can contact the Consumer
Assistance and
Small Business Office for additional information about the
FM and Television
Table of Allotments.
- If there is a frequency already identified in the Table of
Allotments, a filing
period will be set during which applications are received.
This established
filling period is identified as the "window" period for FM;
or in the case of
TV, the period of time prior to the "cut off" date.
- If you are interested in applying for an FM or TV station in
an area that is not
listed in the Table of Allotments, you may wish to have a
frequency search
done by a consulting engineer of your choice to see if a
frequency can be added
to the area you are interested in. If a frequency is
identified by the consulting
engineer, the next step is to file a petition for rulemaking
with the FCC to
amend the Table of Allotments to add the new FM or TV channel you desire. If the FCC approves your request, the channel then would be
added to the Table
of Allotments and available for applications to be filed. A
Form 301 is used to
apply for a commercial AM, FM, or TV station.
- An FM educational station, one which no commercials, can be
applied for once
an engineering study has been done to identify one of the
channels that are
reserved for non-commercial use. A Form 340 is used to
apply for a non- commercial station.
- An application fee is required for filling a construction
permit for a new
commercial AM, FM or TV station. The fee for AM is $2,000;
for FM is
$1,800 and for Tv is $2,250. No fee is required for filing
for a non- commercial station. The exact amount of the fee
required must be attached to
the application when it is filed with the FCC. NOTE: If the
exact fee amount is
not attached at the time of application filing the entire
application will be
returned. If your application is for a non-commercial
station, which is exempt
from the fee, indicate that in the covering letter of your
filing.
- Once the application is filed and is accepted for filing, it
is reviewed and
processed in the Mass Media Bureau's AM, FM or TV
branches.
- Applications without competing applicants (only one
application on file for the
same channel and same community) are considered "singletons"
and can be
granted if approved upon completion of the engineering,
legal and supervisory
reviews.
- Application that are mutually exclusive with other
applications (more than one
application filed for the same channel and same community))
all undergo the
engineering, legal and supervisory reviews. However, upon
completion of the
staff review, all competing applicants successfully passing
that review are
designated for a FCC comparative hearing to determine who
will receive the
construction permit.
- Once applicants have been designated for a comparative
hearing, a fee of
$6,000 is required by all applicants who will be
participating in the comparative
hearing.
- Once a construction permit is granted, either by Bureau staff
or as a result of
the comparative hearing, there is a specific period of time
given the grantee for
completing the construction of the station. For radio, the
construction permit is
issued for 18 months and for television it is issued for 24
months.
- Once a construction permit is granted, either by Bureau staff
or as a result of
the comparative hearing, there is a specific period of time
given the grantee for
completing the construction of the station. For radio, the
construction permit is
issued for 18 months and for television it is issued for 24
months.
For additional information, application forms, or to receive
answers to questions you may have, contact:
The Federal Communications Commission
Consumer Assistance and Small Business Division,
Office of
Public Affairs,
1919 M Street, N.W., Room
254,
Washington, D.C. 20554;
or (202) 632-7000.