July 10, 2020 Deadline for Quarterly Radio Issue-Responsive Programming Lists

REMINDER: The quarterly listing of issue-responsive programming broadcast between April 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020 must be uploaded to radio station online public inspection files by July 10, 2020.

In addition, stations that have not yet uploaded their quarterly lists for the first quarter of 2020 should do so by July 10. In March, the FCC extended the filing deadlines for first quarter reports to July 10, 2020 due to the challenges stations faced because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commercial and non-commercial AM and FM stations must prepare and place in their public inspection files a list of programs that have provided the most significant treatment of community issues during the previous quarter. The listing should include a brief narrative statement that identifies the issues that were given significant treatment and should describe the programs in which the issues were addressed. Each program description must include the date, time, and title of the program, the duration of each responsive programming segment, and a brief explanation of how the programming addressed the issues.

The maintenance of issue-responsive programming lists is required under the FCC’s public inspection file rule. Fines of $10,000 and more have been assessed when quarterly issues programs lists were not timely prepared and placed in the public file as required.

If you have any questions about these ongoing recordkeeping obligations, please contact any attorney in our office.