WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 27, 2015): Following a lengthy rulemaking proceeding, the Federal Communications Commission has taken several dramatic steps to revitalize AM radio. The FCC’s announcement is a tremendous step forward in promoting diverse broadcast ownership, an issue that the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council – along with dozens of other national organizations and broadcast owners – have advocated for years. The FCC unanimously adopted several engineering proposals in MMTC’s 2009 “Radio Rescue Petition,” including relaxations of restrictions on transmitter locations for daytime and night-time service.
“This is welcome news for diverse radio owners across the nation who are struggling to survive in a world where consumers are turning more to the Internet to get their entertainment, news, and information,” stated MMTC President and CEO Kim Keenan. “We especially applaud Commissioners Pai and Clyburn for their recent calls to the other commissioners to act quickly on this important item.”
AM radio has been the technological gateway for entrepreneurs of color in broadcasting, and two-thirds of minority-owned broadcast stations are AM radio stations. However, minority broadcast ownership has stagnated since Congress repealed the tax certificate policy in 1995.
The Commission’s decision to authorize an AM-only translator window in 2017 is a truly life-saving measure for dozens of small minority owned broadcast companies. In August, MMTC, along with 50 CEOs of minority-owned AM licensees who collectively own 140 AM radio stations across the nation, filed a letter urging the Commission to open an FM translator filing window that is limited to AM licensees.
MMTC commends the Commission for its movement to advance the long-pending AM Revitalization proceeding.
The Commission’s Report and Order is available here.
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About MMTC:
The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) is a non-partisan, national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving equal opportunity and civil rights in the mass media, telecommunications and broadband industries, and closing the digital divide. MMTC is generally recognized as the nation’s leading advocate for minority advancement in communications.
