Washington Beat

Click on the banner to learn more...


Split decision for Peninsula

The FCC's Chief Administrative Law Judge, Richard Sippel, has delivered a split decision on whether to revoke the licenses of Dave Becker's Peninsula Communications Inc. (PCI). Sippel's order says two of Becker's licenses should be revoked, but not the other two.

The FCC ordered hearings last year on whether to revoke Becker's AM and FM licenses for repeatedly defying commission orders to shut down seven illegal FM translators which took his programming throughout the Kenai Peninsula. Those seven translators were finally shut down a few months ago, but Sippel still had to decide whether Becker could continue to operate KGTL-AM & KWVV-FM Homer, AK, KXBA-FM Nikiski, AK and KPEN-FM Soldotna, AK, plus four other translators.

In his ruling issued yesterday (6/19), Sippel decided that the two stations which had been operated in conjunction with the illegal translators - - KWVV and KPEN - - should have their licenses revoked. But he ruled that Becker could continue to be the licensee of KGTL, KXBA and the four remaining translators.

"PCI has paid a heavy price in losing seven FM translators," Sippel said in his ruling, adding that Becker is also likely to have to pay a heavy fine as well. "PCI's conduct was seriously misguided, bordered on contemptuous, and was deserving of those sanctions, in addition to revocation of two full service FM stations that were used in operating the 'network' [of translators]. But under the circumstances of this case, PCI's misconduct was not sucha a 'cavalier disregard' of licensee obligations so that PCI should lose unrelated full-power FM licenses or unrelated translator licenses, a sanction that would not be in keeping with Commission policy."

Since PCI's transgressions "did not include acts of deception or misrepresentation," which are viewed as capital offenses for FCC licensees, Sippel said the rules did not require revocation of PCI's "non-offending licenses."

Becker has 30 days to appeal the decision.

RBR Observation:

Let's get this straight. Lying to the FCC will get your licenses revoked, but open public defiance of the Commission doesn't make you an unfit licensee? How on earth does it make any sense that someone can be unfit to be the licensee of two stations, but is fit to be the licensee of two others?


Sign up here!New readers can receive our RBR Morning Epaper
FREE for the next 60 Business days!



Have a news story you'd like to share? [email protected]

Advertise with RBR | Contact RBR
© 2003 Radio Business Report. All rights reserved.