Two television program producers requested exemptions from closed captioning rules for their weekly half-hour programs, with two different results.
In the end, it was all a matter of money.
Gray Publishing produces a 30-minute program called “Exploring Alaska Native Voices.” The best it offer it could get to add CC to the program was a little over $14K annually.
The FCC agreed with Gray over the objection of watchdog consumers groups, that with net revenues of $36,187.00 in 2011 and $33,204.00 in 2012, with only minimal net current assets of $1,385.00 as of December 2011 and $6,121.00 as of December 2012,that the CC price tag was a little pricy.
Faith Center of Paducah Inc. was the other producer, with a 30-minute program called “Awaken the Heart” that airs on WQWQ-LP Cape Girardeau MO.
It received a low bid of about $12.5K for annual CC services, and said that was too much. It also noted that the station was unable to assist with CC services, nor was it able to locate a donor in the community who could fund it.
But it has cash. In 2011, its expenses outweighed its income by about $80K, but that was more than reversed in 2012, when it was in the black by just less than $91K.
The FCC therefore concluded that it has the wherewithal to pay for CC service.
There is still a dark cloud inhabiting Gray’s silver lining – its exemption is good for only two years, and it will need to figure out a way to plug in CC by 1/23/17.
Why does the FCC have to continue to being the enemy of the small, independent producers out there … is there someone in Congress that can go fix this problem ?
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