What happens when you have a grandfathered six-AM cluster and you want to move one of them? Unfortunately, it ultimately means you have to kick “grandfather” out, but the FCC has seen fit to give Multicultural Radio Broadcasting (MRB) some breathing room, via a waiver, to get the job done. In this case, the moving station and the one to be sold are one and the same. MRB’s problems came about as a result of a “lost our lease” situation. WNSW-AM lost its tower, and the company wanted to move it to its co-owned WPAT-AM location. That meant it had to move its own WNYG-AM too, which is in Babylon NY (Nassau-Suffolk market, and embedded in New York City market). MRB wants to move to Medford NY. The problem is that a city of license move eliminates the cluster’s grandfather clause. MRB says it will not only move WNYG, it’ll sell it too, if the FCC gives it enough time – it’s asking for six months. The FCC says getting a new owner and eliminating a grandfathered oversize cluster both increase market diversity, making grant of the waiver a no-brainer.
RBR/TVBR observation: We’ve always believed that rules are made to be broken – laws and regulations cannot possibly be crafted to account for every contingency. It is good to see the FCC apply logic and flexibility in allowing MRB to pursue this path.
