WNYC Radio, licensee of WNYC-AM & FM New York, is out $5,000, but the FCC says it found no substantial reason to believe that the non-profit organization should be stripped of its licenses. Under a consent decree with the FCC’s enforcement Bureau, WNYC has agreed to adopt a multi-level review to ensure that underwriting announcements on its stations don’t violate the FCC’s rules on what is permissible on non-commercial stations.
WNYC will continue to train employees on acceptable underwriting content. And it will make good faith efforts to obtain advance information on underwriting from program suppliers to make sure that they comply as well. WNYC must also file compliance reports with the FCC for the next three years and will make a $5,000 voluntary contribution to the United States Treasury.
The FCC probe into whether WNYC ran underwriting spots that went over the line to become commercials began in October 2004. WNYC subsequently informed the Commission that underwriting announcements run for the executive search recruiter Korn/Ferry International from March 2003 through February 2004 appeared to have violated the Underwriting Laws.
