This week the number of newly granted LPFM applications surpassed 1200. The new batch of future radio stations includes several Catholic organizations in Indiana and Nebraska, a school district in Texas, Indiana University, an arts group in Maryland, and community groups in Texas and Detroit. There were also quite a few dismissals this week, including 14 contested applications that were prepared by Antonio Cesal Guel.
FCC Dismisses 14 Guel Applications
In a May 16 letter to Guel, which follows up on its Letter of Inquiry, the FCC states that it is dismissing the applications for various reasons, including failure to respond to the Letter of Inquiry (East Memphis Community Radio, Greensboro Community Radio, and South Indianapolis Community Radio) and problems with ownership changes and tower site assurance. The letter states:
Staff telephoned each of the Occupants at the addresses listed in the Radio Applications. These calls established: (1) the Occupant was the only occupant at the address listed in the application; (2) none of the applicants in the Radio Applications had any relationship with the Occupant at the address listed in the application; (3) none of the applicant’s board members had any relationship to the Occupant at the address listed in the application; and (4) none of the Occupants at the addresses listed in the Radio Applications had submitted a Form 318 application. Moreover, each Centro Application listed the same mailing address and telephone number for its contact information and its proposed main studio location. Based on the Commission’s own records, Staff determined that these are the mailing address… and telephone number…for Centro Cristiano De Vida Eterna (“CCVE”), licensee of noncommercial educational station KNLY(FM), New Waverly, Texas…
The letter goes on to state that the FCC has “not determined whether any of the applicants have engaged in misrepresentation and/or lack of candor,” but it finds that,
the Community Applications applicants made major ownership changes and/or did not have reasonable site assurance prior to their filing.The Bureau has also determined that the Centro Applications applicants did not have reasonable site assurance prior to their filing. Therefore, the Applications will be dismissed.
In its letter, the FCC points out that many of the applications were amended following the FCC’s February 2014 Letter of Inquiry in order to update lists of the organizations’ board of directors. The letter states that, “…an applicant for an LPFM CP can only make ‘[c]hanges in ownership where the original party or parties to an application retain more than 50 percent ownership interest in the application as originally filed.’ Thus, a fifty percent change in the governing board of a LPFM applicant is considered a ‘major change’ and results in the dismissal of the application.”
At this point, 93 applications prepared by Guel have been dismissed, but there are still more than 150 awaiting a response from the FCC. You can monitor the progress on these applications on REC Networks.
The 14 applications Guel-related applications dismissed by the FCC via the May 16 letter include nine in Texas (CENTRO CRISTIANO DE AMOR INC. in Houston, CENTRO MUNDIAL DE FE INC. in Houston, CENTRO CRISTIANO DE FE INC. in Houston, CASA AL IMIGRANTE DE WICHITA FALLS in Wichita Falls, CENTRO DE FE Y AVIVAMINETO DEL SANTO ESPIRITU INC. in Houston, FORT WORTH HISPANIC COMMUNITY CHURCH in Fort Worth, ROCKWALL RADIO DE LA COMUNIDAD in Rockwall, SOUTH LAKE HISPANIC COMMUNITY CHURCH in Southlake, and SUGAR LAND COMMUNITY RADIO in Sugar Land), one in Tennessee (East Memphis Community Radio in Memphis), one in North Carolina (Greensboro Community Radio in Greensboro), two in Nevada (Las Vegas Community Radio in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas Community Radio in North Las Vegas), and one in Indiana (South Indianapolis Community Radio in Indianapolis).
Other Dismissals this Week
Several other applications were dismissed this week, including those for Iglesia Santuario de Adoracion Incorporated (Mission, TX), Hilltown Community Arts (Worthington, MA), Washington Broadcast Educational Association (Leakesville, MS), Double Oak Community Radio (Chelsea, AL), Pentecostal Church of God I.M. (Santa Ana, CA), and a Guel-related application for West Saint Louis Community Radio (Fairview Heights, IL).
Newly Granted Applications
This week, the newly granted LPFM applications are for the following groups:
The Trustees of Indiana University (Kokomo, IN)
Elks Lodge #364 (Piedmont, SC)
Allen Temple Ame Church (Belton, SC)
Tristate Catholic Radio ( Jasper, IN)
City of Emory Development Corporation (Emory, TX)
Rains Independent School District (Emory, TX)
St. Isadore Catholic Radio of Beatrice (Beatrice, NE)
The Somerset County Arts Council (Crisfield, MD)
Holy Spirit Catholic Radio of McCook (McCook, NE)
St. Polycarp Catholic Radio of Imperial (Imperial, NE)
Key West Vineyard, Inc. (Avon Park, FL)
North End Woodward Community Coalition (Detroit, MI)
LPFM Watch is a weekly feature on Radio Survivor appearing every Thursday.
