Earlier
this week the FCC ordered the University of Arkansas to pay a $76,000 civil
penalty because two stations owned by the University broadcast commercials that contained
multiple violations of the Commission’s underwriting rules.
The
University admitted that the allegations were true an agreed to a
Consent Decree made public by the FCC on Tuesday (1/7/20).
The
case involves ED88 [link] KBPU, in De
Queen, Arkansas [link] and KTYC, in Nashville, Arkansas, a repeater of KBPU.
The stations are operated by Cossatot Community College, part of the University of Arkansas system.
In
December 2016 two De Queen area commercial broadcasters filed a complaint with the FCC that
said the noncom stations ran multiple announcements that promoted for-profit
underwriters by advertising their products and services. The complaint also said
the spots contained qualitative descriptions and comparative language,
pricing information, and calls to action.
Communications
attorney David Oxenford, publisher of Broadcast
Law Blog [link], detailed a few of the many infractions:
• Ads containing
information about warranties available on lawn mowers and furniture – and
details of models and brands
• An ad for an insurance company telling listeners about the risks that can be faced by consumers, saying
that the insurance company can “help life go right.” Another ad for the insurance company said that
the agency has “great claim service.”
•
An ad for a car dealer contained descriptions about a car that it is “the most powerful muscle
car ever" and that the car was now on sale
•
An ad for a bank that said that the bank is “a better way to bank”
•
A spot for a car repair shop, said the shop owners “go above and beyond
to ensure that their customer service comes first and foremost”
The
FCC investigated the complaint and contacted University of Arkansas administrators
when they determined that the allegations were true. The university agreed to
pay the fine and and has added compliance steps mandated by the FCC. The FCC told the licensee that future violations may cause the Commission to revoke their broadcast licenses.
 |
| Loren Hinton |
Loren
Hinton was in charge of the stations when the complaint was filed and
apparently is still running the stations now. According to Hinton’s faculty bio
on Cossatot’s website, Hinton is the UA Cossatot Radio Department Director. The
bio says:
“Hinton has over 35 years
of broadcast experience and has been a member of the UAC staff since 1999. As
the general manager of Ed 88.75 [sic] in Nashville, and Ed 88.7 in De Queen,
Hinton leads the day-to-day operation of each station and is involved in the
communities and civic organizations of Southwest Arkansas.”
“As the lead instructor
of UAC’s radio broadcast courses, Hinton lends his many years of on air
experience to the classroom.”
Spark
News reached out to Hinton for comments but he did not reply.
KMUW, WICHITA, ANNOUNCES THE
“KORVA COLEMAN DIVERSITY IN JOURNALISM” INTERNSHIP
 |
| Korva Coleman |
Debra
Fraser, GM of KMUW, the NPR News/Talk station in Wichita, announced this week
that the station has established the Korva
Coleman Diversity in Journalism Internship.
The internship will help college
students of color be part of the next generation of public radio reporters
and newscasters.
Coleman
is a reporter and newscaster for NPR News.
According
to a press release, the Coleman intern will get an immersive, hands-on learning
experience as part of KMUW’s news team. The person chosen for the internship
will also receive mentoring from Coleman.
The
inaugural internship will run for 10 weeks beginning May 26, 2020. The Coleman
intern will work 40 hours a week and be paid a stipend of $5,000. He or she
also will receive free room and board.
The
internship is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Application
instructions can be found here. The application deadline is Friday, January.
17.
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