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RadioInsight

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FCC Report 2/27: Ohio LPFM To Get License Renewal Hearing

Posted: 27 Feb 2022 11:00 AM PST https://radioinsight.com/headlines/220565/fcc-report-2-27-ohio-lpfm-to-get-license-renewal-hearing/

FCC Actions

A hearing will be held to determine whether The Marion Education Exchanges 107.1 WWGH-LP Marion OHs license renewal should be granted and whether a financial penalty will be assessed against the station.

The FCC is investigating whether Marion Education Exchange willfully and repeatedly violated section 73.1015 of the Rules by failing to respond
fully to letters of inquiry, made misrepresentations to and/or lacked
candor with the Commission in violation of section 1.17(a)(1) of the Rules,
or violated section 1.17(a)(2) of the Rules by providing incorrect material factual information or omitting material information necessary to prevent a material factual statement from being incorrect or misleading, and doing so without a reasonable basis for believing the information to be correct and
not misleading, and willfully violated section 73.865 of the Rules by
failing to notify the Commission that a pro forma transfer of control of
MEE had occurred.

Marion Education Exchange was registered in Ohio as a non-profit on May 2,
2019 with an application to transfer the stations license from Marion
Midget Football made a week later. In the application, the filing stated
that there were no changes in the board members only the name of the
licensee listing five people each holding 20 percent voting rights. During
the course of its investigation, the FCC learned that one of the board
members listed had died in November 2016.

After the transfer was approved, an informal objection to the stations
license renewal application was filed by the former president of another
LPFM in the town alleging that MEE had misrepresented its board composition with different people than those approved in the license transfer
submitting copies of materials filed with the state that listed four
people, none of which were on the FCC approved application.

The first FCC letter of inquiry simply asked for a list of all board
members, past and present and the dates they served with MEE only replying
with its current board members and officers. A second inquiry was replied
with oblique and unclear language regarding its board composition. The
third inquiry asked why the deceased board member was listed as being in
the original license transfer with MEE stating she has passed away prior to
the meeting approving the transfer, but not confirming when she had died.

The FCC is seeking to prove whether Marion Education Exchange
misrepresented its board composition by offering different, and at times inconsistent explanations, knowingly submitted false information, and in an attempt to cover-up made additional misrepresentations. The FCC also states that an apparent false statement regarding its programming being unique in Marion further bolsters its concern that MEE is capable of honesty in
future dealings. MEE had stated that WWGH-LP is the last station in the city-of-license providing local news and weather every hour, while the
original objector noted that iHeartMedias 1490 WMRN and 94.3 WMRN-FM and
Marion Community Radios 104.7 WZMO-LP did so as well, while Marion Makes
Musics 97.5 WDIF-LP also provided hourly weather.


La Casa de la Razas 96.5 KZAA-LP Santa Barbara CA has been issued a Notice
of Apparent Liability For Forfeiture proposing a $1500 fine for failing to timely file its license renewal application. KZAA-LP was due to file its renewal by August 2, 2021, but did not do so until October 1 claiming it
was not aware of the filing deadline due to staff changes.

OpenSkyRadio Corps 91.5 KVYA Cedarville CA and Aaniiih Nakoda Colleges 88.1 KGVA Fort Belknap Agency MT have entered into Consent Decrees for failing
to maintain their online public files.
FM Changes

Radio Training Network files to move The Joy FM 93.5 WPHH Hope Hull AL
applies to move to the Montgomery tower
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