NPR and a group of public broadcasting licensees urged against...
NPR and a group of public broadcasting licensees urged against changing the FCC waiver process to allow noncommercial educational (NCE) stations to raise funds on-air for other nonprofit organizations. In reply comments in docket 12-106, NPR again said the waiver…
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process should remain intact to ensure that the noncommercial nature of NCE broadcasting is appropriately preserved by maintaining the status quo (http://xrl.us/bnmst6). Replies were due Wednesday. The public-radio programmer cautioned against recommendations in initial comments calling for nonprofits outside the Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) tax exemption to be able to have on-air fundraising by NCEs. This presents the very real possibility of noncommercial stations using airtime to raise funds for so-called “Super PACs” and political and advocacy-focused trade associations, NPR said: This would significantly diminish, “if not erase completely, the distinction between noncommercial and commercial broadcasting.” NPR also opposed suggestions by groups like Good Life Broadcasting that stations should be able to use up to 10 percent or more of their annual broadcast airtime for third-party fundraising (http://xrl.us/bndsed) (CD July 5 p15). This would represent a significant portion of a station’s annual program schedule, up to 880 hours per year, “and would further erode the distinction between NCE stations and their commercial counterparts,” NPR said. Initial comments from NPR, PBS and the Association of Public Television Stations against changing the process were supported by some colleges, universities and other education systems that filed joint comments as “public broadcasting licensees” (http://xrl.us/bnmst8). The entities said NCE stations should be spared the possibility of being inundated with fundraising requests. Having to turn down many charitable enterprises “would cause damage to relationships between and among NCE stations and these charities,” they said. The public licensees already are tasked with being fair to various local nonprofits in broadcasting public service announcements and event listings, they said: “If they are permitted to also air long-form fundraising programs for third parties, this pressure will increase.” The National Religious Broadcasters group was among those supporting the rule change in earlier replies (CD Aug 22 p18).