Just a reminder that radio stations in North Carolina and South Carolina are up next in the license renewal cycle, which means that pre-filing announcements for radio stations in these states must start on June 1st. The announcements continue on June 16, July 1, and July 16, for a total of four pre-filing announcements. These announcements give notice to the local community that the station will be filing a license renewal application with the Commission and invite participation in the renewal process. The precise language of the pre-filing announcements—which is dictated by the FCC’s Rules—can be found here.
The announcements should be aired in the primary language used on the station, so if the station broadcasts primarily in a foreign language, the announcements should be broadcast in that language. For commercial radio stations, at least two of the required pre-filing announcements must air on the station between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., or 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. local time. If the station does not operate between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. or between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., then at least two of the required announcements must be made during the first two hours of broadcast operations. For noncommercial educational stations, the timing of the announcements is the same as for commercial stations, except that such stations need not broadcast the announcements during any month during which the station does not operate.
For more details about the pre-filing announcements and the license renewal process for radio stations, please see our recent advisory which will help radio stations prepare for the process. A copy of the advisory is available here. And next up in the queue will be radio stations in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, who will start their pre-filing announcements on August 1st in advance of filing their renewal applications on October 1st.