'The Cost Of Keeping A Radio Station On The Air'...

The reward for having a radio station in a major market is paying the steepest yearly regulatory fee. On Tuesday, the FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, asking for public comment on its proposed Regulatory Fees for 2010. The FCC doesn't want to read my X-rated comment if I'm paying $10,000 in regulatory fees as some stations do. Whether there are complaints about those fees or not, the FCC will collect over $335 million in regulatory fees this year. Fees range from $550 for an AM Class C radio station in a market with a population up to 25,000 to $10,400 for an FM Class B, C, C0, C1 or C2 FM station with a listening population over 3 million. Noncommercial broadcasters are exempt from the annual regulatory fees. For those stations paying through the nose and every other body orifice, Broadcast Law Blog states the obvious: "These fees are paid annually by most commercial entities that are regulated by the FCC for the privilege of being regulated"...

AM and FM radio construction permits are a mere pittance compared to the annual regulatory fees. $420 please, if you're putting up an AM rig - $630 for your FM CP. Then the fun begins. The regulatory fees are normally paid in September but the specific deadline for the payment of this year's fees will be set by a future Order after the FCC has received comments on, and formally adopted, this proposed fee schedule. Not being overly generous this year, the FCC has set a short time for comments with initial comments on the proposed fees due by May 4, 2010 and reply comments due on May 11...

Should you not voice your complaint before the FCC's deadline, don't be upset. Simply face the closest wall in your house and voice your complaint. It's guaranteed to have the same affect as complaining to the FCC...


10 Timeline Memories:

1.1865] This I Swear: Andrew Johnson becomes the 17th President of the United States after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln who dies from his wounds...
2.1947] Breaking the color barrier: Jackie Robinson becomes major league baseball's first black player, making his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie, playing first base goes hitless in 3 at-bats...
3.1955] Mickey D. arrives: Ray Kroc opens the first McDonald's fast-food restaurant...
4.1959] Fidelito: Cuban leader Fidel Castro begins what he calls "a good will tour" of the U.S...
5.1965] Making the Most of Havlicek's steal: In a call made famous by Johnny Most ("Havlicek Stole the Ball") the Celtics win the Eastern Division championship over Philadelphia when John Havlicek steals an in-bound pass as time runs out...
6.1968] And the Mets still lose: The longest 1-0 game in baseball history is a 24-inning game between the Astros and Mets with Houston winning in 6 hours and 6 minutes...
7.1982] Rock and Roll Wreck: Billy Joel is seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident on the Long Island Expressway. Yussell will be hospitalized for a month...
8.1985] It's Marvelous: Marvelous Marvin Hagler retains his world middleweight crown in a great battle with Thomas "Hitman" Hearns that ends in a 3rd round TKO...
9.1990] 'Happy Trails': Legendary Hollywood siren Greta Garbo dies from renal disease and pneumonia at 84...2001] Punk rocker Joey Ramone aka Jeffrey Ross Hyman dies of lymphoma at 49...
10.2003] Kill the ump takes on an entirely new meaning: Umpire Laz Diaz is attacked by a fan during a Kansas City-Chicago game. The fan is later sentenced to 6 months in jail and forced to watch the rest of the Royal's baseball season. In this clip, Laz is just heckled...

Music Memory:

• Debuted on this date: 1966] Buffalo Springfield performs for the 1st time as the opening act for The Byrds in San Bernadino (CA). For 'what it's worth', here's a clip of Buffalo Springfield (introduced by The Monkees' Peter Tork) from the 1967 Monterey Music Festival...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Danny ("Cold Case") Pino (36), Samantha Fox (44), Emma Thompson (51), Lois Chiles (63), Dave Edmunds (66), Roy Clark (77)and Michael Ansara (88)...
Timeline Countdown: 7 days until the NFL draft, 16 days until the Kentucky Derby, 24 days until Mother's Day and 46 days until Memorial Day...