Reply #7: The Game Is To Act Locally

[KharmaTrain]

Nothing gets a radio station's attention than a complaint from an advertiser...especially if its protest about something someone said on the air. Network commercials mean little to the local affiliate who get no money from these ads, but get a local advertiser pissed and watch how things change in a hurry.

There are several ways people can get to these advertisers...friendly information pickets, on public property, during a busy Saturday in one step.

Another is demanding to see a radio station's Public Inspection file. This file is required by the FCC and must include all correstpondence from listeners, good and bad, about programming. If the file is tampered with a station faces thousands in fines and possible problems when the station's license is up for renewal. Simply stated is to have listners in the area send REGISTERED letters to the station complaining about a show...then wait a couple weeks, visit the station during normal business hour and demand to see the file. If they don't immediately allow you access to the file, that's a major violation right there...then if you have documentations of letters and they're not in the file, then the station can be cited for another violation...we're talking upwards of $10-20,000 per offense. While the FCC has few rules, the Public Inspection file is still very important for stations to maintain and can cause big time headaches for a station when there's a flood of requests to see that file...or if there are complaints filed with the FCC about not getting access to the files or missing letters that (thanks to your Registered letter) you can prove the station received yet was never filed.

Of course, the best answer is to build a better, strong Progressive radio networks...not one, but several...and to use the new technologies that soon will transform radio into the digital age.