FCC fines four Valley radio stations for violations of EEO laws

Here’s a story you won’t find in any other media outlet in the Valley.

The FCC fined four of the Valley’s biggest radio stations for violating federal Equal Employment Opportunity recruitment laws.

My Harlingen News learned last week that the FCC fined the McAllen’s Entravision $12,000 dollars.

But the FCC website is SOOO screwey that it took days to find a copy of the paperwork…but we found it!

It turns out the agency issued what’s called a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture (NAL) against the company.

There are the radio stations listed in the notice:

• KFRQ (Q 94.5 FM) Harlingen
• KNVO (Radio Jose 101.1 FM) Port Isabel
• KVLY (Mix 107.9 FM) Edinburg
• KKPS (Que Pasa 99.5 FM) Brownsville

The FCC notice said the Entravision stations “willfully and repeatedly” violated EEO recruiting laws.

Federal law requires licensed TV stations and radio stations (at least on paper) to recruit minorities and women.

It’s funny that a minority-owned business that broadcasts in majority Hispanic market would get fined for EEO.

Here’s what they said about the four radio stations:

3.    EEO Review.   On March 25, 2008, the Media Bureau (the “Bureau”) admonished the Licensee for violating Sections 73.2080(c)(1)(i) and 73.2080(c)(3) of the Rules because it failed to recruit widely for every full-time vacancy, instead relying on its corporate Internet web site, the Stations’ on-air advertisements, word-of-mouth referrals, walk-ins, unsolicited job applications, or internal job postings as recruitment sources for twelve of its thirteen full-time vacancies.   The Bureau also issued reporting conditions and noted that the statute of limitations prohibited it from initiating a forfeiture proceeding.   We have before us the Licensee’s submission of EEO information mandated by the reporting conditions.   We also have before us the Licensee’s responses  to the Bureau’s inquiries concerning the Stations’ submission.   Our review of these materials shows that, during the reporting period at issue (April 1, 2007, through March 31, 2008), the Licensee failed to properly recruit for two of its 12 full-time vacancies because it relied solely on an employee referral for one vacancy and a rehire, absent sufficient recruitment, of a former employee for another vacancy, in violation of Section 73.2080(c)(1).  In addition, the Licensee failed to properly recruit widely for two other full-time vacancies because it relied solely on referrals and its company website to fill those vacancies, in violation of Section 73.2080(c)(1)(i).  Finally, the Licensee failed to place its EEO public file report on the Stations’ websites, as required by Section 73.2080(c)(6).  The Licensee was due to post its 2008 EEO public file report on the Stations’ website by April 1, 2008, yet did not do so until July 28, 2008, when requested by the Bureau.   These failures reveal a continuing lack of self-assessment, in violation of Section 73.2080(c)(3).

Read the full thing for yourself on My Harlingen News:

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