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3060-0031
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FCC 315
APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO
TRANSFER CONTROL OF ENTITY HOLDING
BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION
PERMIT OR LICENSE
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
A. This FCC Form is to be used to apply for consent to transfer
control of an entity holding a broadcast station construction
permit or license. It consists of the following sections:
I.
General Information (licensee, permittee, and contact
representatives, if any)
II. Transferor(s)
III. Licensee/Permittee
IV. Transferee(s)
The Licensee/Permittee must complete Sections I and III.
application form or report can be filed with the Commission
either electronically or in a paper format. Electronic filing
will become mandatory, on a form-by-form basis, six
months after each application form or report becomes
available for filing electronically.
D. Mandatory electronic filing of FCC Form 315 commenced
on February 15, 2001. See 16 FCC Rcd 3989 (2001).
Paper versions of FCC Form 315 will not be accepted for
filing, unless accompanied by an appropriate request for
waiver of the electronic filing requirement. Applicants
can access the electronic filing system via the Internet
from the Media Bureau’s Web site at: http://www.fcc.
gov/mb.
The Transferor(s) must complete Section II.
E. Public Notice Requirements:
The Transferee(s) must complete Section IV.
B. This application form makes many references to FCC rules.
Applicants should have on hand and be familiar with current
broadcast rules in Title 47 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (C.F.R.):
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Part 0
Part 1
Part 73
Part 74
"Commission Organization"
"Practice and Procedure"
"Radio Broadcast Services"
"Experimental Radio, Auxiliary, Special
Broadcast and Other Program Distributional
Services"
FCC Rules may be purchased from the Government
Printing Office. Current prices may be obtained from the
GPO Customer Service Desk at (202) 512-1803. For
payment by credit card, call (202) 512-1800, M-F, 8 a.m. to
4 p.m. e.s.t; facsimile orders may be placed by dialing (202)
518-2233, 24 hours a day. Payment by check may be made
to the Superintendent of Documents, Attn: New Orders,
P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954.
C. Electronic Filing of Application Forms. The Commission is
currently developing electronic versions of various
broadcast station application and reporting forms, such as
this application form. As each application form and report
goes online, the Commission will by Public Notice
announce its availability and the procedures to be followed
for accessing and filing the application form or report
electronically via the Internet. For a six-month period
following the issuance of the Public Notice, the subject
All previous editions obsolete.
(1) 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3580 requires that applicants for
consent to transfer control of an entity holding a
construction permit or license for an AM, FM, or TV
broadcast station give local notice in a newspaper of
general circulation in the community to which the
station is licensed. Local notice is also required to be
broadcast over the station, if operating. However, if
the station is the only operating station in its broadcast
service licensed to the community involved,
publication of the notice in a newspaper is not required.
(Noncommercial educational FM and TV stations are
classified as a "different service" from commercial FM
and TV stations for purposes of this policy.) The
publication requirement also applies with respect to
major amendments to applications as defined in 47
C.F.R. Section 73.3578(b). Low Power FM Stations
are exempt from this requirement.
(2) Completion of publication may occur within 30 days
before or after the tender of the application to the
Commission. Compliance or intent to comply with the
public notice requirements must be certified by the
Licensee/Permittee in Item 7 of Section III of this
application. The required content of the local notice is
described in Paragraph (f) of 47 C.F.R. Section
73.3580. Worksheet #1 attached to these instructions
provides additional guidance. Proof of publication
need not be filed with this application.
(3) With respect to transfers of control that involve FM
and TV booster authorizations, local notice in a
FCC 315 Instructions
Edition Date
newspaper of general circulation in the community or
area to be served is also required. Compliance or intent
to comply with the public notice requirements must be
certified by the Licensee/Permittee in Item 7 of Section
III of this application. The required content of the local
notice is described in Paragraph (g) of 47 C.F.R.
Section 73.3580. Worksheet #1 attached to these
instructions provides additional guidance. Proof of
publication need not be filed with this application.
F.
incomplete applications will be returned without
consideration.
Inadvertently accepted applications are
also subject to dismissal. See 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3564(b)
Names/Addresses: In Section I, II, and IV, applicants
should use only those state abbreviations approved by the
U.S. Postal Service.
The name of the Licensee/Permittee must be stated in
Section I, Item 1, exactly as it appears on the authorization
to be transferred.
FCC Registration Number (FRN). To comply with the
Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, the applicant
must enter its FRN number, a ten-digit unique entity
identifier for anyone doing business with the Commission.
The FRN can be obtained through the FCC webpage at
http://www.fcc.gov or by manually submitting FCC Form
160. FCC Form 160 is available for downloading from
http://www.fcc.gov/formpage. html or by calling 1-800418-3676. Questions concerning the FCC Registration
Number can be directed to the Commission’s Registration
System help desk at http://[email protected] or by
calling 1-877-480-3201.
I.
In accordance with 47 C.F.R. Section 1.65, applicants have
a continuing obligation to advise the Commission, through
amendments, of any substantial and significant changes in
the information furnished in this application.
This
requirement continues until the FCC action on this
application is no longer subject to reconsideration by the
Commission or review by any court.
J.
This application requires applicants to certify compliance
with many statutory and regulatory requirements. Detailed
instructions and worksheets provide additional information
regarding Commission rules and policies. These materials
are designed to track the standards and criteria which the
Commission applies to determine compliance and to
increase the reliability of applicant certifications. They are
not intended to be a substitute for familiarity with the
Communications Act and the Commission's regulations,
policies, and precedent. While applicants are required to
review all application instructions and worksheets, they are
not required to complete or retain any documentation
created or collected to complete the application. See
Sections II-IV, Item 1.
K. This application is presented primarily in a "Yes/No"
certification format. However, it contains places for
submitting explanations and exhibits where necessary or
appropriate. Each certification constitutes a material
representation. Applicants may only mark the "Yes"
certification when they are certain that the response is
correct. A "No" response is required if the applicant is
requesting a waiver of a pertinent rule and/or policy, or
where the applicant is uncertain that the application fully
satisfies the pertinent rule and/or policy. Thus, a "No"
response to any of the certification items will not cause the
immediate dismissal of the application provided that an
appropriate exhibit is submitted.
Facility ID Number. Radio and TV Facility ID Numbers
can be obtained at the FCC's Internet Website at
www.fcc.gov/mb. Once at this website, scroll down and
select CDBS Public Access. You can also obtain your
Facility ID Number by calling: Radio - 202-418-2700,
TV - 202-418-1600. Further, the Facility ID Number is
now included on all Radio and TV authorizations and
postcards.
If the licensee/permittee, transferor, or transferee are
represented by a third party (for example, legal counsel) for
purposes of prosecuting the FCC Form 315, that person's
name, firm or company, mailing address and telephone/
electronic mail address may be specified in Section I , Item
2 (for Licensee/Permittee), Section II, Item 3 (for
Transferor), and Section IV, Item 3 (for Transferee).
L. A representative from the Licensee/Permittee, the
Transferor, and the Transferee must sign the
application. Depending on the nature of the applicant, the
application should be signed as follows: if a sole
proprietorship, personally; if a partnership, by a general
partner; if a corporation, by an officer; if an unincorporated
association, by a member who is an officer; if a
governmental entity, by such duly elected or appointed
official as is competent under the laws of the particular
jurisdiction. Counsel may sign the application for his or her
client, but only in cases of the applicant's disability or
absence from the United States. When an application is
filed electronically, the signature will consist of the
electronic equivalent of the typed name of the individual.
See Report and Order in MM Docket No. 98-43, 13 FCC
Rcd 23056, 23064 (1998).
G. A copy of the completed application and all related
documents shall be made available for inspection by the
public in the station’s public inspection file pursuant to 47
C.F.R. Section 73.3526 for commercial stations and
Section 73.3527 for noncommercial educational stations.
H . Applicants should provide all information called for by this
application. If any portions of the application are not
applicable, the applicant should so state. Defective or
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INSTRUCTIONS
INFORMATION
FOR
SECTION
I
--
Payment of any required fee must be made by check, bank
draft, money order, or credit card. If payment is by check,
bank draft, or money order, the remittance must be
denominated in U.S. dollars, drawn upon a U.S. institution,
and made payable to the "Federal Communications
Commission." No postdated, altered, or third-party checks
will be accepted. DO NOT SEND CASH. Additionally,
checks dated six months or older will not be accepted.
GENERAL
A. Item 3: Fees. The Commission is statutorily required to
collect charges for certain regulatory services to the public.
Generally, applicants seeking to transfer licenses or permits
of AM, FM, or TV broadcast stations are required to submit
a fee with the filing of FCC Form 315. Government
entities, however, are exempt from this fee requirement.
Exempt entities include possessions, states, cities, counties,
towns, villages, municipal organizations, and political
organizations or subparts thereof governed by elected or
appointed officials exercising sovereign direction over
communities or governmental programs. Also exempt are
full-service
noncommercial
educational
radio,
noncommercial educational TV and LPFM licensees and
permittees, provided that the station(s) being transferred
will continue to operate noncommercially. See 47 C.F.R.
Section 1.1114.
Applicants who wish to pay for more than one application
in the same lockbox with a single payment may also
submit a single FCC Form 159. When paying for multiple
filings in the same lockbox with a single payment
instrument, applicants must list each filing as a separate
item on FCC Form 159 (Remittance Advice). If additional
entries are necessary, applicants should use FCC Form
159C (Continuation Sheet).
Procedures for payment of applications fees when
applications are filed electronically will be announced by
subsequent Public Notice. See General Instruction C above.
Payment of application fees may also be made by Electronic
Payment prior to the institution of electronic filing
procedures, provided that prior approval has been obtained
from the Commission. Licensees/Permittees interested in
this option must first contact the Credit and Debt
Management Center at (202) 418-1995 to make the
necessary arrangements.
When electronically filing a fee-exempt application, an
applicant must complete Item 3 and provide an explanation
as appropriate. Paper versions of applications NOT subject
to a fee may be hand-delivered or mailed to the FCC at its
Washington, D.C. offices. See 47 C.F.R. Section 0.401(a).
Fee-exempt applications should not be sent to the Mellon
Bank Lockbox; so doing will result in a delay in processing
the application.
Applicants hand-delivering FCC Forms 315 may receive a
dated receipt copy by presenting a complete copy of the
filing to the acceptance clerk at the time of delivery. For
mailed-in applications, a "return copy" of the application
should be furnished and clearly marked as a "return copy."
The applicant should attach this copy to a stamped, selfaddressed envelope.
Only one piece of paper per
application will be stamped for receipt purposes.
The Commission's fee collection program utilizes a U.S.
Treasury lockbox bank for maximum efficiency of
collection and processing. Prior to the institution of
electronic filing procedures, all FCC Form 315 applications
requiring the remittance of a fee, or for which a waiver or
deferral from the fee requirement is requested, must be
submitted to the appropriate post office box address. See
47 C.F.R. Section 0.401(b). A listing of the fees for the
transfer of the various types of broadcast station
construction permits and licenses and the addresses to
which FCC Form 315 should be mailed or otherwise
delivered are also set forth in the "Media Bureau Fee Filing
Guide." This document can be obtained either by writing to
the Commission's Form Distribution Center, 9300 E.
Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, Maryland 20743, or by
calling 1-800-418-FORM. See also 47 C.F.R. Section
1.1104. The Fee Filing Guide also contains a list of the Fee
Type Codes needed to complete this application.
For further information regarding fees and payment
procedures, applicants should consult the "Media Bureau
Fee Filing Guide."
B. Item 5: Auction Authorization. Under the Commission's
competitive bidding licensing procedures, applicants
seeking to transfer control of a broadcast construction
permit or license within three years of receipt of the original
permit by means of competitive bidding must inform the
Commission that such authorization was obtained through
competitive bidding. See 47 C.F.R. Section 1.2111(a).
Item 5 requires the applicant to identify those authorizations
that were obtained through competitive bidding, and for
which transfer of control approval is sought.
A separate fee payment must be submitted for each FCC
Form 315 filed. Where control of multiple stations is being
transferred on one FCC 315, a single payment covering the
total required fee, calculated according to the number of
AM, FM, or TV station permits or licenses covered by that
FCC Form 315, must be made.
The Commission's auction rules also require an applicant
seeking approval of a transfer of control of a license or
construction permit within three years of receipt of such
authorization by means of competitive bidding to file with
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the Commission the associated contracts for sale, option
agreements, management agreements, or other documents
disclosing the consideration that the applicant will receive
in return for the transfer of its license or permit. See 47
C.F.R Sections 1.2111(a), 73.5009. If applicable, this
information should be submitted as an exhibit to Item 5.
D. Item 7: Tribal Priority Holding Period. Under the
Commission’s Tribal Priority (see Policies to Promote
Rural Radio Service and to Streamline Allotment and
Assignment Procedures, First Report and Order, 25 FCC
Rcd 1583 (2010) (“Rural First R&O”), modified, Second
Report and Order, 26 FCC Rcd 2556 (“Rural Second
R&O”), modified, Third Report and Order, 26 FCC Rcd
17642 (2011) (“Rural Third R&O”), and 47 C.F.R. §
73.7002(b)(1) [applicable only to noncommercial
educational stations]), individuals or entities obtaining
C. Item 6: Noncommercial Educational Holding Period.
Under the Commission’s licensing procedures for stations
operating on channels reserved for noncommercial
educational use, applicants seeking to transfer a
noncommercial educational TV, FM, or FM translator
station received as a result of evaluation in a point system
are subject to certain restrictions if the station has not after
the point system operated for four years with a minimum
operating schedule.
(a) an AM authorization for which the applicant or a
predecessor claimed and received a dispositive
Section 307(b) priority because it qualified for the
Tribal Priority; or
(b) an FM commercial non-reserved band station
awarded:
(1) to the applicant or a predecessor as a
singleton Threshold Qualifications Window
applicant,
(2) to the applicant or a predecessor after a
settlement among Threshold Qualifications
Window applicants, or
(3) to the applicant or a predecessor after an
auction among a closed group of bidders
composed only of threshold qualified tribal
applicants (pursuant to the Threshold
Qualifications procedures set forth in the
Rural Third R&O, 26 FCC Rcd at 1764550); or
(c) a reserved-band NCE FM station for which the
applicant or predecessor claimed and received the
Tribal Priority in a fair distribution analysis as set
forth in 47 C.F.R. § 73.7002(b)(1),
Item 6(a) requires the applicant to indicate whether any
authorizations were obtained through a point system.
Answer “yes” if any of the reserved channel
noncommercial educational stations involved in the
transaction were authorized pursuant to a point system
selection procedure, regardless of whether authorization
was issued to the applicant or to a predecessor.
Applicants operating only on non-reserved “commercial”
channels should answer “no.” Applicants operating on
reserved channels should answer “no” if all stations were
authorized before May 2000 and no major modifications
have occurred, or if all stations authorized from May 2000
onward were authorized using a method other than point
system [such as award to a single applicant, authorization
pursuant to a settlement agreement among all mutually
exclusive parties, or selection of an applicant based on
comparison pursuant to 47 U.S.C. Section 307(b) (fair
distribution) only.]
Item 6(b) applies only to applicants who answered “yes”
to 6(a). It asks whether all stations awarded by point
system have satisfied the four-year holding period on such
stations.
Applicants should answer “yes” to 6(b) if,
between the time of point system authorization and the
time of the present application, the station has operated
pursuant to that authorization for four years (48 months)
on-air, pursuant to the Commission’s minimum operating
schedule. Applicants with stations not yet meeting the
four-year holding period should answer “no” and provide
an exhibit identifying the stations that have not met the
holding period, and demonstrating that the transaction is
consistent with 47 C.F.R. Section 73.7005(a). Pursuant to
that rule section, the applicant must demonstrate the
following: (1) that the proposed transferee would qualify
for points equal to or greater than those of the party that
prevailed in the point system; and (2) that consideration
received and/or promised does not exceed the transferor’s
legitimate and prudent expenses in applying for and
constructing the station.
may not transfer the authorization for the period beginning
with issuance of the construction permit, until the
conclusion of four years of on-air operations, unless the
transferee also qualifies for the Tribal Priority.
Item 7(a) requires the applicant to indicate whether any
authorizations were obtained after award of a dispositive
Section 307(b) preference using the Tribal Priority, or
through the Tribal Priority as applied before the NCE fair
distribution analysis set forth in 47 C.F.R. § 73.7002(b).
Answer “yes” if any of the stations involved in the
transactions were
(a) an AM authorization for which the applicant or a
predecessor claimed and received a dispositive
Section 307(b) priority because it qualified for the
Tribal Priority; or
(b) an FM commercial non-reserved band station
awarded through the Threshold Qualifications
procedures detailed in the preceding paragraph; or
(c) a reserved-band NCE FM station for which the
4
applicant or predecessor claimed and received the
Tribal Priority in a fair distribution analysis as set
forth in 47 C.F.R. § 73.7002(b)(1).
Item 7(b) applies only to applicants who answered “yes”
to 7(a). It asks whether all stations acquired using the
Tribal Priority have completed four years of on-air
operations, thus satisfying the four-year holding period for
such stations. Applicants should answer “yes” to 7(b) if,
between the time of construction permit issuance and the
time of the present application, the station has operated
pursuant to that authorization for four years (48 months)
on-air, pursuant to the Commission’s minimum operating
schedule. Applicants with stations not yet meeting the
four-year holding period should answer “no” and proceed
to Item 7(c).
(C)
(D)
For purposes of this item, the definition of “Tribal Lands”
is the same as that set forth at footnote 15 of the Rural
First R&O, and as further set forth at paragraphs 8-10 and
59 of the Rural Second R&O. As noted above, an
applicant whose stations were initially acquired through
the Tribal Priority may only assign or transfer the
station(s) during the four-year holding period to another
individual or entity qualifying for the Tribal Priority.
Applicants not meeting the qualifications for the Tribal
Priority and proposing a transfer of control during the
holding period should answer “no” and provide an exhibit
identifying the transferee(s) not qualifying for the Tribal
Priority and/or the station(s) that have not met the holding
period, and demonstrating that the transaction is consistent
with the Tribal Priority policies set forth in the Rural First
R&O, or that a waiver of the policies underlying the Tribal
Priority is warranted.
Item 7(c) applies only to applicants who answered “no” to
7(b). It asks whether both the assignor/transferor and
assignee/transferee are individuals or entities qualifying
for the Tribal Priority in all respects. To qualify for the
Tribal Priority, an applicant must meet all of the following
qualifications:
(A)
(B)
above-listed tribal land coverage provisions that
demonstrate a geographic area identified with the
Tribe. Likewise, the Commission will entertain
requests for waiver of the other requirements
where appropriate; see Rural 2d R&O, 26 FCC
Rcd at 2561-63;
The proposed community of license must be
located on Tribal Lands; and
The proposed service must constitute first or
second aural (reception) service, or first local
Tribal-owned commercial transmission service at
the
proposed
community
of
license.
The applicant is a “Tribe” as defined in 47 C.F.R.
§ 73.7000 (while the definitions in 47 C.F.R. §
73.7000 apply only to NCE stations, the definition
of “Tribe” accurately describes the qualifications
for commercial as well as NCE applicants), a
consortium of Tribes, or an entity 51 percent or
more of which is owned or controlled by a Tribe
or Tribes. Qualifying Tribes or Tribal entities
must be those at least a portion of whose Tribal
Lands lie within the principal community contour
of the proposed facility. Although the 51 or
greater percent Tribal control threshold need not
consist of a single Tribe, the qualifying entity
must be 51 percent or more owned or controlled
by Tribes at least a portion of whose Tribal Lands
lie within the proposed facility’s principal
community contour;
(1) At least 50 percent of the area within the
proposed principal community contour is over that
Tribe’s Tribal Lands, or (2) the proposed
principal community contour (a) encompasses 50
percent or more of that Tribe’s Tribal Lands, (b)
serves at least 2,000 people living on Tribal
Lands, and (c) the total population on Tribal
Lands residing within the proposed station’s
service contour constitutes at least 50 percent of
the total covered population (and, in the case of
either (B)(1) or (B)(2), the proposed station’s
principal community contour does not cover more
than 50 percent of the Tribal Lands of a Tribe that
is not a party to the application). To the extent
that a Tribe lacks Tribal Lands, the Commission
will be receptive to requests for waiver of the
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SECTION II -- TRANSFEROR
A. Item 1: Certification. Each applicant is responsible for the
information that the application instructions and worksheets
convey. As a key element in the Commission's streamlined
licensing process, a certification that these materials have
been reviewed and that each question response is based on
the applicant's review is required.
B. Item 2: Applicant Name. The name of each transferor
must be stated in Item 2: if the transferor is a corporation,
the exact corporate name; if a partnership, the name under
which the partnership does business; if an unincorporated
association, the name of an executive officer, his/her office,
and the name of the association; and, if an individual
transferor, the person's full legal name.
C. Item 4: Ownership Interest to be Transferred. This
question requires that the applicants specify, for each
transferor in the subject transaction, the voting and equity
plus debt percentages held in the licensee/permittee by that
transferor both before and after the consummation of the
transaction.
5
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR
LICENSEE/PERMITTEE
SECTION
III
--
D. Item 4: Other Authorizations. Instructions for Section
IV, Item 6 of this form define "party to the application" and
"attributable interest" as used in this question.
A. Item 1: Certification. The licensee/permittee must review
the instructions for Section II, Item 1, of this form before
completing this item.
E. Items 5 and 6: Character Issues/Adverse Findings.
These questions require an evaluation of any unresolved
character issues involving the licensee/permittee(s) or any
of its principals, as well as any relevant adverse findings by
a court or administrative body. Licensee/permittee(s) must
review the instructions for Section IV, Items 9 and 10, of
this form before completing this item.
B. Item 2: Authorizations to be Transferred. Unless
specifically enumerated as excluded authorizations, the
authorizations for all subsidiary communications services
(SCAs), FM and TV booster stations, and auxiliary service
stations authorized under Subparts D, E, F, and H of 47
C.F.R. Part 74 will be included in the transfer of control of
the license or permit of the primary station(s). Applicants
should complete the table. If preparing this application in
paper form, attach a separate page using the table format
where additional space is needed.
F.
NOTE: Applications for transactions involving only the
transfer of control of a permit or license for a TV or FM
translator station or a low power television station must be
filed on FCC Form 345. The submission of a separate
filing fee with the FCC Form 345 may also be required.
Item 8: Auction Authorization. This question asks the
licensee/permittee to certify that the proposed transfer will
comply with the "unjust enrichment" provisions of the
Commission's competitive bidding rules, 47 C.F.R. Section
1.2111(d)(1).
Licensee/permittee(s) must review the
instructions for Section IV, Item 14 before completing this
item.
G. Item 9: Anti-Drug Abuse Act Certification. This question
requires the licensee/permittee to certify that neither it nor
any party to the application is subject to denial of federal
benefits pursuant to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, 21
U.S.C. Section 862. Licensee/permittee(s) must review the
instructions for Section IV, Item 15, of this form before
completing this item.
C. Item 3: Agreements for Transfer of Control. Applicants
must submit with the application and place in the public
inspection file of each subject station a complete and final
copy of the unredacted contract for the transfers of control
that are the subject of this application, including all exhibits
and attachments. The application and contracts must be
retained until final action is taken on this application, with
the exception that any application granted pursuant to a
waiver of any Commission rule must be retained in the
public inspection file for as long as the waiver is in effect.
See 47 C.F.R. Sections 73.3526(e)(2) (for commercial
stations) and 73.3527(e)(2) (for noncommercial educational
stations). Applicants must certify their compliance with
these requirements in Items 3a and 3b.
H. Item 10: Anti-Discrimination Certification. This
question requires the licensee/permittee to certify that
neither it nor any party to the application has violated the
Commission's prohibition against discrimination on the
basis of race, color, religion, national origin or sex in the
sale of commercially operated AM, FM, TV, Class A TV
or international broadcast stations. See In re Promoting
Diversification of Ownership in the Broadcasting
Services, Report and Order and Third Further Notice of
Proposed Rule Making, 23 FCC Rcd 5922 (Mar. 5, 2008).
Where the response to Item 10 is "no," the
licensee/permittee must provide in an exhibit a full
disclosure of the persons and matters involved. The
licensee/permittee should also fully explain why the
violation is not an impediment to a grant of this
application. For transactions involving the sale or transfer
of
non-commercial
educational
FM
stations,
noncommercial educational TV stations, or broadcast
stations in the AM, Class A TV, or international broadcast
services that are operated on a non-commercial basis, the
licensee/permittee should select "N/A" in response to this
question.
Item 3c asks applicants to certify that the agreements to
transfer control of the subject licensee entity "comply fully
with the Commission's rules and policies." In order to
complete this certification, applicants must consider a broad
range of issues. Worksheet #2 provides guidance on key
compliance issues to facilitate applicants' review of their
proposed transactions, and to help applicants identify issues
where additional explanatory exhibits may be required or
helpful. If the applicant also holds a time brokerage
agreement (also known as a local marketing agreement)
pursuant to which the transferee will supply programming to
a station in the market, or a joint sales agreement pursuant
to which the transferee will sell commercial advertising time
for a station in the market, prior to FCC approval, then
applicants must review Worksheet #3D, which covers issues
relating to time brokerage, local marketing, and joint sales
agreements involving the transferee.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SECTION IV -- TRANSFEREE
A. Item 1: Certification. The transferee must review the
instructions for Section II, Item 1, of this form before
completing this item.
6
Regulations Governing Attribution of Broadcast and
Cable/MDS Interests, 14 FCC Rcd 12559 (1999),
reconsideration granted in part, 16 FCC Rcd 1097 (2000).
2006 Quadrennial Regulatory Review- Review of the
Commission’s Broadcast Ownership Rules and Other
Rules Adopted Pursuant to Section 202 of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996, Report and Order and
Order on Reconsideration, MB Docket No. 06-121 et al.,
23 FCC Rcd 2010 (2008) (“2006 Quadrennial Media
Ownership Order”).
B. Item 2: Name of Transferee. The name of each transferee
must be stated exactly in Item 2. The name of the transferee
shall be the exact corporate name, if transferee is a
corporation; if a partnership, the name of all general
partners and the name under which the partnership does
business; if an unincorporated association, the name of an
executive officer, his/her office, and the name of the
association; and, if the transferees are individual applicants,
the full legal name of each person.
Generally, insulated limited partners or members of a
limited liability corporation, certain investors, and certain
creditors are not considered parties to the application.
However, as set forth in Worksheet #3E entitled, "Investor
Insulation and Non-Party Influence over Transferee," the
holder of such an interest may be deemed a party to the
application and, if so, must be listed in the table in Item 6a.
In the event that the Investor Insulation and Non-Party
Influence over Transferee worksheet requires the
submission of an explanatory exhibit, the transferee must
respond "No" to Section IV, Item 6b and complete this
exhibit.
C. Item 4: Organization of Transferee. This question asks
the transferee to specify its organizational structure. If the
transferee's structure is not among the business entities
enumerated in the form, the applicant must check the box
marked "Other" and attach an exhibit describing in detail its
organizational structure.
D. Item 5: Agreements for Transfer of Control. This
question requires the transferee to certify that the written
agreement submitted to the Commission and contained in
the licensee/permittee's public inspection file embodies the
complete and final agreement between the parties and that
the agreement complies fully with the Commission's rules
and policies regarding station sales contracts. Worksheet
#2 provides guidance on key compliance issues to facilitate
applicants' review of their proposed transaction, and to help
applicants identify issues where additional explanatory
exhibits may be required or helpful. If the applicant has an
attributable time brokerage or local marketing agreement,
or an attributable joint sales agreement, for the stations
subject to the application or for any other stations in the
same market, then the applicant must review Worksheet
#3D.
Applicants who are required to demonstrate
compliance with 47 C.F.R. § 73.3555(a) must file a copy
of each such agreement for radio stations as an exhibit to
the application.
Certain interests held by substantial investors in, or
creditors of, the applicant may also be attributable and the
investor reportable as a party to the application, if the
interest falls within the Commission's equity/debt plus
(EDP) attribution standard. Under the EDP standard, the
interest held is attributable if, aggregating both equity and
debt, it exceeds 33 percent of the total asset value (all
equity plus all debt) of the applicant – a broadcast station
licensee, cable television system, daily newspaper or
other media outlet subject to the Commission’s broadcast
multiple ownership or cross-ownership rules – AND the
interest holder also holds (1) an attributable interest in a
media outlet in the same market, or (2) supplies over 15
percent of the total weekly broadcast programming hours
of the station in which the interest is held. For example,
the equity interest of an insulated limited partner in a
limited partnership applicant would normally not be
considered attributable, but, under the EDP standard, that
interest would be attributable if the limited partner’s
interest exceeded 33 percent of the applicant’s total asset
value AND the limited partner also held a 5 percent
voting interest in a radio or television station licensee in
the same market.
E. Item 6: Parties to the Application. This question requires
the disclosure of information on the transferee and all
parties to the application. As used in this application form,
the term "party to the application" includes any individual
or entity whose ownership or positional interest in the
applicant is attributable. An attributable interest is an
ownership interest in or relation to an applicant or licensee
which will confer on its holder that degree of influence or
control over the applicant or licensee sufficient to implicate
the Commission's multiple ownership rules. In responding
to Item 6, applicants should review the Commission's
multiple ownership attribution policies and standards which
are set forth in the Notes to 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555, as
revised pursuant to Report and Order in MB Dockets 02277 and 03-130, MM Dockets 00-244, 01-235, and 01-317,
18 FCC Rcd 13620 (2003), aff’d in part and remanded in
part, Prometheus Radio Project, et al. v. FCC, 373 F.3d 372
(3d Cir. 2004), stay modified, No. 03-3388 (Sept. 3, 2004),
and/or as revised in Review of the Commission's
The interest holder may, however, exceed the 33 percent
threshold without triggering attribution where such
investment would enable an eligible entity to acquire a
broadcast station provided that: (1) the combined equity
and debt of the interest holder in the eligible entity is less
than 50 percent, or (2) the total debt of the interest holder
in the eligible entity does not exceed 80 percent of the
asset value of the station being acquired by the eligible
entity and the interest holder does not hold any equity
7
interest, option, or promise to acquire an equity interest in
the eligible entity or any related entity. See In re
Promoting Diversification of Ownership in the
Broadcasting Services, Report and Order and Third
Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making, 23 FCC Rcd
5922 (Mar. 5, 2008).
partnership is not considered a party to the application IF
the limited partner is not materially involved, directly or
indirectly, in the management or operation of the mediarelated activities of the partnership and the applicant so
certifies in response to Section IV, Item 6b. Sufficient
insulation of a limited partner for purposes of this
certification would be assured if the limited partnership
arrangement:
The Commission defines an “eligible entity” as any entity
that qualifies as a small business under the Small Business
Administration’s size standards for its industry grouping,
as set forth in 13 C.F.R. § 121-201, and holds (1) 30
percent or more of the stock or partnership interests and
more than 50 percent of the voting power of the
corporation or partnership that will own the media outlet;
or (2) 15 percent or more of the stock or partnership
interests and more than 50 percent of the voting power of
the corporation or partnership that will own the media
outlet, provided that no other person or entity owns or
controls more than 25 percent of the outstanding stock or
partnership interests; or (3) more than 50 percent of the
voting power of the corporation that will own the media
outlet if such corporation is a publicly traded company.
(1) specifies that any exempt limited partner (if not a
natural person, its directors, officers, partners, etc.)
cannot act as an employee of the limited partnership if
his or her functions, directly or indirectly, relate to the
media enterprises of the company;
(2) bars any exempt limited partner from serving, in any
material capacity, as an independent contractor or agent
with respect to the partnership's media enterprises;
(3) restricts any exempted limited partner from
communicating with the licensee or the general partner
on matters pertaining to the day-to-day operations of its
business;
In the event the Transferee claims status as an eligible
entity, the Transferee must select "Yes" to Section IV,
item 8d and submit an explanatory exhibit demonstrating
compliance. The Transferee must retain and provide on
request, material documentation, including, for example,
annual financial statements or tax returns, etc., used to
establish the basis for the applicant's response.
(4) empowers the general partner to veto any admissions of
additional general partners admitted by vote of the
exempt limited partners;
(5) prohibits any exempt limited partner from voting on the
removal of a general partner or limits this right to
situations where the general partner is subject to
bankruptcy proceedings, as described in Sections 402
(4)-(5) of the Revised Uniform Limited Partnership
Act, is adjudicated incompetent by a court of
competent jurisdiction, or is removed for cause, as
determined by an independent party;
Divestiture Of Grandfathered Stations To Eligible
Entities: If the proposed transaction involves the transfer
of a radio station that is (1) part of a grandfathered cluster
of stations; and (2) will be divested to an eligible entity
(as defined in Item 8d, above), or to an irrevocable
divestiture trust for purposes of transfer to an eligible
entity, within 12 months of consummation of the purchase
of the grandfathered cluster of stations, the Transferee
must select “Yes” to Section IV, Item 8e. All applicants
answering "Yes" to Item 8e A or B must submit as an
Exhibit a copy of the form of irrevocable trust agreement
providing for the transfer of the station(s) to an Eligible
Entity.
(6) bars any exempt limited partner from performing any
services to the limited partnership materially relating to
its media activities, with the exception of making loans
to, or acting as a surety for, the business; and
(7) states, in express terms, that any exempt limited partner
is prohibited from becoming actively involved in the
management or operation of the media businesses of
the partnership.
As used here, the term "transferee" is synonymous with the
term "applicant." Additionally, "parties to the application"
includes the following with respect to each of the listed
applicant entities:
Notwithstanding conformance of the partnership agreement
to these criteria, however, the requisite certification cannot
be made if the applicant has actual knowledge of a material
involvement of a limited partner in the management or
operation of the media-related businesses of the partnership.
In the event that the applicant cannot certify as to the
noninvolvement of a limited partner, the limited partner will
be considered as a party to this application.
INDIVIDUAL APPLICANT: The natural person seeking
to hold in his or her own right the authorization specified in
this application.
PARTNERSHIP APPLICANT: Each partner, including
all limited partners. However, a limited partner in a limited
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY APPLICANT: The
8
Commission treats an LLC as a limited partnership, each of
whose members is considered to be a party to the
application. However, where an LLC member is insulated
in the manner specified above with respect to a limited
partnership and where the relevant state statute authorizing
the LLC permits an LLC member to insulate itself in
accordance with the Commission's criteria, that LLC
member is not considered a party to the application. In such
a case, the applicant should certify "Yes" in response to
Section IV, Item 6b.
applicant AND IF:
(1) such entity exercises no influence or control over the
corporation, directly or indirectly; and
(2) such entity has no representatives among the officers
and directors of the corporation.
ANY OTHER APPLICANT: Each executive officer,
member of the governing board and owner or holder of 5%
or more of the votes in the applicant is considered a party to
the applicant.
CORPORATE APPLICANT: Each officer, director and
owner of stock accounting for 5% or more of the issued and
outstanding voting stock of the applicant is considered a
party to the applicant. Where the 5% stock owner is itself a
corporation, each of its stockholders, directors and
"executive" officers (president, vice-president, secretary,
treasurer or their equivalents) is considered a party to this
application UNLESS the applicant submits as an exhibit a
statement establishing that an individual director or officer
will not exercise authority or influence in areas that will
affect the applicant or the station. In this statement, the
applicant should identify the individual by name, title,
describe the individual's duties and responsibilities, and
explain the manner in which such individual is insulated
from the corporate applicant and should not be attributed an
interest in the corporate applicant or considered a party to
this application. In addition, a person or entity holding an
ownership interest in the corporate stockholder of the
applicant is considered a party to this application ONLY IF
that interest, when multiplied by the corporate stockholder's
interest in the applicant, would account for 5% or more of
the issued and outstanding voting stock of the applicant.
For example, where Corporation X owns stock accounting
for 25% of the applicant's votes, only Corporation X
shareholders holding 20 percent or more of the issued and
outstanding voting stock of Corporation X have a 5% or
more indirect interest in the applicant (.25 x .20 = .05) and,
therefore, are considered parties to this application. In
applying the multiplier, any entity holding more than 50%
of its subsidiary will be considered a 100% owner. Where
the 5% stock owner is a partnership, each general partner
and any limited partner that is non-insulated, regardless of
the partnership interest, is considered a party to the
application.
Radio applicants should be certain to include the proposed
ownership structure for the licensee after consummation
of the proposed transaction (including officers and
directors, if the licensee is a corporation) as well as the
ownership structure of the transferee because there will be
occasions in which the structure of the licensee and the
transferee will not be identical. This can occur, for
example, when not all of the stock of a corporate applicant
is transferred to a new owner, or when the transferees are
individuals and not business associations such as
corporations or partnerships. For purposes of simplicity and
clarity, the licensee structure information may be tendered
using the tabular format provided in Item 6.
F.
Item 8: Multiple Ownership. This item requires that the
transferee either certify compliance with, or request waiver
of, the Commission's broadcast ownership rules, including
restrictions on investor insulation and participation of nonparty investors and creditors. Radio applicants must submit
an Exhibit in either case, i.e., an Exhibit is required
demonstrating compliance with the rules or, if the applicant
cannot certify compliance, requesting a waiver or
exemption, with adequate justification. For all other
applicants, an Exhibit is required only if requesting a
waiver.
In order to facilitate the evaluation of the transaction that is
the subject of this FCC Form 315, transferees are directed
to Worksheet #3, which is tailored to the individual
inquiries in Item 8.
G. Items 9 and 10: Character Issues/Adverse Findings.
Item 9 requires the transferee to certify that neither it nor
any party to the application has had any interest in or
connection with an application that was or is the subject of
unresolved character issues. A transferee must disclose in
response to Item 10 whether it or any party to the
application has been the subject of a final adverse finding
with respect to certain relevant non-broadcast matters. The
Commission's character policies and litigation reporting
requirements for broadcast applicants focus on misconduct
which violates the Communications Act or a Commission
rule or policy, and on certain specified non-FCC
misconduct. In responding to Items 9 and 10, applicants
Stock subject to stockholder cooperative voting agreements
accounting for 5% or more of the votes in a corporate
applicant will be treated as if held by a single entity and any
stockholder holding 5% or more of the stock in that block is
considered a party to this application.
An investment company, insurance company or trust
department of a bank is not considered a party to this
application, and an applicant may properly certify that such
entity's interest is non-attributable, IF its aggregated holding
accounts for less than 20% of the outstanding votes in the
9
should review the Commission's character qualification
policies, which are fully set forth in Character
Qualifications, 102 FCC 2d 1179 (1985), reconsideration
denied, 1 FCC Rcd 421 (1986), as modified, 5 FCC Rcd
3252 (1990) and 7 FCC Rcd 6564 (1992).
stock is owned or voted by aliens, their representatives, a
foreign government or its representative, or another entity
organized under the laws of a foreign country. Any such
applicant seeking Commission consent to exceed this 25%
benchmark in Section 310(b)(4) of the Act must do so by
filing a petition for declaratory ruling pursuant to Sections
1.5000 et seq. of the Commission’s rules.
Where the response to Item 9 is "No," the transferee must
submit an exhibit that includes an identification of the party
having had the interest, the call letters and location of the
station or file number of the application or docket, and a
description of the nature of the interest or connection,
including relevant dates. The transferee should also fully
explain why the unresolved character issue is not an
impediment to a grant of this application.
Compliance with Section 310 is determined by means of a
two-prong analysis, one pertaining to voting interests and
the second to ownership interests. See, e.g., BBC License
Subsidiary L.P., 10 FCC Rcd 10968 (1995). The voting
interests held by aliens in a licensee through intervening
domestically organized entities are determined in
accordance with the multiplier guidelines for calculating
indirect ownership interests in an applicant as set forth in
the "Corporate Applicant" Instructions for Section IV, Item
6a. For example, if an alien held a 30-percent voting
interest in Corporation A which, in turn, held a noncontrolling 40-percent voting interest in Licensee
Corporation B, the alien interest in Licensee Corporation B
would be calculated by multiplying the alien's interest in
Corporation A by that entity's voting interest in Licensee
Corporation B. The resulting voting interest (30% x 40% =
12%) would not exceed the 25% statutory benchmark.
However, if Corporation A held a controlling 60% voting
interest in Corporation B, the multiplier would not be
utilized and the full 30 percent alien voting interest in
Corporation A would be treated as a 30 percent interest in
Licensee Corporation B, i.e., an impermissible 30% alien
indirect voting interest in the licensee. If Partnership A held
a 40% voting interest in Licensee Corporation B, that voting
interest would be similarly impermissible if any general
partner or any non-insulated limited partner of Partnership
A was an alien, regardless of his or her partnership interest.
See also Review of Foreign Ownership Policies for
Broadcast, Common Carrier and Aeronautical Radio
Licensees
Under
Section
310(b)(4)
of
the
Communications Act of 1934, as Amended, Report and
Order, FCC 16-128, paras. 67-72 (rel. Sept. 30, 2016)
(2016 Foreign Ownership Order).
In responding to Item 10, the transferee should consider any
relevant adverse finding that occurred within the past ten
years. Where that adverse finding was fully disclosed to the
Commission in an application filed on behalf of this station
or in another broadcast station application and the
Commission, by specific ruling or by subsequent grant of
the application, found the adverse finding not to be
disqualifying, it need not be reported again and the
transferee may respond "Yes" to this item. However, an
adverse finding that has not been reported to the
Commission and considered in connection with a prior
application would require a "No" response.
Where the response to Item 10 is "No," the transferee must
provide in an exhibit a full disclosure of the persons and
matters involved, including an identification of the court or
administrative body and the proceeding (by dates and file
numbers), and the disposition of the litigation. Where the
requisite information has been earlier disclosed in
connection with another pending application, or as required
by 47 C.F.R. Section 1.65(c), the applicant need only
provide an identification of that previous submission by
reference to the file number in the case of an application,
the call letters of the station regarding which the application
or Section 1.65 information was filed, and the date of filing.
The transferee should also fully explain why the adverse
finding is not an impediment to a grant of this application.
Transferees must also comply with the separate alien equity
ownership benchmark restrictions of Section 310. Under
the second prong of the analysis, a transferee must
determine the pro rata equity holdings of any alien investor
in a licensee entity or its parent. In calculating alien
ownership, the same voting interest multiplier rules apply.
H. Item 11: Alien Ownership and Control. All applications
must comply with Section 310 of the Communications Act,
as amended. Specifically, Section 310 proscribes issuance
of a construction permit or station license to an alien, the
representative of an alien, a foreign government or a
representative thereof, or a corporation organized under the
laws of a foreign government. This proscription also
applies with respect to any entity of which more than 20%
of the capital stock is owned or voted by aliens, their
representatives, a foreign government or its representative,
or an entity organized under the laws of a foreign country.
The Commission may also deny a construction permit or
station license to a licensee directly or indirectly controlled
by another entity of which more than 25% of the capital
In order to complete this two-prong analysis, a transferee
must determine the citizenship of each entity holding either
a voting or equity interest or else explain how it determined
the relevant percentages.
Corporate applicants and
licensees whose stock is publicly traded must determine
the citizenship of interest holders who are known or
should be known to the company in its ordinary course of
business, including: (1) registered shareholders; (2)
10
officers, directors, and employees; (3) interest holders
reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission; (4)
beneficial owners identified in annual or quarterly reports
and proxy statements; and (5) any other interest holders
that are actually known to the company, such as through
transactions, litigation, proxies, or any other source.
Statistical sampling surveys are no longer necessary.
Although direct inquiry and publicly available resources
may be used to determine citizenship of known or shouldbe-known interest holders, street addresses are not
sufficient for this purpose. For more detailed information
on identifying and calculating foreign interests, see 2016
Foreign Ownership Order, paras. 44-72.
broadcast license or construction permit, who successfully
utilized a bidding credit to obtain the authorization, is
required to reimburse the government for the total amount
of the bidding credit, plus interest based on the rate for tenyear U.S. Treasury obligations applicable on the date the
construction permit was granted, as a condition for
Commission approval of any assignment or transfer of that
license or construction permit, if the authorization will be
acquired by an entity that does not meet the eligibility
criteria for the bidding credit. See 47 C.F.R. Sections
1.2111(d)(1), 73.5007. The amount of this payment will be
reduced over a five-year period. See 47 C.F.R. Sections
1.2111(d)(2), 73.5007. No payment is required if (1) the
authorization is transferred or assigned more than five years
after the initial issuance of the construction permit; or (2)
the proposed transferee or assignee meets the eligibility
criteria for the bidding credit. In accordance with these
provisions, Item 14 requires that the transferee certify that
either (1) more than five years have passed since the
transferor received its authorization(s) via the competitive
bidding process; or (2) the proposed transferee meets the
eligibility criteria for the bidding credit. If such certification
cannot be made, then the transferee must answer "No" in
Item 14 and tender the applicable reimbursement payment
to the United States Government. See 47 C.F.R Sections
1.2111(d), 73.5007, 73.5008.
If the combined total foreign ownership (foreign voting
interests and foreign equity interests) identified under this
methodology does not exceed 25%, a declaratory ruling is
not necessary to grant the application. A subsidiary or
affiliate of a licensee already named in a foreign
ownership declaratory ruling may rely on that ruling, and
by certifying compliance with the provisions of Section
310 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended,
relating to interests of aliens and foreign governments,
certifies that it and the licensee named in the declaratory
ruling are in compliance with the terms and conditions of
the original foreign ownership declaratory ruling. See 47
CFR § 1.5004(b).
I.
L. Item 15: Anti-Drug Abuse Act Certification. This
question requires the transferee to certify that neither it nor
any party to the application is subject to denial of federal
benefits pursuant to the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, 21
U.S.C. Section 862.
Item 12: Financial Qualifications. A transferee must
certify that it is financially qualified to effectuate its
proposal, with sufficient net liquid assets on hand or
available from committed sources of funds to consummate
the transaction and operate the facilities for three months
without additional revenue. This certification includes all
contractual requirements, if any, as to collateral, guarantees,
and capital investments. See Financial Qualifications
Standard, 87 FCC 2d 200 (1981).
Section 5301 of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 provides
federal and state court judges the discretion to deny federal
benefits to individuals convicted of offenses consisting of
the distribution or possession of controlled substances.
Federal benefits within the scope of the statute include FCC
authorizations. A "Yes" response to Item 15 constitutes a
certification that neither the transferee nor any party to this
application has been convicted of such an offense or, if it
has, it is not ineligible to receive the authorization sought by
this application because of Section 5301.
Documentation supporting this certification need not be
submitted with this application, but must be made available
to the Commission upon request. Financial statements
relied on to make this certification should be prepared in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
J.
With respect to this question only, the term "party to the
application" includes if the applicant is an individual, that
individual; if the applicant is a corporation or
unincorporated association, all officers, directors, or
persons holding 5 percent or more of the outstanding stock
or shares (voting and/or non-voting) of the applicant; all
members if a membership organization; and if the applicant
is a partnership, all general partners and all limited partners,
including both insulated and non-insulated limited partners,
holding a 5 percent or more interest in the partnership.
Item 13: Programming. Transferees need no longer file a
specific program service proposal. Nevertheless, prior to
making this certification, the transferee should familiarize
itself with its obligation to provide programming responsive
to the needs and interests of the residents of its community
of license. See Programming Information in Broadcast
Applications, 3 FCC Rcd 5467 (1988).
K. Item 14: Auction Authorization. The competitive bidding
rules adopted by the Commission include certain provisions
to prevent "unjust enrichment" by entities that acquire
broadcast authorizations through the use of bidding credits
or other special measures. Specifically, the holder of a
M. Item 14. Transferee’s Equal Employment Opportunity
Program. Applicants seeking authority to acquire control
11
of an entity holding such construction permit or license of a
commercial, noncommercial or international broadcast
station are required to afford equal employment opportunity
to all qualified persons and to refrain from discriminating in
employment and related benefits on the basis or race, color,
religion, national origin or sex. See 47 C.F.R. Section
73.2080. Pursuant to these requirements, an applicant who
proposes to employ five or more full-time employees in its
station employment unit must establish a program designed
to assure equal employment opportunity for women and
minority groups (that is, Blacks not of Hispanic origin,
Asian or Pacific Islanders, American Indians or Alaskan
Natives, and Hispanics).
This is submitted to the
Commission as the Model EEO Program on FCC Form
396-A, which should be filed along with this application. If
an applicant proposes to employ less than five full-time
employees in its station employment unit, no EEO program
for women or minorities need be filed.
General guidelines for developing an Equal Employment
Opportunity program are set forth in FCC Form 396-A.
NOTE: This Broadcast Equal Employment Opportunity
Model Program Report (FCC Form 396-A) is to be utilized
only by applicants for new construction permits and by
assignees and transferees.
FCC NOTICE REQUIRED BY THE PAPERWORK
REDUCTION ACT
We have estimated that each response to this collection of
information will take 2 to 6 hours. Our estimate includes the
time to read the instructions, look through existing records,
gather and maintain the required data, and actually complete and
review the form or response. If you have any comments on this
burden estimate, or on how we can improve the collection and
reduce the burden it causes you, please e-mail them to
[email protected] or send them to the Federal Communications
Commission, AMD-PERM, Paperwork Reduction Project
(3060-0031), Washington, DC 20554. Please DO NOT SEND
COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO THIS ADDRESS.
Remember - you are not required to respond to a collection of
information sponsored by the Federal government, and the
government may not conduct or sponsor this collection, unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control number of if we fail to
provide you with this notice. This collection has been assigned
an OMB control number of 3060-0031.
THE FOREGOING NOTICE IS REQUIRED BY THE
PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995, P.L. 104-13,
OCTOBER 1, 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507.
12
Approved by OMB
3060-0031
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, D.C. 20554
FOR
FCC
USE
ONLY
FCC 315
APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO TRANSFER
CONTROL OF ENTITY HOLDING BROADCAST
STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR
LICENSE
FOR COMMISSION USE
ONLY FILE NO.
Section I - General Information
1.
Legal Name of the Licensee/Permittee
Mailing Address
City
State or Country (if foreign address)
Telephone Number (include area code)
E-Mail Address (if available)
FCC Registration Number
2.
Contact Representative (if other than licensee/permittee)
Call Sign
ZIP Code
Facility ID Number
Firm or Company Name
Mailing Address
3.
City
State or Country (if foreign address)
Telephone Number (include area code)
E-Mail Address (if available)
ZIP Code
If this application has been submitted without a fee, indicate reason for fee exemption (see 47 C.F.R. Section 1.1114):
Governmental Entity
Noncommercial Educational
Licensee/Permittee
Other
4. Purpose of Application:
Transfer of control of licensee
Transfer of control of permittee
Amendment to pending application
File Number of pending application:
If an amendment, submit as an Exhibit a listing by Section and Question
Number of the portions of the pending application that are being revised.
Exhibit No.
FCC Form 315
5.
Were any of the authorizations that are the subject of this application obtained through the
Commission's competitive bidding procedures (see 47 C.F.R. Sections 1.2111(a) and 73.5000)?
If yes, list pertinent authorizations in an Exhibit.
6.
a.
b.
7.
Yes
No
Exhibit No.
Were any of the authorizations that are the subject of this application obtained
through the Commission's point system for reserved channel noncommercial
educational stations (see 47 C.F.R. Sections 73.7001 and 73.7003)?
Yes
No
If yes to 6(a), have all such stations operated for at least 4 years with a minimum
operating schedule since grant pursuant to the point system?
Yes
No
If no, list pertinent authorizations in an Exhibit and include in the Exhibit a showing
that the transaction is consistent with the holding period requirements of 47 C.F.R.
Section 73.7005(a).
Exhibit No.
c.
LPFM License Only: Has the licensor held the station license and operated the
station for at least three years?
Yes
No
a.
Were any of the authorizations that are the subject of this application obtained after
award of a dispositive Section 307(b) preference using the Tribal Priority, through
Threshold Qualifications procedures, or through the Tribal Priority as applied before
the NCE fair distribution analysis set forth in 47 C.F.R. Section 73.7002(b)?
Yes
No
b.
If yes to 7(a), have all such stations operated for at least 4 years with a minimum
operating schedule since grant?
Yes
No
c.
If no to 7(b), do both the assignor/transferor and assignee/transferee qualify for the
Tribal Priority in all respects?
Yes
No
If no, list pertinent authorizations in an Exhibit and include in the Exhibit a showing
that the transaction is consistent with the established Tribal Priority holding period
restrictions, or that the policy should be waived.
FCC Form 315 (Page 2)
Exhibit No.
N/A
Section II - Transferor(s)
1.
Certification. Transferor(s) certify that it (they) have answered each question in this
application based on its (their) review of the application instructions and worksheets.
Transferor(s) further certify that where it (they) have made an affirmative certification
below, this certification constitutes its (their) representation that the application satisfies
each of the pertinent standards and criteria set forth in the application instructions and
worksheets.
2.
Legal Name of the Transferor
No
Yes
Mailing Address
City
State or Country (if foreign address)
FCC Registration Number
3.
ZIP Code
E-Mail Address (if available)
Telephone Number (include area code)
Firm or Company Name.
Contact Representative (if other than transferor)
Mailing Address
City
State or Country (if foreign address)
Telephone Number (include area code)
E-Mail Address (if available)
If more than one transferor, submit the information requested in questions 2 and 3 for each
transferor.
4.
ZIP Code
Exhibit No.
Changes in interests as a result of transfer.
INTEREST HELD
(A) NAMES AND ADDRESSES
OF ANY PARTY TO
APPLICATION HOLDING AN
ATTRIBUTABLE INTEREST
(B)
CITIZENSHIP
(C) BEFORE TRANSFER OR ASSIGNMENT
(1) Percentage Votes
(2) Percentage
Total Assets
(Equity plus Debt)
(D) AFTER TRANSFER OR ASSIGNMENT
(1) Percentage Votes
(2) Percentage
Total Assets
(Equity plus Debt)
FCC Form 315 (Page 3)
I certify that the statements in this application are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, and are made
in good faith. I acknowledge that all certifications and attached Exhibits are considered material representations.
Typed or Printed Name of Person Signing
Typed or Printed Title of Person Signing
Signature
Date
WILLFUL FALSE STATEMENTS ON THIS FORM ARE PUNISHABLE BY FINE AND/OR IMPRISONMENT (U.S.
CODE, TITLE 18, SECTION I001), AND/OR REVOCATION OF ANY STATION LICENSE OR CONSTRUCTION
PERMIT (U.S. CODE, TITLE 47, SECTION 312(a)(1)), AND/OR FORFEITURE (U.S. CODE, TITLE 47, SECTION 503).
FCC Form 315 (Page 4)
Section III - Licensee/Permittee
1.
Certification. Licensee/permittee certifies that it has answered each question in this
application based on its review of the application instructions and worksheets. Licensee
further certifies that where it has made an affirmative certification below, this certification
constitutes its representation that the application satisfies each of the pertinent standards
and criteria set forth in the application instructions and worksheets.
2.
Authorizations to be Transferred. List the authorized stations and construction permits
to be transferred. Provide the Facility Identification Number and the Call Sign, or the
Facility Identification Number and the File Number of the Construction Permit, and the
location, for each station to be transferred. Include main stations, LPFM stations, FM
and/or TV translator stations, LPTV stations, SCA, FM and/or TV booster stations, and
associated auxiliary service stations.
Facility Facility
ID Number
ID Number
3.
CallCall
SignSign
or Construction
Permit File
Number
or
Construction
Permit
File Number
Agreements to Transfer Control of Station. Licensee/permittee certifies that:
a. it has placed in its public inspection file(s) and submitted to the Commission as an
Exhibit to this application copies of all agreements to transfer control of the
station(s);
b. these documents embody the complete and final understanding between transferor(s)
and transferee(s); and
c. these agreements comply fully with the Commission's rules and policies.
Yes
CityCity
Yes
No
State
State
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
Exhibit No.
Other Authorizations. List call signs, locations, and facility identifiers of all other
broadcast stations in which licensee/permittee or any party to the application has an
attributable interest.
Exhibit No.
5.
Character Issues. Licensee/permittee certifies that neither licensee/permittee nor any
party to the application has or has had any interest in, or connection with:
a. any broadcast application in any proceeding where character issues were left
unresolved or were resolved adversely against the applicant or any party to the
application; or
b. any pending broadcast application in which character issues have been raised.
Yes
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
6.
Adverse Findings. Licensee/permittee certifies that, with respect to the licensee/permittee
and each party to the application, no adverse finding has been made, nor has an adverse
final action been taken by any court or administrative body in a civil or criminal
proceeding brought under the provisions of any law related to any of the following: any
felony; mass media-related antitrust or unfair competition; fraudulent statements to another
governmental unit; or discrimination.
Yes
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
7.
Local Public Notice. Licensee/permittee certifies that it has or will comply with the public
notice requirements of 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3580.
Yes
No
4.
N/A
N/A
FCC Form 315 (Page 5)
8.
9.
10.
Auction Authorization. Licensee/permittee certifies that more than five years have passed
since the issuance of the construction permit for the station being transferred, where that
permit was acquired in an auction through the use of a bidding credit or other special
measure.
Yes
Anti-Drug Abuse Act Certification. Licensee/permittee certifies that neither licensee/
permittee nor any party to the application is subject to denial of federal benefits pursuant to
Section 5301 of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, 21 U.S.C. Section 862.
Yes
No
Anti-Discrimination Certification. Licensee/permittee certifies
that neither
licensee/permittee nor any party to the application have violated the Commission's
prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or
sex in the sale of commercially operated AM, FM, TV, Class A TV or international
broadcast stations.
Yes
No
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
N/A
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
N/A
I certify that the statements in this application are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, and are made
in good faith. I acknowledge that all certifications and attached Exhibits are considered material representations.
Typed or Printed Name of Person Signing
Typed or Printed Title of Person Signing
Signature
Date
WILLFUL FALSE STATEMENTS ON THIS FORM ARE PUNISHABLE BY FINE AND/OR IMPRISONMENT (U.S.
CODE, TITLE 18, SECTION 1001), AND/OR REVOCATION OF ANY STATION LICENSE OR CONSTRUCTION
PERMIT (U.S. CODE, TITLE 47, SECTION 312(a)(1)), AND/OR FORFEITURE (U.S. CODE, TITLE 47, SECTION 503).
FCC Form 315 (Page 6)
Section IV - Transferee (s)
1.
Certification. Transferce(s) certify that it (they) have answered each question in this
application based on its (their) review of the application instructions and worksheets.
Transferee(s) further certify that where it (they) have made an affirmative certification
below, this certification constitutes its (their) representation that the application satisfies
each of the pertinent standards and criteria set forth in the application instructions and
worksheets.
2.
Legal Name of the Transferee(s)
Yes
No
Mailing Address
State or Country (if foreign address)
City
FCC Registration Number
3.
Telephone Number (include area code)
ZIP Code
E-Mail Address (if available)
Firm or Company Name
Contact Representative (if other than transferee)
Mailing Address
City
State or Country (if foreign address)
Telephone Number (include area code)
E-Mail Address (if available)
If more than one transferee, submit the information requested in questions 2 and 3 for each
transferee.
4.
ZIP Code
Exhibit No.
Nature of Applicant. Each transferee is:
an individual
a general partnership
a for-profit corporation
a limited partnership
a not-for-profit corporation
a limited liability company (LLC/LC)
other
a.
5.
If ''other,'' describe nature of transferee in an Exhibit.
Agreements to Transfer Control of Station. Transferee certifies that:
a. the written agreements in the licensee/permittee's public inspection file and submitted
to the Commission embody the complete and final agreement to transfer control of the
station(s) specified in Section III, question 2; and
b. these agreements comply fully with the Commission's rules and policies.
Exhibit No.
Yes
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
FCC Form 315 (Page 7)
6.
Parties to the Application.
a.
List each transferee, and, if other than a natural person, its officers, directors, stockholders and other entities with
attributable interests, non-insulated partners and/or members. If a corporation or partnership holds an attributable interest in
any transferee, list separately its officers, directors, stockholders and other entities with attributable interests, non-insulated
partners and/or members. Create a separate row for each individual or entity. Attach additional pages if
(1) Name and address of the transferee and each party to
the application holding an attributable interest (if other
than individual also show name, address and
citizenship of natural person authorized to vote the
stock or holding the attributable interest). List the
transferee first, officers next, then directors and,
thereafter, remaining stockholders and other entities
with attributable interests, and partners.
(1)
FCC Form 315 (Page 8)
(2)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(3)
Citizenship.
Positional interest: Officer, director, general
partner, limited partner, LLC member,
investor/creditor attributable under the
Commission's equity/debt plus standard, etc.
Percentage of votes.
Percentage of total assets (equity plus debt).
(4)
(5)
b.
Applicant certifies that equity and financial interests not set forth above are nonattributable.
Yes
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
N/A
7.
8.
Other Authorizations. List call signs, locations, and facility identifiers of all other
broadcast stations in which transferee or any party to the application has an attributable
interest.
Exhibit No.
N/A
Multiple Ownership.
a.
Is the transferee or any party to the application the holder of an attributable radio or
television joint sales agreement or an attributable radio or television time brokerage
agreement for the subject station(s) or any other stations in the same market as the
station(s) subject to this application?
Yes
Exhibit No.
If ''Yes,'' radio applicants must submit as an Exhibit a copy of each such agreement
for radio stations.
b.
No
Transferee certifies that the proposed transfer complies with the Commission's
multiple ownership rules and cross-ownership rules.
Yes
AM and/or FM Radio Applicants only: If ''Yes," submit an Exhibit providing
information regarding the market, broadcast station(s), and other information
necessary to demonstrate compliance with 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555(a).
Exhibit No.
No
All applicants: If ''No,'' submit as an Exhibit a detailed explanation in support of an
exemption from, or waiver of, 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555.
c.
d.
Transferee certifies that the proposed transfer:
1. does not present an issue under the Commission's policies relating to media
interests of immediate family members;
2. complies with the Commission's policies relating to future ownership interests;
and
3. complies with the Commission's restrictions relating to the insulation and
nonparticipation of non-party investors and creditors.
Does the Transferee claim status as an "eligible entity," that is, an entity that qualifies
as a small business under the Small Business Administration's size standards for its
industry grouping (as set forth in 13 C.F.R. § 121.201), and holds (1) 30 percent or
more of the stock or partnership interests and more than 50 percent of the voting power
of the corporation or partnership that will own the media outlet; or (2) 15 percent or
more of the stock or partnership interests and more than 50 percent of the voting power
of the corporation or partnership that will own the media outlet, provided that no other
person or entity owns or controls more than 25 percent of the outstanding stock or
partnership interests; or (3) more than 50 percent of the voting power of the
corporation that will own the media outlet (if such corporation is a publicly traded
company)?
Yes
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
All applicants: If "Yes," submit as an Exhibit a detailed showing demonstrating
proof of status as an eligible entity.
e.
Does this transfer include a grandfathered cluster of stations?
All applicants: If "Yes," applicant certifies that it will come in compliance by
divesting the necessary station(s) within 12 months of the consummation of this
transaction to:
A.
B.
An Eligible Entity (as defined in Item 8d, above).
An Irrevocable Trust that will transfer the station(s) to an Eligible Entity.
All applicants: If "Yes" to Item 8e A or B: Submit as an Exhibit a copy of
the form of irrevocable trust agreement providing for the transfer of the
station(s) to an Eligible Entity.
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
FCC Form 315 (Page 9)
9.
Character Issues. Transferee certifies that neither transferee nor any party to the application has or has
had any interest in, or connection with:
any broadcast application in any proceeding where character issues were left
a.
Yes
unresolved or were resolved adversely against the applicant or any party to the
application; or
any pending broadcast application in which character issues have been raised.
b.
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
10.
Adverse Findings. Transferee certifies that, with respect to the transferee and each party
to the application, no adverse finding has been made, nor has an adverse final action been
taken by any court or administrative body in a civil or criminal proceeding brought under
the provisions of any law related to any of the following: any felony; mass media-related
antitrust or unfair competition; fraudulent statements to another governmental unit; or
discrimination.
Yes
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
11.
Alien Ownership and Control. Transferee certifies that it complies with the provisions
of Section 310 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, relating to interests of
aliens and foreign governments.
Yes
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
12.
Financial Qualifications. Transferee certifies that sufficient net liquid assets are on hand
or are available from committed sources to consummate the transaction and operate the
station(s) for three months.
Yes
No
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
13.
Program Service Certification. Transferee certifies that it is cognizant of and will comply
with its obligations as a Commission licensee to present a program service responsive to
the issues of public concern facing the station's community of license and service area.
Yes
No
Yes
No
14.
15.
16.
Auction Authorization. Transferee certifies that where less than five years have passed
since the issuance of the construction permit and the permit had been acquired in an
auction through the use of a bidding credit or other special measure, it would qualify for
such credit or other special measure.
See Explanation
in Exhibit No.
N/A
Anti-Drug Abuse Act Certification. Transferee certifies that neither transferee nor any
party to the application is subject to denial of federal benefits pursuant to Section 5301 of
the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, 21 U.S.C. Section 862.
Yes
No
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). If the applicant proposes to employ five or
more full-time employees, applicant certifies that it is filing simultaneously with this
application a Model EEO Program Report on FCC Form 396-A.
Yes
No
N/A
I certify that the statements in this application are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, and are made
in good faith. I acknowledge that all certifications and attached Exhibits are considered material representations. I hereby waive any
claim to the use of any particular frequency as against the regulatory power of the United States because of the previous use of the
same, whether by license or otherwise, and request an authorization in accordance with this application. (See Section 304 of the
Communications Act of 1934, as amended.)
Typed or Printed Name of Person Signing
Typed or Printed Title of Person Signing
Signature
Date
WILLFUL FALSE STATEMENTS ON THIS FORM ARE PUNISHABLE BY FINE AND/OR IMPRISONMENT (U.S.
CODE, TITLE 18, SECTION 1001), AND/OR REVOCATION OF ANY STATION LICENSE OR CONSTRUCTION
PERMIT (U.S. CODE, TITLE 47, SECTION 312(a)(1)), AND/OR FORFEITURE (U.S. CODE, TITLE 47, SECTION 503).
FCC Form 315 (Page 10)
WORKSHEET # 1
LOCAL NOTICE CHECKLIST
Applicants must certify that they have complied with Section 73.3580 regarding publication of local notice of the subject
application. This worksheet may be used in responding to Section III, Item 7 of Licensee/Permittee section of Form 315.
1.
Newspaper notice
(a)
Dates of publication:
(i)
(b)
2.
3.
No
If ''Yes,'' public notice must appear twice a week for two consecutive weeks.
Yes
No
Yes
No
No such daily newspaper, weekly newspaper published in community?
(i)
(d)
Yes
Daily newspaper published in community?
(i)
(c)
All within 30 days of tender of the application?
If ''Yes,'' notice must appear once a week for three consecutive weeks.
If no such daily or weekly newspaper, local notice must appear in daily newspaper with
the greatest circulation in the community twice a week for two consecutive weeks.
Broadcast notice
(a)
Once daily for 4 days in the second week following the filing of the application?
Yes
No
(b)
At least 2 announcements during ''prime time'' (6 p.m. - 11 p.m. for television) or
''drivetime'' (7 a.m. - 9 a.m. and/or 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. for radio), as applicable?
Yes
No
Text: do the announcements contain the following information?
(a)
Applicant name(s)
Yes
No
(b)
Names of all officers, directors, 10% shareholders (if corporation), all non-insulated
partners (if partnership)
Yes
No
(c)
Purpose of application
Yes
No
(d)
Date on which application was filed
Yes
No
(e)
Call letters and frequency/channel of station
Yes
No
(f)
Statement that copy of application is available in Public File
Yes
No
(g)
Location of public file
Yes
No
FCC 315 - Worksheet #1
Oct 2012
WORKSHEET # 2
SALES CONTRACT EVALUATION WORKSHEET
This worksheet may be used by the licensee/permittee in responding to Section III, Item 3 of FCC Form 315; it may also be used by
the transferee in responding to Section IV, Item 5. The applicants should review these questions with respect to all contractual
documents, agreements, and/or understandings between the transferor and the transferee. See Worksheet #3D (Time
Brokerage/Local Marketing Agreement/Joint Sales Agreements) if agreements permit transferee to provide programming or sell
advertising time for the subject station(s) or any other stations in the market prior to Commission approval of the proposed transfer
of control.
1.
Do the written contracts and/or agreements in the licensee/permittee's public inspection file embody
the complete and final agreement for the sale of the station(s) which are to be transferred?
Yes
No
(a) Are there any unwritten agreements between the transferor and the transferee which have not
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
been referenced in the contract documents to be submitted with the application?
If ''Yes,'' the terms of these agreements must be reduced to writing and submitted along with
the other contract documents.
(b) Are there any written or oral agreements between the transferor and the transferee regarding
future contractual arrangements arising out of this transaction?
If ''Yes,'' the terms of these agreements must be reduced to writing and submitted along with
the other contract documents.
(c) Have there been any amendments to the contract?
If ''Yes,'' the amendment (or its material terms, if the amendment is not in writing) must be
submitted as an amendment to the application.
Note: The obligation to submit all amendments to the contract continues until Commission
action on the subject application is no longer subject to administrative or judicial review.
2.
Do these documents provide the transferee with ultimate control over and use of all necessary
physical property without reservation?
Yes
No
3.
Do these documents provide the transferee with ultimate control over station programming without
reservation?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Note: The response to both Questions 2 and 3 must be ''Yes,'' in order to certify that the contractual
documents ''comply fully with the Commission's rules and policies.'' If ''No,'' the applicant must
mark ''No'' and disclose all details of any restriction on the transferee's complete control of the
station in an exhibit to the application.
4.
Is there any provision in the agreements that provides for a reversion of the license(s) in the event of
default or any right to reassignment of the license in the future?
Note: The response to Question 4 must be ''No,'' in order to certify that the contractual documents
"comply fully with the Commission's rules and policies.'' If ''Yes,'' the applicant may not make the
appropriate certification.
FCC 315 Worksheet 2
Oct 2012
5.
Is there any provision in the agreements which provides for a security interest in the station
license(s), permits or authorizations?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Note: In order to certify that the contractual documents ''comply fully with the Commission's rules
and policies,'' the response to Question 5 must be ''No.'' Under existing precedent, it is permissible to
grant a security interest in the proceeds of the sale of a station license, permit, or authorization, but
not in the license, permit, or authorization itself.
6.
Do the agreements contain a covenant not to compete?
(a)
If ''Yes,'' does the geographic scope of the covenant extend beyond the service contour of the
station(s) to be transferred (digital NCSC for TV, 1.0 mV/m for FM, and 2mV/M for AM)?
Yes
No
(b)
If ''Yes,'' does the duration of the covenant extend beyond the length of a full license term?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Note: If the response to Question 6 is ''Yes,'' the response to Questions 6(a) and 6(b) must be ''No''
in order to certify that the contractual documents ''comply fully with the Commission's rules and
policies.'' If not, the applicant may not make the appropriate certification.
7.
Do the agreements contain a stock pledge?
(a)
If ''Yes,'' do the agreements expressly state that voting rights will remain with the transferee,
even in the event of default?
Yes
No
(b)
If ''Yes,'' do the agreements indicate that, in the event of default, there will be either a public
(i.e., auction) or private arm's length sale of the pledged interests?
Yes
No
(c)
If ''Yes,'' do the agreements provide that, prior to the exercise of stockholder rights by the
purchaser at such public or private sale, consent of the Commission (pursuant to 47 U.S.C.
Section 310(d)) will be obtained?
Yes
No
Note: If the response to Question 7 is ''Yes,'' the response to Questions 7(a), 7(b), and 7(c) must also
be ''Yes'' in order to certify that the contractual documents ''comply fully with the Commission's
rules and policies.'' If not, the applicant may not make the appropriate certification.
FCC 315 Worksheet 2 (Page 2)
WORKSHEET # 3
This Worksheet may be used in connection with Section IV, Item 8 of FCC Form 315 regarding media ownership. For the convenience of
the applicant, the various ownership restrictions are treated under the following separate headings:
A. Multiple Ownership and Cross Ownership; B. Familial Relationships; C. Future Ownership Rights; D. Time Brokerage/Local
Marketing/Joint Sales Agreements; and E. Investor Insulation/Non-party Influence.
A. MULTIPLE OWNERSHIP AND CROSS OWNERSHIP
This section of the worksheet may be used in connection with Section IV, Item 8b of FCC Form 3 15 to determine the proposed transferee's
compliance with the Commission's multiple ownership rules and cross-ownership rules set forth in 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555. Radio
Applicants: See also the Commission's Report and Order in MB Dockets 02-277 and 03-130 and MM Dockets 00-244, 01-235 and 01-317
(''Report and Order''), 18 FCC Red 13620 (2003), affd in part and remanded in part, Prometheus Radio Project, et al., v. F.C.C., 373 F.3d
372 (3d Cir. 2004), stay modified, No. 03-3388 (Sept. 3, 2004); 2014 Quadrennial Review Orders. The transferee must determine that it
complies with all applicable rules in order to respond ''YES'' to the certification in Item 8b.
NOTE: Such a certification of compliance does not exempt radio applicants from submitting an Exhibit that demonstrates such compliance,
including, if applicable, relevant contour maps.
Where the term ''applicant or any party to the application'' is used in this worksheet, it refers to the proposed transferee as applicant or any
party to the transferee portion of the application.
I. LOCAL RADIO STATION OWNERSHIP
The local radio ownership rules place a numerical limit on the number of stations in which an entity in the local market may have a
cognizable interest. See 47 C.F.R. § 73.3555(a). See also Report and Order, Section on ''Local Radio Ownership Rule [add FCC Rcd cite
when published], paras. 82-128.''
1. Will grant of this application result in the applicant or any party to this application having a cognizable interest in more than one
commercial or noncommercial educational full-power radio station located in (i.e., having its community of license within) or ''home'' to the
same metropolitan area (Metro), as defined by Nielsen Audo and reported by BIA? 1
Yes
No
If ''Yes,'' provide in your Exhibit the name of the Nielsen Audio Metro; proceed to Items 2 and 3, below. Use a separate worksheet for
each applicable Nielsen Audio Metro (see supra note 1) and provide in the Exhibit the relevant information for all applicable Metros. If
''No,'' the transaction does not involve stations in an Nielsen Audio Metro; proceed to Item 4.
The applicant must demonstrate compliance with the local radio ownership rule in each applicable Metro. Use a separate worksheet for
each Metro. Note that BIA may report a particular station as ''home'' to more than one Metro, including embedded or overlapping Metros.
Note also that a station may be reported by BIA as ''home'' to one Metro and have its community of license in a separate Metro. Each such
Metro is ''applicable.''
1.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3
Oct 2012
2.
(a) How many commercial and noncommercial educational radio full-power stations are located
within or are reported by BIA as ''home'' to the Metro covered by this worksheet? 2
(b) How many full-power commercial AM stations in the Metro will be attributable to the applicant or
any party to this application if the application is approved?
(c) How many full-power commercial FM stations in the Metro will be attributable to the applicant or
any party to this application if the application is approved?
(d) Total number of commercial stations in the Metro that will be attributable to the applicant or any
party to this application if the application is approved: 3
If the applicant will own both commercial and noncommercial educational radio broadcast stations in the Metro, please also answer
questions 2(e) through 2(g) and include this information in the Exhibit:
(e) How many full-power noncommercial educational AM stations in the Metro will be attributable to
the applicant or any party to this application if the application is approved?
(f) How many full-power noncommercial educational FM stations in the Metro will be attributable to
the applicant or any party to this application if the application is approved?
(g) How many commercial and noncommercial educational full-power AM and FM stations in the
Metro in total will be attributable to the applicant or any party to this application if the application is
approved? 4
The following local radio ownership ''tiers'' have the stated limits on the number of stations in which a party (i.e., a person or single entity
or entities under common control) may have a cognizable interest in a Metro:
*
In a Metro reported by BIA as having 45 or more ''home'' commercial and noncommercial educational full-power stations, a party
may have a cognizable interest in up to 8 full-power commercial radio stations, not more than 5 of which are in the same service
(AM or FM);
*
In a Metro reported by BIA as having between 30 and 44 (inclusive) ''home'' commercial and noncommercial educational
full-power radio stations, a party may have a cognizable interest in up to 7 commercial full-power radio stations, not more than 4
of which are in the same service (AM or FM);
*
In a Metro reported by BIA as having between 15 and 29 (inclusive) ''home'' commercial and noncommercial educational
full-power radio stations, a party may have a cognizable interest in up to 6 commercial full-power radio stations, not more than 4
of which are in the same service (AM or FM);
Include all stations whose community of license is inside the boundaries of the counties that make up the Nielsen Audio Metro.
Also include stations outside the counties that make up the Nielsen Audio Metro if they are reported by BIA as ''home'' to that
Metro. The BIA Database generally includes all of the stations in a Metro. See also supra note 1.
2.
3.
2(d) should equal 2(b) plus 2(c).
4.
2(g) should equal 2(d) plus 2(e) plus 2(f).
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 2)
*
In a Metro reported by BIA as having 14 or fewer ''home'' commercial and noncommercial educational full-power radio stations, a
party may have a cognizable interest in up to 5 commercial full-power radio stations, not more than 3 of which are in the same
service (AM or FM), except that a party may not have a cognizable interest in more than 50 percent of the total number of
full-power commercial and noncommercial stations in such a market; provided, however, that an attributable interest in one
AM/FM combination in the Metro is permissible without regard to this 50 percent limitation.
If the transaction complies with the limits set forth above, it complies with the local radio ownership portion of the multiple ownership rules
set forth in 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555. As indicated above, all applicants must submit an Exhibit explaining their determination. Be sure to
include a copy of the Exhibit with the copy of the application that is sent to the station's public inspection file.
3. To demonstrate compliance with the numerical limits in the local radio ownership rule, applicants may not rely on a change in a Metro's
geographic boundaries that has occurred since September 3, 2004, unless such change has been in effect for at least two years. In addition,
applicants may not rely on the inclusion of a radio station as ''home'' to a Metro unless (a) such station was listed by BIA as ''home'' to the
Metro as of September 3, 2004, or (b) such ''home'' designation has been in effect for at least two years, or (c) such station's community of
license is located within the Metro. Applicants also may not rely on the removal, after September 3, 2004, of their own stations from BIA's
list of ''home'' stations in a Metro unless (i) such exclusion has been in effect for at least two years or (ii) the exclusion results from an
FCC-approved change in the community of license of a station from within the Metro to outside the Metro. Applicants who wish to rely on
such changes should explain in their Exhibit, taking into account the timing conditions set forth above in this paragraph, (1) any changes
since September 3, 2004, to the geographic boundaries of the relevant Metros, (2) any changes since September 3, 2004, to the "home"
designations of the applicant's stations in the relevant Metros, (3) whether one or more radio stations licensed to communities outside the
Metro have been added to BIA's list of "home" stations for that Metro since September 3, 2004; and (4) whether any of the changes reported
in (1) through (3) of this paragraph is necessary for the proposed transaction to comply with the local with the local radio ownership rule.
4. Interim Contour-overlap Methodology. If any station subject to the application does not have its community of license located within
the geographic boundaries of any Nielsen Audio Metro, then the following guidelines should be used to determine compliance with the local
radio ownership rule for any such station. These guidelines reflect the interim contour-overlap methodology (''Interim Methodology'') that,
for any station whose community of license is in a non-Metro area, is in effect until such time as the rulemaking proceeding in MB Docket
03-130 is completed and new rules are established for such radio stations. See Report and Order, Section VI.B., ''Local Radio Ownership
Rule,'' 282-286, and Section IX, ''Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.'' If a station is listed by BIA as ''home'' to a Metro but the station's
community of license is not within the geographic boundaries of that Metro or any other Metro, the applicant must comply with the local
radio ownership rule both under the Interim Methodology and under the Nielsen Audio Metro methodology.
Under the Interim Methodology, a radio market is defined as the area encompassed by the principal community contours (predicted or
measured 5 mV/m groundwave contour for AM; predicted 3.16 mV/m contour for FM) of the stations that are both mutually overlapping,
and proposed to be ''commonly attributable'' 5 post-transaction. 6 The number of radio stations in this defined radio market (i.e., the
numerator) cannot exceed the limits set forth in Section 73.3555(a) (see below).
A commonly attributable station whose contour overlaps the contour of some but not all of the contours of the stations that define the radio
market does not count toward the local radio ownership limits (i.e., is not counted in the numerator). A graphic example is provided further
below.
Under this same Methodology, the number of stations in the market (i.e., the denominator) is determined by counting the full-power,
operating commercial and noncommercial educational stations whose principal community contours overlap or intersect at least one of the
principal community contours that define the radio market as described above, subject to the following exception: such a station will be not
be counted as being in the market (i.e., in the denominator) if (1) its transmitter site is located more than 92 km from the perimeter of the
area of mutual overlap of the commonly attributable stations that define the radio market, or (ii) the applicant or any party to the application
has a cognizable interest in the station and the station does not define the subject market (i.e., is not in the numerator). Any radio station that
meets this test should be included in the denominator, regardless of whether such station is in a Metro. A graphic example is provided
further below.
For purposes of this worksheet, ''commonly attributable'' means stations in which the applicant (transferee) or any party to the
application (transferee portion) will have a cognizable interest (see 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555, Notes) if the application is granted.
5.
As long as at least one of the commonly attributable radio stations has a community of license that is located outside a Metro,
applicants should count in the numerator every commonly attributable station that mutually overlaps such station(s), regardless of
whether the other commonly attributable stations are listed as being in Metros.
6.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 3)
The following local radio ownership ''tiers'' have the stated limits on the number of stations in which a party (i.e., a person or single entity or
entities under common control) may have a cognizable interest in a non-Metro radio market:
*
In a radio market with 45 or more commercial and noncommercial educational full-power radio stations, a party may have a
cognizable interest in up to 8 commercial radio stations, not more than 5 of which are in the same service (AM or FM);
*
In a radio market with between 30 and 44 (inclusive) commercial and noncommercial educational full-power radio stations, a party
may have a cognizable interest in up to 7 commercial radio stations, not more than 4 of which are in the same service (AM or FM);
*
In a radio market with between 15 and 29 (inclusive) commercial and noncommercial educational full-power radio stations, a party
may have a cognizable interest in up to 6 commercial radio stations, not more than 4 of which are in the same service (AM or FM);
*
In a radio market with 14 or fewer commercial and noncommercial educational full-power radio stations, a party may have a
cognizable interest in up to 5 commercial radio stations, not more than 3 of which are in the same service (AM or FM), except that
a party may not have a cognizable interest in more than 50% of the total number of commercial and noncommercial educational
full-power stations in such market; provided, however, that an attributable interest in one AM/FM combination in the Metro is
permissible without regard to this 50% limitation.
If the transaction complies with the limits set forth above, it complies with the local radio ownership rule set forth in 47 C.F.R. Section
73.3555(a). The transferee should mark ''Yes'' to Section IV, Item 8b of Form 315 and must submit an Exhibit providing information
regarding the market(s), broadcast station(s), and other information demonstrating compliance with 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555(a).
If the transaction does not comply with 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555(a), the transferee should mark ''No'' to Section IV, Item 8b to Form 315
and must submit as an Exhibit a detailed explanation in support of a waiver of 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555(a).
See further below for an illustration of the Interim Methodology.
AM Expanded Band Station. In Report and Order in MM Docket 87-627, 6 FCC Rcd 6273, 6320-21 (1991), the Commission modified
the radio ownership rules to permit an existing AM licensee to own and operate another AM Station in the AM ''Expanded Band''
(1605-1705 KHz) during the transition period to full implementation of the expanded band, even if this were to give the licensee a C, are not
permitted to assign either the existing-band or the expanded-band authorization independently of the other. Accordingly, in order to evaluate
the subject proposal's compliance with these policies, applicants should address the following questions.
5.
Does the transferee have either an application, a construction permit, or a license for
a station in the expanded AM band (1605-1705 KHz)?
a.
If ''Yes,'' do the agreements for the sale of the station(s) to be transferred maintain the
common ownership of the expanded-band and related existing-band authorization as
required by 47 C.F.R. Section 73.1150(c)
Yes
No
Yes
No
b.
If the answer to Question 5b is ''No,'' the proposed transfer may violate Section 73.1150(c).
The applicant therefore must mark ''No'' to Section IV, Item 8b, and submit an explanatory exhibit detailing how the proposed transaction
complies with the rule or requesting and justifying a waiver.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 4)
In the simplified example below, Stations AM1, AM2, FM1 and FM2 are proposed to be commonly attributable. Stations AM1, AM2,
and FM2 have mutually overlapping contours. They constitute a "radio market'' -- in this example, Market #1 -- for purposes of the
local radio ownership rules in a non-Metro area, and are thus counted against the local radio limit (i.e., in the numerator) in Market
#1.
Because Station FM1's contour does not overlap the mutually overlapping contours of Stations AM1, AM2 and FM2, the proposed
acquisition of Station FM1 would not count as being in Market #1 and therefore would not be counted toward the local ownership
limit (i.e., in the numerator) for purposes of Market #1. Rather, in a non-Metro area, Stations FM1 and FM2 would need to be
analyzed as forming a separate ''radio market'' - in this example, Market #2. (Station FM2 would thus be counted as being in Market
#1 as well as in Market #2.)
Station FM3 is not commonly attributable and it would be counted as "in " Market #1 (i.e., in the denominator) because the
transmitter of Station FM3 is not more than 92 km from the perimeter of Market #1's mutual overlap area. Station FM1 would not be
counted as being ''in'' Market #1 (i.e., in the denominator) because it is commonly attributable to the proposed assignee.
Station AM3 in this example is not commonly attributable. It would, nonetheless, not be counted as being ''in'' Market #2 (i.e., in the
denominator) because its transmitter is located more than 92 km from the perimeter of Market #2's mutual overlap area. Stations
AM1 and AM2 also would not be counted as ''in'' Market #2 (i.e., in the denominator) because they are commonly attributable.
AM2
AM1
#1
FM2
#2
.
.
.
.
.
.
FM3 transmitter
49 km from
perimeter of
mutual overlap
area of Market #1
...
FM1
AM3 transmitter 95 km from
perimeter of mutual
overlap area of Market
#2
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 5)
II. TELEVISION OWNERSHIP
This section of the worksheet may be used in connection with Section IV, Item 8b for the proposed acquisition of a full-service television
station. The television ownership rules place a numerical limit on the number of stations that can be owned by one entity in the local market
and restrict the total national audience reach that can be attained by any one television station owner. See 47 C.F.R. § 73.3555(b), (e), Notes.
1. Local Ownership. Will the acquisition of the commercial television station(s) being transferred
result in the transferee or any party to this application having an attributable interest in another
commercial television station which is located within the same Designated Market Area (DMA) as
measured by Nielsen Media Research and whose digital NLSC contour overlaps the digital NLSC
contour of the station(s) being transferred?
Yes
No
Yes
No
are both of the commercial television stations ranked among the top four stations in the DMA,
based on the most recent all-day (9:00 a.m.-midnight) audience share as determined by Nielsen
or a comparable professional survey organization?
Yes
No
are there fewer than 8 independently-owned, operating, full-power commercial and
noncommercial television stations in the DMA?
Yes
No
Yes
No
If ''Yes'' to Question 1, at the time of filing of this application:
a.
b.
2. National Audience Reach. Will the acquisition of the commercial television station(s) being
transferred result in the transferee or any party to this application having an attributable interest in
commercial television stations which have an aggregate national audience reach exceeding 39
percent?
If ''Yes'' to Question 2, the applicant must mark ''No'' to Section IV, Item 8b and submit an exhibit
stating the reasons in support of an exemption from, or waiver of, the Commission's television
ownership regulations.
III. JOINT TELEVISION/RADIO OWNERSHIP
This section of the worksheet may be used in connection with Section IV, Item 8b, when the transferee will have both full-service television
and full-service radio interests in the same local market, as defined by 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555(c)(3).
1.
Will the acquisition of the station(s) being transferred result in the transferee or any party to this
application having or maintaining an attributable interest in a commercial AM or FM station and a
commercial television station where:
a.
the 1 mV/m contour of the commercial FM station or the 2 mV/m contour of the commercial
AM station encompasses the entire community (communities) of license of the commercial
television station?
Yes
No
b.
the principal community contour of the commercial television station encompasses the entire
community (communities) of license of the commercial AM or FM station?
Yes
No
If ''Yes'' to Question 1 a or b, proceed to Question 2.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 6)
2.
Will the applicant or any party to this application directly or indirectly own, operate or control more
than 2 commercial television and 1 commercial radio stations, as a result of this transaction?
Yes
No
would the applicant or any party to this application directly or indirectly own, operate or
control more than 2 commercial television and 6 commercial radio stations?
Yes
No
would the applicant or any party to this application directly or indirectly own, operate or
control more than 1 commercial television and 7 commercial radio stations?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
If ''Yes'' to Question 2:
a. where there are 20 or more independently-owned media voices in the television and radio
markets, as defined by 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555(c)(3), at the time of the filing of this
application,
i.
ii.
iii.
if the applicant or any party to this application would control as a result of this transaction 1
commercial television and 7 commercial radio stations, is the television station located in a
market in which the applicant or any party to this application could not directly or indirectly
own, operate or control 2 commercial television stations pursuant to 47 C.F.R. Section
73.3555(b)?
b. where there are 10, but fewer than 20, independently-owned media voices in the television and
radio markets, as defined by 47 C.F.R. Section 73.3555(c)(3), at the time of the filing of this
application,
i.
would the applicant or any party to this application directly or indirectly own, operate or
control more than 2 commercial television and 4 commercial radio stations?
If ''Yes'' to Question 2(a), (i), (ii), or (iii) or to Question 2(b)(i), the applicant must mark ''No'' to Section IV, Item 8b and submit an exhibit
stating the reasons in support of an exemption from, or waiver of, the Commission's joint television and radio ownership regulations.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 7)
IV. NEWSPAPER/BROADCAST CROSS-OWNERSHIP
This section of the worksheet may be used in connection with Section IV, Item 8b of FCC Form 315 when the transferee will
have newspaper interests in the same local market as the stations(s) it seeks to acquire.
(A)
(B)
Will the acquisition of the station(s) being transferred in this application result in the transferee or any party to this
application having or maintaining an attributable interest in a newspaper which: (1) is published four or more days per week,
(2) is in the dominant language in the market, and (3) is published, and circulated generally, in a community entirely
encompassed by:
a. the 1 mV/m contour of one of the FM station(s),
Yes
No
and, in areas designated as Nielsen Audio Metro
markets, that FM station and the newspaper's
b.
the 2 mV/m
contour of are
onelocated
of the AM
station(s),
Yes
No
community
of publication
in the
same and,
in
areas
designated
as
Nielsen
Audio
Metro
markets,
that
Nielsen Audio Metro market?
AM station and the newspaper's community of publication
Yes
No
c. the
principal
contour
ofMetro
one ofmarket?
the commercial television
are
located
in thecommunity
same Nielsen
Audio
station(s), and that television station and the newspaper's community of
publication are located in the same Nielsen DMA?
If "Yes" to Question (A), has the Commission made a finding pursuant to Section 310(d) of the
Yes
No
Communications Act that the proposed newspaper/broadcast combination meets either the standard
for an exception to the rule or the standard for a waiver of the rule?
If the applicant answered "Yes" to Question (A) and "No" to Question (B), then the applicant must mark "No" to Section IV,
Item 8b and submit an exhibit stating the reasons why the proposed newspaper/broadcast combination meets either: (1) the
standard for an exception to the rule because either the newspaper or broadcast station qualifies as failed or failing under the
Commission's applicable criteria or (2) the standard for a waiver of the rule. See 2014 Quadrennial Review Order, [add FCC
Rcd pin cites when published], paras. 172-89; see also 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.3, 73.3555(d), Note 12.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 8)
B. FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
This section of the worksheet may be used in connection with Section IV, Item 8c.1 of FCC Form 315, which requires the transferee to
certify that the proposed acquisition does not ''present an issue'' under the Commission's policies relating to media interests of immediate
family members (i.e., husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter).
The Commission does not prohibit, but rather considers relevant, media interests owned by immediate family members. Accordingly, the
transferee should examine the media interests of its principals' immediate family members to determine whether or not those media interests
will be independent and not subject to common influence or control. See Policy Statement, Clarification of Commission's Policies
Regarding Spousal Attribution, 7 FCC Rcd 1920 (1992), Sevier Valley Broadcasting, Inc., 10 FCC Red 9795 (1995).
A transferee must review this worksheet if the answer to the following question is ''Yes''. Does any
member of the immediate family (i.e., husband, wife, father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter) of
any party to the application have any interest in or connection with any other broadcast station, pending
broadcast application or daily newspaper in the same market?
Yes
No
A television station and a daily newspaper are considered to be in the same market if: (1) the community of license of the television station
and the community of publication of the daily newspaper are located in the same Nielsen DMA and (2) the principal community contour of
the television station encompasses the entire community in which the daily newspaper is published. A radio station and a daily newspaper
are considered to be in the same market if: (1) in areas designated as Nielsen Audio Metro markets, the radio station and the community of
publication of the daily newspaper are located in the same Nielsen Audio Metro market and (2) the predicted or measured 2 mV/m contour
of an AM station or the predicted 1 mV/m contour of an FM station encompasses the entire community in which the daily newspaper is
published. A daily newspaper is one that is published four or more days per week, is in the dominant language in the market, and is
circulated generally in the community of publication. A college newspaper is not considered as being circulated generally. See 47 C.F.R. §
73.3555(d), Note 6.
Answer the following questions for each such relationship:
1.
Has the family member who is not included as a party to the application been involved in
negotiations with the licensee/permittee for the acquisition/construction of any of the station(s) to be
transferred?
2.
Has the family member who is not included as a party to the application provided financing or
otherwise been involved in the process of making financial arrangements for the
acquisition/construction of any of the station(s) to be transferred?
3.
Is this the first broadcast ownership interest of the family member who is a party to the application?
4.
5.
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Are the family members involved together in the management or operation of any other media
interests located in other markets?
Yes
No
Are there any agreements, arrangements or understandings, either written or oral, between the
family members with same-market media interests for the participation of one family member in the
financial affairs, commercial practices, programming, or employment practices of the other family
member's media entity? Consider, for example, joint sales agreements, local marketing agreements,
and arrangements to share facilities or personnel.
Yes
No
If transferee answers ''No'' to all of the above questions, transferee may conclude that it complies with the Commission's policies relating to
media interests of immediate family members. If transferee answers ''Yes'' to any one of the above questions, the transferee must mark ''No''
to Section IV, Item 8c and should submit an exhibit giving full particulars, including the family relationship involved and a detailed account
of the business or media relationship between family members.
FCC 15 Worksheet 3 (Page 9)
C. FUTURE OWNERSHIP RIGHTS
This section of the worksheet may be used in connection with Section IV, Item 8c.2, which requires the transferee to certify that the
proposed acquisition complies with the Communications Act and the Commission's regulations and policies concerning future ownership
rights in broadcast stations.
Section 310(d) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, prohibits assignment, transfer or any disposition of a broadcast license
without first applying to the Commission and receiving approval. Similarly, Commission precedent currently prohibits (1) pledge of a
broadcast license as collateral for a loan, or (2) grant of a security interest (or any similar encumbrance) in a broadcast license. These
inquiries are directed to current and prospective third-party interests in the transferee.
In order to certify compliance with Item 8c of Section IV of FCC Form 315, the transferee should review the following questions:
1.
Are there any documents, instruments, contracts, or understandings relating to future ownership
rights in the transferee or any party to the application including, but not limited to: (1) stock
pledges; (2) security agreements; (3) non-voting stock interests; (4) beneficial stock ownership
interests; (5) options; (6) warrants; or (7) debentures?
No
If ''No,'' transferee may certify compliance with the future ownership inquiry.
If ''Yes,'' proceed to the questions below.
2.
Is there any provision in the agreements which provides for a security interest in the station
license(s), permits or authorizations?
Yes
No
Do the agreements contain a stock pledge?
Yes
No
(a) If ''Yes,'' do the agreements expressly state that voting rights will remain with the transferee,
even in the event of default?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Note: The response to Question 2 must be ''No'' in order to certify that the contractual documents
''comply fully with the Commission's rules and policies.'' Under existing precedent, it is permissible
to grant a security interest in the proceeds of the sale of a station license, permit, or authorization,
but not in the license, permit, or authorization itself.
3.
(b) If ''Yes,'' do the agreements indicate that, in the event of default, there will be either a public
(i.e., auction) or private arm's-length sale of the pledged interests?
(c) If ''Yes,'' do the agreements provide that, prior to the exercise of stockholder rights by the
purchaser at such public or private sale, prior consent of the Commission (pursuant to 47 U.S.C.
Section 310(d)) will be obtained?
If the answer to (a), (b), or (c) is ''No,'' the transferee must mark ''No'' to Section IV, Item 8c and
submit an exhibit providing all details of the stock pledge agreement and demonstrating how the
agreement is not violative of Section 73.1150 and Commission precedent.
4.
If the agreements contain provisions relating to the acquisition of non-voting stock interests,
beneficial stock interests, warrants, or debentures convertible into voting or non-voting stock, would
the exercise of those interests, individually or in the aggregate, effectuate a positive or negative
transfer of control of the transferee/applicant?
If ''Yes,'' the agreements must clearly indicate that, prior to the acquisition, exercise, or conversion of
any future interest into equity that would effectuate a positive or negative transfer of control, prior
Commission approval will be sought and received. If they do not, the applicant must mark ''No'' to
Section IV, Item 8c, and submit an exhibit providing all details and explaining how the agreements
do not violate Commission policy or precedent.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 10)
D. TIME BROKERAGE/LOCAL MARKETING AGREEMENTS /JOINT SALES AGREEMENTS
This worksheet should be reviewed in connection with several different certifications. These include Section III, Item 3 and Section IV,
Item 5 (certifications by licensees/permittees and transferee relating to agreements for sale of station) and Section IV, Items 8a and 8b.
1.
Does or, as a result of this transaction, will the applicant or any party to this application, supply
more than 15 percent of another, same-market station's weekly program hours?
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
If ''Yes,'' that interest is attributable to the transferee and must be considered in certifying
compliance with the Commission's multiple ownership rules.
2.
Does the transferee hold a time brokerage agreement, local marketing agreement, or joint sales
agreement pursuant to which the transferee provides radio or television programming or sells
commercial advertising time for the subject station(s) or any other stations in the market?
If ''Yes,'' proceed to Question 3.
3.
Has the licensee retained sufficient rights and obligations over the station's personnel, programming,
and finances such that it retains control of the station under applicable Commission precedent, i.e.,
does the licensee/permittee:
retain the right to reject/substitute programming (including commercial advertising) without
excessive fee or penalty?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
retain the right to terminate the agreement without excessive fee or penalty?
retain responsibility for broadcasting programming to meet local needs?
retain the obligation to prepare and file the quarterly issues/programs list?
(e)
retain the responsibility to comply with the Commission's political programming rules?
Yes
No
(f)
retain the obligation to pay station expenses?
Yes
No
Yes
No
retain the obligation to maintain the station's main studio and staff that studio with at least one
management-level and one staff-level employee, Monday through Friday during regular business
hours?
(g)
If the response to any of these questions is ''No,'' the agreement may not comport with existing
Commission precedent. The applicant should therefore mark ''No'' in the appropriate certification
and supply an exhibit explaining how the agreement does not amount to a premature assumption of
control by the transferee.
4.
Does the programming agreement or joint sales agreement extend beyond one full license term (i.e.,
eight years)?
Yes
No
If ''Yes,'' the agreement may exceed the length allowable under Commission precedent. The
applicant must therefore mark ''No'' to Section IV, Item 8b, and submit an exhibit containing the
complete agreement (with all attachments) and discussing how its operation complies with
precedent.
NOTE: ALL applicants must submit, with this application, complete copies of all radio time
brokerage/local marketing and radio joint sales agreements for the subject stations or any other
stations in the same market as the subject stations.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 11)
E. INVESTOR INSULATION AND NON-PARTY INFLUENCE OVER TRANSFEREE
This section of the worksheet may be used in connection with Section IV, Item 8c.3, which requires the transferee to certify that it
complies with the Commission's restrictions relating to the insulation and non-participation of non-party investors and creditors. See
e.g., Report and Order in MM Docket Nos. 94-150, 92-51, and 87-154, FCC 99-207, released August 6, 1999. It indicates the kinds
of contractual relationships that may, in the Commission's view, exceed the authority of a properly insulated investor or demonstrate
some indicia of de facto control by a creditor.
I. Investor Insulation
If a transferee is a limited partnership or a limited liability company (''LLC'') that seeks to insulate partners or members in
accordance with the Commission's attribution rules, the transferee shall ensure that each such limited partner or LLC member is not
materially involved, directly or indirectly, in the management or operation of the media-related activities of the partnership or LLC.
To ensure that each such limited partner or LLC member is not materially involved, directly or indirectly, in the management or
operation of the media-related activities of the partnership or LLC, the applicant should answer the following inquiries. Do the
limited partnership or LLC enabling documents:
a.
specify that any exempt limited partner/LLC member (if not a natural person, its directors, officers,
partners, etc.) cannot act as an employee of the limited partnership/LLC member if his or her
functions, directly or indirectly, relate to the media enterprises of such entity?
Yes
No
b.
bar any exempt limited partner/LLC from serving, in any material capacity, as an independent
contractor or agent with respect to the partnership/LLC's media enterprises?
Yes
No
c.
restrict any exempt limited partner/LLC member from communicating with the limited partnership/
LLC, the general partner, or any LLC management committee on matters pertaining to the
day-to-day operations of its business?
Yes
No
d.
empower the general partner/LLC management committee to veto any admissions of additional
general partners/LLC members admitted by vote of the exempt limited partners/LLC members?
Yes
No
e.
prohibit any exempt limited partner/LLC member from voting on the removal of a general
partner/LLC member or limit this right to situations where the general partner/LLC member is (i)
subject to bankruptcy proceedings, as described in Section 402(4)-(5) of the Revised Uniform
Limited Partnership Act, (ii) is adjudicated incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction, or (iii)
is removed for cause, as determined by an independent party?
Yes
No
f.
bar any exempt limited partner/LLC member from performing any services to the limited
partnership/LLC materially relating to its media activities, with the exception of making loans to, or
acting as a surety for, the business?
Yes
No
g.
state, in express terms, that any exempt limited partner/LLC member is prohibited from becoming
actively involved in the management or operation of the media businesses of the limited
partnership/LLC?
Yes
No
If the answer is ''Yes'' to each of these conditions with regard to every limited partner and LLC member
that the applicant seeks to insulate, and the relevant state statute authorizing the LLC permits a LLC
member to insulate itself in accordance with the Commission's criteria, the applicant may certify that it
complies with the Commission's restrictions regarding insulation of non-party investors. If ''No'' to the
foregoing, the applicant must submit an exhibit detailing the rights of any non-party and setting forth the
applicant's reasons for not treating the investor as a party to the application.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 12)
II. Non-Party Influence Over Transferee/Applicant
A. Non-party investors, i.e., investors with nonattributable interests, may have very limited powers over the operations of a licensee.
Accordingly, with respect to any agreement, arrangement or understanding involving insulated parties or other investors with
nonattributable interests, including creditors, secured parties, program suppliers, and any other persons not disclosed as parties to
this application, does such agreement:
1.
give any non-party investor the right to vote on any matters decided by the transferee's board of
directors, partnership committee or other management group?
Yes
No
2.
give any non-party investor the right to attend, or appoint an observer to attend, transferee board,
partnership or other management meetings?
Yes
No
3.
place any limitation on transferee programming discretion?
Yes
No
4.
give any non-party investor the right to vote on, approve or restrict transferee's actions on any
matter relating to programming, personnel or finances?
Yes
No
5.
give any non-party creditor or any bond, debenture or warrant holder the right to vote on, approve or
restrict the transferee's actions on any matter relating to programming, personnel or finances?
Yes
No
6.
give any non-party creditor or any bond, debenture or warrant holder the right to share in the profits
of the transferee?
Yes
No
7.
give any non-party investor that holds a non-voting convertible interest the right to convert such an
interest and acquire control of the transferee based on the transferee's actions relating to
programming, personnel and finances?
Yes
No
8.
give any non-party investor, creditor, or bond, debenture or warrant holder the right to vote on,
approve or deny the selection or removal of a general partner of a transferee/applicant partnership or
a member of the transferee's governing body?
Yes
No
9.
give any non-party investor, creditor, or bond, debenture or warrant holder the right to convert,
tender or require the tendering of stock pursuant to a put-or-call agreement based on the actions of
the transferee/applicant relating to programming, personnel or financing?
Yes
No
If the answer to all of these conditions is ''No'' with regard to every non-party investor and creditor, and there are no other
provisions that cede de facto control to a non-party, applicant may certify that it complies with the Commission's restrictions
regarding non-participation of non-party investors and creditors. If the answer to any of these inquiries is ''Yes,'' the applicant must
submit an exhibit detailing the rights of any non-party investor and setting forth fully the applicant's reasons for not treating the
investor as a party to the application.
B. With respect to any loan agreement, has the transferee ensured that such agreement:
1.
includes an unconditional promise by the transferee to pay on demand or on a specific date a sum
certain?
Yes
No
2.
contains a fixed or defined variable rate of interest on the loan?
Yes
No
3.
does not prohibit the redemption of the loan by the transferee, or permit redemption at the option of
the lender only?
Yes
No
If the answer to each of these inquiries is ''Yes,'' and if there are no other provisions that may give non-party investors control, the
applicant may certify that it complies with the Commission's restrictions regarding non-participation of non-party investors and
creditors. If not, the applicant must submit an exhibit detailing the rights of the lender and the obligations of the transferee for each
loan agreement.
FCC 315 Worksheet 3 (Page 13)
File Type | application/pdf |
Author | JSWANK |
File Modified | 2016-10-13 |
File Created | 2016-10-13 |