Silent Notifications
Monte Spearman’s High Plains Radio Network and associated companies’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding brought upon by their tower lease dispute with Vertical Bridge has caused the company to take nine stations silent as they’ve been evicted from their sites. The stations filing Silent STAs are: 690 KAFN Benton AR, 1240 KVRC Arkadelphia AR, 1310 KZYP Malvern AR, 1450 KVBV Buena Vista CO, 1490 KVWC Vernon TX, 1490 KZZN Littefield TX, 99.7 KWPS-FM Caddo Valley AR, 100.9 KDEL-FM Arkadelphia AR and 106.9 KYXK Gurdon AR.
In a letter to the FCC shared with each filing, Spearman wrote:
This letter is the latest information update and filing date information, as to the progress or lack of progress with Vertical Bridge Tower Company concerning the ongoing tower lease issues.
After attempting for approximately a year to obtain any or all of the tower lease related issues resolved, and trying meet the needs of the lawsuit filed in the Florida court and simply because nothing had been resolved, including HPRN making numerous offers to settle and to rework the tower site leases for the future, only to have Vertical Bridge decide to not respond with any type of solution or account adjustments or even to attempt to fully review and fully discus the various open issues, it was decided that the best direction for HPRN to go, was to file a form of bankruptcy.
HPRN was originally formed in the State of Texas, so the filing for Bankruptcy Sub-Chapter Five, was filed and processed in Texas on March 26 of this year.
We had the first creditors’ meeting on May 02nd which only involved two other creditors and the Vertical Bridge attorneys. Again, HPRN detailed all the issues that needed to be addressed and there was a verbal statement from the VB attorneys that the issues would be reviewed by Vertical Bridge and that they would reply to us. Since the creditors meeting, there has been continuous back and forth information between our attorney and through a new attorney for Vertical Bridge, causing constant issues to get the attorney up to speed with the issues, which as of this date, has resulted in no reply to properly resolve the issues and VB additionally has filed numerous motions that would force HPRN to be moved to a Chapter Seven Bankruptcy status.
HPRN has now been advised that we need to vacate all Vertical Bridge sites, causing the reasoning for the filing for temporary STAs that we will voluntarily turn Off-Air some stations temporarily and for the stations that we feel need to remain on the air but need to relocate to a temporary tower site. We will look at options for the silent stations and we will look to relocate the on-air stations to new tower site locations in the near future. We want to be fully transparent with the FCC and we want to keep everything properly filed as required.
While trying to work with Vertical Bridge over this last year, we have delayed in making these hard decisions and accept now that we should have acted sooner but need to make the changes now. Our hopes are to continue to serve the local small communities so that we can continue to be a true broadcaster that works directly with the FCC and to meet all the requirements. Please process the STA filings as needed so that all the stations are operating in proper order status.
- SummitMedia’s 1320 WENN Birmingham AL (Colling system failure)
- CRC Media West’s 1200 KPSF Cathedral City CA (Generator failure)
- CRC Media West’s 1010 KXPS Thousand Palms CA (Gernator failure)
- Mount San Antonio Community College’s 90.1 KSAK Walnut CA (Move to new site)
- Duvall Media Group’s 1340 WROD Daytona Beach FL (Tower structural damage)
- Lifestyle Education Academy International’s 98.5 WLSB Augusta IL (Financial difficulties/pending sale)
- Aleluya Broadcasting Network’s 90.3 KABA Louise TX (Transmitter damage)
Southern Stone Communication’s 1550 WLOR Huntsville AL (Loss of tower site)
FCC Actions
The rulemaking allowing FM Boosters to originate up to three minutes of programming per hour took effect on May 16 following its publication in the Federal Register.
License Cancellations
The FCC has rejected the license renewal application of Forsythe Broadcasting’s 1360 WNJC Washington Township NJ and cancelled its license deeming that its license automatically expired in March after failing to operate for one year.
The Commission notes that its renewal application was untimely filed and failed to comply with its Online Public Inspection Rule but efforts to contact the licensee via email were unsuccessful and its telphone number did not function. Another inquiry about its operational status was answered earlier this month in which the licensee admitted it ceased operations around March 2023 after its tower lease was terminated, but that it failed to notify the FCC “due to inadvertent errors of counsel.” They said they has unsuccessfully attempted to find a new transmitter site, but because its community of license is developed and densely populated it is difficult to find a site that could accomodate it and asked the FCC to allow it to resume operations when “it is technically and economically feasible”.
American Family Association has turned in the license for 88.1 KARH Forrest City AR.
FM Changes
Alcon Media’s Regional Mexican “La Ranchera 104.5” KZJJ Mesa WA proposes to downgrade from a Class C3 to Class A with a change of COL
