The license of KPCQ-AM in Chubbuck, Idaho had been in peril. The FCC designated a hearing to determine if the license for the Snake River Radio, LLC station was automatically canceled due to more than 12 consecutive months of silence. However, a chain of extenuating circumstances around the tower site saved the station – for now.
KPCQ had been failing when Snake River acquired it, and the prior licensee allowed the lease for the tower site to lapse. The site owner did not continue the month-to-month arrangement, and its construction activity twice destroyed the antennas Snake River had been using to broadcast. Snake River argued that this left the problem mostly outside its control.
The FCC’s recent statement that, “[Tower] site-related matters are considered within a licensee’s control because the licensee chooses the site” raises the question of whether the Commission would take the same position with respect to granting renewal.
Judge Jane Hinckley Halprin concluded that the station was not off the air for more than 12 consecutive months, so the license was not automatically canceled. However, the Judge also concluded that the station did not satisfy other renewal standards. Because of this, Snake River was granted a one-year renewal as opposed to the usual eight.
