FCC questions the applicant's "local purpose"
On March 16th and March 19th, 2004, the FCC Audio Division has dismissed over 30 LPFM applications filed that have the name "Calvary Chapel" in them.
In a letter to the Calvary applicants by FCC Audio Bureau Chief Peter Doyle stated that even though the applications have satisifed the requirement that the local chapters of the national Calvary Chapel organization are incorporated in their own local area separately from the national organization with which it is affilliated, Doyle points out that "there is nothing in their statements of educational purpose to distinguish these applicants from other Calvary Chapel applicants who filed identical applications for LPFM stations, or national Calvary Chapel radio companies such as CSN International and Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls that own numerous full-service and FM translator stations throughout the country." Doyle continues, "Indeed, nothing in the educational purpose of the application references the community of license in any way or demonstrates 'a local purpose that can be distinguished from the purpose of the national organizatoin with which it is affiliated'", citing an application for another Calvary Chapel in South Dakota that "clearly established it's local presence and that it was a local entity separately incorporated and with a distinct local purpose readily distinguishable from that of any national organization".
In REC's Area of Interest (So. Cal, AZ, NV), Calvary applications were dismissed March 16 in Prescott AZ (reducing an MX group to 2 equally qualified), Tucson AZ (creating a singleton) and Kingman AZ. On March 19, applications were dismissed in Vista CA (creating a singleton), Cathedral City CA (leaving a single most-qualified applicant), Rancho Santa Margarita & Foothill Ranch CA (shaving the big 101.5 group down to 6), Banning CA, San Bernardino CA (reducing the 105.5 MX group to 6) and Corona CA (creating a singleton on 103.9 in Irvine).
Sources close to these Calvary Chapel applications have told REC that these as well as the other recent dismissals will be challenged.
