REC joins with other LPFM advocates in admonishing Beasley Media Group in their attack on a new LPFM station. As a new LPFM station, the station should never be expected to come out of the box with their full format and services. These things take time. Regardless of the content the station ends up programming, the First Amendment precludes the FCC from taking action on entertainment format. The Commission only has the authority to take action on unprotected forms of speech such as commercial content and indecent material outside the designated safe-harbor hours.
With Beasley having the only Spanish station in the market pulling numbers, the Hispanic population of Tampa-St. Petersburg deserve a choice.
If WVVF-LP starts airing commercials or indecent programming outside safe-harbor, then Beasley has a valid complaint. Unless those things happen (which we hope do not happen), REC concurs with LPFM.AG and we urge that Beasley withdraw this frivolous complaint against WVVF-LP.
See story in All Access:
http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/144245/beasley-files-co…
