Big Radio Wants FCC To Eliminate On-Air Contesting Rules

The big radio companies are massively dittoing a proposal from Entercom that would relax Federal Communications Commission requirements that radio stations announce the “material” rules of a radio contest over the airwaves, according to Matthew Lasar at Radio Survivor.

“In today’s fast paced world, Americans expect to instantly access information at their fingertips by merely logging on to a website, conducting a Google search, or using an app on their smart phone,” Entercom’s petition argues. “Relying on broadcast announcements for material contest information may have been an acceptable way to attempt to inform the public about the terms of a contest when the Contest Rule was enacted in 1976, but it is certainly not the case today, especially when there are superior methods that are simple to implement.”

At present, the FCC’s “contest rule” says that the “material terms” of the game must be explained “periodically by announcements broadcast on the station conducting the contest.” This doesn’t mean that the station has to explain the rules in their entirety every time, but “disclosure of material terms in a reasonable number of announcements is sufficient.”

The gist of Entercom’s proposal is to let stations announce the contest over the airwaves, but point listeners to the station website for more details. As Entercom puts it:

“Entercom proposes that the Commission amend the Contest Rule to permit broadcasters to either: (a) broadcast the material terms on the station (as provided in the current rule); or (b) provide in written form on a website and upon request by email, facsimile, mail or in person, provided that the station makes periodic announcements advertising how and where the public can gain access to the material terms of a contest.”

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