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I hope it's okay to post news stories here instead of in the Deaf News subforum; I thought this was more relevant here.
FCC proposes fines for San Diego stations for delayed fire info
By: GENARO C. ARMAS
Federal regulators on Wednesday proposed $65,000 in fines against three San
Diego television stations for failing to provide timely captions and
graphics for deaf or partially deaf viewers about emergency information
related to the 2003 wildfires.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell said it was the
first time the FCC proposed such fines against broadcasters.
The proposal targets three San Diego-area TV stations for their coverage on
Oct. 26-27, 2003, of wildfires that swept through Southern California,
killing 24 people. More than 3,600 homes were destroyed and 750,000 acres
burned, with San Diego County the hardest-hit area.
The FCC says emergency information such as evacuation orders or road
closures presented to hearing viewers must also be given to deaf viewers
"simultaneously or nearly simultaneously."
If a broadcaster doesn't use closed captioning, it must provide the
information through other visual aides such as a news "crawl" at the bottom
of the screen, maps, or graphics.
The FCC gave no specific time limit regarding how soon the captioning or
graphics had to be shown, though the agency has wide latitude over how it
imposes fines.
"People with hearing disabilities have a right to the same timely emergency
information as stations provide to their hearing audiences," Powell said in
a statement.
The FCC proposed a $25,000 fine against Channel 51 of San Diego, Inc., owner
of KUSI-TV, for 22 alleged violations.
One allegation involved a station anchor reporting the opening of an
evacuation center at 9:12 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2003. It took three more hours
for a caption or graphic of the information to appear.
Mike McKinnon, Jr., the station's vice president, said the company did not
violate any rules and was considering an appeal to the FCC. Stations have 30
days to appeal or pay the fine.
The station reported information factually, McKinnon said.
"It was a severe disaster here," he said. "By the time a report got on the
air, the information we just reported could have become irrelevant because
the place was just destroyed."
A $20,000 fine was proposed against McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Company, Inc.,
owner of KGTV, for 12 alleged violations. A company spokesman said there
were no immediate plans to appeal.
KGTV, in a statement, said it had "strengthened our newsroom procedures to
ensure that we meet FCC standards in this area."
Midwest Television, Inc., owner of KFMB-TV, also faces a possible $20,000
fine for 11 alleged violations. Station president Ed Trimble said he was
disappointed by the decision.
"We believe we did an outstanding job of serving our community during this
trying time," said Trimble, noting that his station won two Emmy Awards for
its coverage.
FCC documents show each station argued that the rules let them use "good
faith judgment" to decide when to present emergency information visually.
The FCC could have levied fines up to $27,500 for each violation.
<< Source: Associated Press >>
FCC proposes fines for San Diego stations for delayed fire info
By: GENARO C. ARMAS
Federal regulators on Wednesday proposed $65,000 in fines against three San
Diego television stations for failing to provide timely captions and
graphics for deaf or partially deaf viewers about emergency information
related to the 2003 wildfires.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell said it was the
first time the FCC proposed such fines against broadcasters.
The proposal targets three San Diego-area TV stations for their coverage on
Oct. 26-27, 2003, of wildfires that swept through Southern California,
killing 24 people. More than 3,600 homes were destroyed and 750,000 acres
burned, with San Diego County the hardest-hit area.
The FCC says emergency information such as evacuation orders or road
closures presented to hearing viewers must also be given to deaf viewers
"simultaneously or nearly simultaneously."
If a broadcaster doesn't use closed captioning, it must provide the
information through other visual aides such as a news "crawl" at the bottom
of the screen, maps, or graphics.
The FCC gave no specific time limit regarding how soon the captioning or
graphics had to be shown, though the agency has wide latitude over how it
imposes fines.
"People with hearing disabilities have a right to the same timely emergency
information as stations provide to their hearing audiences," Powell said in
a statement.
The FCC proposed a $25,000 fine against Channel 51 of San Diego, Inc., owner
of KUSI-TV, for 22 alleged violations.
One allegation involved a station anchor reporting the opening of an
evacuation center at 9:12 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2003. It took three more hours
for a caption or graphic of the information to appear.
Mike McKinnon, Jr., the station's vice president, said the company did not
violate any rules and was considering an appeal to the FCC. Stations have 30
days to appeal or pay the fine.
The station reported information factually, McKinnon said.
"It was a severe disaster here," he said. "By the time a report got on the
air, the information we just reported could have become irrelevant because
the place was just destroyed."
A $20,000 fine was proposed against McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Company, Inc.,
owner of KGTV, for 12 alleged violations. A company spokesman said there
were no immediate plans to appeal.
KGTV, in a statement, said it had "strengthened our newsroom procedures to
ensure that we meet FCC standards in this area."
Midwest Television, Inc., owner of KFMB-TV, also faces a possible $20,000
fine for 11 alleged violations. Station president Ed Trimble said he was
disappointed by the decision.
"We believe we did an outstanding job of serving our community during this
trying time," said Trimble, noting that his station won two Emmy Awards for
its coverage.
FCC documents show each station argued that the rules let them use "good
faith judgment" to decide when to present emergency information visually.
The FCC could have levied fines up to $27,500 for each violation.
<< Source: Associated Press >>
