2On the Air

David A. O’Connor

While the First Amendment and Communications Act of 1934, as amended, protect a broadcaster in its editorial decision-making, there are nonetheless many rules and regulations that come into play in determining what a broadcaster may air, what it must air, and how broadcast programming is created. These requirements, and related issues, are discussed in this chapter.

A. Announcements

Once a station has begun operations, there are certain announcements that it must make. Some of these announcements are prescribed as to content, form, and timing. Others give the operator discretion as to these factors. To avoid complications—and fines—station operators are cautioned to scrupulously observe these requirements.

Get NAB Legal Guide to Broadcast Law and Regulation, 6th Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.