NAB Broadcasting Regulations & Industry Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of the FCC's 'payola' rules under 47 U.S.C. § 317?
- To limit the number of paid advertisements per hour
- To require disclosure when payment is received for broadcasting specific content (Correct answer)
- To prohibit all commercial sponsorship of news programs
- To regulate the rates stations may charge advertisers
Correct answer: To require disclosure when payment is received for broadcasting specific content
The payola statute requires that whenever anyone pays to have content broadcast, the station must disclose on-air that the content was sponsored.
Question 2: Under FCC children's television rules, how many hours of core educational programming must a full-power commercial TV station air per week?
- 1 hour
- 2 hours
- 3 hours (Correct answer)
- 5 hours
Correct answer: 3 hours
The FCC requires full-power commercial TV stations to air at least 3 hours per week of core educational and informational (E/I) programming for children.
Question 3: What does EAS stand for in the context of broadcast regulatory compliance?
- Emergency Alert System (Correct answer)
- Equal Access Standard
- Electronic Authorization Service
- Engineering Allocation Schedule
Correct answer: Emergency Alert System
EAS stands for Emergency Alert System, the national public warning system that broadcasters are required to participate in.
Question 4: Which FCC rule prohibits broadcast stations from airing telephone conversations without first notifying the caller?
- Section 73.1206 (Correct answer)
- Section 73.3526
- Section 73.1940
- Section 73.4005
Correct answer: Section 73.1206
FCC Section 73.1206 requires stations to inform a telephone call participant that the conversation may be broadcast before airing it.
Question 5: A broadcast station's license term in the United States is currently how many years?
- 5 years
- 7 years
- 8 years (Correct answer)
- 10 years
Correct answer: 8 years
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 extended broadcast license terms to 8 years for both radio and television stations.
Question 6: What restriction does the FCC's 'newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership' rule address?
- It bans any entity from owning both a newspaper and a broadcast station in the same market
- It limits common ownership of daily newspapers and broadcast stations serving the same community (Correct answer)
- It prevents newspapers from purchasing television networks
- It prohibits broadcast stations from publishing printed content
Correct answer: It limits common ownership of daily newspapers and broadcast stations serving the same community
The newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule restricts the same owner from controlling a daily newspaper and a broadcast station in the same market.
Question 7: Under the FCC's sponsorship identification rules, which type of content requires the most prominent on-air disclosure?
- Weather forecasts funded by local advertisers
- Political advertising (Correct answer)
- Sports scores sponsored by local businesses
- Public service announcements
Correct answer: Political advertising
Political advertising requires the most prominent sponsorship identification, including who paid for the ad and that it was authorized by the candidate or committee.
NAB Broadcasting Regulations & Industry Standards 3
What is the purpose of the FCC's 'payola' rules under 47 U.S.C. § 317?