The Federal Communications Commission has granted a short-term renewal of the license for a low power FM station in Wilmington, NC operated by the Ave Maria Radio Association. The decision is part of a consent decree resolving an investigation into whether the Ave Maria Radio association unlawfully ceded control of the programming on WBPL-LP (93.1).
The Media Bureau found that after acquiring the license from Archangel Gabriel Radio Association in 2015, Ave Maria entered into an affiliate agreement that gave Archangel the exclusive right to select and supply all programming for the station, which aired without alteration around the clock. The Bureau determined as part of the three-year investigation that this arrangement the Commission’s rules prohibiting unauthorized transfers of control.
Under the consent decree, Ave Maria Radio Association acknowledged the violation, agreed to implement a compliance plan, and will pay a $2,000 fine. In return, the FCC approved WBPL-LP’s license renewal for just one year, rather than the standard eight-year term. The license will now expire on August 20, 2026, with a renewal application due by April 1, 2026…