The Federal Communications Commission has fined a low-power TV station $60,000 for palming off paid appearances as news appearances, violating the agency’s sponsorship identification rules.
The FCC’s Media Bureau entered into a consent decree earlier this month with Reynolds Media over segments in what was purported to be a news and public affairs program on Reynolds Media’s K26GS-D Harrison, Arkansas.
Broadcasters must disclose on-air the sponsors of any paid programming, but according to the FCC, various political candidates and spokespeople for commercial entities paid to be interviewed on the show were not identified as such.
“When broadcasters air paid-for programming without disclosing the program’s sponsor, they can mislead the public,” the FCC said.
The FCC said that Reynolds sold ad packages in the show — Down on the Corner, subsequently renamed The Morning Show — which included candidate or spokesperson interviews. The show aired twice daily.
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