Many public
broadcasting station General Managers ask the Public Media Consulting Group questions
about the requirements in the public broadcasting provisions of the
Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the Act), the Community Service Grant (CSG) General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria,
and the Financial Reporting Guidelines for the Annual Financial Report
(AFR).
Here are some of the most commonly asked questions:
Q: Does my station have to do an on-air announcement for every open meeting?
A: No. The station does not have to make an on-air announcement about each specific public meeting, but the station must announce all meetings open to the public under the Act in one (1) of four (4) ways: posting a notice on the station’s website; broadcasting an on-air announcement between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.; placing notice in the “Legal Notices” section of a local newspaper in general circulation in the station’s primary coverage area; or giving notice through a recorded announcement on the station’s telephone system. The notice must be given at least seven (7) days advance notice of an open meeting.
Q: Does posting the most recent audited financial statement on the station’s website, as required by the CSG General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria, completely satisfy the Act’s open financial records requirement?
A: No. CPB requires a station to post its most recent audited financial statements and AFR on its website.
Q: Does any member of the public have the right to demand that the station allow them to serve on the Community Advisory Board?
A: No. While the station must certify that its Community Advisory Board is reasonably representative of the communities served by the station, the exact method for how the Community Advisory Board members are selected is left to the station’s discretion.
Q: My station is a Radio CSG grantee. Do I need to have different account codes for my restricted and unrestricted Radio CSG funds in my accounting system?
A: Yes. Both the restricted and unrestricted Radio CSG funds need to be assigned unique account code identifiers for recording CSG revenue and expense transactions in the accounting system. Ultimately, the station needs to be able to generate a report from its accounting system that shows all restricted CSG revenues and expenses, and separately shows all unrestricted revenues and expenses.
Here are some of the most commonly asked questions:
Q: Does my station have to do an on-air announcement for every open meeting?
A: No. The station does not have to make an on-air announcement about each specific public meeting, but the station must announce all meetings open to the public under the Act in one (1) of four (4) ways: posting a notice on the station’s website; broadcasting an on-air announcement between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.; placing notice in the “Legal Notices” section of a local newspaper in general circulation in the station’s primary coverage area; or giving notice through a recorded announcement on the station’s telephone system. The notice must be given at least seven (7) days advance notice of an open meeting.
Q: Does posting the most recent audited financial statement on the station’s website, as required by the CSG General Provisions and Eligibility Criteria, completely satisfy the Act’s open financial records requirement?
A: No. CPB requires a station to post its most recent audited financial statements and AFR on its website.
Q: Does any member of the public have the right to demand that the station allow them to serve on the Community Advisory Board?
A: No. While the station must certify that its Community Advisory Board is reasonably representative of the communities served by the station, the exact method for how the Community Advisory Board members are selected is left to the station’s discretion.
Q: My station is a Radio CSG grantee. Do I need to have different account codes for my restricted and unrestricted Radio CSG funds in my accounting system?
A: Yes. Both the restricted and unrestricted Radio CSG funds need to be assigned unique account code identifiers for recording CSG revenue and expense transactions in the accounting system. Ultimately, the station needs to be able to generate a report from its accounting system that shows all restricted CSG revenues and expenses, and separately shows all unrestricted revenues and expenses.