Mid-Term Self-Identification

On February 15, 2019, the Commission released a Report and Order (“Order”), MB Docket No. 18-23, FCC 19-10; In the Matter of Elimination of Obligation to File Broadcast Mid-Term Report (Form 397) Under Section 73.2080(f)(2). The Order eliminated the provision of Section 73.2080(f)(2) which required broadcast stations to file Form 397 and replaced it with a technological approach designed to be more efficient and less burdensome to licensees. When uploading EEO public file reports to the Commission’s Online Public Inspection File (OPIF), broadcast radio and Satellite Digital Audio Radio Services (SDARS) licensees will be prompted to answer “Yes” or “No” to indicate whether they have eleven or more full-time employees, which is the threshold number of employees triggering a mid-term review for radio and SDARS employment units. All television stations uploading an EEO public file report to the OPIF are necessarily subject to a mid-term review because the requisite staff size for both obligations is five full-time employees for television employment units. Thus, the very act of posting the report to the OPIF will be sufficient to identify television stations subject to the mid-term review.

The latest form for Mid-Term Self-Identification expires 2027-05-31 and can be found here.