NBA TO OFFER COMPLIMENTARY WEBCAST

Navigating the FCC's EEO Rules

Brendan Holland, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

10 AM - 12 Noon

The FCC's current Equal Employment Opportunity rules have been in place for nearly seven years, but now is not the time for broadcasters to coast on auto-pilot.  With annual EEO public file reports due for stations in Nevada  and the next broadcast station license renewal cycle just around the corner, stations need to make sure that they are familiar with the FCC's EEO rules and are taking all the steps necessary to ensure that they stay out of trouble.  EEO continues to be a hot issue for the FCC, and one that draws many fines from the Commission, both at license renewal time and in connection with the ongoing random EEO audits that the FCC conducts several times a year.

With the changes in ownership, personnel, and hiring efforts that inevitably occur at Nevada stations over time, it is important that station owners, managers, and hiring personnel are on top of the FCC's rules.  We have accepted an invitation from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters who will provide a primer on the FCC's Equal Employment Opportunity rules.  The NBA will fully subsidize this webcast.  Among the highlights of the two hour session will be: (1) outreach required for the opening of jobs at the stations; (2) the non-vacancy related activities that stations should be engaging in; (3) and the record keeping requirements to make sure you keep all the necessary documents to support what the station did.  The goal of the session is to refresh your understanding of the rules, provide insight into the FCC's enforcement, guidance in the past few years, and highlight some common pitfalls.

About The Speaker:

Brendan Holland is a communications attorney with the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP in Washington, DC.  He has been involved with broadcast stations and the broadcasting industry for over a decade. His practice primarily involves the representation of television and radio broadcasters before the Federal Communications Commission and encompasses all aspects of FCC regulatory practice, including rule making proceedings, licensing issues, auctions, transfers, and hearings and adjudications.  He regularly counsels stations regarding compliance with the FCC's indecency rules,DTV, EEO, sponsorship identification, payola, and children's television programming rules, among many others.  Mr. Holland represents broadcast clients before the FCC with respect to spectrum auctions, contested mergers, digital television transition issues, and radio and television licensing matters.  In addition, Mr. Holland has also represented clients before the Commission with respect to wireless services, unlicensed devices, and broadband over powerline systems.  Mr. Holland is also a contributor to DWT's BroadcastLawBlog.com, which chronicles issues relevant to the broadcast industry, including FCC actions, copyright issues, and industry news.

Registration Procedure:

Please contact Adam Sandler at the NBA office (702-794-4994 or adam@nevadabroadcasters.org to register.  This is a great learning opportunity provided to stations at no cost.