Did the FCC ever actually require that radio and TV stations play the National Anthem at Sign on and Sign off?
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Did the FCC ever require this?
- Thread starter johnbasalla
- Start date
To the best of my knowledge, they did not.
I know that since 1978 it has not been required and believe it was never required.
I think the use of the National Anthem at sign on and sign off might have been partly a reflection of societal norms and a carryover from World War II. I was told by a broadcaster that was on the air during WWII that stations had to do a legal ID every 30 minutes. There seemed to be a fear that there could be stations beamed to the USA that supported the enemy and the legal IDs would let listeners know what they were hearing. In addition, virtually all stations played the National Anthem at sign on and sign off in the decades following because the public simply expected it. In school we said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. It was more a reflection of society at that point.
I suspect that as more stations went 24/7, the National Anthem became less important for stations to air at sign on and sign off although some 24/7 stations played the National Anthem once a day, sometimes at Midnight.
I think the use of the National Anthem at sign on and sign off might have been partly a reflection of societal norms and a carryover from World War II. I was told by a broadcaster that was on the air during WWII that stations had to do a legal ID every 30 minutes. There seemed to be a fear that there could be stations beamed to the USA that supported the enemy and the legal IDs would let listeners know what they were hearing. In addition, virtually all stations played the National Anthem at sign on and sign off in the decades following because the public simply expected it. In school we said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. It was more a reflection of society at that point.
I suspect that as more stations went 24/7, the National Anthem became less important for stations to air at sign on and sign off although some 24/7 stations played the National Anthem once a day, sometimes at Midnight.
Nope. In fact, during the 50's and even into the 70's quite a few southern stations signed on and off with "Dixie".
As previously observed, the practices were more societal than regulatory.
K
K.M. Richards
Guest
At one point in time, it was every 15.
The requirement dropped to hourly sometime in the mid-1970s, IIRC.
Well into the '70s, KTBS Shreveport was signing off with this amazing video, set to Mickey Newbury's "American Trilogy" (better known as an Elvis show-stopper):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWECKDBIbzc
Yeah, that'd wake 'em up!
Pretty sure I remember one of the Boston or Providence TV stations using the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's rendition of "America the Beautiful" at signoff instead of the anthem back in the '60s.
I believe the requirement dropped to every three hours by the mid-70s. The main station I worked for did them every two hours, as to not miss any. I can't remember anyone doing it every hour and I started in 1973 but it's been a long time.
We used that at our wedding to get everyone off the stage after the ceremony. It was Independence Day, which has a certain irony to it.
In the 50's and 60's the ID requirement was every half-hour. By around 1972 (IIRC) it was changed to every hour, with a more flexible window "at a natural break" and it has remained at once per hour since then.
Looking at my copy of the 1939 FCC rules, I find that 36a 3.406 says "A licensee of a standard of high-frequency broadcast station shall make station identification (call letters and location) at the beginning and ending of each time of operation and during operation(1) on the hour and (2) either on the half hour or at the the quarter hour following the hour and at the quarter hour preceding the next hour. "
It goes on to specify that identifications would not be required were they to interrupt a program such as a speech, play or symphony. In such cases, the ID goes at the first appropriate interruption.
I think you might be confusing this with the requirement to log transmitter readings. As far back as the '70s, we never took them on the quarter-hour (would have missed a lot of them). They were done on the half hour though. The requirement was progressively relaxed until the most recent rules, where you don't have to log anything, but you do need to be prepared to demonstrate your (remote) meters are accurate and the station is operating within tolerance.
Frequency and modulation used to be monitored by rule. Today, you don't have to have monitors at all, but you're in hot water if you get caught being out of tolerance and don't know it. Generally, that only happens in the rare case of equipment failure or if someone adjusts something they shouldn't. Recently, I serviced an AM transmitter that was off-carrier by 270 hz. You're allowed +/- 20. The station didn't know it and only found out when a local ham told them. Still, it's the first time I've seen anything that far off in nearly 50 years.
As for the National Anthem: From the'70s forward, running it was completely optional. I would also be interested to know there was ever a rule in this regard. I've never been in a conversation that suggested there was.
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I worked a couple of stations that had you take transmitter readings hourly. These were non-directional AMs. In each case the owner knew we'd sometimes forget, that if a problem was happening we could discover it quicker and they felt hourly readings in lieu to every 3 hours showed the FCC the station was run by an owner that was serious about being a good broadcaster. Neither aired the National Anthem when I worked for them, just a 15 to 20 second sign on and sign off.
I remember that as well. One of the stations I worked for kept the hourly readings, feeling we we'd be more likely to forget them altogether if we did them every 3 hours... and we probably would have.
As for going out of your way to be a "good broadcaster", I don't know that playing the national anthem, taking multiple readings or doing station IDs more often than necessary would have made much difference in an FCC proceeding, where lawyers and printed rules drive a debate.
I am so sorry! I read only KM's post and leaped to the conclusion he was referring to transmitter readings, forgetting momentarily what the thread was about. Yes, it was once an hour by the mid-70s but the main station I worked for continued to do them every half hour for quite a few years after that.
True about the legalese of the FCC but when you get the visit and go beyond the minimum, the FCC tends not to look quite as hard at everything and be a bit more lenient if you might have slipped up somewhere as in telling you how to correct it versus slapping a fine on the station...at least that's my experience.
That's probably reasonable, to an extent. I've always compared random FCC visits to a restaurant, getting an inspection from the health department. With a radio station, having up-to-date public file and EAS logs goes a long ways toward making the rest of the visit more informative and educational. They can see you're making the effort. Same with a restaurant. Have your temperatures and sanitation in line and the inspections are generally friendly. If those things are not taken care of however, it can be a long day!
(sarcasm here)... I doubt a station, running overpower, with no EAS logs, a defective remote control and an out-of-date public file would get anywhere by pointing out they play the national anthem twice daily...
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