58 Texas Stations on FCC’s EEO Target List

- Paperwork Miscue Could Lead to Fines

The FCC has released its latest EEO Audit Notice targeting 400 Radio and TV stations across the country - including 58 in Texas - for review of compliance with the FCC's onerous reporting framework that could lead to costly fines for stations that fail to properly respond.

Stations listed in the audit notice and their station employment units (commonly owned stations serving the same area) have until October 20 to upload to their online public files at the FCC their last two years of EEO Annual Public File Reports and documents showing that the stations followed the commission's rules.

The notice explains that responses to questions addressing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues must be emailed directly to FCC staff who will review audit responses and ask for more information if needed but will not inform audited stations whether their EEO performance was found satisfactory.

TAB's EEO Recordkeeping Service: Broadcast1Source

TAB members can simplify their EEO recordkeeping with Broadcast1Source, a web portal for stations to track their compliance with the FCC's EEO regulations and quickly post their EEO public files to their websites.

The service requires a subscription fee which is heavily discounted because TAB pays a license fee directly to the firm on behalf of member stations.

Features:

• Job templates to minimize redundancy in job postings
• "Blind Job" postings
• An alert system to inform users (by e-mail and/or fax) of upcoming EEO Public File deadlines, reminders to notify jobs, etc.
• EEO Public File creation in a new and condensed format, with options to download and/or ePIF to website
• Self-audits with detailed reports to assess the station's level of compliance with the FCC's EEO regulations
• Custom lists for job notifications by market, region or on a national level
• Direct access to new and updated FCC forms
• Option to subscribe to ePIF management
• Use of the Broadcast1Source fax server to create and send a range of other faxes to any contacts you import into the web portal

BROADCAST1SOURCE DETAILS

Attorney David Oxenford with Wilkinson Barker Knauer, a TAB Associate Member, provides more detail on EEO audits and how seriously the FCC takes broadcasters EEO obligations in his Broadcast Law Blog here. See, too, his article here about the FCC's 2025 EEO audit that first included the questions that target DEI practices).

Questions? Contact Oscar Rodriguez or call (512) 322-9944.