As we expected, the FCC has set the date for the filing of the newly revised Ownership Reports on the revised FCC Form 323.  All commercial broadcast stations nationwide will need to file by December 15, according to the Public Notice released today.  According to the Public Notice, the Form will be available in the FCC’s CDBS electronic filing system by approximately November 16, and licensees can start to file as soon as the form is available.  The new report replaces the biennial ownership reports that had been filed every two years on the anniversary date of the filing of a station’s license renewal.  Now, there will be a single nationwide filing deadline of November 1 every other year.  The revised form is intended to give the Commission greater information about broadcast station owners, so that the Commission can better evaluate the status of diversity in broadcast ownership (see our post here for more information).

The FCC promises a Frequently Asked Questions website on the new form, to be available in the near future.  Watch for it, and be prepared to file by December 15.