FCC Enters Consent Decree with KFMB-TV Over Captioning Fine

The FCC has entered into a Consent Decree with Midwest TV, owners of KFMB-TV in San Diego, canceling a $20,000 Notice of Apparent Liability issued after the station was accused of failing to make emergency information available to people with hearing disabilities during the October 2003 wildfire news coverage.

In the decree, KFMB-TV admits no wrongdoing, but would agree to an Emergency Visual Presentation Policy set for staff members that will be overseen by the News Director. The policies require timely Closed Captioning or open captioning of aired emergency information through any means available, including “handwriting on a blackboard.” The decree also requires KFMB-TV to make an $18,000 “voluntary contribution to the U.S. Treasury.”

The FCC also issued NALs to KUSI and KGTV in 2005 of $25,000 and $20,000 respectively. To date, those Notices have not been settled.