*Pages 1--2 from Microsoft Word - 24396.doc* Federal Communications Commission DA 03- 85 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D. C. 20554 In the Matter of ) ) Amendment of Section 73.622( b), ) MB Docket No. 02- 281 Table of Allotments, ) RM- 10563 Digital Television Broadcast Stations. ) (Macon, Georgia) ) REPORT AND ORDER (Proceeding Terminated) Adopted: January 13, 2003 Released: January 17, 2003 By the Chief, Video Division: 1. At the request of Macon Urban Ministries, Inc. d/ b/ a Good News Television (“ Good News”), licensee of station WGNM, Macon, Georgia, the Commission has before it the Notice of Proposed Rule Making, 17 FCC Rcd 17199 (2002), proposing the substitution of DTV channel 45 for WGNM’s DTV channel 50. Good News filed comments. No other comments were received. 2. Good News filed comments stating that adoption of its channel substitution proposal will eliminate the potential for interference to four NTSC and DTV channel allotments. 1 Good News also asserts that the allotment of DTV channel 45 will remove the mutual exclusivity between its current DTV channel 50 and a pending application for DTV channel 51 at Cordele, Georgia. Furthermore, Good News claims that its operation on DTV channel 45 will enable station WGNM to increase its DTV service area to include 89,848 more people, a gain of 14.4%. 2. We believe the public interest would be served by allotting DTV channel 45 in lieu of DTV channel 50 since it will enable station WGNM to eliminate the potential for interference to a number of NTSC and DTV channel allotments. DTV channel 45 can be allotted to Macon, Georgia, as proposed, in compliance with the principle community coverage requirement of Section 73.625( a) at coordinates 32- 45- 51 N. and 83- 33- 32 W. In addition, we find that this channel is acceptable under the 2 percent criterion for de minimis impact that is applied in evaluating requests for modification of initial DTV allotments under Section 73.623( c)( 2) for Station WGNM- DT with the following specifications: DTV DTV power Antenna DTV Service State & City Channel (kW) HAAT (m) Pop. (thous.) GA Macon 45 1000 223 608 1 Those channel allotments include; NTSC channel 50 at Opelika, Alabama, DTV channel 50 at Bainbridge, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama, and DTV channel 51 at Cordele, Georgia. 1 Federal Communications Commission DA 03- 85 2 3. Accordingly, pursuant to the authority contained in Sections 4( i), 5( c)( 1), 303( g) and (r) and 307( b) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, and Sections 0.61, 0.204( b) and 0.283 of the Commission's Rules, IT IS ORDERED, That effective March 3, 2003, the DTV Table of Allotments, Section 73.622( b) of the Commission's Rules, IS AMENDED, with respect to the community listed below, to read as follows: City Channel No. Macon, Georgia 4, 16, 40, 45 4. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, That within 45 days of the effective date of this Order, Macon Urban Ministries, Inc. shall submit to the Commission a minor change application for a construction permit (FCC Form 301) specifying DTV Channel 45 in lieu of DTV Channel 50 for station WGNM- DT. 5. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, That this proceeding IS TERMINATED. 6. For further information concerning this proceeding, contact Pam Blumenthal, Media Bureau, (202) 418- 1600. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Barbara A. Kreisman Chief, Video Division Media Bureau 2