*Pages 1--1 from  Microsoft Word - 51363*
 NEWS  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 For  Immediate  Release  News  Media  Contact:  September  2,  2005  Rebecca  Fisher  (202)  418-  2359 
 FCC’s  Media  Bureau  to  Allow  Noncommercial  Educational  Stations  to  Air  Essential  Commercial  Programs  to 
 Victims  of  Hurricane  Katrina 
 Washington,  DC  –  In  order  to  get  essential  information  to  victims  of  Hurricane  Katrina  as  quickly  as  possible,  the  Federal  Communications  Commission’s  Media  Bureau  today  suspended 
 Commission  rules  to  permit  noncommercial  educational  (NCE)  radio  and  television  stations  in  New  Orleans  to  rebroadcast  programming,  including  commercial  matter,  received  from 
 commercial  broadcast  stations  in  a  Public  Notice. 
 This  special  relief  is  designed  to  bring  immediate  life  saving  and  other  important  program  information  to  the  residents  of  New  Orleans  in  the  most  expeditious  manner  possible.  It  is  also 
 intended  to  help  facilitate  the  cooperative  efforts  of  broadcasters  to  disseminate  information  with  the  limited  broadcast  facilities  that  are  currently  operational.  This  authority  expires  on 
 November  1,  2005. 
 Prior  to  this  action,  NCE  stations  in  New  Orleans  were  prohibited  from  broadcasting  promotional  announcements  or  commercial  matter  on  behalf  of  for-  profit  entities. 


 The  item  will  be  available  at  www.  fcc.  gov. 
 --  FCC-- 
 Media  Bureau  Contacts:  Barbara  Kreisman,  Video  Division  418-  1600  Peter  H.  Doyle,  Audio  Division  418-  2700 
1