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 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).  FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE 
 CONTACT:  Rudy  Brioché:  (202)  418-  2300  e-  mail:  rudy.  brioche@  fcc.  gov 
 March  8,  2006 
 STATEMENT  OF  FCC  COMMISSIONER  ADELSTEIN  ON  NEW  YORK  ATTORNEY  GENERAL  LAWSUIT  AGAINST  ENTERCOM 


 In  response  to  NYAG  Elliot  Spitzer’s  recently  announced  lawsuit  against  Entercom  Communications  Corp.,  Commissioner  Jonathan  Adelstein  said, 
 “The  New  York  Attorney  General  investigation  is  piling  evidence  on  top  of  evidence  of  the  widespread  abuse  of  the  public  trust.  Given  the 
 voluminous  documents  pointing  to  major,  systematic  violations  of  FCC  rules,  the  penalties  should  be  commensurate  with  the  crime.  We 
 can't  let  any  violators  get  away  with  a  slap  on  the  wrist.” 
 On  August  8,  2005,  the  FCC  launched  its  own  investigation  into  music  industry  payola  practices.  http://  hraunfoss.  fcc.  gov/  edocs_  public/  attachmatch/  DOC-  260446A1.  pdf. 
 Commissioner  Adelstein  strongly  encouraged  this  investigation.  http://  hraunfoss.  fcc.  gov/  edocs_  public/  attachmatch/  DOC-  260453A1.  pdf 


 Commissioner  Adelstein  has  challenged  the  entertainment  industry  to  reform  its  practices,  and  he  openly  called  for  the  American  public  to  help  the  FCC  in  monitoring 
 and  enforcing  the  rules  against  airing  undisclosed  promotions,  including  VNRs  and  product  placements  (http://  hraunfoss.  fcc.  gov/  edocs_  public/  attachmatch/  DOC-258962A1. 
 pdf). 
 At  the  urging  of  Commissioner  Adelstein,  the  Commission  issued  a  unanimous  Public  Notice  on  Video  News  Releases  and  a  fact  sheet  on  payola.  In  the  Notice,  the  FCC 
 said  the  payola  rules  “are  grounded  in  the  principle  that  listeners  and  viewers  are  entitled  to  know  who  seeks  to  persuade  them  with  the  programming.” 
 (http://  hraunfoss.  fcc.  gov/  edocs_  public/  attachmatch/  FCC-  05-  84A1.  doc)  (http://  www.  fcc.  gov/  cgb/  consumerfacts/  PayolaRules.  html). 


 -  FCC  - 


 News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov 
 TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
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