NAB Professional Standards & Competencies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A broadcast station running a contest must follow FCC rules requiring it to:
- Register the contest with the FCC at least 30 days in advance
- Fully and accurately disclose all material terms of the contest on-air (Correct answer)
- Award prizes within 30 days of the contest conclusion
- Limit prize value to no more than $5,000 without FCC approval
Correct answer: Fully and accurately disclose all material terms of the contest on-air
FCC contest rules require stations to broadcast all material terms of a contest, including eligibility requirements, entry procedures, and prize descriptions.
Question 2: Which concept describes a broadcaster's duty to give candidates for federal office the opportunity to purchase advertising at the lowest unit rate?
- Lowest Unit Charge (LUC) (Correct answer)
- Equal Opportunities Rule
- Candidate Access Rule
- Reasonable Access Provision
Correct answer: Lowest Unit Charge (LUC)
The Lowest Unit Charge rule requires broadcasters to sell advertising to federal candidates at the lowest rate charged any advertiser for comparable time.
Question 3: Under the Equal Opportunities Rule (Section 315), if a station allows one legally qualified candidate to use its facilities, what must it do?
- Provide free air time to all opposing candidates
- Provide equal opportunity to all other legally qualified candidates for the same office (Correct answer)
- Allow the opposing candidate to appear immediately after
- File an equal opportunity report with the FCC
Correct answer: Provide equal opportunity to all other legally qualified candidates for the same office
Section 315 requires that if a station permits one candidate to use its facilities, it must afford equal opportunities to opposing candidates upon request.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in broadcast operations?
- To provide stations with breaking news feeds from wire services
- To allow the President and authorities to alert the public to emergencies (Correct answer)
- To coordinate programming schedules during natural disasters
- To automatically switch stations to public affairs programming during crises
Correct answer: To allow the President and authorities to alert the public to emergencies
EAS allows the President to communicate with the public during national emergencies, and also enables state/local authorities to issue area-specific alerts.
Question 5: A station's license renewal application is filed on FCC Form 2100. When must commercial radio and TV stations file for license renewal?
- Every 5 years on a fixed national schedule
- Every 7 years, four months before expiration
- Every 8 years, four months before expiration (Correct answer)
- Every 10 years, six months before expiration
Correct answer: Every 8 years, four months before expiration
Under current FCC rules, commercial broadcast licenses have 8-year terms and renewal applications must be filed four months before the expiration date.
Question 6: In broadcast journalism ethics, the term 'source confidentiality' refers to a journalist's practice of:
- Encrypting digital news files before transmission
- Protecting the identity of a source who provides information on condition of anonymity (Correct answer)
- Keeping government security briefings off the record
- Avoiding disclosure of story topics before air date
Correct answer: Protecting the identity of a source who provides information on condition of anonymity
Source confidentiality is the ethical and sometimes legal obligation to protect the identity of anonymous news sources who provide information under a promise of anonymity.
Question 7: A broadcast news director discovers that a reporter fabricated quotes in a story that has already aired. Following professional standards, the news director should FIRST:
- Quietly correct the online version without on-air acknowledgment
- Immediately retract the story on-air and inform the public of the error (Correct answer)
- Consult with station legal counsel before taking any public action
- Contact the subjects of the story to negotiate a private resolution
Correct answer: Immediately retract the story on-air and inform the public of the error
Professional broadcast journalism standards require prompt, transparent on-air correction of errors, especially fabrications, to maintain public trust and credibility.
NAB Professional Standards & Competencies 3
A broadcast station running a contest must follow FCC rules requiring it to: