Guides
Facts from the FCC’s rules and published sources, with a link to each.
The Quarterly Issues/Programs List: a complete guide
What the FCC’s Quarterly Issues/Programs List is, which stations need one, what it must include, deadlines, format, an example, common mistakes and recent fines.
Free Issues/Programs List template
A free Quarterly Issues/Programs List template: fill it in on this page and print or save it as a PDF, or download a printable PDF with the fields the FCC’s rule asks for.
Issues/Programs List due dates for 2026, 2027 and 2028
Every Quarterly Issues/Programs List due date for 2026, 2027 and 2028, with deadlines that fall on a weekend or federal holiday moved to the next business day.
Radio license renewal 2027–2030: dates and checklist
When radio licenses expire in the 2027–2030 renewal cycle, when each state’s renewal applications are due under FCC rule 73.3539, and what to check in the public file first.
Public inspection file checklist for radio stations
What goes in a commercial radio station’s FCC Online Public Inspection File under 47 CFR 73.3526, folder by folder, with the timing rules that come up most.
FCC public file fines: what late or missing lists have cost
The FCC’s $10,000 base forfeiture for public file violations, and recent consent decrees over late or missing Quarterly Issues/Programs Lists, often found at license renewal.