WSCA Station Handbook and Training Manual - Prometheus Radio ...

conform to the standards the FCC has seen fit to set for us. That means, by association, that every radio
Programmer is bound by these rules, whether we like them or not.
Additionally, Portsmouth Community Radio may implement its own “House Rules” to follow. These are
set as seen fit by the committees and Board of Directors of the station to reflect the values of the
community served by WSCA‐LP. In the event that a Programmer disagrees with any station rule or
policy, thoughtful and respectful discourse on the matter is encouraged. Please keep in mind again,
though, that the station ultimately belongs to the community as a whole, not the individuals on‐air at any
given time.
Federal policy on indecency is complicated, nebulous, subjective, and REACTIONARY. There is not a
paid government employee in Washington D.C. tuned into and screening Portsmouth Community Radio
24 hours a day, ready to pay us a visit if we violate any law. There are, however, over 60,000 individuals
who can tune in at any time of any day, and all it would take is one phone call to the FCC from one of
them for any reason, and WSCA‐LP could be paralyzed.
Please see the “Introduction to Indecency,” prepared by Garvey Schubert Barer and made available
through the National Federation of Community Broadcasters which is an important part of the third
training module. A clear explanation of FCC regulations, accompanied by person‐to‐person discussion,
is an important part of the WSCA training program. Any questions regarding these regulations should be
relayed to your DJ/trainer, the Training Department, or another Department Head. An infraction of FCC
rules leading to FCC action would jeopardize the operating license of the station. To jeopardize the
station is not an option.
The FCC considers a broadcast to be “indecent” if it contains “language or material that, in context, depicts or
describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or
excretory activities or organs.”
9
IX. STUDIO ETIQUETTE AND PROTOCOL
Food and Drink: There is a strip of tape on the studio floor, which
you may respectfully think of from now on as a Line of Death. On
the inside of this line –between the line and the studio equipment –
no liquid may pass. Thousands of dollars worth of equipment, as
well as the heartfelt efforts of well over one hundred volunteers
from all over have gone into putting this studio together. DON’T
SPILL!!!
There is Absolutely no food allowed in the studio. Water is
the only liquid allowed in the studio at any time, whether you or
anyone else are broadcasting live or not, and only OUTSIDE of the
line. And, no, liquids which contain water do not count as water.
On that note: it’s a good idea to bring in your own water
supply for your time at the station. The plumbing may be improved
someday, but until then…
Booze & Drugs: The use of alcohol and/or other mood-altering
controlled substances is strictly forbidden by Programmers and
any guests and/or visitors to the station. Furthermore, the
Engineering on the job.