KRLA vs. the FCC

FCC Year of Crisis

Hiring John Barrett to manage station direction with his community-minded agenda fit in nicely with attempts to placate the FCC too. During 1962 and 1963 the FCC set several deadlines for KRLA to go off the air, but petitions from the station's legal team provided a bridge to other options.

KRLA lawyers suggested an interim licensing proposal in 1964, one where eighty percent of station profits would be donated to educational television in Los Angeles and twenty percent to other charities.

Another element of attraction for the FCC: the proposed interim application would be managed by Oak Knoll Broadcasting -- this was a direct suggestion from John Barrett -- which would be made up of a conglomeration of individuals who had no interest in managing the station permanently.

This was a temporary solution but it gave everyone some breathing room. Another handy side-effect: the frequency of 1110 kiloHertz would remain in the hands of the FCC rather than be vacated by KRLA if it was forced to shut down completely. According to Donald Beem's report the FCC was concerned that Mexican station XERB might increase its power and render the radio frequency unusable for future domestic stations. The frequency of 1110 was safe if KRLA was allowed to remain operational.

Next chapter: Good news