RADIO

The Federal Communications Commission, in an effort to expand local radio programming for rural America, proposed Wednesday to let about 1,600 daytime-only AM stations operate at night at reduced power. The FCC also said it plans to stop issuing licenses for new daytime-only stations. The proposals follow a series of actions in which the commission has tried to make daytimers more competitive and better able to serve their local communities. The stations affected are those on the clear and regional channels, which are the frequencies of the largest AM stations that operate at 50,000 watts.