Howard Stern Comments Cost Firm $500,000

Four Infinity Broadcasting Corp.-owned radio stations were fined $500,000 on Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission for broadcasting indecent comments by personality Howard Stern.

“The violations were repeated over a substantial period and . . . were egregious,” the FCC said. It did not specify what the offensive comments were.

Stern’s show is syndicated by Infinity. The company previously has been fined $600,000 for previous broadcasts. It has 30 days to respond to the latest charges.

The FCC said the latest infractions occurred between Nov. 10, 1992, and Jan. 13 of this year. Since then, the commission said, Infinity has taken steps to keep indecency off the air during times when such language is prohibited.

The latest fines of $125,000 apiece were against WXRK-FM in New York, WYSP-FM in Philadelphia, WJFK-FM in Manassas, Va., and WJFK-AM in Baltimore.

On Wednesday, the FCC fined KFBI-FM of Pahrump, Nev., $73,750 for carrying the same Stern broadcasts involved in Thursday’s penalties.

Federal law defines indecency as language that “describes, in terms patently offensive, as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory activities and organs.”

Such talk can only be broadcast during night hours, when children are less likely to be listening.

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