Fines Proposed for Radio Station Owner

Federal regulators Wednesday proposed a total of $220,000 in indecency fines against the owner of two Kansas radio stations for broadcasting a “Naked Twister” game with local strippers and graphic interviews with porn stars.

The Federal Communications Commission said the material, which aired during the “Dare and Murphy Show,” was indecent and clearly intended to “pander to and titillate the audience.”

The commission cited four broadcasts during April and May of 2002.

They aired on stations KQRC-FM in Westwood, Kan., and KFH-AM in Wichita, Kan., which are owned by Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based Entercom Communications Corp.

The agency proposed a $27,500 fine -- the maximum allowed at the time -- for each of the four broadcasts by the two stations for a total penalty of $220,000.

The commission said the “Naked Twister” broadcast dwelt on descriptions of female genitalia and breasts in an explicit and graphic manner. Other broadcasts the FCC reviewed included interviews with porn actors Ron Jeremy and Dave Cummings.

The commission also noted Entercom’s history of previous indecent broadcasts. In September 2002, the FCC fined the company $12,000 for broadcasting indecent material on a Seattle station.

No one from Entercom was available for comment Wednesday. A receptionist said management would be out of the office until Jan. 3 and could comment then.

Federal law bars radio and non-cable television stations from airing references to sexual and excretory functions between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., when children are more likely to be listening. The FCC has stepped up enforcement of the anti-indecency statute in recent years as complaints have mounted about a coarsening of the public airwaves.

Entercom shares closed up 17 cents at $35.34 on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday.