Sec. 73.1350  Transmission system operation.

    (a) Each licensee is responsible for maintaining and operating its 
broadcast station in a manner which complies with the technical rules 
set forth elsewhere in this part and in accordance with the terms of the 
station authorization.
    (b) The licensee must designate a chief operator in accordance with 
Sec. 73.1870. The licensee may designate one or more technically 
competent persons to adjust the transmitter operating parameters for 
compliance with the technical rules and the station authorization.
    (1) Persons so authorized by the licensee may make such adjustments 
directly at the transmitter site or by using control equipment at an 
off-site location.
    (2) The transmitter control personnel must have the capability to 
turn the transmitter off at all times. If the personnel are at a remote 
location, the control system must provide this capability continuously 
or must include an alternate method of acquiring control that can 
satisfy the requirement of paragraph (d) of this section that operation 
be terminated within 3 minutes.
    (c) The licensee must establish monitoring procedures and schedules 
for the station and the indicating instruments employed must comply with 
Sec. 73.1215.
    (1) Monitoring procedures and schedules must enable the licensee to 
determine compliance with Sec. 73.1560 regarding operating power and AM 
station mode of operation, Sec. 73.1570 regarding modulation levels, 
and, where applicable, Sec. 73.1213 regarding antenna tower lighting, 
and Sec. 73.69 regarding the parameters of an AM directional antenna 
system.
    (2) Monitoring equipment must be periodically calibrated so as to 
provide reliable indications of transmitter operating parameters with a 
known degree of accuracy. Errors inherent in monitoring equipment and 
the calibration procedure must be taken into account when adjusting 
operating parameters to ensure that the limits imposed by the technical 
rules and the station authorization are not exceeded.
    (d) In the event that a broadcast station is operating in a manner 
that is not in compliance with the technical rules set forth elsewhere 
in this part or the terms of the station authorization, and the 
condition is not listed in paragraph (e) of this section, broadcast 
operation must be terminated within three hours.
    (1) Examples of conditions that require termination of operation 
include excessive power or excessive modulation.

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    (2) Additional examples for AM stations are any mode of operation 
not specified by the station license for the pertinent time of day or 
hours of operation and any condition of antenna parameters or monitoring 
points out of the tolerances specified elsewhere in this part or by the 
station's instrument of authorization. For these conditions, operation 
must be terminated within three minutes unless antenna input power is 
reduced sufficiently to eliminate any excess radiation.
    (3) For AM stations using directional arrays, additional procedures 
apply when array operating parameters are at variance, monitoring points 
exceed specified limits, or authorized directional mode capability is 
lost. See Sec. 73.62, Directional antenna system tolerances; 
Sec. 73.158, Directional antenna monitoring points; and Sec. 73.1680(b), 
Emergency antennas.
    (e) If a broadcast station is operating in a manner that is not in 
compliance with one of the following technical rules, operation may 
continue if the station complies with relevant alternative provisions in 
the specified rule section.
    (1) AM directional antenna system tolerances, see Sec. 73.62;
    (2) AM directional antenna monitoring points, see Sec. 73.158;
    (3) TV visual waveform, see Sec. 73.691(b);
    (4) Reduced power operation, see Sec. 73.1560(d);
    (5) Reduced modulation level, see Sec. 73.1570(a);
    (6) Emergency antennas, see Sec. 73.1680.
    (f) The transmission system must be maintained and inspected in 
accordance with Sec. 73.1580.
    (g) Whenever a transmission system control point is established at a 
location other than at the main studio or transmitter, notification of 
that location must be sent to the FCC in Washington, D.C. within 3 days 
of the initial use of that point. This notification is not required if 
responsible station personnel can be contacted at the transmitter or 
studio site during hours of operation.
    (h) The licensee must ensure that the station is operated in 
compliance with Part 11 of this chapter, the rules governing the 
Emergency Alert System (EAS).

[ 60 FR 55481 , Nov. 1, 1995]