W10BM

W10BM was a low-power television station associated with Morehead, Kentucky, United States. It operated on VHF channel 10 and was authorized for a comparatively small technical service area under low-power television rules. The station's licensed parameters called for 18 watts of effective radiated power from an antenna approximately 30 meters, or 98 feet, above ground level. Its listed licensee was Vearl Pennington, using a post-office-box address in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. The station's regulatory history began with an amended construction permit granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by December 4, 1987. The FCC subsequently issued a license on March 29, 1990. That authorization was not maintained indefinitely: the station's license renewal expired on August 1, 1998. In 2004, the FCC attempted to establish whether the station remained eligible to continue operating. A letter sent on April 27, 2004, warned that the W10BM authorization, together with the authorization for W06BC in Mount Sterling, would be cancelled unless the FCC received a response. After no response was received, the FCC sent another letter on October 18, 2004, stating that both station licenses had been cancelled. Despite the cancellation of its authorization, W10BM continued to operate years later. The FCC treated the post-cancellation operation as unauthorized or pirate broadcasting. On May 12, 2017, the agency issued a monetary forfeiture of $144,344 against operators Vearl Pennington and Michael Williamson for continuing to operate the station after its license had been cancelled. The forfeiture was upheld on January 28, 2019. W10BM also remained available through local Spectrum cable systems for a period after the FCC action. Spectrum removed the channel from its local systems on February 23, 2022. The station's later status is described in the context of the FCC's nationwide transition away from analog television: any continued use of an analog transmitter after the FCC's July 13, 2021, deadline for ending all analog television operations would have represented an additional regulatory violation. W10BM is therefore best understood as a defunct local broadcast identity rather than an active licensed television station.

W10BM was established as a low-power television operation serving Morehead, Kentucky, on VHF channel 10. The FCC granted an amended construction permit by December 4, 1987, allowing the station to proceed under low-power broadcast authorization. Its technical facilities were modest, with licensed operation specified at 18 watts and an antenna height of approximately 30 meters above ground level. The station's city of license was Morehead, while its licensee, Vearl Pennington, was associated with a post-office-box address in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. The FCC granted W10BM a license on March 29, 1990. The station consequently became an authorized low-power television outlet, although its small transmitter and local designation distinguished it from larger commercial network affiliates. Its service model centered on terrestrial local television, with later distribution also taking place through local Spectrum cable systems. W10BM's authorization became inactive when its license renewal expired on August 1, 1998. The station did not successfully resolve the renewal issue. In an effort to clarify the status of the authorization, the FCC sent a letter on April 27, 2004, to the Mount Sterling post-office-box address connected with the station. The letter warned that W10BM, along with W06BC in Mount Sterling, would be cancelled if the agency did not receive a response. A second letter, dated October 18, 2004, stated that no response had been received and that both station licenses had been cancelled. The cancellation did not end all activity associated with W10BM. The station continued transmitting years after its authorization had ended, and the FCC later treated the operation as unauthorized pirate broadcasting. On May 12, 2017, the agency imposed a $144,344 forfeiture on Vearl Pennington and Michael Williamson. The enforcement action concerned continued operation of W10BM despite the cancellation of its license. The FCC upheld the forfeiture on January 28, 2019, confirming the regulatory consequences of operating the station without a valid authorization. The station remained available on local Spectrum systems for a period, giving it a distribution channel beyond any over-the-air signal. Spectrum removed W10BM from its local lineups on February 23, 2022. The station's continuing status was also affected by the FCC's deadline of July 13, 2021, for the end of all analog television operations. If W10BM was still transmitting through its analog facilities after that date, such operation would have conflicted with the FCC's analog-transmission rules. W10BM is now regarded as defunct: its license had been cancelled, its operators had been subject to an upheld FCC forfeiture, and its documented cable carriage had ended.

• 2022

  Spectrum carriage ended

  [1]W10BMen.wikipedia.org

  Local Spectrum systems dropped W10BM on February 23.

• 2019

  Forfeiture upheld

  [1]W10BMen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC upheld the monetary forfeiture on January 28.

• 2017

  FCC issued a $144,344 forfeiture

  [1]W10BMen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC fined Vearl Pennington and Michael Williamson for continuing to operate W10BM after its authorization had been cancelled.

• 2004

  FCC cancelled the station license

  [1]W10BMen.wikipedia.org

  After receiving no response to its correspondence, the FCC stated on October 18 that W10BM's license, along with W06BC's, had been cancelled.

• 1998

  License renewal expired

  [1]W10BMen.wikipedia.org

  W10BM's license renewal expired on August 1, beginning the station's prolonged unresolved authorization status.

• 1990

  Broadcast license issued

  [1]W10BMen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC issued W10BM a license on March 29, allowing authorized operation on VHF channel 10.

• 1987

  Amended construction permit granted

  [1]W10BMen.wikipedia.org

  The FCC had granted an amended construction permit for W10BM by December 4, authorizing development of the low-power Morehead, Kentucky, television facility.

A small, locally focused low-power television outlet serving Morehead and surrounding communities in eastern Kentucky. After its FCC authorization was cancelled, the station became associated with unauthorized continued broadcasting rather than a current licensed television operation.

• Low-power television station

  W10BM channel 10

  W10BM's core offering was a low-power television signal on VHF channel 10 serving Morehead, Kentucky. Its licensed technical parameters specified 18 watts at an antenna height of approximately 30 meters. The station was also carried for a period on local Spectrum cable systems. Because the FCC cancelled its license in 2004, later transmission was treated as unauthorized rather than as licensed broadcast service.

• 2017

  Unauthorized post-cancellation broadcasting

  The FCC found that W10BM continued operating after its license had been cancelled and imposed a $144,344 forfeiture against Vearl Pennington and Michael Williamson. The agency upheld the forfeiture in 2019.

  Source

Read more

• 2022

  End of local Spectrum carriageOther

  Background

  W10BM had remained available through local Spectrum cable systems despite its unresolved regulatory status.

  Action taken

  Spectrum removed W10BM from its local systems on February 23, 2022.

  Aftermath

  The station lost its documented cable distribution and is treated as defunct.

  Source

• 2017

  FCC monetary forfeiture for unauthorized operationOther

  Background

  The station continued operating despite the cancellation of its authorization.

  Action taken

  The FCC imposed a $144,344 forfeiture against Vearl Pennington and Michael Williamson.

  Aftermath

  The forfeiture was upheld by the FCC on January 28, 2019.

  FCC forfeiture. $144,344 (2017)

  Source

• 2004

  FCC cancellation of W10BM authorizationOther

  Background

  The station's renewal had expired, and the FCC received no response to correspondence seeking clarification of the station's status.

  Action taken

  The FCC stated that W10BM's license was cancelled on October 18, 2004.

  Aftermath

  W10BM nevertheless continued operating and was later treated as an unlicensed or pirate television station.

  Source

1. 1W10BMen.wikipedia.org
2. 2W10BM station websitetv10morehead.com