Comments are due Sept. 8 on a MusicFIRST Coalition petition for a...

recording artists who have supported creating a performance royalty for terrestrial radio, a public notice said. The notice asks whether and how stations have targeted those artists, “including a refusal to air” their music. It also seeks comment on allegations that stations have refused to run ads that support the royalty, whether the NAB is leading a media campaign “which disseminates falsities” about the royalty, and whether some stations are evading public-file requirements by calling their on-air spots against the royalties PSAs. “We recognize that substantial First Amendment interests are involved in the examination of speech of any kind, and it is not clear whether remedies are necessary or available to address the actions alleged by MusicFIRST,” the notice said. Replies are due Sept. 23. MusicFIRST praised the commission for proceeding. The allegations raise troubling questions about broadcasters abusing the public interests, said Media Access Project CEO Andrew Schwartzman. “If these allegations are proven to be true, they will raise questions as to whether some radio stations deserve to receive free licenses for exclusive use of the public’s airwaves,” he said. The NAB said it will file comments in the proceeding and correct the “distortions” raised by the petition. “Contrary to suggestions in the petition, broadcasters are under no obligation to carry everything that is offered or suggested to them,” a spokesman said.