Klaus Kramer was penalized $9,500 for "willful and repeated violations" of its rules against pirate broadcasting. The commission says Kramer operated an illegal radio station in February 2001, and while Kramer acknowledged the violation, he believed the fine was excessive. The FCC denied his appeal, pointing out that it caught Kramer operating a station illegally on two other occasions - in March 1998 and October 1999 - and on at least one occasion he stated that the violations would not be repeated.

Pacifica may LMA out its San Francisco-market KPFA (94.1). This could create mayhem in KPFA's hometown of Berkeley, where street protests are part of everyday life. There've been rumors about non-commercial Pacifica selling KPFA, which has a Class B commercial-band signal at 94.1.

The commission will introduce the proposal at Thursday's open meeting, seeking the public's input on whether it should launch an examination of its local radio ownership rules. This comes after Chairman Michael Powell created a working group within the FCC charged with studying and gathering information on the current media landscape. Powell has recently criticized the FCC's current media rules for being "dated."