Digital Radio Conversion Fund

Ineligible Items

• Transmitters that have already received Digital Radio Conversion funding.
• Buildings and modifications to buildings including the renovation of space for transmitters intended to house eligible equipment; costs associated with removing old equipment.
• Land and land improvements. Site preparation necessary to construct tower and guy anchors for transmission and interconnection equipment. Purchase or lease of land.
• Moving costs required by relocation of facilities. (Shipping and delivery charges for the eligible equipment acquired with the award are eligible).
• Tower Modifications. Strengthening or modifying a tower to accommodate a public broadcasting antenna, except in cases where an auxiliary antenna is to be used for IBOC. Modifying or strengthening the applicant's tower to accommodate a commercial entity.
• Production and Control Room Equipment. Production equipment, studio and control room equipment including consumer-type mixers, tape recorders, turntables, CD players, etc; ancillary production devices such as stopwatches and stop-clocks, building lights, sound effects, scenery and props, cycloramas, sound insulation devices and materials, draperies and related equipment for production use, film and still photography processing, film sound synchronization editing.
• Furniture and Office Equipment. Such items as office furniture, office equipment, studio clocks and systems, blackboards, office intercoms, equipment inventory labels and label-makers, office productivity software, telephone systems, and printing and duplication equipment.
• Expendable Items and Spare Parts. Spare circuit components, spare parts kits for studio equipment, recording tape, cartridge tapes, records, compact discs, and record or tape cleaning equipment; art and graphics supplies; maintenance supplies.
• Backup Equipment. Spare transmitters to be used as backups, spare exciters, microwave equipment for the main studio-to-transmitter link or other STL relays; other redundant equipment.
• Electric Power. Costs of installing primary power to the facility, including transformers, power lines, gasoline or diesel powered generators, and related equipment. Test and Maintenance Equipment. Maintenance equipment such as hand and power tools, storage cabinets, and maintenance services.
• Air Conditioning and Ventilation. Air conditioning for control rooms, equipment rooms, studios, mobile units, and other operational rooms and offices. Vehicles. Items to equip a remote van for audio production.
• Construction Applications: Salary expenses, including staff installation costs, and pre-application legal and engineering fees.
• Audit Costs. Final report audit costs. Applicants are reminded that audits may be conducted by the Office of Inspector General.
• Staff planning and preparation expenditures.
• Staff installation expenditures.
• Administrative costs and overhead.