FCC Designates License Renewal For Entercom's KDND/Sacramento For Hearing Over Fatal Contest

The Federal Communications Commission has designated the 2005 and 2013 license renewal applications of Entercom for Top 40 KDND (107.9 The End)/Sacramento for hearing over the "Hold Your Wee For A Wii" contest in 2007 that led to the water intoxication death of contestant Jennifer Lee Strange. The notice of designation for hearing says, "Information now before the Commission raises serious questions as to whether Entercom operated Station KDND in the public interest during the most recent license term. As discussed below, the record suggests that Entercom formulated, promoted, conducted and aired over the station an inherently dangerous contest in which one listener-contestant died of water intoxication and many others suffered serious physical distress. This information could lead to the conclusion that ENTERCOM failed to serve the public interest with the Station during the previous license term, warranting denial of the above-captioned renewal applications." The FCC noted that the "pre-contest announcements did not mention any risks associated with the Contest in general or water intoxication (hyponatremia) specifically."