FCC upholds fine against WIP over Wing Bowl

The Federal Communications Commission has again rejected WIP's appeal of a $4,000 fine over the 2005 Wing Bowl.

Arnie Chapman of Long Island, N.Y., had qualified for the annual spectacle by eating 28 clementines but was later disqualified because he runs the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters, a smaller rival of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, which sanctioned Wing Bowl XIII.

The case has been before the FCC since early 2005, when Chapman filed a complaint against WIP owner CBS Radio. The FCC determined that WIP didn't announce contest terms, which were rewritten to exclude AICE eaters, and fined CBS $4,000 last year.

CBS lawyers told the FCC that Chapman had been disqualified in part because he did not reside in the station's listening area -- a curious assertion since Sonya Thomas of Virginia came within a bone of beating winner Bill "El Wingador" Simmons that year.

In Wednesday's action, the FCC clarified its rules on stations' "listening areas," though left unsaid was the potential effect of online listening. CBS has been a leader in technology that allows people anywhere in the world to listen to its stations.

Of course, $4,000 is a drop in the (chicken) bucket, but CBS appealed on principle.

CBS has 30 days to pay up.