LAFAYETTE, La. (William Taylor Potter/The Advertiser)- Scripps Broadcasting Holdings, part of the E.W. Scripps Company, which owns Acadiana broadcast station KATC, must pay a $1.1 million penalty for violating the Federal Communications Commission’s rules on lighting television towers, the FCC announced Monday.

The FCC’s investigation into the lighting practices came after a small plane crashed into a television tower in Kaplan, in August 2018.

Read the full report here:

The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau found no evidence connecting the crash to the violation of the rules by Cordillera, the company that owned KATC at the time.

“Consistent monitoring of tower lighting systems is an important aviation safety issue and potentially a life-saving measure, as it ensures that owners quickly learn of—and can correct—malfunctioning obstruction lights,” the FCC said in a press release.

Scripps purchased 15 TV stations from Cordillera — including KATC — in May 2019 for $521 million.

Read The Advertiser’s full story here.