ACTION ALERT from Greater Philadelphia ZOA Re: Radio Station Ownership Changes
Please see the important ACTION ALERT from Greater Philadelphia ZOA below. Please take the suggested actions
ALERT:
The Soros Fund Management Fund, controlled by none other than George Soros, is soon about to become one of the most influential entities in the radio industry and therefore a dominant figure regarding the control over major source of news, information and opinion in America. The matter will soon be in the hands of the Federal Communications Commission, which has to approve the license transfer.
The Soros Management Fund will be the majority shareholder of Audacy, which had filed for bankruptcy. Among the stations Audacy owns in our area are conservative talk-radio station WPHT-AM, and KYW Newsradio. Soros has financially supported a number of anti-Israel/anti-Jewish organizations and entities. Details about Soros’ anti-Israel activities and how his management fund came to take control are explained in an article linked in the “Background” portion of this ACTION ALERT.
Under new ownership/control, the Soros-controlled radio stations can undergo format changes (i.e. talk to music, news to talk, etc.) and shifts in ideology (i.e. conservative to Leftist) and from fair or supportive of the Jewish community, Israel and Zionism – to anti-Israel, anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist. Already there are so few outlets that accurately portray events in the Middle East or cover the breadth and depth of anti-Jewish activities today. Therefore, the transfer of the FCC license to the Soros group presents a danger to Israel and Jewry directly, and indirectly if Americans are turned against Israel by major influencers of public opinion.
While the FCC has no say over format or programming, and under FCC rules this ownership change does not create a monopoly, there are legitimate grounds for the FCC denying or rejecting a license. See more in the BACKGROUND section.
ACTION:
There are multiple actions that we suggest:
The Federal Communications Commission commissioners will have to approve the transfer of license to the Soros-controlled group. It is unclear or unknown when the FCC will formally consider the matter. But it is not too soon to alert others about these developments.
Forward this ACTION ALERT including the article below to your email contacts and post it on social media – making sure to emphasize the potential danger to America and especially to the Jewish community, and the need to pro-actively object to the proposed license transfer as soon as possible.
There are formal methods the FCC has put in place to oppose the license transfer, and other ways that advocates can weigh-in regarding the license issue.
You can informally register your opposition by contacting the FCC commissioners via email. Contact FCC commissioners directly follow the processes described on the FCC website under BACKGROUND. See the commissioners’ email addresses below.
File a “Petition to Deny” pleading. The online form is at: https://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsEntry/pleadings/pleadingsType.jsp See detailed instructions at: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/support/universal-licensing-system-uls-resources/filing-pleading-universal-licensing-system
If the matter has been assigned a docket number by the FCC, one may use the Electronic Comment Filing System, located at: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/search-filings
Contacts:
1-888-CALL FCC (225-5322)
FCC commissioners:
Jessica Rosenworcel, Chairwoman
Brendan Carr, Commissioner
Geoffrey Starks, Commissioner
Nathan Simington, Commissioner
Anna M. Gomez, Commissioner
FCC’s “File a Complaint” page: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us
Thank you for your advocacy!
BACKGROUND:
A comprehensive article on the matter:
Anti-Semitism may be Coming to Your Radio Station
By Bruce Holberg
“Don’t be shocked if you tune in to your favorite conservative talk-radio show and instead hear someone of the same political stance as Rachel Maddow or Joy Reid. Before you crash your car or fall out of your chair, you should know what is taking place, why it is taking place, and your role in preventing what could be a severe reduction in conservative and pro-Israel voices on terrestrial radio.
“George Soros, via Soros Fund Management (SFM), has acquired via a bankruptcy bailout a majority position in Audacy Inc, the licensee of 235 radio stations in the United States, plus digital programming, and podcasting outlets. Nationally, Audacy, the second largest radio company in America, claims to reach 200 million people a month through its various distribution channels including a near-monopoly on news and talk-formatted stations in many markets.
“Here is what happened: Audacy, headquartered in Philadelphia, recently declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In its recovery plan, it agreed to have various revenue sources buy its bank debt, and convert the debt to an equity stake in the new Audacy. SFM stepped up and acquired $415 million or about 40% of the broadcaster’s senior debt, making it the largest and controlling shareholder.”
Read the article/backgrounder in its entirety at:
FCC rules, and procedures for objecting to the license transfer:
From the FCC:
“… a petition to deny or informal objection against a station’s license renewal application
must either be filed electronically in the FCC’s electronic database for that application, or by mail.”
“Before you file a petition to deny an application, you should check our rules and policies to make sure that your petition complies with our procedural requirements.
“You can also participate in the application process by filing a petition to deny when someone applies for a new station, when a station is being sold (technically called an “assignment” of the licensee), when its licensee is undergoing a major transfer of stock or other ownership or control (technically called a “transfer of control”), or the station proposes major facility changes. When filing these types of applications, the applicant is required to publish a series of notices, generally in a local newspaper, containing information similar to that noted above regarding renewal applications. Once the application is received, the FCC will issue a Public Notice and begin a 30-day period during which petitions to deny the application can be filed. (All FCC Public Notices are included in the Commission’s Daily Digest and are posted at https://www.fcc.gov/proceedings-actions/daily-digest.) The Media Bureau’s database will also indicate the date the application appeared on Public Notice. As with renewal applications, you can also file an informal objection to these types of applications, or any other application, at any time before we either grant or deny the application. Again, please note that a complaint submitted through the “File a Consumer Complaint” link on the FCC’s website will NOT be treated as a petition to deny or informal objection against a station’s pending application. Rather a petition to deny or informal objection against a broadcast station’s pending application must either be filed electronically in the Media Bureau’s database for that application, or filed by mail.”
Some reasons the FCC can deny or reject a license:
See the following link:
https://www.fcc.gov/broadcast-news-distortion