Full coverage of Alex Jones, the Strange v Entercom trial and other public interest media issues can be found at SueWilsonReports.com
For background on media disinformation, see Broadcast Blues, now for free on You Tube!

Sinclair Shell Game Exposed! Call Congress to Force the FCC to Act!

 

September 1, 2020

For Immediate Release

Information:  Sue@MediaActionCenter.net

 

 

SEC, FCC Documents Prove Sinclair Runs Illegal Shell Game

Petition to Deny Sinclair Licenses to Broadcast Filed at FCC Today

 

WASHINGTON DC – A legal “Petition to Deny” the broadcast licenses of Sinclair Broadcasting’s Baltimore TV station WBFF, Cunningham Broadcasting station WNUV and Deerfield Media WUTB was filed this morning with the Federal Communications Commission. 

Broadcast ownership rules say one TV company may reach just 39% of viewers in the United States, and in a single market, may apply to own two stations – if there are still eight TV "voices" in that market.  There are eight stations in Baltimore, and this petition reveals that WBFF, WNUV, and WUTB all are actually owned by Sinclair. (October 2, 2020 update: The Supreme Court granted cert to a case involving the eight voices rule.)

The petition is supported by numerous documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission which show:

              - The principals of Sinclair’s front companies have no power to control the programming, staff or operations of the television stations, which, on paper, they own and supposedly control.

- The principals of Cunningham and Deerfield are Sinclair insiders and have no stake or risk in the business. They are effectively employees who serve at the whim of Sinclair.

- Sinclair owns all or almost all of the assets of the stations, but for the licenses; guarantees or assumes all of their indebtedness; approves every transaction, expenditure and policy decision.

- All three entities use the same law firms, apparently without conflict, for their inter-company agreements and regulatory matters. 

- Sinclair owns options to purchase its shell companies’ stations/licenses for a fixed price that is a small fraction of market value, with option periods as long as 45 years.

“Sinclair told the FCC one thing and told the SEC something else, so the FCC must set this matter for a public hearing.  The rules are the rules, and if Sinclair is violating the rules by controlling more TV stations than it is legally entitled to do, the FCC must put a stop to it,” says petitioning attorney Arthur Belendiuk.

 

Read the entire 39 page Petition to Deny here. You may need Google Drive to see it. The link to the FCC file will be made available as soon as the FCC posts it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rf-lsJk9tiZdnC2_IR6qi7rKZ0bcCAZJ/view?usp=sharing 

 

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UPDATE on ALEX JONES ACTION

August 6, 2020
 
There are two excellent documentaries out about how Alex Jones used outright lies on his radio programs to 1) elect Trump and 2) to harm real US citizens.  Both films reference Jones' lie that the Sandy Hook school shooting was phony and that the grieving parents we all saw were just actors. Those real grieving parents were then targeted by Jones' listeners.

PBS Frontline has "United States of Conspiracy."  
     As the coronavirus pandemic continues, America reckons with racism and the 2020 election looms, “United States of Conspiracy” investigates how Jones and InfoWars, Stone, and Trump helped to lay the foundation for conspiracy theories to take center stage in America’s national conversation, how the idea of truth itself became part of America’s divide, and what it means for the future of our democracy.

Andrew Rossi's "After Truth" is a spellbinding film about how Jones' listeners act on his diatribes, featuring one man who Jones convinced that Hillary Clinton was running a child sex ring out of a DC pizza place. He was so incensed he shot an assault weapon into the family restaurant and inspected every nook and cranny only to find what we already know: there was nothing there.

This November, the real parents of those blessed lost children are bringing Jones to court. 


Media Action Center set up this simple letter writing campaign to the Federal Communications Commission in response to Jones' hoax over the Sandy Hook school shooting (read below and on the side for details.)  As a result, many stations have simply taken Jones off the air.

It will take a real letter, as the FCC only accepts emails from corporations (not kidding.) 

If ever there was a time to stand up to the radio corporations for integrity on our airwaves, it is NOW.

Start writing.

U.S. Radio Stations Airing Alex Jones

Pick out a radio station from YOUR STATE from the list below to put on your letter to the FCC to complain about Alex Jones' radio hoaxes.

To have standing, you need to live within the station's Community of Service. Click on the link following "Coverage Area."  If you live inside the circle, you are in the Community of Service.

FIND THE LETTER HERE to print.  Mail one copy to the FCC and either send another copy to the station or just email the station a copy with your thoughts.

ALABAMA
WGEA - Geneva Alabama 
 https://www.wgea.us/radio/broadcast-schedule
No Public file. Discrepancies online. Possible Pirate station.
.
.
ALASKA
KFAR Fairbanks, Alaska  
http://kfarradio.com/blog/2013/02/25/kfar-on-air-schedule/
Community of License: Fairbanks
Coverage Area: https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KFAR&service=AM
Licensee Contact:
Robert Smith
smitty@fbxradio.com
----------------------------------
KSRM  Soldotna Alaska  
http://www.radiokenai.us/stations/ksrm-920am/ksrm-schedule/
Community of License: Soldotna
Coverage Area:  https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KSRM&service=AM
Licensee Contact:
John C. Davis
johndavis@radiokenai.com
. 
.
ARKANSAS
KQEW FM Fordyce-Warren-Camden-Hampton-Rison-Pine Bluff
JONES NO LONGER ON AIR
Community of License: Fordyce, AZ
Coverage Area:  https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KQEW&service=FM
Licensee Address: 
    303 Spring Street
    Fordyce, AR 71742
kbjt@coatesmedia.com
.
ARIZONA
KFNX AM Phoenix area 
http://www.1100kfnx.com/
Community of License: Cave Creek, AZ
Coverage Area: https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KFNX&service=AM&h=D
Licensee Address:
    PREMIER RADIO STATIONS, LLC
    2001 N 3RD STREET
    SUITE 102
    PHOENIX, AZ 85004
Francis Battaglia, President
fbattaglia@1100kfnx.com
-----------------------------------
KNKI  Pine Top AZ   
http://italk1067.com/events/
Community of License: Pine Top
Coverage Area:  https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KNKI&service=FM
Licensee Address:
    WSK FAMILY TRUST (CATHY KONOPNICKI MANAGER/TRUSTEE)
    1491 THATCHER BOULEVARD STE. 107
    SAFFORD, AZ 85546
camden@majik101.com
.
.
ARKANSAS
KFFK  Fayetteville Arkansas
Website down
http://1390thecenter.com/
NO public file, possible pirate station
Coverage Area:  https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KFFK&service=AM&h=D
butlerbroadcast1@aol.com
------------------------------------
KBJT Fordyce, Arkansas  
http://kbjtkq.coatesinfo.com/programs.htm
Community of License: Fordyce
Coverage Area: https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KBJT&service=AM&h=D
   Licensee Address:
    KBJT, INC.
    303 SPRING STREET
    FORDYCE, AR 71742
kbjt@coatesmedia.com
------------------------------------
KJMT  Mountain Home, Arkansas   
http://www.mountaintalk97.com/
Community of License: Calico Rock, AR
Coverage Area: https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=KJMT&service=FM
Licensee Address:    
223 Russel St
Mountain Home, AR 72653
feedback@mountaintalk97.com
monte@mountainhomeradio.com  
.
.
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News Magazine Story on MAC Entercom Victory

By Rick Paulas
 Synopsis:
     A veteran of journalism, with two decades working in broadcast TV and radio in the LA and Sacramento markets—during which she won two Emmy awards, one for a feature series on government waste—Wilson had kept an eye on the slow creep of wavelength monopolization since President Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Previously, no single commercial owner could lay claim to more than 20 AM and 20 FM frequencies, but after the legislation was signed, those national caps were removed, leading to a predictable corporate fight for the largest portion of the pie.
.
     Bandwidth limitations meant that there was value on the broadcast spectrum that couldn’t compare to what was increasingly available online, in print, or even on cable. On those mediums, anyone with enough startup capital could conjure their own outlet and thus expand the total pie. But in broadcast radio and TV, what’s available is what’s available, and that’s that.
.
     To Wilson, the train derailment outside Minot was a perfect example of what might happen when the airwaves are consumed by neglectful landlords. This story would feature prominently in her documentary on the subject, Broadcast Blues, released in 2009. But it was another, more infamous radio mishap in her own backyard that would land Wilson a conclusive victory against corporate monopolization of the public airwaves.

Read:

MAC Wins 13.5 Million Dollar Victory Over Entercom!

Sue from Fiddletown took a stand in the public interest

By Dan Morain
dmorain@sacbee.com
From her home outside the no-stoplight settlement of Fiddletown, Sue Wilson tilted at a corporate windmill, and a funny thing happened.
Sue from Fiddletown won, on our behalf. You can hear the sound of that victory at the end of the FM radio dial in Sacramento. Where there once was commercial pop music, hooting deejays and stupid radio stunts, there’s static.
“We the People own the air waves,” she said, and repeats: “We the People.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article141982244.html#storylink=cpy

more: http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article141982244.html

read:
Read more »

Press Kit - Why 107.9 Went Silent

FACT SHEET:
.
Chronology of Media Action Center License Challenge:
.
January 12, 2007:  KDND hosts "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" Contest which kills contestant Jennifer Strange 
.
March, 2009: Sue Wilson release documentary film, "Broadcast Blues" in Sacramento, documenting the KDND case
.
September 17, 2009: William A. Strange v Entercom civil trial begins
.
October 29, 2009: Jury finds Entercom Sacramento negligent for Mrs. Strange's death and awards her family $16,577,118, which was later paid by Entercom's insurance company.
.
October 31, 2013: On the last day of its license period, Sue Wilson and the Media Action Center file a legal Petition to Deny the renewal of KDND's license to broadcast, citing its negligence in killing Mrs. Strange.
.
October 27, 2016, the Federal Communications Commission orders a hearing on Wilson's Petition. It is a scathing indictment of Entercom, citing inattention to KDND's Public Interest obligation and orders it to prepare for trial by July 27, 2017. It is the first such hearing the FCC has called in roughly 40 years.
.
January 9, 2017: Sue Wilson and MAC file a motion to expand its license challenge to all six Entercom station licenses
.
February 2, 2017: Entercom announces merger with CBS Radio
.
February 3, 2017: Entercom announces it is surrendering the license to KDND 
.
____________________________________________
How KDND neglected the Public Interest in this case:
.
1. KDND Staff knew they were conducting a contest which could kill someone. Prior to the contest, they made fun of the water intoxication death of Matthew Carrington on the air, they had their "gag guy" drink a large amount of water as part of their show and laughed as the very large man became light headed and ill. But never informed the contestants of any danger.
.
2. Many listeners called into the KDND to warn staff that the contest was deadly. Some calls made it on the air so Morning Rave Hosts could make fun of them. Most calls went to management which ignored them.  Contestants were cordoned off in the Entercom Sacramento kitchen and were not allowed to hear any of the calls.
.
3. A Release Form outlining the rules and risks of the contest was drafted, but never given to the contestants. Station manager Steve Weed testified at trial he’d never considered giving rules which actually spelled out hazards of the contest — to the contestants. Instead, a generic release (deemed by the judge to be no release at all) was signed by Jennifer Strange and the other contestants.
.
4. The original rules (never given to the contestants) stated contestants were to drink 8 ounces of water every fifteen minutes (which is considered safe.) KDND staff and management changed the rules in the middle of the contest to make contestants drink 16.9 ounces of water every 15 minutes, which is considered deadly.
.
5.  People were getting sick, only to have KDND staff post photos of them vomiting onto its  Facebook page.
.
6. Unwritten Entercom rules said a medical professional should be present during such a contest. None was.
.
7. After the contest, Jennifer Strange told the Morning Rave staff she was too ill to drive home, but they abandoned her to the station's lobby. She finally did drive home, and died there some time later.
.
8. When Jennifer's co-worker called the station to inform them of Jennifer's death and asked they call the other contestants to warn them to seek medical advice, General Manager John Geary, upon getting advice from Entercom's Corporate office in Massachusetts,  told his station manager not to call contestants, but to call lawyers instead.
 .
Was KDND serving the public interest? Clearly not.

PRESS CONFERENCE - 1:35 pm Weds. Feb. 8, 2017



Radio Frequency 107.9 FM Goes Silent
Local Media Watchdog Explains the REAL Reason Why

Listen to radio frequency 107.9 starting Wednesday (Feb. 8) and all you will hear is the sound of silence.

Entercom Sacramento surrendered its license because of a ten year effort by local Emmy winning radio and TV producer turned media watchdog Sue Wilson and the Media Action Center to deny Entercom's privilege to broadcast for completely ignoring the public interest obligation of a broadcaster. 

Wilson and her attorney Michael Couzens will explain what really happened, why it has taken this long, and its importance to both the community of Sacramento and radio industry at a press conference 1:35 PM Wednesday in the Gold Run Room at Coloma Community Center, 4623 T Street in Sacramento.

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