Pennsylvania Democrats are rallying in support of Fox Corp. in its battle to retain ownership of its WTXF Philadelphia. On March 5, 16 members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives – all Democrats – sent a letter imploring the FCC to renew Fox 29’s license. The letter did not mention the license revocation controversy over Fox News Channel’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden.
WTXF Philadelphia owner Fox Corp. says the main party trying to revoke its license has resorted to “gimmicks” and “stunts” that should be cast aside by the FCC. Fox is embroiled in a dispute with an organization called the Media and Democracy Project that wants the commission to revoke the license over allegations that Fox News Channel aired falsehoods about voting technology used to tabulate votes during the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden.
Federal regulators continue to face outside pressure to take steps to revoke Fox Corp.’s TV station license in Philadelphia in connection with 2020 presidential election coverage aired on Fox News Channel. The Media and Democracy Project (MAD) – which is demanding that the FCC revoke the operating license of WTXF – filed a comment with the agency on March 1 urging it to “act swifty” to begin a public hearing as a first step toward ultimate revocation. MAD’s comment did not appear on the FCC’s website until March 4.
Fox Corp.’s effort to protect its WTXF Philadelphia from license revocation just got some new local political support. Pennsylvania State Rep. Morgan Cephas sent a brief letter calling on the FCC to renew the license, which is being challenged over 2020 election reporting that aired on Fox News Channel and Fox stations around the country. The challenge to the license began last summer. Although Fox has asked for prompt renewal, the FCC has not acted.
Broadcasters have long argued that one of the reasons they are a must-have medium is their local news programming. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel is proposing to recognize — and incentivize — those efforts. Rosenworcel has proposed prioritizing the license application reviews of stations producing local programming.
Fox Corp. is pointing to support from a handful of legislators as it pushes back on an effort to challenge its qualifications to hold TV station licenses. In a filing with the FCC, Fox sent four letters from U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), as well as Camden, New Jersey Mayor Victor G. Carstarphen and Pennsylvania State Rep. Anthony Bellmon (D-Philadelphia), all praising the public service of WTXF, Fox’s Philadelphia O&O whose license has been challenged.
Exclusives
The challenge to Fox’s WTXF Philadelphia license is drawing a crowd, including founding president of Fox Broadcasting Jamie Kellner. Already this week Alfred Sikes, the Republican FCC chairman whose commission helped pave the way for the creation of a fourth network, registered his support for holding a hearing on Fox’s qualifications to be an FCC licensee. Now Kellner, along with former Democratic FCC Commissioner Ervin Duggan and ex-Fox News Channel commentator Bill Kristol, former editor of The Weekly Standard, have joined the chorus of Fox critics.
Alfred Sikes is the latest figure to urge the commission to study whether Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch meet the character qualification to remain broadcast licensees.
Fox is invoking the First Amendment in its opposition to a challenge to its character qualifications to hold an FCC broadcast license. The Media and Democracy Project (MAD), citing Fox’s settlement of the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit over election misinformation, last month challenged the renewal of Fox’s WTFX Philadelphia, and by extension Fox’s character qualifications for holding any TV station licenses at all. According to a copy of its opposition to that challenge, filed with the FCC Wednesday (Aug. 2), Fox says MAD has failed to make a case that Fox’s license renewal should be denied and is treading dangerous ground.
Ervin Duggan and William Kristol join effort challenging renewal application of Fox O&O WTXF Philadelphia.
FCC Grants Raycom, HITV Honolulu Renewals
The FCC has granted the license renewals of Raycom’s KHNL and KGMB, both Honolulu, and HITV’s KFVE Honolulu, denying a license challenge by Media Council Hawai’i and putting a final nail in the group’s long-standing complaint that Raycom and KITV had run afoul of local ownership rules.
Thursday morning, the FCC started to email notices to numerous radio stations throughout the country, notifying them that there are issues with their online public inspection files. Clearly, this is a warning to stations that the FCC is watching their public files, and that compliance problems will bring issues, and possibly fines, if the files are not complete by license renewal time.
The group says that in light of the commission raising questions over the group owner’s fitness to be a licensee following the failed Tribune merger, the FCC needs to “resolve the serious charges it leveled against Sinclair as soon as possible.”
Lazarus ‘Confident’ In NBC License Renewals
NBC Chairman of Broadcasting and Sports Mark Lazarus said the network isn’t worried about its broadcast licenses facing revocation following President Trump’s threatening tweets. “We feel very confident … that the FCC will support the First Amendment,” he said.
Don’t Fret Too Much About Trump NBC Tweets
You shouldn’t get too excited about about President Trump’s tweeted threats against NBC’s broadcast licenses. He can weaponize the FCC to punish stations and networks for his bad press, but not by using license renewal challenges. He could pressure or cajole FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to act as his enforcer, but I don’t see that happening.
The FCC has renewed the licenses of three TV stations held by large broadcast groups, rejecting petitions to deny filed by a citizen’s organization arguing that the children’s educational and informational programming run by these stations was not sufficiently educational or informational to meet FCC requirements. The licensees were able to present evidence that these programs did meet the requirements. However, the FCC warned stations to be careful in their assessments of the educational nature of children’s programs.
Group Fights KTTV Renewal Over ‘Redskins’
Three Native Americans have filed a petition with the FCC to protest the license renewal of Fox-owned KTTV Los Angeles over the use of the word Redskins. KTTV broadcasts the NFL’s National Football Conference. The Washington Redskins play in the NFC Eastern Division.
