*A Black radio station owner’s past is being used against him by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Joseph Armstrong runs the only Black-owned radio station in Knoxville, TN. The station, WJBE (1040AM), was previously owned by music legend James Brown and Armstrong purchased it in 2012, CBS News reports.
“I saw that there was a need,” Armstrong told the outlet. “It was almost embarrassing when people asked, ‘Where’s your Black station?’”
Many on social media are speculating that someone with deeper pockets (and perhaps a penchant for racism) wants to take over the station because the FCC is using Armstrong’s felony conviction from two decades ago to threaten to revoke his license based on its “Character Policy.” We’re supposed to believe all the other radio station owners (namely white males) have a squeaky-clean record.
The controversy centers on Armstrong’s past tax returns. As CBS News reports, back in 2007, he filed a false statement on a tax return and was sentenced for it in 2017. Now his license to operate WJBE is now being questioned by the FCC.
According to CBS News, Armstrong’s radio station missed several deadlines, including filing the “Issues and Programs” list. His legal counsel claims about a third of the AM stations missed similar filing deadlines but still had their licenses renewed.
“In no way did I ever attempt or intend to hide anything from the Commission, instead, I missed these filing deadlines because of WJBE’s small staff, administrative oversight, and my poor health at the time,” Armstrong stated.
Meanwhile, the FCC claims to be following protocol.
“The Commission has a duty to ensure that everyone holding a license to use the public airwaves does so in the public interest,” Paloma Perez, the FCC press secretary, wrote. “It is longstanding practice that any licensee with a felony conviction be placed into hearing in order to examine whether the licensee has the requisite character qualifications to remain a trustee of the public airwaves.”
She continued, “In order to evaluate these factors, and to provide due process to the licensee, any licensee with a felony conviction is placed into hearing, usually at the time of the licensee’s renewal application.”
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