NoTV: I'm Not Taking Off Russian Radio, Sez KC Station Owner

[Mark Jeffries]

KCXL in suburban Kansas City, a station devoted to rightwing talk and religion that once carried Alex Jones and claims on its website that it airs "the truth...the liberal media won't tell you," airs six hours daily of the Russian government service Radio Sputnik--three hours in morning drive and three hours in the evening, getting paid over $500,000 a week, huge money for a station with no full-time employees.  The radio lobbying group the National Association of Broadcasters has called on stations to drop Sputnik (and on television, RT), but owner Pete Schartel waves the First Amendment flag and claims that the NAB is doing a disservice to "independent broadcasters":

https://radioink.com/2022/03/11/station-owner-receiving-threats/

If he's so "independent," how come he doesn't run "Democracy Now!"?

[Bob Jersey]

He must think DN! is like NPR, which strictly governs their local-advert breaks. (Pay no attention to the RT America post... I found the earlier report about their demise)     B

Mark Jeffries, March 15th:

[Paul Murray]

There's one in Washington, D.C., too:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/03/07/radio-sputnik-wzhf/

Its owner makes the same "free speech" argument.

Meanwhile, in Russia, the woman who held up the sign on TV can't be located by her lawyers:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/15/marina-ovsyannikova-ukraine-russia-television-protester/

[Bob Jersey]

I updated that. See the "Russian State TV..." thread.     B

Paul Murray, in part, March 15th: