Billionaire George Soros’ controlling interest in 227 radio stations — a quarter of the radio stations in the country — appears to be on track, but for the watchful eye of incoming Federal Communications Commission chief Brendan Carr.
Soros, and a conglomeration of companies under his control, received unprecedented approval from the FCC for the acquisition of Audacy in the wake of the company’s bankruptcy filing this year. But approval for the leftist billionaire’s purchase of the radio stations, which span 45 media markets reaching 165 million Americans, wasn’t just fast-tracked.
The FCC’s move broke with precedent by skirting a rule that protects U.S. communications channels from foreign influence.
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The FCC’s expeditious approval of the deal sidestepped the fact that the Soros-controlled Audacy will be more than 25% foreign-owned, which requires additional scrutiny the FCC withheld from the process.
Meanwhile, Audacy, presumably under Soros’ auspices, has re-upped a deal with Bloomberg to distribute news content across the syndicate’s news/talk markets.
Carr, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the role, criticized the decision back in September, and told Fox News before Thanksgiving he intends to give the authorization a second look.
Incoming FCC Chair Brendan Carr, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for the role, criticized the anomalous decision back in September, and told Fox News before Thanksgiving he intends to give the authorization a second look.
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Carr:
NEW
The FCC just released the text of its 3-2 decision to approve a Soros backed group’s purchase of 200+ radio stations.
The Commission’s decision today is unprecedented. Never before has the Commission voted to approve the transfer of a broadcast license—let alone the… pic.twitter.com/gnMbl2z8Jb
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) September 30, 2024
Soros’ infamous political investments across the country include dozens of leftist District Attorneys who’ve overseen ugly miscarriages of justice in the Laken Riley murder and the show trial of Marine veteran Daniel Penny, who protected innocent bystanders on a New York subway from a mentally unstable man.
Soros, along with European billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, has also been active in state ballot initiatives. Their money, through the 1630 Fund and other leftist dark money groups, was instrumental in changing Ohio’s constitution and enshrining abortion in Ohio’s 2022 Issue 1.
A proposed Ohio law seeking to strip foreign influence from state elections made its way through the state legislature, only to end up on hold thanks to a judge’s decision.
The States Newsroom-parented Ohio Capital Journal, which enjoys funding from Arabella Advisors and the Soros-administered 1630 Fund, called the law a xenophobic “dog whistle.”
If the Audacy deal goes through, foreign-ownership notwithstanding, Soros-controlled entities will have major air-support on the airwaves. Nearly half of Americans hear at least some news content on the radio.
Soros has made similar moves in Europe, purchasing a flagship newspaper in Poland ahead of an election that saw that country’s leftward reorganization of its judiciary.
Audacy stations in Michigan include WDZH, WOMC, WWJ, WXYT, and WYCD in Detroit. In Ohio, Soros stands to control four stations in the Cleveland area: WDOK, WKRK, WNCX, and WQAL. The Detroit station part of the deal, WWJ, in Michigan operates a news/talk format.
Many formats in Audacy markets broadcast conservative talk radio, and those days could be numbered, while Soros will also control newsbites across other formats.
Reps. James Comer, R-KY, and Nick Langworthy, R-NY, initiated a House Oversight probe into the FCC authorization, though it remains unclear the committee’s