A book author says he paid Sid Rosenberg $5,000 cash to get him an interview with Geraldo Rivera on WABC in New York. Joseph DeBlasi says he gave Rosenberg the money back in 2014. Rosenberg now co-hosts the 9A-Noon slot on WABC in New York. He also makes appearances on Imus in The Morning. Back in 2014 he worked for WFAN.
The New York Post is reporting that Rosenberg took the money as a bribe. The story says DeBlasi found out that what he did violated FCC sponsorship rules, subjecting both of them to fines and jail time, and has filed a lawsuit against Rosenberg.
The Post reports that a week before the author was to appear on The Geraldo Show, “Rosenberg walked back his promise, explaining to DeBlasi that “he was still working with Geraldo’s producer on securing the date. Instead, Rosenberg featured the book on three separate occasions when he filled in as a guest host on the “Boomer & Carton” radio show on WFAN, the suit says. On at least one date, he interviewed the author on-air.”DeBlasi never got on the air with Geraldo.
DeBlasi claims he called CBS Radio, which owned WFAN at the time, and says an executive told him “he did not think a crime had been committed, but Rosenberg was dropped from WFAN’s schedule the next day,” the suit says.
Rosenberg’s attorney tells The Post that DeBlasi never gave Rosenberg money. “This is an absolute lie. It’s an attempt to extort money from Mr. Rosenberg.”
DeBlasi is seeking $20 million in the lawsuit.
WABC Radio is currently bound to heightened Payola Scrutiny via the Compliance agreement the FCC levied against Cumulus in a 1/6/16 Consent decree.
A Cumulus owned New Hamshire Station had failed to announce the full name of the entity sponsoring a controversial public issue triggering the FCC enforcement action which included a hefty $540,000 fine as well as an onerous company wide compliance agreement.
The Enforcement Bureau stressed that it would be hyper vigilant where Sponsorship violations involved controversial public issues. Therefore, while the Sponsorship violations were not blatant as the public knew the ads were sponsored, the Bureau justified the hefty fine in its promulgation.
It wasn’t only a large fine and company wide compliance that CBS sought to avoid by covering up WFAN’s Sponsorship violations committed by Sid Rosenberg in August 2014.
The violations were blatant and should have easily been detected by CBS Radio staff. They were hidden from the vast public audience that had no clue they were being hit with sponsored material. And worst of all the Sponsorship violations involved a controversial political issue — “Polarized” (the book illegally plugged by Rosenbeg) was written to advance NY’s Child Victims’s Act.
With the documents I forwarded to CBS and the FCC there is no rational explanation for CBS finding no wrongdoing by Rosenberg and WFAN other than CBS could not afford to find wrongdoing. WFAN’s Broadcast license was in jeopardy and CBS was planning to spin off its entire Radio division in which WFAN a Flagship.
Hence, the all in cover up for Sid despite the mountain of documentary evidence proving payola.
I sent WABC 77 Program Director Craig Schwalb the recently filed NY Supreme Civil Complaint alleging fraud and payola against Sid Rosenberg along with dozens of documents unequivocally demonstrating that Rosenberg committed both while on the air for WFAN.
I also informed Schwalb that I had recently turned over the same documents to federal law enforcement, including the FBI.
In a recent tweet Rosenberg announced that although Francesca turned him down President Trump has been scheduled to appear on WABC’s Bernie and Sid Show.
President Trump is giving an interview to WABC 77’s Sid Rosenberg with ABC’s full knowledge of Rosenberg engaging in Payola and fraud because the executive agency Trump overseas let CBS Radio self police blatant Sponsorship violations on a controversial public issue.
The NAB has far too much power over government and much to answer for the fake news era in which we have spiraled. Should Sid be allowed to continue on at at WABC he should kick in an extra 5k in NAB dues.
Yours in truth,
Kevin DeBlasi, Esq
In a 9/6/17 NY Post article Sid Rosenberg commiserates with Craig Carton’s plight as a gambling addict. Rosenberg’s addictions he states have made him desperate to come up with large sums of money quickly.
Couple this with his history of engaging in plugola and you have a recipe for more plugola. With his taking over Imus’ powerful political platform next week the public needs to be warned that they may be getting sponsored material and guests on his show without knowing it. The listening public has an absolute right to know who is paying to influence them.
The Lawyer’s Code of Professional Ethics 3.6(b)(6) allows an attorney to comment publicly concerning the behavior of a person involved when there is reason to believe there exists the likelihood of substantial harm to the public interest. I have taken the extra step of posting the proof of Sid’s engaging in plugola to urgently alert the public as the FCC allowed CBS Radio to self police Sid’s illegal actions at WFAN. Since CBS and the FCC refused to act it is my job as an officer of the court and holder of incontrovertible evidence of Sid engaging in Sponsorship violations on a political issue (Child Victims Act) to warn the public prior to Sid’s ascension to the powerful political platform in a historic 2018 mid term election.
Yours in truth
Kevin DeBlasi, Esq.
After collaborating with the New York Post in painting plaintiff Joseph DeBlasi a bribing, lying, mentally ill extortionist, Artie Adaila’s Answer to the Civil Complaint accuses DeBlasi’s attorney of smearing Sid Rosenberg’s good name while interfering with Sid’s right to work.
As a licensed NY state attorney who affirmed the Civil Complaint I can securely assert that Sid Rosenberg has broken NY state law in this matter. The elements of a civil fraud claim laid out in the complaint mirror NY’s criminal code for fraud.
Rosenberg has also violated federal law in engaging in Payola and tax evasion for more than likely failing to report the Five Thousand dollars he collected for the “publicity” work he did for DeBlasi. You can also add in the wire fraud he committed by collecting the money via Western Union and Pay Pal.
Yet here Rosenberg is this morning on twitter castigating his detractors who dare question how it is possible with all his warts that he could have landed the powerful political platform vacated by Imus.
Only a radio career of being pampered and covered for could have created this distorted reality. When you have a team of $1200 an hour attorneys (Morgan Lewis just joined in on the defense) being paid for by CBS Radio to make all this go away you feel emboldened.
CBS Radio has as much to lose as Sid. WFAN’s broadcast license is in jeopardy for the blatant Sponsorship violations sec 73.1212 of the Federal Communications Code that were mysteriously squashed by both CBS Radio and the FCC back in 2015. Under the statute and the purview of the Department of Justice, CBS Radio employees that allowed the Sponsorship Violations and subsequent cover up could have faced jail time as well.
While Aidala’s Answer was full of threats and accusations of defamation, harassment, and tortious interference of Sid’s recently signed WABC morning gig, it was deafeningly silent on cross claims for this allegedly abhorrent and illegal behavior by the DeBlasi brothers.
Truth is an absolute defense. Go to my Facebook page or Polarized FB or twitter and see the documents that unlike Sid, Artie, or CBS Radio do not lie. We are activists not profiteers. That is what makes us so dangerous. We can not be bought off.
CVA!! Campaign Finance Reform! No more Citizens United! No more special interests (NAB, NRA, Catholic Church lobby destroying the country we love!
Yours in truth
Kevin DeBlasi, Esq
5 Millie Lane
E Setauket NY 11733
631 509-0875
631 896-8776
When FCC Chairman Pai appointed Rosemary Harold to serve as Enforcement Bureau Chief last June, Pai stated,”Our enforcement efforts must be governed by the facts and law, Rosemary’s expertise will help us conduct sound investigations and craft legally sustainable enforcement actions.”
If we are still a country of laws, Sid Rosenberg will not be on the air by week’s end. Yesterday I emailed the Chief all the smoking gun documents in this Payola scandal/CBS cover up. Some of which have been in the Enforcement Bureau’s hands since December 2014. She now has previously unseen text messages that prove 100% Sid’s guilt and CBS radio’s cover up of the blatant Sponsorship violations on a controversial issue (repealing NY’s Statute of Limitations on child sex abuse.)
America is counting on Ms. Harold to restore the rule of law over money and power. I am calling on the 4th estate to help me hold her accountable.
Yours in truth
Kevin DeBlasi, Esq.
Author DeBlasi contracted with broadcaster Rosenberg to procure an interview with Geraldo Rivera on Geraldo’s station not Rosenberg’s. How does this differ from DeBlasi paying publicist Todd Shapiro, $5k to get on Joel the Mouth McGuirk’s Radio show in Olean, NY as stated in the civil complaint?
Where in the code is it forbidden to hire a well connected radio personality to get you on the air of a station which the radio personality is not affiliated. Mr. Rosenberg was merely acting in the capacity of publicist for DeBlasi up to the point where Rosenberg took it upon himself to plug the author’s book on his own station.
How was DeBlasi to warn WFAN that a Sponsorship announcement was warranted when DeBlasi did not know of the WFAN plug until after it was made by Rosenberg who was attempting to justify keeping the author’s $5k without procuring promised Geraldo on air appearance.
Further, were DeBlasi to know of an upcoming plug how would he know that Rosenberg was concealing information from WFAN management and that Sponsorship would not be announced?
One needs to know the real facts before accusing another of violating the law.
Yours in truth
Kevin DeBlasi, Esq
Go to my Facebook page or “Polarized” Facebook or twitter to see admissible texts from Sid Rosenberg that show incontrovertible proof of Payola. Yours in truth Kevin DeBlasi, Esq.
NY Post article deliberately mislead public that the payments to Sid were cash Sid is a lousy criminal. There is a long paper trail that includes a $1700.00 Western Union payment from Joseph DeBlasi’s attorney, Kevin DeBlasi, to Sid Rosenberg dated 4/22/2014 with control number MTCN 7182855748. Documents don’t lie Artie. Extortionist? There is zealous advocacy and then there is fake news. Seeing a lot of that where WFAN, CBS, Entercom, and Sid Rosenberg are concerned. Yours in Truth, Kevin DeBlasi, Esq.