As expected, The FCC has issued its order approving Entercom’s deal to merge with CBS Radio. It has done so with conditions that Entercom divest stations, which the company is already in the process of doing. With those divestiture conditions being met, the commission concluded that the applicants are fully qualified and that this merger will serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity. Entercom has a special shareholder meeting planned for Wednesday to seal this deal.
The commission has also granted six-month radio-television cross-ownership waivers in the San Francisco and Miami markets. The merger puts each market over the limit by one radio station, and the order cites the numerous media voices in both markets.
The Department of Justice approved the deal last week after Entercom announced several divestiture deals with Bonneville, Beasley, and iHeartMedia.
Ed Stolz and Deborah Naiman tried to stop the merger, however their petition was denied by the commission. Stolz and Naiman filed petitions to deny, arguing:
1) The Divestiture Applications do not comply with local radio ownership limits in the Sacramento and San Francisco markets and the filing of the Divestiture Amendments should require a new petition period of no less than 30 days.
2) The Commission must address unresolved Entercom character issues relating to the death of a contestant at KDND-FM in Sacramento.
3) The Bureau erroneously and prematurely granted five license renewal applications of other Entercom Sacramento market stations.
Stolz also argued that some national content on CBS Television was obscene and is another reason the merger should be denied. All of those petitions were denied by the commission.
Read the FCC approval document HERE.
Payola/Sponsorship case on for 2/15/18 in NYC civil court against WFAN.
Apparently the Entercom/CBS lobby arms of the NAB was able to suppress the Sponsorship violations at WFAN to get this deal thru. Entercom had better be careful what it paid for because the FCC violations were only one aspect of the liability it is taking on with WFAN. By thrice promoting a scandalous unvetted self published book on its nationally syndicated Boomer and Carton Show WFAN and Entercom are on the hook for any individuals in the book who feel they were libeled and in some jurisdictions had their privacy invaded. Caveat Emptercom. Your shareholders have been Polarized.
I deserve a HUGE pay raise for keeping floundering 1210WPHT afloat in a city of sheer LEFTIST turmoil and semitic GARBAGE, who want to bring down the best president this damn country has ever had!
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