Posted on Sep 19, 2023
FCC judge rules that Knoxville's only Black-owned radio station can keep its license
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https://www.npr.org/2023/09/18/ [login to see] /wjbe-knoxville-black-owned-radio-station-wins-fcc-appeal
A Federal Communications Commission judge rejected an effort by the agency to revoke the broadcast license of WJBE 99.7 FM/1040 AM, Knoxville, Tennessee's only Black-owned radio station — allowing the station to continue broadcasting.
In a ruling handed down on Sept. 14, a judge ruled that WJBE's owner, Joe Armstrong, should not have his broadcast license revoked — despite the agency's concerns over Armstrong's old felony conviction for a tax crime, one that occurred years before he took ownership of the station in 2012.
Judge Jane Hinckley Halprin, the agency's administrative law judge, concluded in the ruling that Armstrong's conviction was an isolated event, saying that "enough time has elapsed to show that Mr. Armstrong has remediated his wrong."
A Federal Communications Commission judge rejected an effort by the agency to revoke the broadcast license of WJBE 99.7 FM/1040 AM, Knoxville, Tennessee's only Black-owned radio station — allowing the station to continue broadcasting.
In a ruling handed down on Sept. 14, a judge ruled that WJBE's owner, Joe Armstrong, should not have his broadcast license revoked — despite the agency's concerns over Armstrong's old felony conviction for a tax crime, one that occurred years before he took ownership of the station in 2012.
Judge Jane Hinckley Halprin, the agency's administrative law judge, concluded in the ruling that Armstrong's conviction was an isolated event, saying that "enough time has elapsed to show that Mr. Armstrong has remediated his wrong."
FCC judge rules that Knoxville's only Black-owned radio station can keep its license
Posted from npr.org
Radio
Knoxville
Posted 8 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."In a ruling handed down on Sept. 14, a judge ruled that WJBE’s owner, Joe Armstrong, should not have his broadcast license revoked — despite the agency’s concerns over Armstrong’s old felony conviction for a tax crime, one that occurred years before he took ownership of the station in 2012.
Judge Jane Hinckley Halprin, the agency’s administrative law judge, concluded in the ruling that Armstrong’s conviction was an isolated event, saying that “enough time has elapsed to show that Mr. Armstrong has remediated his wrong.”
“If I was being permanently punished for the mistakes I made in my past, [WJBE] wouldn’t be in existence — nor would this station be recognized for the programming that we’re bringing to Knoxville,” Armstrong, a former long-serving state representative in the Tennessee General Assembly, told NPR.
“[The judge] looked beyond my faults and saw the community’s needs,” he added.
WJBE is known for being a fixture in the Knoxville area, serving as a source of news for the Black community — being very much a community-oriented station, Armstrong said.
The station broadcasts local news and weather, church services, emerging artists, free advertising for struggling small businesses and, in recent years, information about the COVID-19 pandemic."...
..."In a ruling handed down on Sept. 14, a judge ruled that WJBE’s owner, Joe Armstrong, should not have his broadcast license revoked — despite the agency’s concerns over Armstrong’s old felony conviction for a tax crime, one that occurred years before he took ownership of the station in 2012.
Judge Jane Hinckley Halprin, the agency’s administrative law judge, concluded in the ruling that Armstrong’s conviction was an isolated event, saying that “enough time has elapsed to show that Mr. Armstrong has remediated his wrong.”
“If I was being permanently punished for the mistakes I made in my past, [WJBE] wouldn’t be in existence — nor would this station be recognized for the programming that we’re bringing to Knoxville,” Armstrong, a former long-serving state representative in the Tennessee General Assembly, told NPR.
“[The judge] looked beyond my faults and saw the community’s needs,” he added.
WJBE is known for being a fixture in the Knoxville area, serving as a source of news for the Black community — being very much a community-oriented station, Armstrong said.
The station broadcasts local news and weather, church services, emerging artists, free advertising for struggling small businesses and, in recent years, information about the COVID-19 pandemic."...
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