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Watchdog Group Wants Three Stations Stripped of Their Licenses

Aug 23, 2012  •  Post A Comment

The U.S. watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is asking the Federal Communications Commission to deny renewal of broadcast licenses for three Fox stations, TheWrap.com reports. The group is citing the phone-hacking scandal that has embroiled parent News Corp. in Britain, according to the report.

CREW bases its request on U.S. law that says that broadcast frequencies should only be used by those of good "character" who serve "the public interest," the story says.

"It’s unclear how effective CREW’s efforts will be. For one thing, the group previously lobbied FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to revoke 27 of News Corp.’s broadcast licenses, to no avail. For another, if broadcast licenses truly were limited to those of good character who work in the public interest, the airwaves would probably offer a pretty empty landscape," the story reports.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the stations are WTTG-TV and WDCA-TV in Washington and WUTB-TV in Baltimore. The stations’ licenses reportedly expire in October.

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