Full FCC Rejects Florida Radio Transaction Appeal

The full FCC denied an appeal of the Media Bureau’s rejection of an informal objection to the sale of three Florida radio stations by a company that argued it was the victim of racial discrimination, said an order in Thursday’s Daily Digest. UOBN Broadcasting filed an application for review against a Jan. 26, 2021, Media Bureau decision approving the transfer of WGGG(AM) Gainesville, WMOP(AM) Ocala and a translator station from SportsTalk to Hitmaker Music Group. UOBN said it had an agreement with SportsTalk that included an option to buy the stations and that it was passed over because of racial discrimination, the order said. SportsTalk told the FCC it didn't have a contractual obligation to UOBN. The FCC dismissed UOBN’s appeal procedurally for raising new arguments that hadn’t been presented to the bureau, and also on the merits for not sufficiently showing that the matter was “tainted” by discrimination and for relying on laws against employment discrimination that don’t apply to the sale of a broadcast station. “We conclude that UOBN has failed to demonstrate that the Bureau erred,” the order said.