Ukrainian Citizen Group Asks FCC to Block AM Sale to Travis Smiley

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America wants the FCC to deny the sale of an AM radio station to former PBS talk show personality Travis Smiley over allegations of sexual misconduct and questions about his finances, said a filing Tuesday. Smithwick and Belendiuk attorney Arthur Belendiuk, who has represented the UCCA in other filings opposing broadcasters airing programming controlled by the Russian government (see 2204060070), emailed that Smiley is “an adjudicated sexual predator” and the FCC “must add character and financial qualification issues against Smiley.” Smiley’s company Smiley Radio Properties applied to buy KBLA (AM) Santa Monica, California, from Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Licensee. Smiley’s attorney David O’Neil of Rini O’Neil said the UCCA is using Smiley as a pawn in its efforts to attack MRBL over its ownership of a station broadcasting Russian state programming. “These allegations are preposterous, Mr. Smiley is eminently qualified to hold a broadcast license,” said O’Neil. Smiley oversees the programming at KBLA, which is currently the only station west of the Mississippi “amplifying the voices of black listeners,” said O’Neil. PBS terminated Smiley’s contract in 2018 over allegations of sexual harassment. He sued the network and a District of Columbia Superior Court jury found he had violated the morals clause of his contract. “While Smiley was not found criminally liable, his actions were so egregious as to shock the conscience," said the UCCA filing Tuesday. The FCC “needs to further investigate Smiley’s repeated sexual misconduct toward his subordinate employees to determine whether he has the necessary character qualifications to be an FCC licensee,” said the UCCA filing. In further court proceedings over the collection of the $2.6 million verdict against Smiley, PBS argued Smiley moved assets around his companies to avoid paying, and Smiley filed for bankruptcy, said UCCA. The FCC “needs to designate a financial issue to determine if Smiley has the requisite financial qualification to become a Commission licensee,” said the UCCA filing. “Mr. Smiley has nothing to do with the disagreement between these two parties and looks forward to the FCC dismissing these baseless claims,” said O'Neil.