George Soros closer to controlling 200 radio stations despite objection from Trump-nominated FCC commissioner
FOX NewsSep 24
Report: FCC Gives Soros a 'Shortcut' to Purchase Hundreds of Radio Stations
Above: George Soros, billionaire and founder of Soros Fund Management LLC, speaks at an event on day three of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. Image copyright: Bloomberg/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Facts
The New York Post has reported that the majority-Democrat US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week approved billionaire investor and left-wing political donor George Soros' purchase of over 200 radio stations that broadcast to 165M people across the country.
One of the FCC's two Republicans, Brendan Carr, alleged the acquisition violates a rule against more than 25% foreign ownership of US radio stations, claiming that the agency's majority bypassed the usual national security review of foreign ownership.
The Spin
Narrative A
Democrats giving special favors to Democratic donors is bad enough, but what's worse is that the FCC made the decision at the same time it was slowing the rollout of internet access to rural Americans. The Biden administration is handing talk radio over to left-wing billionaires while keeping rural, conservative Americans completely in the dark.
Narrative B
This acquisition isn't the nefarious scheme critics are making it out to be. While Soros may attempt to use radio stations for some political reasons, the main reason for this — and the one that's most likely to succeed — is to use it as a tax write-off. Audacy radio stations don't have much of a presence in big city markets, so Soros won't be moving the needle much.