From Staff Reports 

WASHINGTON — George Soros’ “unprecedented’ purchase of Audacy Inc.’s more than 230 radio stations just weeks before the Nov. 5 General Election is being investigated by lawmakers, who are alleging that he has found a “new shortcut” to gain political clout, the New York Post reported on Sep. 30.

In the aftermath, “the U.S. House Oversight Committee is investigating why the Federal Communications Commission fast-tracked a deal that allowed a billionaire Democratic donor to buy a wide swath of American radio stations just weeks before the presidential election,” the Post noted.

“The major radio company Audacy Inc. fell into financial straits, but through a complex business deal, Democratic mega-donor and billionaire George Soros has gained control of the stations. Deals of this size require FCC approval, but in this case the FCC expedited the approval process.”

In Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, there are a number of Audacy-owned radio stations, but the only one that features “news-talk” is 98.9 FM (WORD)  in Greenville, S.C.

The 100,000-watt 98.9 FM station, billing itself as “The Voice of the Carolinas,” features a “talk lineup” — at least for now — featuring what are billed as “stimulating” and politically conservative local talk-show hosts, including locals Tara Servatius (“The Tara show”), Bill Frady (“Straight Talk With Bill Frady”) and Charlie James (“The Charlies James Show”). 

While Servatius and Frady live in the Upstate, James is based at Charleston, S.C.’s conservative WTMA News Talk (1250 AM), which is owned by Cumulus Media and that station is billed as “The Low Country’s Big Talker.”

Among other talk shows broadcast by 98.9 FM is a syndicated one featuring Mark Levin.

(As the sale to Soros just recently cleared and no changes have been made at – or announced by — 98.9 FM, the Daily Planet will follow up with a story in the near future on whether Soros, a Hungarian-born, progressive-liberal billionaire and major Democratic donor, changes the station, which also bills itself as the conservative voice of the Upstate and WNC, changes it to a far-left — or some other — format.)

Soros’ son Alexander will be overseeing the Audacy operation. 

Meanwhile, the Post noted that “FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr raised concerns about the deal at a Congressional hearing, telling lawmakers that ‘… the FCC is not following its normal process for reviewing a transaction.

“‘We have established over a number of years one way in which you can get approval from the FCC when you have an excess of 25 percent foreign ownership, which this transaction does,’ Carr said. ‘It seems to me that the FCC is poised to create, for the first time, an entirely new shortcut.’

“House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. and Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., sent a letter to FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel Friday (Sept 27) raising concerns about the deal,” the Post reported.

The aforementioned letter stated the following:

“Despite the unprecedented nature of this action, the FCC majority has apparently decided to approve licenses on an accelerated timeframe for a company in which George Soros has a major ownership stake, and with stations in 40 media markets reaching ‘more than 165 million Americans.

“By all appearances, the FCC majority isn’t just expediting, but is bypassing an established process to do a favor for George Soros and facilitate his influence over hundreds of radio stations before the November election.”

The Post added, “Critics of the deal say it gives too much power to a heavily political, and liberal, billionaire just before the election.”

Mike Gonzalez, author and former member of the George W. Bush administration, told the Post, “I have no idea why Soros would do this unless it was to manipulate the thinking of Americans and the information they listen to.” 

Further, Gonzalez, who is now at the Heritage Foundation, was quoted by the Post as saying, “Conservative talk radio is huge, and there is no left-wing talk radio because it’s just not interesting... Conservative talk radio is one of the few communications that conservatives have not a monopoly on, but have a strong handle on, and he has bought stations that have Mark Levin and Sean Hannity and Dana Loesch and Glenn Beck.”

What’s more, the Post reported that “critics also point out that Soros’ business partners in the deal include significant funding from sources overseas.”