Joe Armstrong, owner of WJBE 99.7 FM/1040 AM — whose letters call for a tribute to WJBE’s original owner, The Godfather of Souls, James Brown — said the Communications Commission. Federal Communications is threatening to revoke his broadcast license because of his criminal record for a tax crime, a crime that happened years before he took ownership of the station.
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Joe Armstrong, owner of WJBE 99.7 FM/1040 AM — whose letters call for a tribute to WJBE’s original owner, The Godfather of Souls, James Brown — said the Communications Commission. Federal Communications is threatening to revoke his broadcast license because of his criminal record for a tax crime, a crime that happened years before he took ownership of the station.
Judicial Institute
Owner of Knoxville, Tennessee the only black-owned radio station, WJBEis fighting the Federal Communications Commission because the agency is threatening to revoke his broadcast license because of a previous felony conviction.
Joe Armstrong, owner of WJBE 99.7 FM/1040 AM — whose letters appeal to pay tribute to WJBE’s original owner, The Godfather of Souls, James Brown — told NPR that the FCC was threatening to revoke his broadcast license because of his criminal record for a tax crime, one that happened years before he took ownership of the station in 2012.
Armstrong said the radio station is a permanent station in Knoxville that serves as a news feed for the Black community – much like a community-driven station. It broadcasts local news and weather, church services, emerging artists, free advertising for struggling small businesses and, in recent years, information about the COVID-19 pandemic. according to Judicial Institutea civil rights group representing Armstrong’s case.
The FCC is questioning whether Armstrong, a longtime former state representative who served on the Tennessee General Assembly, can rightfully own a radio station after being convicted in 2016 of charges false statement on my tax return.
“This is not something that happened, say, this year or last year – we are talking about something that happened in 2008,” Armstrong said.
Around that time, Armstrong and a partner legally purchased tobacco tax stamps, which were later sold for profit following a vote by the Tennessee legislature. state tobacco tax increaseaccording to the Institute of Justice.
His accountant is said to have failed to properly pay the taxes for the sale, leading Armstrong to face trouble with the IRS. In 2016, he was acquitted of most of the charges against him and convicted of two counts of federal tax fraud. (Armstrong’s accountant, Charles Stivers, is Convicted of tax fraud and was granted probation in 2017.)
“There are a lot of people here who have made a mistake or been wrongly accused and punished for something,” Armstrong said. “But when people compensate, when they did everything they were supposed to – paid the fine[s]fulfilled their community service — they showed their character, if anything they did it was a mistake.”
Joe Armstrong said WJBE is a permanent program in Knoxville that serves as a news feed for the Black community – much like a community-driven station.
Judicial Institute
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Judicial Institute
Joe Armstrong said WJBE is a permanent program in Knoxville that serves as a news feed for the Black community – much like a community-driven station.
Judicial Institute
After Armstrong was convicted, the judge called his offense an “unusual” in an “exemplary life”. Armstrong’s civil rights, including his right to vote, were restored in 2020. In 2017, he notified the FCC of his conviction, which Armstrong said was out of the question. what until last year.
“I got my chance after being convicted [to show] that I have character [to operate the station] … the only minority station in this market,” Armstrong said.
Now, Armstrong and his attorney are questioning why the commission has stripped the station of the station’s license and done it. 33 years old character level policy to radio license holders.
Andrew Ward, the attorney representing the lawsuit, argued that Armstrong’s previous conviction had nothing to do with his ability to responsibly own and operate WJBE, and said the revocation of his license Radio harms the community more than anything.
“WJBE has been a beacon for more than a decade. There is no reason for the FCC to threaten to take it away because of Joe Armstrong’s 14-year-old, unrelated tax crime,” Ward said in a statement to NPR. .
The FCC declined to comment on Armstrong’s pending case, as the case is still pending. Paloma Perez, the FCC’s press secretary, told NPR that the commission has a duty to ensure that everyone with a license to use public waves “does so in the public interest.”
“The longstanding practice is that any licensee with a felony conviction is brought to trial to check if the licensee has the necessary qualifications to continue as a trustee of public waves. or not,” Perez told NPR in a statement.
Armstrong’s case with the FCC is similar to a number of cases where the commission placed licensees in hearing status due to prior felony convictions.
In Alabama, Michael Hubbard, a former speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives and CEO of Auburn Network Inc., was found guilty by a jury in 2016 of violating 12 counts of Alabama’s code of ethics.
Hubbard, who owns and operates multiple radio stations across Alabama, was also questioned by the FCC about his convictions and whether he should continue to keep his license. After months of debate and hearings, the FCC is finally non-revocable license from Hubbard.
In Pennsylvania, Roger Wahl – owner of WQZS, a classical rock radio station in Meyersdale – also experienced legal proceedings with the FCC about his station license following several charges related to a criminal investigation.
Wahl pleaded guilty in connection with allegations that he solicited strangers to sexually assault his female friend by setting up a fake online dating profile, local TV station WJAC 6 News Covered. In April 2023, the FCC revoked Wahl’s license.
