In late April, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) made it loud and clear that he wants to put a stop to the use of a well-known Mexican “border blaster” as a home for Mandarin-language full service programming targeting the large Chinese population across Los Angeles County, Calif. His reason: What “URadio” airs, in his view, is largely an audio instrument for propaganda produced by the government of the People’s Republic of China.
While Russia’s “Sputnik” has generated its own controversy and the British Broadcasting Corp.’s BBC News is widely distributed across the U.S., the use of a Mexico-based broadcast facility with programming originating from a studio in the U.S. brings a broader issue to the landscape — the use of non-U.S. signals to target U.S. listeners.
It appears Cruz’s concerns were heard at the FCC — and they agree. URadio has 48 hours to cease its Southern California-targeted operation. And, the FCC says, it’s all because their application to the Commission’s International Division failed to include a key participant.
