Five weeks ago, the latest twist in a sordid soap opera-like ordeal involving an individual who faces a license revocation for his Class A FM radio station in Somerset County, Pa., became known.
Roger Wahl was “very, very, very sick,” according to a local pastor who has been actively rallying listeners of WQZS-FM 93.3 in Meyersdale, Pa., to support him — despite his felony conviction for instigating actions tied to voyeurism and unwanted sexual advances leading to rape.
Now, it seems that Wahl has recovered and is no longer knocking on heaven’s door. Instead, he’s likely cueing up that Bob Dylan tune when in the WQZS studio that today is part of his residence. And, that only renews questions as to how long he’ll legally be able to do just that.
For “Pastor Sam,” a.k.a. Sam Coughenour, any further actions against Wahl would be highly detrimental. As the lead host of the WQZS “Sunday Camp” religious program, Coughenour has used his donated air time repeatedly over the last several months to gain the support of listeners and the Meyersdale community.
This continued on July 10, when he told listeners “the good news” that “The Commander is back,” using a longtime nickname Wahl has had. Coughenour said, “So many are rejoicing. He is back on the air. Praise God.”
The pastor then referred to Wahl by his first name, noting how the WQZS owner phoned him on the evening of July 6 that he was out of the hospital — and back on the air.
“He looks pretty good,” Coughenour said on Sunday morning. “We were talking with him … he’s on the air.”
Indeed, Wahl returned to WQZS’s airwaves for his regular morning shift on July 7 after briefly appearing the evening of July 6, for one hour. He shared with listeners about being at the hospital, thanking the nurses and doctors for excellent care. While Wahl handled the weather reports and advertiser mentions, daughter Wendy Sipple — who Wahl seeks to sell WQZS to for a token price of $10 — prerecorded the newscast.
This activity followed the June 29 filing to the FCC’s ECFS of a letter emailed to Administrative Law Judge Jane Hinckley Halprin from a woman named Sally Shaffer, who is the sister of the woman Wahl admitted to entangling in his rape and voyeurism plan.
Shaffer’s letter “corrects” statements made by Wahl, noting, “I don’t enjoy doing this, but I
feel like there are too many lies being told, and there is nothing worse than someone lying to your face.”
With Wahl’s hearing ongoing, it remains to be seen if Shaffer’s letter has standing with Halprin or the Presiding Judge. In the letter, she offers a lengthy examination of Wahl’s facts pertaining to his felony conviction, with commentary as to what is, in her view, untrue.
The filing of Shaffer’s letter is the only activity seen in Wahl’s case since Halprin addressed a petition to intervene filed by the American Militia Association (AMA), licensee of WHYU-LPFM and the holder of a construction permit for WHYU-FM.
The AMA in mid-May filed a 180-page petition to deny with the Commission alleging the defectiveness of the WQZS renewal application; multiple rule and public notice violations; technical violations; and fraud against the FCC and public. This is based on the attempt by Wahl to transfer WQZS to his daughter, Ms. Sipple. The petition also addresses “potential ownership issues” involving an entity named Target Broadcasting Inc. and original partners and investors in the radio station WQZS.
Wahl had continuously reported to the FCC that he was the only person with any ownership interests in the station. As RBR+TVBR previously reported, another party emerged, suddenly claiming their original ownership stake in WQZS was falsely transferred to Wahl; this claim has not yet been independently verified.
Robert Kluver, who serves as President of the American Militia Association and director of WHYU, said the primary reason for filing the Petition to Deny “was to repair the image of broadcasters,” especially in a community “tarnished” by Roger Wahl and his actions.
Today, Kluver can only prepare for the upgrade of WHYU as the Presiding Judge in Washington maneuvers through a hearing full of twists and turns.
Back in Meyersdale, Wahl remains on the air, with an ally preaching each Sunday for his health and forgiveness of actions he took.
Whether the FCC listens is now the No. 1 focus in this long-running matter.
