‘Sputnik’ Outlet Owner Speaks Out Against NAB Squelch Request

On March 1, the new President and CEO of the nation’s primary advocacy and lobbying group for radio and television broadcasting companies issued a request. Despite being a “fierce defender” of the First Amendment, Curtis LeGeyt asked that any state-sponsored programming with ties to Moscow be pulled from U.S. airwaves — now.

LeGeyt seemingly took aim at Sputnik, the English-language service of the Voice of Russia. It is heard for six hours each weekday in Kansas City, in addition to 24/7 service on an AM and an FM translator serving Washington, D.C.

The owner of the Missouri station has already been vocal, sharing his ire over LeGeyt’s request. This week, KCXL-AM‘s owner renewed his disdain for LeGeyt’s request, labeling it “a call to disregard our right of free speech.”

In a “response” to LeGeyt and the NAB, Pete Schartel — in his role as the head of Alpine Broadcasting Company — writes, “It is my patriotic duty alert fellow broadcasters that … the new driver of the National Association of Broadcasters threw both our cherished First Amendment right of free speech and the preservation of independent broadcast voices under the bus by calling for the silencing of broadcasters which carry Russian sponsored programming.”

He also slammed LeGeyt’s claim that he is a fierce defender of the First Amendment, noting, “Perhaps he should have used the word ‘farce’ instead.”

Schartel continues, “Advocating to shut down independent radio stations, such as my own, which has zealously practiced the American ideal of creating a fully informed electorate, doesn’t strike me as being a ‘fierce defender.’ Since his statement came out during meetings with 300 lawmakers it seems more plausible that that this was a knee-jerk attempt to make them like him by playing on public sympathy and emotion.”

In reality, Schartel believes, “The only lawmakers who should support his lack of conviction, to uphold our right of free speech, are those of the foreign government who launched the reprehensible attack on innocent citizens of the Ukraine. Many brave Americans have given their lives for the freedom to be an open and just society; it should not be so easily ignored.”

In early 2020, Liberty, Mo., based Alpine attracted attention for a programming change at its Kansas City-market KCXL-AM 1140, a Class D facility with 4k during daylight hours but a mere six watts after dark, to protect WRVA in Richmond. As previously reported by RBR+TVBR, Schartel agreed to a brokered programming deal with RM Broadcasting, led by Arnold Ferolito. The Kansas City Star reported that RM is being paid a $324,000 service fee from Rossiya Segodnya to transmit shows in Kansas City. They air from 6am-9am and 6pm-9pm daily, under a time brokerage agreement that took effect Jan. 1, 2020.

The microscope on KCXL intensified in Congress as combatting “Russian propaganda” has been a key mission of Democratic Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (Calif.), a senior member of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee. In October 2020, Eshoo praised FCC efforts requiring the identification of foreign government sponsored broadcast TV and radio content.

Then came Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Schartel’s statement makes it clear that he’s against the action and how civilians have become victims of the Kremlin’s aggression. Yet, he also sees LeGeyt’s request as linked to the NAB’s dismissal of the importance of independent broadcasters, going so far as to say, “Now, independent broadcasters need to be warned that the NAB is no longer there to cover your back.”

Schartel’s dissemination of his response to NAB was intended to provide balance to the reports about Sputnik airing on KCXL. Instead, he says, “the irresponsible action of sending out this press release to unfriendly media outlets has subjected my wife and I to an outpouring of hateful, profanity-laced letters, emails and phone calls. Although it is actually encouraging that people still feel free to express their opinions without fear of reprisal, I pray that the NAB will do some soul searching and vow to fully think through future
statements so to not further the dangerous rise of cancel culture mentality which threatens to undermine the fundamental values of our still great country.”

Talk Back to RBR+TVBR! Is Sputnik no difference than the BBC World Service, Voice of America or Deutsche Welle? Or, is it a propaganda tool with a 24/7 broadcast home in the Nation’s Capital that the NAB rightfully says should be pulled from the airwaves?