Long Island AM Alleges Rival Got Option On Its Transmitter Site To Force It To Sell Or Go Dark

Controversy

In a Special Temporary Authority filing to get its WTHE-A/MINEOLA, LONG ISLAND, NY back on the air with an emergency long wire antenna, UNIVERSAL BROADCASTING OF NEW YORK, INC. alleges that the owner of another station stepped in to get an exclusive option on WTHE's licensed site in an attempt to either force UNIVERSAL to sell the station to him or forfeit its license.

The STA filing, noting that the station needed to resume broadcasting by JANUARY 26th to preserve its license, alleges in Exhibit 16 that "in preparation for a return to broadcasting, an attempt was made to secure a lease from the present owner of the transmitter site. UNIVERSAL BROADCASTING, the WTHE licensee, was informed that an exclusive option to lease the site had been granted to RICHARD YOON, who represented himself as the WTHE owner. In fact, Mr. YOON is the 100% stockholder of WIN RADIO BROADCASTING CORP., licensee of station WNYH, HUNTINGTON, NEW YORK. Mr. YOON took this action in an apparent attempt to (a) force UNIVERSAL to sell WTHE to WIN at a price dictated by WIN, or (b) force the station to forfeit its license pursuant to Section 312(g) of the Communications Act, either of which would eliminate a competitor in WIN's market."  UNIVERSAL said in the exhibit that it expects to be able to lease its original site once YOON's option expires.

The STA is for WTHE to operate via a long wire at 132 Greenwich St. in HEMPSTEAD, NY with 100 watts daytime only.

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