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Democrat Sues KRLA For Being Republican
September 9, 2008 at 11:50 AM (PT)
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A LOS ANGELES man is suing SALEM owner ED ATSINGER and seven hosts heard on Talk KRLA-A/GLENDALE-LOS ANGELES, alleging that the station defrauds the public and misrepresented itself to the FCC by featuring only conservative hosts and "Republican issues."
The GLENDALE NEWS PRESS reports that DAVID BIRKE, described as a Democrat, is suing SALEM's DENNIS PRAGER, MICHAEL MEDVED, HUGH HEWITT and MIKE GALLAGHER; KRLA local host KEVIN JAMES; TALK RADIO NETWORK's LAURA INGRAHAM; and WESTWOOD ONE's DENNIS MILLER. His attorney JOHNNY BIRKE stated, "This a legal attack about the facts and law about what these defendants did and what they are doing on the airwaves."
The paper reports that BIRKE's complaint alleges that KRLA "has never allowed a Democrat to host a show; uses call screening to 'suppress' calls from Democratic supporters; and violates "campaign finance laws by providing free media for advertising, attacks on Democrats, fundraising and promotion exclusively to GOP officials and candidates.'"
The FCC has consistently declined to interfere in programming decisions since the abolition of the Fairness Doctrine and does not require stations to balance programming.