For more than 15 years, a Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., broadcast group led by a man professionally known as Bill Curtis and business partner Tim Sabean has operated 11 radio stations acquired from Northern Star Broadcasting. Now, Curtis, whose legal name is William C. Gleich, and Sabean face perhaps the biggest challenge of their ownership tenure — a license revocation proceeding.
The FCC on Friday (2/13) released an Order to Pay or Show Cause to Sovereign Broadcasting that includes the initiation of a process to revoke the company’s licenses.
This impacts WKNW-AM, WSOO-AM, WSUE-FM & WYSS-FM in Sault Ste. Marie; WNBY-AM & FM in Newberry, Mich.; and WMKD-FM in Pickford, Mich.
The threat of the loss of the stations’ licenses is due to unpaid regulatory fees, and the total owed is exactly $37,250.51.
The Commission’s records show that Sovereign currently has unpaid regulatory fee debt for WKNW of $762.50 for FY 2021; $817.47 for FY 2023; and $769.33 for FY 2024.
It also shows unpaid regulatory fees for WNBY-AM of $762.50 for FY 2021, $487.85 for FY 2023, and $460.29 for FY 2024; for WSUE of $2,287.50 for FY 2021, $2,545.91 for FY 2022, $2,452.40 for FY 2023, and $2,307.99 for FY 2024; for WYSS of $2,287.50 for FY 2021, $2,452.40 for FY 2023, and $2,307.99 for FY 2024; for WNBY-FM of $1,525.00 for FY 2021, $2,545.91 for FY 2022, $982.28 for FY 2023, and $920.56 for FY 2024; for WMKD of $2,287.50 for FY 2021, $2,452.40 for FY 2023, and $2,307.99 for FY 2024; and for WSOO of $1,143.75 for FY 2021, $1,226.20 for FY 2023, and $1,157.29 for FY 2024.
Additional interest and other charges will continue to accrue on these debts until they are paid in full.
The action comes as Sovereign apparently did not respond to FCC demand letters and, subsequently, led the Treasury Department to issue an unpaid fee collection letter. Interestingly enough, Sovereign made an $9,240.33 overpayment on these debts. But, as the FCC explains, when the Commission referred the debts to Treasury for collection, the total debt amount increased by Treasury’s collection charge. One or more payments that Sovereign made to the U.S. Treasury on the debts were applied to Treasury’s collection charge. When the Commission called the debt back, the Treasury Department’s collection charge was backed out of the debt amount, creating an overpayment equal to the portion of Sovereign’s payments that had previously been applied to the U.S. Treasury’s collection charge.
The order came from acting Media Bureau Chief Erin Boone and FCC Managing Director Daniel Daly.
Sovereign acquired the stations in March 2010 along with stations serving the Michigan cities of Iron Mountain and Marquette. Those properties were sold in October 2019 to AMC Partners — an Armada Media-related entity led by Terry Shockley and Chris Bernier.
