The Washington, D.C., advocacy group seeking a denial by the FCC of the license renewal for a FOX Television Stations property serving Philadelphia has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request with the Commission seeking copies “of any and all official and personal communications” from or to its two Republican Commissioners that may pertain to FOX or the group’s own petition.
The Media and Democracy Project (MAD), along with former FCC Chairman Alfred Sikes, ex-FCC Commissioner Ervin S. Duggan, former PBS President William Kristol, and Preston Padden (pictured, top left), a former Fox Executive and lead lobbyist to Rupert Murdoch, submitted the FOIA request with the intent of receiving all documents involving Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington that mention MAD’s petition to deny the license renewal application of WTXF “FOX 29” in Philadelphia.
The petitioners also seek any communications with representatives “or surrogates” of Fox Television Stations, Fox Corporation, NewsCorp, or the Heritage Foundation; and what it calls “content- or viewpoint-based licensing standards that may be suggested or applied to television station licensing in a future Republican administration.”
MAD and its supporters also seek any communication from Carr and Simington that may mention the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” in addition to “Agenda 47,” the 2024 Republican Party platform, “and/or positions in a future Trump Presidency or Republican administration” in addition to documents with any reference to the 2020 election for U.S. president “and the related challenges thereto, including the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.”
MAD seeks both official and personal communications. Why? “[B]ecause as champions of governmental transparency, MAD is confident that Commissioners Carr and Simington will be eager to cooperate,” it explains in its request.
The MAD Petition to Deny the WTXF license transfer is rooted in its belief that FOX Television Stations committed violations of the character qualification requirements of the Communications Act during the 2020 U.S. presidential election by “knowingly and repeatedly” presenting “false news” from FOX News Network.
Padden has explained in conversations with RBR+TVBR that WTXF is being targeted as its license renewal comes ahead of other FOX Television Stations, and for no other reason.
Meanwhile, the FOIA request takes aim at Simington for his September 13 statement noting the Commissioner is “pleased to commit to making license determinations objectively and fairly, in compliance with the Communications Act and in a manner that upholds the First Amendment.” As such, he added, “The Commission can demonstrate its commitment to these principles by bringing the intentional and unwarranted political delay in the renewal of WTXF-TV’s broadcast license to a close.”
In MAD’s view, Simington “has already publicly prejudged the MAD Petition,” a decision he says is “a blow to the Commission’s credibility.”
MAD also notes that Carr and Simington “appear” in the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” document, and claims Carr authored a chapter of the report.
While Carr has not publicly indicated that he authored a portion of the “Project 2025” document, a MAD spokesperson told RBR+TVBR that Page 845 of the document features a section credited to the FCC Republican.