Former PBS host Tavis Smiley is aiming to complete his purchase of news/talk station KBLA 1580, but a group is protesting the acquisition.
The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America has filed a petition with the FCC looking to block Smiley’s purchase of the station, alleging that he is unfit to be granted a license.
The group claims the character and financial concerns of Smiley should disqualify him from holding an FCC license. Smiley was accused of sexual misconduct during his tenure at PBS. His contract was ultimately terminated for his misdeeds.
After a subsequent lawsuit, Smiley was ordered to pay PBS $2.6 million after a jury found he broke the morality clause in his contract. He has continually denied any wrongdoing in the case.
The UCCA has asked the FCC to further investigate the financial concerns of Smiley after his production company — TS Media Inc. — filed for bankruptcy after being ordered to pay the sum to PBS.
A class B 50,000-watt station, KBLA is licensed to Santa Monica and was a brokered Spanish station before Smiley took over operations. He agreed to purchase the signal in November 2020 for $7.15 million. In April, the former BET, PBS, and NPR host filed to acquire the remainder of the station for an adjusted sales price of $6.896 million.
