RADIOSeptember 24, 2024

The FCC is HELPING George Soros buy up radio stations?!

A group backed by George Soros is buying up more than 200 Audacy radio stations in the U.S. and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr confirms to Glenn that the FCC is helping fast-track the acquisition! Carr joins Glenn to expose this never-before-seen move by the FCC, which he objected to. He also weighs in on just how suspicious this acquisition is, especially since most investors are taking money OUT of the radio industry. So, does this purchase have anything to do with influencing the 2024 election?

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: I want to tell you what happened with the FCC yesterday. So last week, this just came out. Last week, the FCC adopted an order to approve the purchase of more than 200 radio stations, in 40 markets.

Just a couple of weeks, before the presidential election. Now, I don't think this is going to affect the presidential election.

But he's -- the one who is behind this is George Soros.

George Soros just bought 200 radio stations, in 40 different markets. Now, the vote came down in the FCC, it was partisan. Three Democrats voting for it.

Two Republicans voting against it.

But here's -- here's the real problem.

According to existing FCC rules. Foreign company ownership of US radio stations is not supposed to exceed 25 percent. But Soros took foreign investment money to make his bid.

And then he asked the FCC to make an exception, to the usual review process.

So they -- the FCC fast tracked this.

Why? Why would they that do?

There's something else, that is really important. You know the -- the -- the left has been saying, we've got to get off of dial-up. We've got to get off of dial-up.

We need high-speed Internet for the rural areas. Well, for some reason, the FCC has delayed the rollout of the internet, to rural communities.

Again, why are they doing that?

Maybe the guy who has the answer is the FCC commissioner.

He's Brendan Carr.

Brendan, how are you, sir?

BRENDAN: I'm doing great. Wonderful to join you again.

GLENN: I wish we could talk on good things.

You know, call me sometimes when something -- when something great would happen.

Brendan, tell me, do I have this right, first of all, about the George Soros takeover of radio stations? And if so, why was there an exception made and fast tracked?

BRENDAN: Well, you note -- you had the story out last week. Or actually yesterday.

That says, that the FCC, last week, adopted an order. That effectively fast tracked Soros' purchase of a 200 radio station.

But I haven't commented on that publicly. Because the fact is the FCC hasn't released a final decision to the public. The reporting is that we adopted it, last week in a three-two vote.

I didn't -- outspoken on this particular issue. The reasons you talked about. We have a very clear process that we set up. It could take six months to a year that we're going through.

But for reasons that are not sort of plain to me. The FCC commission, for the very first time ever, has skipped that process. For the benefit of this Soros-backed group. It sort of lets people draw their own conclusions about it.

But, again, it's an unprecedented decision for the commission.

GLENN: Never happened before.

BRENDAN: That's right. We at the commission level, adopted one way. That you can buy radio stations, if you have accepted foreign ownership, which they do.

And that one process is the lengthy six to one year national security review.

And it's been -- now, a lot of these stations are probably just classic rock or news.

But not all of them.

GLENN: And they don't have to be.

BRENDAN: Yeah.

Conversations -- there's at least three stations that you're on, that are part of this deal thing with Sean Hannity, same with Dana Lash. Same with Mark Levin. And so there are at least subtleties that are conservative news and talk outlets.

GLENN: I've got to tell you, if this was a conservative doing this, I doubt the FCC would have okayed it. Any ramifications? Go ahead.

BRENDAN: Yeah. Well -- yeah, Glenn, we actually have that example.

So not too long ago. A year ago. There was a group of conservative buyers.

That wanted to purchase some south Florida radio station. And a number of Democrats spoke up very loudly and said the FCC cannot allow these conservative outlets to buy these radio stations.

Because in the Democrat's view, it can cost them an election in south Florida. And I missed that pressure campaign. The conservative buyers abandoned the deal. So we've seen across-the-board conservative efforts by Democrats. To sort of weaponize the government, to go against conservative speech. There was California Democrats in Congress, that wrote letters to cable companies, telling them to drop Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN because of the editorial decisions, that their news room information -- we had a Baltimore resident call on the FCC, to investigate a local TV station that was exposing her own corruption.

And so this is sort of the reverse side of a pattern, that we've been living under the last couple of years, of weaponization of government power.

In my view, frankly against free speech.

GLENN: Now, we are told, everywhere, that radio is a dying medium. Why would George Soros want to invest this kind of money?

What did he say in his request?

BRENDAN: It's a good question. Look, I don't know a lot of billionaires right now. That with all the options with where they're going to place their money. To sit around and say, you know what kicks off like cash right now.

Is the local radio station.

Maybe. Maybe. But if any reason, we're seeing the opposite.

We're seeing a flight of capital from local broadcasting, because it's so challenged right now with competitions from social media companies and over the top providers. So maybe there's a business there, that they're smart enough to see. That everyone else doesn't see.

That's really not the direction can of the Capitol, we're seeing right now.

GLENN: And the foreign investment.

Do we know who these people are?

BRENDAN: No, we don't. So the Audacy stations win the bankruptcies. And the Soros group put together a bunch of investors to buy it out, and they have come forward and said, you know, there's in essence, 25 percent, which is the threshold, of foreign entities.

That are investing.

It's more likely than not, there's no big deal there at all.

But the fact is, we usually run a national security group to identify whose those are, and whether they're fine or not.

And what Soros has said, that is in the near term, to wall off those foreign stakeholders, and then come back to the FCC down the road. To run that longer, sort of six-month to one-year process.

So I do think we need to stay vigilant here.

This is an issue. At least that portion of it, that we'll come back here before the FCC in the coming months.

GLENN: Any idea how long it will take, before he has control?

BRENDAN: I think it will be almost instantaneous.

You know, after the FCC releases a final decision, that approves it.

You know, they've already been hardly getting them out of bankruptcy.

But I think it will be a near instantaneous ability to take the reins of all these 200 stations. The FCC's decision if this reporting is right.

GLENN: Such a game we're playing here.

When -- when do you suppose, if this reporting is right, they will report on the vote that you were involved in?

BRENDAN: I think the reporting that I see, Jeff said, it could within the next week or so.

GLENN: Okay. So this could actually take place before the election.

BRENDAN: Oh, yeah. I would expect that for sure. Well ahead of it.

GLENN: Talk to me about the other really weird, that happened. With the high-speed Internet. In rural areas.

BRENDAN: Well, this is interesting. There seems to be a pattern emerging within the Biden Harris administration, of this fight, investing billions and billions of everybody. Taxpayer dollars. Leaving rural America behind, when it comes to connectivity. Back in 2019, or 2020, we cut a deal, with EchoStar with Dish. To guarantee, that they would provide 5G high-speed internet to rural America. It was part of a DOJ settlement. It was actually litigated in court.

It was adopted by the full commission. Then in a Friday afternoon news dump last week, the FCC's leadership, any public input being sought, relieved Dish/EchoStar of the obligation. It was just a one-sentence entry. You know, licensing database.

And frankly, I have been at the FCC for 12 years. I have never seen anything like that.

It's sort of the worse abuse of process that I've seen in the agents. You know, we have rural Americans guaranteed to get this service. It was a June 2025, build-out obligation.

And Dish/EchoStar came in and asked for relief and on Wednesday -- sorry, Tuesday night, last week. And by Friday, this massive, you know, relief was provided without any input from me or I'm assuming at least the Republican commissioner that I'm with.

GLENN: I'm trying to piece this together. Why -- why would that happen?

BRENDAN: Well, I think there are still a lot of questions to be answered. You know, there was some sort of deal that was cut here.

The features of which, have not been publicly disclosed.

You know, and I just think, there's one way we still have to ask a lot of questions.

This was a rumor, a lot earlier over the weekend. That a company. Dish Echo could potentially go bankrupt before the election, if they didn't get this relief. That's just a rumor. I don't know if it's true. But, certainly, I think there's a lot more to this.

Because, again, the only thing the FCC did was enter a one-sentence line, licensing, database, granting its extension.

So I think the agency has a lot more explaining to do, to justify this decision.

GLENN: I -- thank you very much for your courage, for speaking out and being the guy you are.

I mean, I've been in this business for, you know, almost 50 years.

And I've never even thought of an FCC commissioner.

Because they weren't -- you know, they just didn't -- I don't know.

They didn't have that much affect, on, you know, every day life.

And the things that are come out of the FCC now. Are truly, I think frightening.

Especially if you're on my end of the microphone.

It is -- it's stuff I've never seen before.

As you say, you've been a commissioner for 12 years. You've never seen it before.

And it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Unless you start to think like a -- you know, like a thriller writer, then it becomes more terrifying.

Brendan, thank you.

BRENDAN: Enjoy it. And one day I'll come back on, and we'll have some good news and stuff. I'm sure, it will happen at some point.

GLENN: All right. Good. Good. Thanks.

Brendan Carr, the FCC commissioner.

Shocking train video: Passengers wait while woman bleeds out

Surveillance footage of the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, NC, reveals that the other passengers on the train took a long time to help her. Glenn, Stu, and Jason debate whether they were right or wrong to do so.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: You know, I'm -- I'm torn on how I feel about the people on the train.

Because my first instinct is, they did nothing! They did nothing! Then my -- well, sit down and, you know -- you know, you're going to be judged. So be careful on judging others.

What would I have done? What would I want my wife to do in that situation?

STU: Yeah. Are those two different questions, by the way.

GLENN: Yeah, they are.

STU: I think they go far apart from each other. What would I want myself to do. I mean, it's tough to put yourself in a situation. It's very easy to watch a video on the internet and talk about your heroism. Everybody can do that very easily on Twitter. And everybody is.

You know, when you're in a vehicle that doesn't have an exit with a guy who just murdered somebody in front of you, and has a dripping blood off of a knife that's standing 10 feet away from you, 15 feet away from you.

There's probably a different standard there, that we should all kind of consider. And maybe give a little grace to what I saw at least was a woman, sitting across the -- the -- the aisle.

I think there is a difference there. But when you talk about that question. Those two questions are definitive.

You know, I know what I would want myself to do. I would hope I would act in a way that didn't completely embarrass myself afterward.

But I also think, when I'm thinking of my wife. My advice to my wife would not be to jump into the middle of that situation at all costs. She might do that anyway. She actually is a heck of a lot stronger than I am.

But she might do it anyway.

GLENN: How pathetic, but how true.

STU: Yes. But that would not be my advice to her.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

STU: Now, maybe once the guy has certainly -- is out of the area. And you don't think the moment you step into that situation. He will turn around and kill you too. Then, of course, obviously. Anything you can do to step in.

Not that there was much anyone on the train could do.

I mean, I don't think there was an outcome change, no matter what anyone on that train did.

Unfortunately.

But would I want her to step in?

Of course. If she felt she was safe, yes.

Think about, you said, your wife. Think about your daughter. Your daughter is on that train, just watching someone else getting murdered like that. Would you advise your daughter to jump into a situation like that?

That girl sitting across the aisle was somebody's daughter. I don't know, man.

JASON: I would. You know, as a dad, would I advise.

Hmm. No.

As a human being, would I hope that my daughter or my wife or that I would get up and at least comfort that woman while she's dying on the floor of a train?

Yeah.

I would hope that my daughter, my son, that I would -- and, you know, I have more confidence in my son or daughter or my wife doing something courageous more than I would.

But, you know, I think I have a more realistic picture of myself than anybody else.

And I'm not sure that -- I'm not sure what I would do in that situation. I know what I would hope I would do. But I also know what I fear I would do. But I would have hoped that I would have gotten up and at least tried to help her. You know, help her up off the floor. At least be there with her, as she's seeing her life, you know, spill out in under a minute.

And that's it other thing we have to keep in mind. This all happened so rapidly.

A minute is -- will seem like a very long period of time in that situation. But it's a very short period of time in real life.

STU: Yeah. You watch the video, Glenn. You know, I don't need the video to -- to change my -- my position on this.

But at his seem like there was a -- someone who did get there, eventually, to help, right? I saw someone seemingly trying to put pressure on her neck.

GLENN: Yeah. And tried to give her CPR.

STU: You know, no hope at that point. How long of a time period would you say that was?

Do you know off the top of your head?

GLENN: I don't know. I don't know. I know that we watched the video that I saw. I haven't seen past 30 seconds after she --

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: -- is down. And, you know, for 30 seconds nothing is happening. You know, that is -- that is not a very long period of time.

STU: Right.

GLENN: In reality.

STU: And especially, I saw the pace he was walking. He certainly can't be -- you know, he may have left the actual train car by 30 seconds to a minute. But he wasn't that far away. Like he was still in visual.

He could still turn around and look and see what's going on at that point. So certainly still a threat is my point. He has not, like, left the area. This is not that type of situation.

You know, I -- look, as you point out, I think if I could be super duper sexist for a moment here, sort of my dividing line might just be men and women.

You know, I don't know if it's that a -- you're not supposed to say that, I suppose these days. But, like, there is a difference there. If I'm a man, you know, I would be -- I would want my son to jump in on that, I suppose. I don't know if he could do anything about it. But you would expect at least a grown man to be able to go in there and do something about it. A woman, you know, I don't know.

Maybe I'm -- I hope --

GLENN: Here's the thing I -- here's the thing that I -- that causes me to say, no. You should have jumped in.

And that is, you know, you've already killed one person on the train. So you've proven that you're a killer. And anybody who would have screamed and got up and was with her, she's dying. She's dying. Get him. Get him.

Then the whole train is responsible for stopping that guy. You know. And if you don't stop him, after he's killed one person, if you're not all as members of that train, if you're not stopping him, you know, the person at the side of that girl would be the least likely to be killed. It would be the ones that are standing you up and trying to stop him from getting back to your daughter or your wife or you.

JASON: There was a -- speaking of men and women and their roles in this. There was a video circling social media yesterday. In Sweden. There was a group of officials up on a stage. And one of the main. I think it was health official woman collapses on stage. Completely passes out.

All the men kind of look away. Or I don't know if they're looking away. Or pretending that they didn't know what was going on. There was another woman standing directly behind the woman passed out.

Immediately springs into action. Jumps on top. Grabs her pant leg. Grabs her shoulder. Spins her over and starts providing care.

What did she have that the other guys did not? Or women?

She was a sheepdog. There is a -- this is my issue. And I completely agree with Stu. I completely agree with you. There's some people that do not respond this way. My issue is the proportion of sheepdogs versus people that don't really know how to act. That is diminishing in western society. And American society.

We see it all the time in these critical actions. I mean, circumstances.

There are men and women, and it's actually a meme. That fantasize about hoards of people coming to attack their home and family. And they sit there and say, I've got it. You guys go. I'm staying behind, while I smoke my cigarette and wait for the hoards to come, because I will sacrifice myself. There are men and women that fantasize of block my highway. Go ahead. Block my highway. I'm going to do something about it. They fantasize about someone holding up -- not a liquor store. A convenience store or something. Because they will step in and do something. My issue now is that proportion of sheepdogs in society is disappearing. Just on statistical fact, there should be one within that train car, and there were none.

STU: Yeah. I mean --

JASON: They did not respond.

STU: We see what happens when they do, with Daniel Penny. Our society tries to vilify them and crush their existence. Now, there weren't that many people on that train. Right?

At least on that car. At least it's limited. I only saw three or four people there, there may have been more. I agree with you, though. Like, you see what happens when we actually do have a really recent example of someone doing exactly what Jason wants and what I would want a guy to do. Especially a marine to step up and stop this from happening. And the man was dragged by our legal system to a position where he nearly had to spend the rest of his life in prison.

I mean, I -- it's insanity. Thankfully, they came to their senses on that one.

GLENN: Well, the difference between that one and this one though is that the guy was threatening. This one, he killed somebody.

STU: Yeah. Right. Well, but -- I think -- but it's the opposite way. The debate with Penny, was should he have recognize that had this person might have just been crazy and not done anything?

Maybe. He hadn't actually acted yet. He was just saying things.

GLENN: Yeah. Well --

STU: He didn't wind up stabbing someone. This is a situation where these people have already seen what this man will do to you, even when you don't do anything to try to stop him. So if this woman, who is, again, looks to be an average American woman.

Across the aisle. Steps in and tries to do something. This guy could easily turn around and just make another pile of dead bodies next to the one that already exists.

And, you know, whether that is an optimal solution for our society, I don't know that that's helpful.

In that situation.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Max Lucado on Overcoming Grief in Dark Times | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 266

Disclaimer: This episode was filmed prior to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. But Glenn believes Max's message is needed now more than ever.
The political world is divided, constantly at war with itself. In many ways, our own lives are not much different. Why do we constantly focus on the negative? Why are we in pain? Where is God amid our anxiety and fear? Why can’t we ever seem to change? Pastor Max Lucado has found the solution: Stop thinking like that! It may seem easier said than done, but Max joins Glenn Beck to unpack the three tools he describes in his new book, “Tame Your Thoughts,” that make it easy for us to reset the way we think back to God’s factory settings. In this much-needed conversation, Max and Glenn tackle everything from feeling doubt as a parent to facing unfair hardships to ... UFOs?! Plus, Max shares what he recently got tattooed on his arm.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Demonic Forces to Blame for Charlie Kirk, Minnesota & Charlotte Killings?

This week has seen some of the most heinous actions in recent memory. Glenn has been discussing the growth of evil in our society, and with the assassination of civil rights leader Charlie Kirk, the recent transgender shooter who took the lives of two children at a Catholic school, and the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, how can we make sense of all this evil? On today's Friday Exclusive, Glenn speaks with BlazeTV host of "Strange Encounters" Rick Burgess to discuss the demon-possessed transgender shooter and the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. Rick breaks down the reality of demon possession and how individuals wind up possessed. Rick and Glenn also discuss the dangers of the grotesque things we see online and in movies, TV shows, and video games on a daily basis. Rick warns that when we allow our minds to be altered by substances like drugs or alcohol, it opens a door for the enemy to take control. A supernatural war is waging in our society, and it’s a Christian’s job to fight this war. Glenn and Rick remind Christians of what their first citizenship is.