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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 22, 2005

Contact: Jen Soriano 415-225-8318

SF SUPERVISORS TO DEBATE O’REILLY’S AIR RAID ON SAN FRANCISCO BOARD TO VOTE ON 910am KNEW RESOLUTION TODAY

[SAN FRANCISCO - Tuesday, November 22] – Two weeks after Fox News personality Bill O’Reilly suggested that San Francisco’s anti-war politics should make it a target for terrorist acts, the SF Board ofSupervisors is taking action. Today the Board will vote on a resolution to urge the Federal Communication Commission to consider revoking the broadcast license of San-Francisco based 910am KNEW, a Clear Channel-owned station that airs Bill O’Reilly’s show weekdays between 7 and 9PM.

The resolution acknowledges that 910am KNEW’s offices are located in San Francisco at 340 Townsend Street, within the jurisdiction of the Supervisors. It also acknowledges that all radio stations are obligated to broadcast “in the public interest” by the Federal Communications Commission.

Whether or not advocating terrorism against a U.S. city is in the public interest seems to be up for debate.

On his November 8 “Radio Factor” show, Bill O’Reilly stated: “And if Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead.”

The statement was in reaction to San Francisco’s newly-passed measure to ban military recruitment on school campuses.

“O’Reilly essentially declared that if you are against the war, then you don’t deserve the same protections that everyone else receives under the law,” says Jeff Perlstein, Executive Director of Media Alliance. His statement condoning violence against civilians is not only counter to the public interest, it is irresponsible, contrary to American values and has no place on our public airwaves.”

The resolution, if passed, would also urge Senator Barbara Boxer and Representative Nancy Pelosi to join iin asking the Federal Communications Commission to closely examine KNEW’s license application based on this and numerous additional violations of the public interest, including inciting violence against immigrants, homophobic slurs, and a lack of balanced local content.

Media Alliance and a broad coalition of Bay Area youth organizers, artists and media activists, including the Youth Media Council, Youth Movement Records and Code Pink, filed a legal petition with the FCC to deny 910am KNEW’s license renewal, along with three other Clear Channel-owned stations in the Bay (KSJO, KMEL and KYLD). The coalition is currently awaiting an FCC-mandated response from Clear Channel.

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