June 26th 2023.
The only Black-owned radio station in Knoxville, Tennessee, is facing a difficult situation due to its owner's past. WFAE 90.7 reports that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is threatening to revoke the broadcast license for WJBE 99.7 FM/1040 AM due to Joe Armstrong's prior felony conviction.
Armstrong, who took ownership of the station in 2012, believes the FCC's actions are unjust. He explains, “It’s not like this is something that happened, let’s say, this year or last year — we’re talking about something that happened in 2008.”
The issue began when Armstrong and a partner legally bought cigarette tax stamps and then sold them for a profit after the Tennessee legislature voted to increase the state’s cigarette tax. His accountant reportedly did not properly pay the taxes on this sale, leading to his conviction of two counts of federal tax fraud in 2016.
Despite his past, Armstrong insists he has been an upstanding licensee. He shared his legal troubles with the FCC in 2017 and has had no issues since then. “I’ve had the opportunity after my conviction to show that I have the character to operate the station — the only minority station in this market,” Armstrong said.
Unfortunately, the FCC is still taking action. In 2022, they sent a notice to Armstrong saying they would continue proceedings to determine whether or not to revoke the broadcast license. They cited their character qualification policy, established in 1990, which states that a licensee must have “the requisite propensity to obey the law.”
Fortunately, Armstrong is being represented by lawyers at the Institute for Justice who are fighting for his rights. Attorney Andrew Ward argues, “Joe’s single conviction is about conduct that occurred 14 years ago and had nothing to do with WJBE. His actual record at the station has shown him to be a responsible licensee and boon to an underserved community for more than a decade.”
It's unclear what will happen next, but one thing is certain: Armstrong and his legal team are determined to keep WJBE open and operating.
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