In a letter to the FCC, U.S. Senators Robert P. Casey, Jr. and John Fetterman have weighed in on the license renewal of Fox’s WTXF-TV in Philadelphia, saying “after half of a year of public comment, the FCC should act swiftly to conclude its review of the station’s license renewal. WTXF-TV has provided a platform that uplifts Philadelphia's diverse voices and supports local journalism, and we hope that its delivery of local news and local programming to the community is not disrupted.”
The two U.S. Senators also noted that “as United States Senators for Pennsylvania, many of our constituents in the Greater Philadelphia Area look to Fox 29 (WTXF-TV) as a reliable local media outlet that helps residents stay connected to their community and current events. With the station’s broadcast license renewal still under review by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it is critical that the process be administered in a fair and neutral manner, as it has been for decades. The FCC has an important responsibility under the Communications Act to determine whether a broadcast licensee has served the public interest when it assesses a license renewal. We are aware that for six months, the FCC has been engaging the public to collect comments regarding WTXF-TV's license renewal. The record is replete with comments from Philadelphia residents, organizations, and elected officials from a range of backgrounds attesting to the station's commitment to upholding the core values of local broadcasting and to serving Philadelphia’s residents. We hope that you take these comments as a testament to the importance this station has in the community.”
Following the April 3, 2023 application by Fox Television Stations, LLC to renew the license of station WTXF-TV, the Media and Democracy Project (MAD); Milo Vassallo; John McGinty; Peter Lems; Chenjerai Kumanyika; and Bill Hartman filed a petition on July 3 to deny the Application.
They cited the $781 million judgment in the Dominion case against Fox Corporation, which is the parent company of Fox News and the Fox-owned stations. They argued that the election lies regarding Dominion and the 2020 election that aired on Fox News were grounds for the FCC to hold an evidentiary hearing and rule that Fox was unfit to hold the license.
Meanwhile Fox and a number of other local politicians have filed papers urging the FCC to renew the stations license, citing its reliable local news and First Amendment issues.
The letter from Casey and Fetterman is available here.
