Red Zebra Responds Over WWXX License Renewal

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, October 17, 2014

Red Zebra Broadcasting has filed its response to the objections to the renewal of WWXX-FM (Triple X ESPN Radio)/Washington, DC's broadcast license, the flagship of the Washington Redskins. "Our response makes clear that under the Communications Act and the First Amendment the FCC should not be in the business of censoring the content of radio stations. Any debate about the Washington Redskins' name and its meaning should be had in the free marketplace of ideas, not in the halls of the FCC or any other governmental agency."

Andrew G. McBride, of the law firm of Wiley Rein LLP, counsel for Red Zebra said of the filing, "We hope that the FCC will swiftly reject this transparent attempt to use the license renewal process to intimidate broadcasters across the country with the baseless threat that accurately reporting on the Washington Redskins football franchise by using the team's full name violates any law or FCC regulation."

Last month, a report from Reuters said the FCC is considering whether to rule "Redskins," the team name of Washington, DC's NFL team, as indecent. In recent months, many have called on the football francise to change its name from the word many consider a slur to Native Americans. Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler is considering action on a petition from legal activist John Banzhaf III, asking the denial of Red Zebra's WWXX-FM license when it comes up for renewal for using "Redskins" on-air.

Team owner Daniel Snyder has vowed not to change the name, despite the efforts of President Barack Obama and half of the U.S. Senate, who asked the NFL to endorse a name change. The Washington Post editorial board has also said it will stop using the team's name and in June, a panel of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled the team's trademark registration.