Alpha Media, Former CEO Wilson Battle in Filings with FCC

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, April 28, 2021 | 2:07pm CT

Alpha Media

In an attempt to block the license renewals of four stations, former Alpha Media CEO Larry Wilson filed with the FCC earlier this month accusing the company of misleading the agency and making decisions without proper board approval. He also challenged Alpha's qualifications as a broadcast licensee. The move was an attempt to deny reassignment of Alpha Media's licenses from debtor-in-possession status back to the company as it begins to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In response, Alpha Media stated that Wilson is using the Commission to retaliate against his old company for not accepting his plan to infuse it with capital. "When one peels away the bombast of Wilson's petition, it is clear that Wilson is inappropriately using the agency as a platform for rehashing his differences with certain members of the company's Board of Directors and management, and vainly attempting to shoehorn assessment of his personal grievances into the Commission's processes under the guise of spurious claims that Alpha is unfit to hold its broadcast licenses," wrote Alpha Media in the filing.

Wilson claims that two board members made a unilateral decision to reject his plan to infuse money into the company as it struggled to survive. Alpha Media responded that "Contrary to Wilson's assertions, his plan was not "unilaterally rejected" by Mr. Strauss and Mr. Mansour "without offering it to Alpha's entire Board." Alpha Media said his plan was properly vetted by a committee of disinterested directors and then unanimously rejected by the Board which, in its business judgment, ultimately concluded that Wilson's proposal was "materially inadequate" and there was "no evidence that Mr. Wilson would be able to raise the money" required for his proposal.

Alpha Media is now requesting the Commission dismiss Wilson's petitions and the applications for four stations be granted, allowing it to implement its Bankruptcy Court-approved restructuring.