Russian 'Propaganda Machine' Selects Kansas City As Its Second Radio Broadcast Site.

[Cattledog]

Russia-controlled Radio Sputnik has been on the air in Washington, D.C., since 2017. Now, the Kremlin is paying $324,000 to broadcast its programming in the heartland for three years.

Commuters interested in conspiracy theories about George Soros, Hillary Clinton and the Republican National Committee have a new option, courtesy of the Russian government.

Early this month, a radio station based in Liberty, Missouri, signed a three-year deal to broadcast Radio Sputnik across Kansas City.

The English-language programming airs for three hours each morning and again in the evening on three frequencies controlled by KCXL: 1140 AM, 102.9 FM and 104.7 FM.

It’s produced by the U.S.-based branch of an organization created in 2013 by Russian President Vladimir Putin to promote Russian interests abroad.

The organization, Rossiya Segodnya, hopes to restore a “fair attitude to Russia in every country in the world,” according to court records.

https://www.kcur.org/post/russian-propaganda-machine-selects-kansas-city-its-second-radio-broadcast-site?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&fbclid=IwAR2DfW9TSEbM7ZdoNYPAex4F5QL7_9ClCjp4pNotSBsqY-Kn4JxL-C89AEM#stream/0

[NCLefty]

2. Republicans got their base to hate on Mexicans instead. It's easier to identify them

so they feel more real than this old-school "Russian cold war threat."

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. First Amendment protects speech you don't like because somebody else doesn't like your speech. . .nt

[SnowCritter]

5. That only applies to the government

Non-government entities are not required to allow any and all speech - they can pick and choose as they see fit.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. Exactly. The Government is forbidden to interfere except in narrowly defined instances. . . . nt

[ancianita]

14. Why do entities that have to register as Foreign Agents under FARA get 1A rights to begin with?!

Sputnik radio? Is anyone seriously going to say that they should have constitutional rights in this country?

Because MONEY??

[Bernardo de La Paz]

16. It's the station owners who have the right to broadcast US and Foreign made content.

The alternative is to have the Government say that the Polish Broadcasting Corporation is allowed but not the BBC (since tRump just recently shat on the BBC).

[ancianita]

19. Like clearing out the Yovanovitches (BBCs) so the Russiaphiles can run the state show?

[reACTIONary]

30. A1 A+, thanks...

.... for clarifying and explaining these issues!

[Ilsa]

4. Geez. Who needs a ridiculous Red Dawn invasion when

all Putin has to do is spend $324k per location versus tens of millions?

Can someone set up periodic jamming of their trash and propaganda to save the children from this garbage? Our schools aren't teaching critical thinking to the extent needed to shrug off this mess.

[The Wizard]

6. Russia / Republican

The connection there in broad daylight and the Democrats would be wise to shine a bright light on the connection. Make the Republicans deny it.

[WyattKansas]

28. Yes!!!!

It is very unnerving that so many Americans blindly accept Putin's rebuilding of the Soviet Empire on U.S. soil. Especially after they accused Democrats of being commies for years. I would like to find an ink stamp maker that would make the GOP sign Mad Dog Pac has with the Soviet hammer and sickle in the O. Of course I would never stamp currency, because that would be wrong.

I have also been saying all along that the Democratic Party needs to expose all republican ties to Russia, instead of treating them like 'friends' especially since those friends have stabbed them in the back so many times and now threaten their country.

[dlk]

7. The watchdogs at the FCC have been put to sleep

[mdbl]

10. they aren't watchdogs anymore

they are lapdogs

[dlk]

11. Yes

[reACTIONary]

31. what is the FCC supposed to do,

violate the First Amendment? Americans have the right to broadcast and to listen to whoever they wish.

[dlk]

37. The First Amendment does not protect all speech in all circumstances

[reACTIONary]

38. Absolutly True! And has no application to this particular circumstance. nt

[bdamomma]

8. Score at the moment

Russia 10000

The US zero

[rockfordfile]

9. Trump is allowing Russian propaganda in our country.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

13. Government can't interfere, due to First Amendment. The Democrat 2020 will be in same situation. nt

[ancianita]

15. Oh, yes he can. Yes WE can. These are foreign agents. No citizens' rights for foreign agents.

It's pretty simple.

Unless we eat this globalist russiaphile elephant one bite at a time.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

22. No we can't. The US citizens owning and running the station have rights. . . . nt

[maxrandb]

23. Well, we do have a right to boycott the fuck out of their advertisers

We do have a right to protest the 80+ major universities that broadcast their sports on right wing propaganda stations. We do have the right to march by the hundreds, or thousands outside the studio offices of stations that broadcast nothing but right-wing racist propaganda.

We have the right to contact local businesses and boycott them, even if they only advertise during the local fishing show on a station that carries even one fucking second of right-wing propaganda.

There's lots of things we can do to exercise OUR First Amendment rights.

In fact, a coordinated and organized effort to boycott this one-sided bullshit might actually result in restoring ballance to our media.

[lapfog_1]

26. Good luck boycotting Rosneft and Gazprom.

[reACTIONary]

32. Yes, you do. And to speak out in opposition.

That is the correct response.

[ancianita]

25. Then let's just throw up our hands and let all foreign systems in. Absolute immunity.

Fine. Got it. "Just business" is king. Who owners bring into the country gets absolute immunity.

[reACTIONary]

39. Not "just business"...

... just speaking freely.

[ancianita]

40. Then what is it, in real terms. Terms that imply a reality somehow adjacent to rule of law.

[reACTIONary]

42. Freedom of Conscience, Free Speach, Gauranteed by the First Amended to Constitution...

... the very definition of the rule of law.

[LanternWaste]

27. Over publicly-owned airwaves, regulations as well as rights.

Let's not wholly ignore the one at the expense of the other... that would be disingenuous. At best.

[reACTIONary]

33. American citizens have the right, not only to...

...broadcast whoever they want, but also to listen to whoever they want.

[Coventina]

17. Remember how radio played such a big factor in the Rwandan Genocide?

Seems like the 90s are back in a big way.....

[Ligyron]

18. I wonder why they picked this particular place, i.e., Kansas City?

Was it the location or price or availability? What is their goal, to push conspiracy theories on a susceptible population?

I think as far as their goal it is basically: Hey White America, we're White too and we hate the same people you do, plus here's a few more you may want to be concerned about. Oh and BTW, here's a theory on why we're both so oppressed (it's Dem elites giving away your hard earned tax money so welfare queens w 8 criminal kids don't have to work like we do, Did you know Jews control the Lib media and banking? Oh, and brown people, they're involved too somehow. Oh and BTW, Europeans are all socialist elites)

That sort of thing. Plus KC is pretty much dead center geographically so their BS can travel in all directions by radio wave and word of mouth.

[cbdo2007]

20. This part of KC/Missouri is particularly conservative and

this radio station is kind of out in the country, not like a big building in the city or anything.

I'm sure they just searched around for tiny radio stations and asked each one if they would accept $xxx,xxx per year to broadcast this stuff, and this idiot is just desperate enough to go for it. I think he's an elvis impersonator in his spare time so he's kind of a wack job anyways.

[WyattKansas]

29. When I lived in JOCO, Kansas I noticed a very distinct shade left over from the Civil War.

To understand it, you have to remember that a lot of families in the country around KC continued passing down their views to their children and grandchildren. For some on Missouri side of the state line, they were very big into Sir names and acted like their family was their clan. Over time families told their offspring of how things use to be and what they did back in the day, which you can count on was exaggerated and embellished by a lot of them. Fast forward to today when you have people whipped up into a frenzy and falsely thinking that their ancestors would have violently imposed their will over those they disliked. I often thought of how sure these people were that their ancestors actually did what they claimed back then or were they just telling stories to make themselves sound important to their fight. I grew up in Kansas away from the state line and never really heard racism, until I moved to the KC Metro.

[Ligyron]

41. That's interesting.

I know there were a lot of strong feelings generated by the Civil War and and border troubles after.

Even though Kansas was a "free" state, I've read there were still slaves in those plantations along the border w Missouri. Meanwhile, way far west of there in Kansas there were probably people who had never even seen a Black Person their whole lives, never mind developed or later passed down any really racist views concerning them. Then things get exaggerated over the years just like you mentioned and people's ancestors gradually become war heroes or Grand Poobahs in the KKK and so on.

I lived in Independence briefly and was amazed how many Samoan and South Sea Islanders lived there having been encouraged to move to the vicinity for the second coming or whatever by the LDS church. There were some in the family I stayed with and know they were often the victims of racial hatred, at times violently so.

KC area was and is a great place to be if you are into Football or Baseball. Also BBQ where people there argued Gates or Arthur Bryant's? Jack's Stacks was a contender too.

I just had to get used to driving in snow and frozen roads since I'm from Florida, lol.

[WyattKansas]

43. I was in a labor union there that drew country boys to KC, which is how I recognized it.

It was odd being in a union where race was not a matter, yet they kept their strong racist views when not around black people.
I also recognized how things get passed down from generation to generation, because the labor union was also big with offspring following their fathers and grandfathers etc. But even some in the city had an extreme hatred of black people for reasons I didn't understand. I was on a job on Prospect Avenue and was told that I needed to watch my back better around 'those people' because they would jump me. I blew it off and just thought the guy saying that crap were idiot, because I always look at everyone the same and never used race as a qualifier. I was never bothered by anyone regarding race in KC even though I did look like a 'cracker.' I would also hear stories from them that got passed down and about how the planners of KC purposely set up racial corridors back years ago. The KS-MO border war was much like terrorism today, with only a few military battles.

I grew up about fifty miles south of Topeka and the surrounding area I was in growing up was settled by people from Northern States trying to block slavery, which then got expanded as the State filled up with European immigrants. Now, I did have grandparents, father, and uncles using the "n" word, but they knew to never ever let black people hear it (yes, I know it wasn't right, but it was a different time) and nobody hated black people. When blacks did come around, which was rarely, my entire family to my great grandpa was very nice and treated them just like anyone else. Even when we went to larger towns and cities, the family was expected to be respectful of everyone. Years later when I moved to the KC metro while in the labor union, I kept hearing co-workers always using race as a motive to scream whatever they wanted at and about them and they hadn't progressed as I had with knowing it was just wrong. I was shocked, because I grew up in a small white rural community and although we seen stereotyping on tv, everyone still treated everyone with respect and was kind. Yet, now I seen white people doing the opposite of that. Which got me thinking and it occurred to me, because I have always been fascinated with history, that some white people from the KC area were on the opposite side of the Civil War and were not raised the same as me, especially with how they regard Sir names. I have always said there is a distinct difference in white people between the two states, which is now peppered with crossovers the closer you get to the border due to time.

I have told people that and they have laughed at me, but if they every have to go work there or spend time there, they always come back to apologize to me for calling me crazy. And yes, you just have to stop when you drive by and smell the BBQ.

[ancianita]

35. Kansas City is Koch country. Kochs have old ties with Russia and similar oligarchic sentiments.

[ancianita]

21. Who gets to decide that foreign agents can do "just business" here. Where are the lawyers.

[crickets]

24. K&R for visibility

[Cognitive_Resonance]

34. Go after their licenses. Radio frequency spectrum is a public resource. Operating Russian propaganda

outlets is hardly in the "public interest, convenience and necessity".

From the FCC website:

https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/public-and-broadcasting

The Public and Broadcasting
In exchange for obtaining a valuable license to operate a broadcast station using the public airwaves, each radio and television licensee is required by law to operate its station in the “public interest, convenience and necessity.” Generally, this means it must air programming that is responsive to the needs and problems of its local community of license. To do this, each non-exempt station licensee must identify the needs and problems and then specifically treat these local matters in the news, public affairs, political and other programming that it airs. As discussed in more detail further in this Manual, each commercial station – and most noncommercial stations – must provide the public with information about how it has met its obligation in a quarterly report. The report contains a listing of the programming the station aired that the licensee believes provided significant treatment of issues facing the community. Each commercial and noncommercial station also must maintain a public inspection file on the FCC’s website https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/ that contains these reports, as well as other materials pertaining to the station’s operations and dealings with the FCC and with the community it is licensed to serve. The public file is an excellent resource to gauge a station’s performance of its obligations as a Commission licensee.

[ancianita]

36. +1000