California Radio Station Charged with Broadcasting Anti-semitism

Radio station KTYM, in Inglewood, California, was charged today with broadcasting “blatant anti-Semitism” in a complaint filed with the Federal Communications Commission by the Pacific Southwest Office of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith. The Commission was asked to consider whether a renewal of KTYM’s license would be consistent with the public interest.

The complaint was filed by David Goldman, regional League president. It alleges that on October 7, 1964, KTYM carried a taped broadcast entitled “Richard Cotten’s Conservative Viewpoint,” described by ADL as “a calculated appeal to anti-Semitic prejudice” in that it sought “falsely to equate Communism and Judaism” by quotations from Communist publications.

Mr. Goldman asserted that following the October 7 broadcast, ADL representatives met with KTYM’s owner, A.J. Williams, to call his attention to and protest its contents. In addition to questioning the community interest or need served by such a program, they informed Mr. Williams that Cotten was using his facilities to “build up a mailing list” for anti-Semitic materials.

Mr. Williams’ offer of time to answer Cotten’s attacks was rejected, “on the ground that the use of a radio station’s facilities to disseminate anti-Semitic falsehoods cannot be justified or adequately countered by affirmative programming.” In ADL’s view, to apply the “fairness doctrine” to anti-Semitic bigotry “would be to grant a validity and dignity” which such propaganda does not merit. “It would elevate religious bigotry to the level of being a ‘controversial subject.”