Daytona Beach News Journal Story

BY DEBORAH CIRCELLI, EDUCATION WRITER

 February 10, 2011

DAYTONA BEACH --The airing of Al Jazeera English and Russia Today by Daytona State College's public television station has sparked a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission.

A Port Orange man, who believes the programs are anti-American, filed the complaint earlier this week accusing the college and its public television station, WDSC-TV, of violating FCC rules.

Jerry Kenney, who has hired an attorney in Georgia, wants the FCC to investigate the operation of the station as well as the agreement and take action, including fining the college or revoking its license. He said he would like the college to remove the news broadcasts and told the FCC he questions whether the shows are appropriate for a public television station funded by taxpayers.

The college board is expected to decide in March whether to renew its contract that ends in May with MHz Networks, which airs Al Jazeera English and Russia Today on MHz Worldview on 15.3 and Bright House channel 1152 high definition.

The Worldview includes other shows from numerous countries, including sports, dramas and educational shows.

Kenney said the college station's current agreement with MHz Networks violates FCC rules because it doesn't allow the college the right to reject certain programs. The agreement originally signed in May 2008 says the various programs provided by MHz are provided in full as a package, the complaints states, so the college can't choose to remove a few shows.

Kenney, who does production and cable programming work, also provided e-mails to the FCC showing the college was not aware Al Jazeera English was even airing on its station until after a complaint was made by a soldier in Ocala in October 2009. That lack of knowledge, Kenney states, shows the college surrendered its responsibility to maintain control over its station.

"The issue goes beyond Al Jazeera -- it goes to the heart of how well they manage that station," Kenney said. "They basically just signed an agreement with a company out of D.C. and didn't monitor it."

He added the college has had "plenty of opportunity" to remove the programming, which he says is "foreign propaganda."

"It's my responsibility as an American citizen," he said. "I have a duty to be vigilant."

Kenney's attorney, Jeff Timmons, a communications lawyer in Atlanta, said the college should be in control of its station and programming and must maintain the right to remove programs that may not be in the public's interest.

Timmons said the college has used the agreement as an excuse when responding to Kenney and others as to why the programs can't be removed.

"It was used as a crutch to hide behind for not taking unsuitable or objectionable programming off the air," Timmons said.

Kenney also wants the FCC to look into the agreements MHz has with other broadcasting affiliates across the country.

Brian Babb, Daytona State College executive vice president and general counsel, said the college did not violate any rules. But attorneys in Washington, D.C., representing the college's television station have notified MHz Networks to cure the problem in the complaint or to get a ruling from the FCC. Babb said the issue could be cured this week with an amendment to the contract.

Officials with MHz Networks could not be reached but the CEO, Frederick Thomas, previously told the News-Journal that Al Jazeera English, which has many bureaus including in Washington, D.C., is one of the most well-respected news organizations. He said the newscast is often misunderstood because people think it's the same as the sister Arabic network called Al Jazeera.

College officials have told the News-Journal that the programs in question are educational and the college has only received a few complaints.

Frank Lombardo, interim president, said the college actually received more complaints from people who wanted to watch the news shows when the college briefly took it off the air.

Lombardo said he's never watched Al Jazeera English, but thinks people have the right to any type of news. He said he wouldn't want to force his opinion on anyone and that Kenney also has the right to his opinion. He said some people in the community probably get information from Al Jazeera English and Russia Today about family members from their hometowns.

"Is it anti-American? Maybe it is, but you know there are a lot of other things. If you watch BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), you see some of that stuff," Lombardo said.

Bruce Dunn, associate vice president and general manager of the college's station, WDSC, said he hasn't received any recent complaints except from Kenney. He said the programming is provided free to the college. He previously said the shows provide a perspective of what other people think of Americans and that people have a right not to watch it.

Several board members said they will have to review the complaint before making a comment.