I Was Eyes to the Blind
Why was the Jewish Exponent leading its Jan. 29, 1965 issue with a story about the American Civil Liberties Union asking the Federal Communications Commission to disregard complaints about the sale of a Media-based radio station?
Turns out that the station was being sold to Faith Theological Seminary, whose board of trustees was headed by the controversial Rev. Carl McIntire.
“McIntire, of Collingswood, N.J., is generally regarded as a right-wing extremist and has been involved in a long-standing feud with the National Council of Churches,” the unnamed reporter wrote. “He has openly attacked the United Nations, civil rights legislation and the Catholic Church.”
The Jewish Community Relations Council was among the organizations asking the FCC to deny McIntire a license.
The ACLU did say it was OK with a letter the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith sent to the FCC, “which implied the possibility that Dr. McIntire’s conduct of programs on stations he does not own may have relevance to his capability to meet the fairness and balance criteria.”
McIntire, who died in 2002, got his license, but had it revoked in 1973 for apparently violating the FCC’s Fairness Doctrine, according to broadcastpioneers.com. The WXUR call letters now belong to a classic rock FM station in Herkimer, N.Y.
Also on the front page is a large picture of 13-year-old Ethel Sigel shown studying a braille book provided by the Jewish Braille Institute, a new inclusion in the Federation of Jewish Agencies.
