iHeartMedia, nation’s largest radio station owner, caught in political scandal with congressional candidate Andy Martin
New Hampshire Second District congressional candidate Andy Martin will hold a news conference Thursday, July 14 to disclose a political media scandal: New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan’s supporters quietly tried to muzzle his radio ads critical of the governor. “The whole matter stinks,” Andy says. “IHeartMedia corporate has been implicated by the local Manchester station. We have it all in writing. The email is explosive. The claim that iHeartMedia corporate in San Antonio, Texas was listening to my radio ad is absurd. IHeart is caught with egg on its face and a possible FCC investigation. One of the bedrock principles of broadcasting law is that licensees (radio and TV stations) may not edit or censor federal candidates. Governor Hassan’s U. S. Senate campaign is obviously being hurt by my radio ads. I have just begun to fight. The governor and her husband, who covered up a culture of child molesting at Phillips Exeter Academy, are truly despicable people.” IHeart backed down after Andy threatened to go to the FCC; he is still planning to go to the Commission if formal written apologies are not proffered by the radio colossus.
News from:
ANDY MARTIN /2016
Republican candidate for Congress
Second Congressional District-NH
“Make New Hampshire Great Again”
www.AndyMartin.com
www.FirstRespondersOnline.us
Headquarters:
P.O. Box 742
Manchester, NH03105
Tel. (603) 518-7310;
Cell (917) 664-9329
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E-mail:AndyNewHampshire@aol.com
Blogs:
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Attention, New Hampshire, Washington, National daybook/assignment and Political editors
Announcement of Manchester, New Hampshire news conference Thursday, July 14
Governor Maggie Hassan’s child molesting scandal prompts an effort to muzzle a Republican candidate who is running ads critical of the governor’s misbehavior at Phillips Exeter Academy
New Hampshire congressional candidate Andy Martin exposes that New Hampshire Governor Hassan tried to muzzle his radio ads
Andy has caught the nation’s largest radio station owner in a corporate scandal
Andy says it would defile the sinful city of Washington to send child-molesting Maggie Hassan and her husband to the U. S. Senate
Andy promises to keep up the attack on Hassan and her corrupt administration
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(Manchester, NH) (July 14, 2016) New Hampshire congressional candidate Andy Martin will hold a news conference today, July 14th, to disclose that supporters of Governor Maggie Hassan surreptitiously sought to influence the nation’s larges radio broadcaster, iHeartMedia, into censoring Andy’s radio ad critical of Hassan. The Hassan scheme has backfired and the blow-back on Hassan’s campaign is likely to be substantial. Andy is relentlessly pursuing the governor because she and her husband covered up a culture of child molesting at Phillips Exeter Academy where the couple resided and where Hassan’s husband was headmaster
“Tuesday afternoon,” Andy says, “my office received an email from a lower-level iHeart employee (whose name has been redacted to protect her identity, although the name will be disclosed to the FCC). The email stated:
Hi Andy,
I’m hoping you can help me with an issue with your current radio spot. The spot was flagged by our corporate offices due to the content in the ad pertaining to Governor Hassan breaking the law.
I spoke with my GM here at the station and we would normally need proof in order to run an ad that specifically says the Governor broke the law. Is there any back up information you can provide our station so that we can continue running the ad?
Thank you and please feel free to call my cell whenever you have a moment.
(name withheld at present)
“Obviously, iHeart’s corporate offices in San Antonio were not listening to my radio ad. If they were, iHeart’s general counsel, Bob Walls, would have told them that you can’t censor a federal candidate. Period.
“One of the bedrock principles of federal communications law is that stations cannot edit or censor the ads of federal candidates, see Becker v. FCC, 95 F.3rd 75, 82 (D.C. Cir. 1996). Obviously, one of the child-molesting governor’s henchmen contacted the iHeart station and tried to pressure the facility into taking my ad off the air. The scheme backfired.
“I have asked iHeart for an investigation and formal, written apologies from both corporate, which was implicated by the local station, and the local station itself. Locally IHeart backed off when I announced I was going to the FCC. Whether I actually go forward to the FCC will depend on the response of iHeart’s general counsel. I want to know who contacted the station, I want the name of the Hassan Henchman.
“The [Manchester, NH] Union Leader and I are usually on opposite sides. But I congratulate the newspaper for its stories about the culture of child-molesting and the cover-up by Hassan and her husband at PhilipsExeterAcademy. There are few non-controversial issues today in American life, but an utter disgust for child molesters and those who cover-up child molesting is one of them. The Union Leader should be nominated for a Pulitzer for disclosing the Hassans’ role in the scandal. The Phillips matter has become a continuing national scandal (please see links below). A conservative web site, granitegrok.com has also helped focus attention on the scandal.
“My advertising is obviously affecting the governor’s campaign staff. But Hassan’s Henchmen exposed themselves when the local radio management rather clumsily used a lower-level employee to issue an email that was obviously unlawful under federal law (I don’t blame the employee which is why I have withheld her name). As the youngest person ever authorized by the FCC to own a TV station I have been familiar with communications law for 48 years; I know FCC law. I immediately recognized the impropriety of the iHeart station’s email.
“I will have more news about New Hampshire’s ‘crooked’ governor in a few days. (She makes a nice couple with ‘Crooked Hillary,’ doesn’t she?) Sending Hassan to Washington would defile even that sinful city. There are a lot of bad people in Washington. But few that would cover-up for child molesters. Hassan and her husband are in a despicable status all of their own.
“Am I the only Republican willing to tell the truth about Hassan? The only corruption fighter in New Hampshire? Hassan and the Democrats have no shame about slamming the GOP; but Republicans have a seriously flaccid attitude about responding to Democrat attacks. Which is why Republicans usually win and Republicans lose. I am fighting hard to change that dynamic.”
Andy first disclosed the iHeart scandal when speaking to the Merrimack Valley Republican Committee meeting in Boscawen Tuesday evening. He will be making more national news on Friday.
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July 14 Manchester, NH news conference details:
Who:
GOP congressional candidate Andy Martin
What:
Andy Martin discloses that Governor Maggie Hassan tried to muzzle his radio advertising
Where:
Southwest corner of Webster Street and Elm Street in Manchester, NH
When:
Thursday, July 14, 2016; 5:00 P.M.
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LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/07/12/phillips-exeter-academy-under-fire-again-for-its-handling-sexual-misconduct-allegations/UlfO1FgtbFEvWAQcEK7grN/story.html
http://www.unionleader.com/crime/phillips-exeter-academy-student-charged-with-sexual-assault-school-minister-had-him-bake-bread-for-victim-20160713
http://www.unionleader.com/Phillips-Exeter-principal-Lisa-MacFarlane-pledges-action-in-wake-of-sex-scandal
http://www.unionleader.com/Police-say-fired-PEA-teacher-was-flattered-by-former-students-interest-in-him&
National attention/embarrassment to NH:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/us/prep-schools-wrestle-with-sex-abuse-accusations-against-teachers.html?
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/statenewengland/1079443-469/exclusive-boarding-schools-face-reckoning-on-abuse.html
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/statenewengland/1079487-469/gop-tries-to-make-scandal-stick-after.html
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/statenewengland/1079144-469/hassan-mea-culpa-for-listing-teacher.html
http://www.unionleader.com/2013-letter-reveals-more-misconduct-claims-at-Phillips-Exeter
http://granitegrok.com/blog/2016/04/another-termination-for-sexual-abuse-at-phillipsexeter-academy
http://granitegrok.com/blog/2016/04/maggie-hassan-had-to-know-about-the-sex-scandal
New citations after emailing:
ANDY MARTIN – A BRIEF BIO:
Andy Martin is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago-based muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. With forty-eight years of background in radio and television and with five decades of investigative and analytical experience in Washington, the USA and around the world, Andy provides insight on politics, foreign policy, intelligence and military matters. For a full bio, go to: www.AndyMartin.com; also see www.BoycottABC.com/executive_director.htm
Andy has also been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over forty-five years and is executive director of the National Anti-Corruption Policy Institute. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com.
He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).
He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and produced the Internet film “Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” blogging at www.contrariancommentary.wordpress.com and www.ContrarianCommentary.com.
Andy’s family immigrated to Manchester, New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River and he lives around the corner from where he played as a small boy. He is New Hampshire’s leading corruption fighter and Republican Party reformer.
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