Walter Cronkite supports petition to deny K1MAN licence renewal

A high profile public figure has lent his support to a petition
drive that asks the FCC to deny a license renewal to Glenn Baxter, K1MAN.

Famed CBS newscaster Walter Crokkite, KB2GSD, has lent his name in support of a petition to the FCC. One that asks that the agency deny a license renewal grant to K1MAN.

On June 13th the former CBS Network News anchor issued the now public letter. In it Cronkite stated that in November 1996 he furnished an audio recording to be used for station I-D for Glenn Baxter's amateur station K1MAN. Cronkite's letter continues by stating that after its initial airing, he received numerous letters from 'ham' radio operators all over the country. Letters he says were complaints of Baxter's use of the amateur airwaves to promote his American Amateur Radio Association for which Cronkite says Baxter was using his name, likeness and voice without his permission.

Cronkite says that he made what he termed as the reasonable request that Baxter cease and desist from using the recording. He noted that as a journalist he has a long-held practice of not lending my name to support or promote any commercial entity.

Cronkite's letter says that Baxter's response was a flat refusal. That Baxter continued, undaunted, even after a follow up request by Cronkite's attorney.

Cronkite ends by noting that based on his personal experience with Glenn Baxter, that he supports a petition to deny the renewal of K1MAN's Amateur Radio license. This, request coming from the man who was once called the
most trusted voice in America.

Henry Feinberg, K2SSQ
Amateur Radio Newsline

As to Baxter's response to all that's happened in the past few weeks. According to a letter to the FCC's Tracy Simmons posted on his www.k1man.com Webster, Baxter seemingly plans to fight the agency.

He says and we quote: "My legal position is that the Commission has thus intentionally and illegally violated my constitutional rights of due process by, de facto, not renewing my timely filed renewal application, in which case, I could continue to operate K1MAN indefinitely until the
Commission makes its final adjudication of the renewal application which would, of course, be appealable to the D.C. Court of Appeals and then to the United States Supreme Court where this quite obvious constitutional
deprivation issue would be finally decided, if necessary." Endquote.

But as reported two weeks ago, if the issues between Baxter and the FCC are not settled by the date his current license expires in October, the regulatory agency has the option to invoke the Red Light Rue and then order K1MAN off the air.

(ARNewslineT)

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