The owner of a low-budget radio station in Missouri says he is exercising freedom of speech by airing Russian state-sponsored programming on his station.
Peter Schartel said people have accused him and his wife of being traitors to the United States and promoting propaganda and misinformation by airing Radio Sputnik programs, funded by the Russian government, on his Kansas City station, KCXL. However, Schartel claims most people who call to complain haven’t listened to the program, according to the Associated Press.
“Some will talk to me, but others will still call me a piece of whatever,” he said. “What I am thankful for is we are still living in a country where they can call me up. Even if they aren’t thinking about free speech they’re exercising that right.”
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Schartel’s Alpine Broadcasting Corp. is paid $5,000 a month to air Radio Sputnik in two three-hour blocks each day, according to a U.S. Justice Department Foreign Agent Registration Act filing in December 2021. The station’s schedule shows Radio Sputnik airing for three hours at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day, with Friday being the exception at 6 a.m. for three hours and 6 p.m. for one hour.
Schartel said he initially accepted the contract because he was struggling to keep KCXL afloat. He also said he airs programs that are not commercially viable and don’t depend on advertising, which he claims is promoting free speech by providing a platform for people who otherwise aren’t heard.
Other shows available on KCXL, such as TruNews and Dr. Tom Curran, are heavily religious, with some discussing conspiracies.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted the National Association of Broadcasters to issue a statement on March 1 asking broadcasters to stop airing Russian-sponsored programming. Though the NAB said it supports free speech and the First Amendment, it “does not prevent private actors from exercising sound, moral judgment.”
“To that end, given the unprovoked aggression exhibited by Russia against the free and sovereign people of Ukraine, NAB calls on broadcasters to cease carrying any state-sponsored programming with ties to the Russian government or its agents,” NAB’s statement read. “While we know that airings of such programs are extremely limited, we believe that our nation must stand fully united against misinformation and for freedom and democracy across the globe.”
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KCXL has not yet responded to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
