Philly TV: FCC Dismisses Petition Challenging WTXF License

The FCC has dismissed a petition brought by the Media and Democracy (MAD) Project, which challenged the renewal of the broadcast license for Fox-owned WTXF (Channel 29) in Philadelphia. 

This dismissal is part of a broader move by the FCC to reject challenges against broadcasters and news media organizations that it deemed politically motivated.

The MAD Project's petition, filed in July 2023, argued that Fox Corporation was unfit to hold a broadcast license for WTXF due to a multi-million dollar settlement involving Fox News and Fox Business Network over misinformation related to voting machines used in the 2020 presidential election. 

The organization claimed that the separate business units of Fox News Media and Fox Television Stations were a distinction without a difference, as both were historically controlled by Rupert Murdoch1.

The FCC found that the MAD Project did not prove a link between the commentary aired on Fox News and the editorial operations of WTXF. The dismissal clears the way for the immediate renewal of WTXF's license, which had been operating under a temporary extension for two years while the challenge was pending.

The MAD Project plans to appeal the decision.