Media Council Hawaii and attorneys with the Institute for Public Representation have filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission to halt the transfer of the broadcast license of KFVE from HITV to American Spirit Media. 

MCH previously challenged, unsuccessfully, agreements between Raycom Media and HITV that gave Raycom ownership and control of KHNL, KGMB and KFVE in the Honolulu market.

The latest proposed transaction “is one more example of Raycom’s attempt to dominate the Hawaii market through ownership and control of three television stations,” says the council. “The transfer to American Spirit is a sham and attempts to continue the myth that KFVE is an independent station. The fact is that American Spirit is a ‘strawman’ holding company. It holds six broadcast licenses and all of them are operated by Raycom Media.”

MCH is a nonpartisan, nonprofit that “seeks to improve public access to information, broaden public understanding of the role of media, promote accurate and promote a curate and fair journalism” in Hawaii.

Photo: Logo. (KFVE The Home Team)

—Chad Blair