Rep. Bonior's letter to FCC (07/02/95)

Rep. Bonior's letter to FCC

Following is the text of the June 23 letter sent by Rep. David Bonior to Reed E. Hundt, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.

Dear Mr. Hundt:

I am writing to bring to your attention several matters pending before the Federal Communications Commission that stem from the CBS network' s "60 Minutes" broadcast of the "Ugly Face of Freedom" story on October 23, 1994.

A petition was filed in November 1994 by Alexander Serafyn of Michigan to block the assignment to CBS of the broadcast license of WGPR-TV 62 in Detroit, Michigan. In addition, a petition was filed in April 1995 by Oleh Nikolyszyn of Rhode Island to block the assignment to CBS of the broadcast license of WPRI-TV 12 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Prior to the commission's consideration of these petitions, I hope you will consider the actions of CBS in this matter its broadcast of the story and its unwillingness to address the reasonable concerns of the Ukrainian community.

The story was deeply offensive to those of us of Ukrainian ancestry. Portraying us as "genetically anti-Semitic" and "educated peasants, deeply superstitious" is untrue. Interviews since the broadcast of that segment have revealed that a number of the statements made in the story were severely taken out of context. CBS has, to date, not apologized for the broadcast nor allowed for a balanced program on the state of Ukrainian-Jewish relations.

Ukrainians have been wronged by CBS. I would respectfully request that the FCC conduct a throughout investigation of these matters and allow for public hearings. Please make my interest in this situation a matter of record. I am confident the Commission will take into account all of the relevant issues as it considers the petitions and appeal.

Sincerely,
David E. Bonior
Democratic Whip

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