WQZS not gone yet
December 3, 2021By Ken Hawk, PBRTV Media Correspondent
Roger Wahl isn’t giving up the fight to keep his radio station. Not by a long shot.
An FCC spokeswoman confirmed today that Jane Halprin, the administrative law judge who issued the hearing termination order on December 1st, has rescinded that same order.
Judge Halprin said in the new single-page order that no appearance was received by either the Presiding judge or Enforcement Bureau by the November 29th due date, nor was an appearance reflected in the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System, known as ECFS, and as a result, terminated the hearing proceeding on December 1st.
“It has been brought to the attention of the Presiding judge, however, that Mr. Wahl did indeed submit an appearance by certified mail on November 11, 2021 and attempted to file a ECFS submission on that same date,” wrote Halprin. “The Termination Order will be rescinded and this hearing proceeding restored to pending status.”
Wahl, who owns and operates Meyersdale-based WQZS (FM), found his license in jeopardy after he pleaded guilty to felony criminal charges last year that would disqualify him from holding the license under character standards established by the FCC.
Wahl, 71, has hosted the station’s morning show since its inception in 1992 under the moniker “The Commander”. He spent about four months off the air as part of his sentencing order, but later resumed his morning show duties.
