O'Rielly Pays Call on WSB Radio, TV

FCC commissioner Michael O'Rielly mixed some broadcast business with his trip to Atlanta for the NAB Radio Show this week.

According to an aide who was along for the trip, the commissioner wanted to do some local meets and greets while he was on the road and WSB Atlanta agreed to host a tour.

O'Rielly tweeted a picture of himself with WSB-TV GM Tim McVay and a member of the WSB-TV news team, Karen Minton, on set pictured above, with O'Rielly on far right. "Great AM with GM Tim McVay & @WSBTV team in Atlanta, complete with #HurricaneJoaquin update from @KarenMintonWSB," he tweeted.

Following the TV station tour, he walked through the radio side of the operation, WSB (AM), and according to his aide, morning drive host Scott Slade put the commissioner on air impromptu and they talked about a few general FCC issues, including net neutrality. "Great questions," O'Rielly tweeted.

The Republican O'Rielly should have felt right at home. The radio station features a lineup of conservative talkers including Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.

O'Rielly was giving cable its due, too. He dropped by Turner's digs—headquartered in Atlanta—for a tour before hopping on a plane for home Friday (Oct. 2) and tweeted a picture from there as well.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.