Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
There may be a covert network of radio stations that is the mouthpiece for the Chinese government, with the broadcasts coming from the Southern California city of West Covina.
An investigation by Reuters reveals that G&E Studio is majority-owned by a subsidiary of the Chinese state-run China Radio International.
G&E produces content that is heard on at least 15 radio stations around the U.S. including Los Angeles, Washington DC, Las Vegas and more.
It is illegal for a foreign government to own more than a 20 percent stake in a single radio station. However, the FCC is investigating whether G&E skirted that law because it does not own the stations it broadcasts content on; it only leases airtime.
G&E is also under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department because a foreign government seeking to influence public or political opinion must register and disclose its ties. G&E Studio has not.
Reuters reporter Koh Gui Qing joins Take Two with more of her story to explain what she's uncovered.