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Israel's Broadcast Authority Sanctions Radio Station Over Host's Remarks
Israel’s Second Authority for Television and Radio opened enforcement proceedings against Radio 103FM after remarks by host Yinon Magal about bereaved families, relatives of hostages and people linked to a book critical of Benjamin Netanyahu.
11 newsrooms · 2 languages · since
What happened
- 01Israel’s Second Authority for Television and Radio opened proceedings against Radio 103FM and host Yinon Magal over remarks aimed at bereaved families and relatives of hostages.
- 02Magal’s broadcast, on October 6 or 7, was aired close to the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks and the national memorial day.
- 03During the program with Ben Caspit, Magal read names of people he said were involved in the book "Mr. Abandonment" or a similar title.
- 04Magal called the named people "despicable," "abhorrent" or "the most vile people" and said they could atone by voting for Likud.
- 05The authority said the remarks violated ethics rules, election law and broadcasting directives, and may bring financial penalties, fee forfeiture or a required apology.
- 06One report says Radio 103FM is owned by Eli Azar.
- 07Magal later said he had not intended to criticize hostage families and, according to one report, apologized for not clarifying that point.
According to the reports, Magal made the comments on October 6 or 7, close to the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks and the national memorial day, during a broadcast with Ben Caspit. He read out names of people he said were involved in the book, described them with harsh language, and said the way to absolve them was to vote for Netanyahu’s Likud party.
The authority said the broadcast crossed the line from legitimate criticism and violated ethics rules, election law and broadcasting directives. Several reports say the station and Magal were both named in the proceeding, while one report says Radio 103FM is owned by Eli Azar.
Magal later said he had not meant to include hostage families in his criticism, and one report says he apologized for not making that clear. The authority’s action leaves open possible sanctions, including financial penalties, loss of fees or a required apology.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 11 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Arutz Sheva. Read Arutz Sheva’s original
The coverage
11 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- Left1
- Centre3
- Right4
- HarediNone
- ArabNone
- Other3
