Contributors

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As if dealing with the IRS wasn’t stressful enough, one taxpayer found her nearly hour-long conversation with an IRS employee broadcast to millions live on the Howard Stern Show. Now, the taxpayer in question is suing the IRS under the Federal Tort Claims Act and for unlawful disclosure of tax returns and personal information, as well as suing Stern’s production company and Stern personally for negligence, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Womble Carlyle Telecom attorney John Garziglia discusses the case with Radio Ink. Garziglia said common sense and good judgment can go a long way in keeping broadcasters out of trouble.

“Every radio personality, program director, and program producer needs a sixth sense,” he writes. “That sixth sense needs to trigger caution when radio programming elements, particularly live ones, potentially cross the line into lawsuit-inducing conduct.”

Click here to read “Hello Howard, This is the IRS…” in Radio Ink.

John Garziglia represents radio and television broadcasters, offering personalized assistance in all areas of communications and telecommunications law including transactional and contract negotiations for broadcast station mergers and acquisitions, the securing of financing, governmental auctions of new frequencies, license renewals, new stations applications, facility changes, facility upgrades, licensing, and compliance with FCC rules, regulations and policies.

 

#FCC

Follow John Garziglia on Twitter at @JohnGarziglia.