Republic Broadcasting Network (RBN) is a satellite,
shortwave
Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...
, and
Internet radio
Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
operation based in the state of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. It is run by
John Stadtmiller, who advertises it as a "truth radio station" with the motto "Real News, Real Talk, Real People ... Because You CAN Handle The Truth".
In 2010, it received publicity in the news after one of its broadcasters was revealed to be a leader in the
Guardians of the Free Republics
Guardians of the Free Republics, active around 2010, was a group based in the U.S. state of Texas regarded as being part of the sovereign citizen movement. The group was associated with Sam Kennedy (whose real name is Glenn Richard Unger), a talk ...
, a
Sovereign Citizen
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
-affiliated group that had sent threatening letters to all 50
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
governors.
The network has loose ties to the
Willis Carto
Willis Allison Carto (July 17, 1926 – October 26, 2015) was an American far-right political activist. He described himself as a Jeffersonian and a populist, but was primarily known for his promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories and ...
-founded ''
American Free Press
The ''American Free Press'' is a weekly newspaper published in the United States.
The newspaper's direct ancestor was ''The Spotlight'', which ceased publication in 2001 when its parent organization, Liberty Lobby, was forced into bankruptcy. On ...
'' newspaper, which was described by political scientist
George Michael
George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...
as "the most important newspaper of the radical right".
Programming
Broadcasters on RBN include founder John Stadtmiller and his ''National Intel Report'', Michael Rivero with the ''What Really Happened Radio Show'', ''Resurrect the Republic TRUTH Radio Broadcast'' with Tom Lacovara-Stewart and Bruce Ray Riggs, and more. Weekend programs include names like ''Spingola Speaks'' with Deanna Spingola, ''Gun Owner’s News Hour'' with Larry Pratt, ''Govern America'' with Darren Weeks, and ''The Common Sense Show'' with Dave Hodges.
A man who goes by the name "Mike S." has been a producer and board-operator/audio-engineer at the network's headquarters north of Austin in Round Rock, Texas since 2007. He currently mans the control room for the evening shifts, Monday through Friday 3pm-12am CT, including running the board and manning the phones for RBN former owner John Stadtmiller's The National Intel Report (deceased in November 2021). "The National Intel Report" is now manned by various hosts.
Rachel Blevins began her career at RBN before becoming the public face of Russian media outlet
RT America
RT America was a U.S.-based news channel headquartered in Washington, D.C. Owned by TV Novosti and operated by production company T&RProductions, it was a part of the RT (TV network), RT network, a global multilingual television news network base ...
.
Guardians of the Free Republics controversy
In 2010, Sam Kennedy, who hosted the ''Take No Prisoners'' show on RBN, caused controversy after it was reported that he was a key figure in the
Sovereign citizen movement
The sovereign citizen movement (also SovCit movement or SovCits) is a loose grouping of litigants, activists, tax protesters, financial scheme promoters and conspiracy theorists, who claim to be answerable only to their particular interpretati ...
and that he was a leader in the anti-government group
Guardians of the Free Republics
Guardians of the Free Republics, active around 2010, was a group based in the U.S. state of Texas regarded as being part of the sovereign citizen movement. The group was associated with Sam Kennedy (whose real name is Glenn Richard Unger), a talk ...
. The Guardians of the Free Republics had sent letters to the governors of all 50 states urging them to resign immediately, and threatening them with arrest by the "
Provost Marshal
Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...
" if they did not resign from their corporate office and swear out a new oath to the "dejure republic"; this sparked a flurry of coverage in the news media. Two months prior to this incident, Kennedy had sent a mass e-mail to his supporters saying that he would provide a "final remedy to the enslavement at the hands of corporations posing as legitimate government," said that he would "end economic warfare and political terror by March 31, 2010".
John Stadtmiller, who runs RBN, distanced himself from Kennedy, saying he "is the focal point of this, these guardians. He was in the mix in setting this whole thing up, and he's up to his eyeballs in this Restore America project." Stadtmiller also criticized Kennedy's plan, saying "I talked to Kennedy a half-hour ago and ... I told him I'm getting a lot of heat, that you stirred the pot here, and that your plan for how to deal with the media and let them know what is going on has failed miserably." Kennedy was interviewed by the FBI in connection with the letters, which were construed as a direct threat to all 50 governors but without action from the
United States Army Provost Marshal General
The provost marshal general (pronounced "provo") is a United States Army staff position that handles investigations of U.S. Army personnel. It is the highest-ranking provost marshal position in the U.S. Army, reporting to the Chief of Staff of t ...
have little legal effect.
Kennedy's show is not currently on RBN's schedule, nor is he currently listed as a host on its website.
[ ]
Broadcast
RBN broadcasts on various AM and FM stations, and on KU-Band and (formerly) Cumulus XDS satellites. It also streams its programs live online at the network's website.
See also
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Alternative media
*
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
References
External links
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{{American broadcast radio
Shortwave radio stations in the United States