With no specific explanation as to why, the annual Freedom Concerts, which talk radio and Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity began promoting and participating in starting in 2003 to raise scholarship funds for the children of military families, have not taken place during 2011. Hannity's website for his nationally syndicated radio program, which publicized the events in past years, has provided little information on the absence of concerts in various U.S. cities this year.
In March 2010, a number of questions were raised about Hannity's own actions regarding the use of funds generated from the concerts. Their stated purpose has been to provide scholarships for the children of soldiers who lost their lives or were disabled in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and to otherwise assist family members.
Debbie Schlussel, like Hannity a conservative political commentator, in a March 25, 2010 column on her blog, "Big Business: Who Owns the Freedom Concerts? How Sean Hannity's Private Jets, Luxe SUVs, Suites Were Paid," disputed Hannity's claims that all profits from the concerts went to the families. She said that most of the funds went to overhead expenses, based on Freedom Alliance tax records, including the costs of providing transportation to the concerts and hotel accommodations in different cities for Hannity's family and friends.
Country musicians performed at past Freedom Concerts
The country music and politically conservative-themed concerts--whose performers have included Billy Ray Cyrus, Hank Williams, Jr., Sara Evans, Lee Greenwood, Charlie Daniels, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ted Nugent, Martina McBride, and LeAnn Rimes--were produced and operated by Premiere Marketing, which is owned by Duane Ward, who also heads Premier Speakers Bureau and is a longtime public relations assistant to Oliver North, founder of the Freedom Alliance, a 501(c)(3) foundation supporting U.S. national defense and military service.
The Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, which North founded, is the designated beneficiary of the Freedom Concerts for the children of service members. On her blog, Schlussel wrote: "In fact, despite the written denials of both North and Freedom Alliance chief Thomas Kilgannon, Sean Hannity did NOT pay for his own private jet flights to the various Freedom Concerts. In fact, the money for his expensive travel came right from the revenue of the Freedom Concerts, a big, profitable business, which isn't owned or operated by Freedom Alliance. While the charity is technically correct that Freedom Alliance didn't pay for it in recent years, in fact Freedom Concert revenue, which is controlled by Hannity's speaking engagement agents, did."
Hannity has maintained he did nothing improper related to his role as master of ceremonies for the concerts and has faulted critics for not similarly supporting charities to help the children of deceased and wounded soldiers. He, North, and others involved in the Freedom Concerts have said that all net proceeds from ticket sales have gone to the scholarships. In defense of Hannity, Tim Mak, in "Hannitized is Sanitized," March 19, 2010 on FrumForum, wrote that the Freedom Alliance has justification for not spending the entire amount it collected for scholarships in a given year. "Considering your average active duty combat soldier is in his mid-20s, many fallen soldiers have children that are not of age to go to college. Saving a substantial part of funds is simply good planning - the process of funding children of the fallen will continue for fifteen to twenty years. The organization's trust fund now stands at around $15 million."
Claims of expensive travel and hotel costs provided for Sean Hannity and group
However, in what she wrote, citing information from a confidential source, Schlussel said Premiere Marketing used Freedom Concerts revenue to provide transportation on private jets for Hannity and members of his group, and that at least on one occasion in 2008 North criticized Hannity directly for permitting such a large sum from concert funds to be used for his benefit on private air travel, expensive hotel suites, and luxury SUVs.
"Note that Schlussel does not accuse Hannity or the charity of doing anything illegal," contributing editor Rick Ungar on True/Slant, March 20, 2010, said in "Sean Hannity in serious military charity scandal." "Rather she accuses the popular radio and television talker of wasting an inordinate amount of the funds to feather his reputation as a great friend of our troops while burning up money on private planes and expensive hotel rooms. This is money that those who donated to the charity believe is going to meet the objectives of the charity."
In the wake of the accusations that a portion of money collected from the concerts was not spent for the intended purpose, the non-profit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed formal complaints in 2010 with the Internal Revenue Service (and submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for documents to the Federal Trade Commission) regarding Hannity, North, the Freedom Concerts, and the Freedom Alliance for alleged deceptive marketing practices by implying all money from ticket sales would go to the scholarship fund.
The IRS declined to take action in response to the CREW complaints. The 2010 Freedom Concerts went on as scheduled in various cities. But no concerts have been staged in 2011 and very little related information on any possible future events has been provided.
Hannity goes from regular promotion to little mention of concerts
In other years Hannity regularly mentioned the concerts on his radio show, inviting his listeners to purchase tickets before they were sold out, and often appeared on his Fox News TV program from different concert sites. He also pledged proceeds from his books to the Freedom Alliance.
Hannity has stopped referring to the concerts on his radio and TV programs and the radio show's website lists no concerts as being scheduled during 2011. It continues to post photos and videos from the 2010 concerts. He has hinted that something different may be done this year but not addressed the concerts in any detail.
A question on the radio show site's discussion board about any upcoming Freedom Concerts refers inquiries to the Freedom Alliance and notes that Hannity was simply a participant, not an organizer of previous concerts.
Online ticket sites that previously offered Freedom Concerts tickets say none are available for 2011.
Freedom Alliance does not address future concerts
The Freedom Alliance site references its yearly fundraising Freedom Cruise set for October 2011 but makes no mention of any upcoming concerts. The organization does not specify what percentage of raised funds goes to which of its programs but has said it provides other services and programs to military families aside from grants and scholarships.
Whether any connection exists between the absence of concerts and the earlier questions about the amount of Freedom Concert revenues going to scholarships as well as who paid for the transportation and accommodations of the Hannity group remains unknown.
No one in a position to know is commenting publicly on the subject. Premier Marketing is a private profit making company, separate from the Freedom Alliance, and is under no requirement or obligation to disclose its financial records or any business arrangements pertaining to the Freedom Concerts.
Whatever the fate of the concerts, the issue of how an organization allots and uses its charitable revenues has highlighted whether support for a cause should be made through direct giving, rather than by means of an intermediary activity.
Sources:
- Debbie Schlussel blog, "Big Business: Who Owns the Freedom Concerts? How Sean Hannity's Private Jets, Luxe SUVs, Suites Were Paid," March 25, 2010
- Tim Mak, "Hannitized is Sanitized," FrumForum, March 19, 2010
- Rick Ungar, "Sean Hannity in serious military scandal," True/Slant, March 20, 2010
- John Tabin, "Did Schlussel Smear Hannity?" American Spectator, March 19, 2010
- hannity.com
- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
John Seidenberg - John Seidenberg has worked on newspapers, newsletters, radio news, and produced specialized news publications as well as freelance ...
