The Fairness Doctrine

Nothing but an outdated, ancient, relic in broadcasting?  That's the Republican push in Congress this week, launching a campaign to kill the concept for good. Having worked through the Fairness Doctrine years, I can tell you that it was a pain in the backside for broadcasters, both radio and TV.  However, it did mandate diversion and fairness - or else! The law had some teeth.  It's really just one aspect of how little broadcasters (in most cases) still do to truly serve their communities.  When was the last time one of your local stations spent the money to have a true "investigative reporter" on the staff?  When was the last time they devoted extended amounts of time to address issues "of local concern"?  Do you see any public affairs programming these days?  How many independent radio voices can be heard in your community.  Are any of the stations still locally-owned? It ain't your momma's broadcast industry.  With respect to technology, that can be a good thing.  With respect to the editorial involvement in the community, take a really close look -

Attack on the Fairness Doctrine?

The Republicans are so convinced that they are going to lose HUGE in 2008 that they are beginning to take precautionary measures. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Indiana) is trying to force a vote to officially do away with the Fairness Doctrine. Here's the wiki on the Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine was a United States FCC regulation requiring broadcast licensees to present controversial issues of public importance in a manner deemed by the FCC to be honest, equitable and balanced. The doctrine has since been withdrawn by the FCC, and certain [...]

Along those same lines, this would be a good deal for some, but a very bad deal for others - remember what I said about "independent voices"?

FCC Head Wants To Relax Media Ownership Rules

The head of the Federal Communications Commission has circulated an ambitious plan to relax the decades-old media ownership rules, including repealing a rule that forbids a company to own both a newspaper and a television or radio station in the same city. Kevin J. Martin, chairman of the commission, wants to repeal the rule in the next two months -- a plan that, if successful, would be a big victory for some executives of media conglomerates. Among them are [...]

UPDATE: Oh, yeah.  There's gonna be a fight over this one..

Stop the FCC's Gift to Big Media Conglomerates

...Good citizens are not alone. They have, in FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, a stalwart ally who has stated his adamant opposition to this move. In a letter published in the Washington Post last month, Copps wrote eloquently of the importance of fighting media consolidation in the context of media minority ownership and, specifically, how it related to the Jena 6 case. Referring to Eugene Robinson's invaluable column, "Drive Time for the Jena 6," which rightly concluded that black radio hosts played a vital role in bringing attention to what happened in Jena, La., Copps write that [...]

Tags: Fairness Doctrine, Radio & TV Broadcasting

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