I generally don't like to bring up political topics on this board, but this is one that really bugs me. Once again, with Democrats in charge of Congress, the "Fairness Doctrine" is being pushed from the far left.

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/...irnessdoct.htm

Basically, what the fairness doctrine means is that if any broadcast medium pushes a certain political point of view, they are required to give equal time to the opposite point of view. It was done away with during the Regan administration during deregulation.

The reason the left pushes this topic is that right-leaning talk radio is a massive commercial success while left-leaning talk radio (Air America) flopped. The fairness doctrine would require your local talk radio station to provide one hour of Janeane Garofalo for every hour of Neal Boortz.

I don't really care what anyone listens to. If you want to listen to four hours of radio static, more power to you. I really don't think it is the duty of the Federal Government to tell my local radio station they have to carry programming that can't make it in the free marketplace on its own.

What do you think?

Grim

 

I thought it was already like that?

 

Nope, radio stations are currently able to go all-communist or all libertarian all the time if they want (not that anyone would) and if they can make money doing it.

Grim

 

There is something along those lines for free airtime given to a candidate during an election. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but basically CNN can't give away free airtime to the libs and Fox can't give it away to the conservatives. If they give free airtime to one party an equal amount of time must be given to the other party, but not necessarily the same show or same time slot.

 

That's what I was thinking of.

 

Would this affect television too? Considering libs control 90% of the TV news, they would be shooting themselves in the foot to push this.

 

It's the will of the people. This is what a majority of voters want, right?

This is total BS! This is the message that the voters sent? The message is, if you can't win the game, change the rules so that you do.

You people are right. This should be market driven.

 

TV news is news, it isn't "political commentary". This really only has an impact on talk radio (the bane of the left).

Grim

Oh yeah, it also affects cable news commentary shows, like the O'Reily Factor. I don't ever watch the show, but the Government should not be telling Bill what guests he can have!

 

That's what losers have to do to win.

 

People will listen to what they want to hear, which is usually the view points they agree with. That will hurt the ratings of the shows with opposing views. The advertisers will have to deal with it. But I can't see this legislature going anywhere, for that matter.

 

I'm certianly no expert on this but I am a poly-sci major and I don't see how they can regulate partisan content on the radio. They can control the time given to politicians during an election by controlling the rules associated with conducting a bid for political office. But by censoring political content they are getting into constitutional issues (Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Press, and even Freedom of Religion) that will have to be addressed by the Supreme Court. Even if this does pass it will be years before if takes effect (if it ever does). I seriously doubt that the high court will uphold this particular legislation. I understand the desire for a level playing field but, like what was discussed earlier right wing talk radio is vastly more popular than leftist. Also, I do not believe that a distinction can be made between radio and televison. Televison is just as much of a commentary as radio is and when both of those mediums one must also consider print media which reaches just as many people. This was a foolish thing to pass and looks more like a showing of power than actual policy making. Finally, If I wanted to start a communist radio station, as long as there was Libel, Slander, or vocabulary that violates the FCC rules, I could say whatever I wanted to about politics because the radio station is a privately held entity.