No surprise here.
According to two members of the House Democrat Caucus, Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer have informed them that they will "aggressively pursue" reinstatement of the so-called Fairness Doctrine over the next six months.
...According to another Democrat leadership aide, Pelosi and her team are focused on several targets in the fight, including Rush Limbaugh and the Salem Radio Network. In fact, Kucinich's staff has begun investigating Salem, one of the fastest growing radio networks in the country, which features such popular -- and highly rated -- conservative hosts as Bill Bennett and Michael Medved, and Christian hosts such as Dr. Richard Land.
"They are identifying senior employees, their political activities and their political giving," says a Government Reform committee staffer. "Salem is a big target, but the big one is going to be Limbaugh. We know we can't shut him up, but we want to make life a bit more difficult for him."
What's that about 'identifying..activities...giving?'
Is Joe Shelfa next?
HT: Betsy's Page
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8 comments:
So what exactly is the "Fairness Doctrine"? The connotation it gives off leads me to believe it is something like they would put in place in Russia! They don't like what people say? Good, I don't like what they say, can I shut them up too?
James:
Basically, the fairness doctrine requires that radio stations give equal time to "both sides" of an issue, which means Sykes or Limbaugh would have to give equal time to the liberal point of view (I believe this could include having a second host or something).
It's a joke, a farce, and - I'd bet a million dollars - wouldn't be applied to stations like Air America and NPR.
Write your Senators and Congressmen and FIGHT it.
The "equal time" provision may also be applied by forcing radio/TV stations to run 2 hours of Joe Wineke if they run 2 hours of Belling.
The point is that the stations will be forced to either 1) dump all 'editorial' programs; or 2) run 'counter-editorial' programming for an equal number of hours.
In effect, WFMR will benefit because they will get the disaffected Limbaugh consumers.
I won't be crying if the fairness doctrine goes back into effect. I do listen to much commericial radio anymore. I have WPR on right now. The suppression of voices bit is one I don't get as excited about. It quite frankly elevates what these entertainers do into something it really isn't, namely community and policy activism. These boys are there to sell Select Comfort beds and whatever opinion they have to offer to do it, they'll do or they'll be replaced by someone who will.
It was fair when people remembered that the public airwaves are, um, public -- Rupert Murdoch doesn't feel any more responsibility for his use of the public airwaves than the man in the moon. Anyway, restoring fairness to the use of public airwaves should guarantee that political views that aren't bankrolled by the people who own the current administration will also be heard.
Tiddly pum.
hiho
Mpeterson
Fairness. Interesting how it has two meanings, depending on who you talk to. Liberal talk radio fails time and time again in the free market. There are a couple of successes, but, for the most part, it fails. So, instead of Liberal talk being unintersting or tedious, it must be unfair. Yet, Conservative radio prospers. You have conservatives that range from the libertarian to the far right. Almost all are successful in the free market. They also make a profit. To Democrats, this is apparently unfair. Amusing, to say the least.
There is no 'entertaining' leftwing radio host, period.
Thus, stations which are forced to carry those deadly-dull pontificating hypocritical Lefties will lose money.
It most certainly will free up "public" airwaves.
And short-wave radio, too--because the Right will use samizdat, if necessary.
I don't know. I find Thom Hartman entertaining. Until he lets his BDS out. Then the channel gets turned.
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