Broadcasting “Localism Rules” Worse than the Fairness Doctrine

http://www.infowars.com/?p=5979 Posted by Kurt Nimmo
Infowars
November 14, 2008

Talk radio stations, according to New Mexico sentaor Jeff Bingaman, "can do whatever they want," an apparent reversal of his earlier comments in favor of the Fairness Doctrine.

It appears New Mexico senator Jeff Bingaman is backing away from earlier comments regarding the Fairness Doctrine. Bingaman was asked by CNS News if he would impose the doctrine on AM radio stations WMAL and WTNT in Washington, D.C. and he said he would not. “They can do whatever they want,” he said. In October, Bingaman expressed his support for the Fairness Doctrine during an interview with AM KKOB in Albuquerque. “I would want this station and all stations to have to present a balanced perspective and different points of view instead of always hammering away at one side of the political (spectrum),” Bingaman said.

Since Bingaman’s comments and those of New York senator Charles Schumer, a grassroots effort to oppose the reinstallation of the Fairness Doctrine under an Obama administration and Democrat controlled Congress has emerged.

If the FCC has its way, however, talk radio stations may not “do whatever they want,” as Bingaman suggests.

According to the D.C. Examiner, the Federal Communications Commission is considering the “localism rule” and this regulation would have basically the same First Amendment chilling effect as the Fairness Doctrine. Under the FCC’s proposed regulations, owners of radio and TV stations would be subject to permanent advisory boards. These advisory boards, according to the D.C. Examiner

would be chosen according to politically correct multi-cultural nostrums requiring representation of all “stakeholders.” These boards would be empowered by the FCC to decide if stations were airing a “sufficient amount of community-responsive programming”– with neither “sufficient” nor “responsive” defined. A negative advisory board finding could mean loss of a station owner’s broadcasting license.

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“If this proposed regulation is adopted, political activists with ideological agendas on advisory boards will be able to dictate content by producing allies to complain that their interests are not being considered,” warns the Examiner.

In addition, the proposed FCC rules would also require broadcasters to maintain a 24/7 physical presence at broadcasting facilities, limit their use of celebrity “voice tracking” and network programming, require them to fund journalism schools, and give their music playlists (and likely guest lists) to the FCC. In short, the operating costs of stations would escalate significantly. “Experts warn that such rules will kill talk radio – one of the few mass media that favors conservatives,” notes the D.C. Examiner.

The rules, if adopted, would kill smaller, independent radio stations while allowing corporate radio stations and networks with larger budgets to continue operations.

Obama may oppose the Fairness Doctrine but this may not prevent the new Democrat ruled Congress from allowing the FCC to impose restrictive rules by fiat. In a June letter to FCC chairman Kevin Martin, House Minority Leader John Boehner charged the FCC with a “stealth enactment of the Fairness Doctrine,” arguing that “the recreation of pre-1980s advisory boards will place broadcast media squarely on a path toward rationed speech.” posted on ORF by karan berry