Here's the Deal on The Media and FCC and the "crackdown"

[Armstead]

This isn't inside information. Just common sense.

These FCC crackdowns have a twofold purpose. It is massively hypocritical.

The GOP/Right/Bushites and Mikey Powell's FCC want to pander to their base. But they also want to maintain the ties with Big Media but couteract all of the hubub that Mike's FCC caused when they gave away more of the media to the Conglomerates last year.

So how to they choose to show they are not lapdogs of Big Media? Go on a crusade against "indecency." Levy some big fines, call them before Congress, posture and rant against all of the filth. Make the ceo's of the comglomerates do a Kabuki Dance of contrition before the public.

BUT....

Notice how the real issue of media control is avoided? In terms of actual power, what the FCC is doing it totally toothless.

It's more of a "Look, you can keep all your stations and media properties, and we'll still help you get more. So you can continue to rake in all that money and keep control. But -- nudge,nudge, wink wink -- just clean up your act a little bit. Don't say those naughty words anymore, and set up a couple of sacrificial lambs like Howard Stern to show those dopes in the public that you are serious....nudge,nudge, wink,wink."

So what will happen is that the media will be sort of sanitized. But it will still churn out swill -- but the swill will be on this side of "good taste."

Meanwhile, the media will continue to be owned by the same handful of corporations, and it will be a nice cozy arrangement.

[shance]

1. Exactly. It futher limits free speech and disregards the issue.

Astounding.

Democrats arent buying this, are they?

[Armstead]

2. Hope not

We're getting the worst of all worlds with this.

[KoKo]

3. Well, I agree. Even when I heard Daschle's puny effort to "roll back"

the "media control" in the Senate Bill which came from the House which overturned our efforts and the NRA to get them to keep it at 35%, the Senate instead was going to overturn it and give Powell's FCC all he wanted.

I posted the article here on DU.

I wonder if we have a chance in hell of anything being done. The "sex/indecency" issue might have gotten some Repugs onboard and Daschle could have worked harder to amend the watered down bill....but on wonders if that will happen.

The hypocracy is Amazing, but if we can get what we want out of it, gagging on the hypocracy it would be a compromise that would maybe end up helping us.

Thanks for the post and your analysis Armstead. Great observation!

[scottxyz]

4. Check out this thread for profanity on Laura Ingraham's show (MP3 file)

You can listen to an actual audio clip of someone using profanity on Laura Ingraham's show, in this DU thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1199257

Still waiting for Laura to get bounced from the airwaves for letting the "F" word be used on here show...

Fair's fair!

[scottxyz]

5. Limbaugh is supporting Stern on this

http://www.buzzflash.com/farrell/04/03/far04006.html

"Smut on TV gets praised. Smut on TV wins Emmys. On radio, there seems to be different standards. I've never heard Howard Stern. But when the federal government gets involved in this, I get a little frightened. If we are going to sit by and let the federal government get involved in this, if the government is going to 'censor' what they think is right and wrong... What happens if a whole bunch of John Kerrys, or Terry McAuliffes start running this country? And decide conservative views are leading to violence? I am in the free speech business. It's one thing for a company to determine if they are going to be party to it. It's another thing for the government to do it."

[Hammie]

6. Except

The FCC's current enforcement emphasis originated in the latter part of 1999 when in response to pressure from Congress it created an enforcement bureau to be responsible for enforcement of rule violations among all the services that it regulates. Apparently enforcement is up all over the spectrum including amateur bands and commercial bands as well as broadcast. This began under the previous administration. While it is unlikely that the current administration would be unhappy with the current enforcement actions, there is no evidence that it is a new FCC policy in response to the current administration.