Democrats Move to Re-regulate Media

[mrdmk]

This will be good if it can get some legs in the General Population.

Do not expect the LMSM to report on this

<snip>
Two liberal House members who recently have been critical of what they view as attempts by conservative Republicans to take over America’s mass media and public broadcasting have now introduced a sweeping bill that would re-regulate radio and TV back to the days before the 1996 Telecommunications Act.

The Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005 (MORA) is co-sponsored by Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y. and Diane Watson, D-Calif. In a written announcement, MORA is described as legislation “that seeks to undo the massive consolidation of the media that has been ongoing for nearly 20 years.”

The measure would restore the Fairness doctrine, reinstate a national cap on radio ownership and lower the number of radio stations a company can own in a local market. It also reinstates a 25% national television ownership cap and requires stations to submit regular public interest reports to the Federal Communications Commission.
<end of snip>

link
http://mediachannel.org/blog/node/189

This will have to be a real grassroots push on this matter. Lets get the word out!

[Triana]

1. This could literally save our Democracy...

...I'm not being 'flowery' here. It could - esp if the fairness doctrine is reinstated.

[electricray]

2. Agreed, but not if it never gets a vote unfortunately.

And I highly doubt that media reform is a very popular ride in DeLay/Hastert Funland.

[ClayZ]

4. I agree!

We could curb the PSY-OPS!

[Sugarbleus]

3. GRRrrreat News!!

This SO needs to happen. Not only that, but we need to re regulate several industries also. Oh, and don't forget capital gains. :evilgrin:

Deregulation of so many things after Reagan was the beginning of the end.

GO DEMS!

[HR_Pufnstuf]

5. ...and then...

We BAN any music from the sonybmgvivenditimewarner beast just like THEIR radio stations have done to the independents.

Time to wipe out payola, crappy classic rock, and rude djs.

Time the clear the charts, so to speak.

[Initech]

6. Better - this could mean the death of Clear Channel!

So long crappy boy bands, shitty "nu-metal", and bling-bling rappers!

[mrdmk]

9. Clear Channel from my understanding is not doing well at this

point.

They want Armitron to do real time reporting, meaning Clear Channel thinks they are losing rating points, hence money they could be charging the advertisers.

Having been in the Music Industry, I think Clear Channel did everything they could to ruin the Music Scene in the U.S.A. Also the powers that be thought MTV (in the Los Angeles area and vicinity) would keep people at home rather than the night club. Believe me, these powers did their best to kill music entertainment.

[Initech]

14. They destroyed the US music scene.

Pretty much. I hope this law passes so we can finally get some good tunes on the radio.

Maybe Clear Channel's death will also mean the end of sequels, remakes and just generally bad movies also!

[mrdmk]

15. Do not know what to tell you about the bad movies

A lot of the problem is when these record companies went public (sold company stocks on Wall Street) and all of the mergers followed soon afterward. I also know that the local government and others did their best to kill the live music scene in Southern California. This killed the crop of new talent in the music industry.

This is also something that needs to be considered and that is the actual making of a CD is cheaper than a Vinyl LP Disk (pennies to the dollar). Of course it could be said that paying the talent got out of hand which is somewhat true, but where else is the money going. When a record company sent a group out on tour, that was a losing proposition. The real money was made on record sales after the group came though town. Now we have Wall Street pointing out ways to make money front and back, not to mention the usual low life's trying to stiff people on all sides for a quick buck.

[Mixxster]

18. "the actual making of a CD is cheaper than a Vinyl LP Disk"

And yet CD's still cost more than LP's did.

[snot]

7. KICK&nom'd--Should be top priority after elimination of black boxes. nt

[oxbow]

8. Get everyone you know to contact their Congressmen

and get the word out. This is one of the major keys, along with voting reforms, to saving this country.

[mrdmk]

10. Agreed, I need to find out the H.R. number for the media reform

The voting reform is H.R. 2239 and has approximately 125 co-signers. This is a pisser because it is struck in committee. Unfortunately, I have Chris Cox for a Representative and he stop giving back courtesy e-mails back about any issue I bring to his attention (Mr. Deregulation himself).

[stickdog]

11. This is priority #1A after fraud-o-matic voting machines. (nt)

[sweetheart]

12. Is this gonna pass?

We run the danger of burying important things when we deliberately
introduce them in a climate where failure is the likley result. It
makes us look like active legislators, when we are actually giving an
issue its andy warhol 15 minutes and killing it for a future run in a
dem congress.

I notice the op did not say "democratic" House members, impliying
already they've framed it with pariah status of the dreaded libbie.
MSM wants this bill dead, and without s e r i o u s political will,
like a dem controlled senate, does such a bill squander rather than
raise the possibility of passing.

That said, i love the legislation and the idea, and find whomever
stands up for it noble. But this is a political forum, yes? And is
not 90% of politics timing? The lashback against the repubs is gonna
come like a set of waves on a surfing break. We need to be prepared
to launch our surfboards on this rise of decency and the common sense
of good folks. So say there are 4 waves in a set.

0. Reform the tax code, end to end (happening now, so get a full
range of varied ideas out there, radical ones, idealistic ones, and
technophile ones... command the wave of media that is already there)
1. Universal Healthcare,
2. Total rethink on international diplomacy and multilateralism as a way to prevent war and terrorism
3. Total Rethink of the drugs war from the ground up.
4. Reform media plurality and independence.

woof! The possibility of this bill failing and this ending another attempt at such legislation by dems for years bums me out.

[cprise]

13. Say the magic legal words: "Be Fair!"

And lo... the media corporations became "fair".

YEAH... I really look forward to a return of those days when creeps like Rev. Wildmon and Fred Phelps get invited on-air every time a gay person had the temerity to show his/her face on television. Or the total avoidance of "controversial subjects" because the alternative is just too absurd.

YEAH... lets turn back the dial, and repeat our past mistakes! Lets make journalists hate progressives, and give them an incentive to argue against all regulation. Just like the good old days.

How brave. How sentient and original. Not.

I am all for enforcable regulation, like ownership restrictions and equal time for political candidates. However FD is too subjective and its presence jepardizes other media regulation.

One other thing: I see nothing that mentions public broadcastic or what to do about it.

[mrdmk]

16. A kick and a link (I need to thank Stewart for)

link
http://mediachannel.org/blog/node/189


Please add you name to the petition, Thanks!

[tiptoe]

17. kick

[snot]

19. KICK AND NOM'D because

pushing this initiative is one of the most helpful things any DU'er can do this week.