"Obama Should Back the Fairness Doctrine"

[RepublicanElephant]

"Congress is finally looking at the Fairness Doctrine. And of course, nothing sends conservative talk jocks and corporate broadcasters fleeing to the barricades faster than even the slightest hint, rumor and whisper that President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats might aggressively push to reinstate the Doctrine. The jocks rushed to the barricades when top White House advisor David Axelrod recently coyly hinted that new FCC head Julius Genachowski might take a look at the Doctrine that set off even more panic that a return of the Fairness Doctrine was practically a done deal.

The Fairness Doctrine did not require that broadcasters give equal time to liberal or moderate Democrats to counter the hot air of conservative talk jocks. The Doctrine did not tell broadcasters who should get a talk show, what the hosts could say, or who they had to have on their shows. By the time Congress shelved the Doctrine, the FCC had virtually ceased even enforcing it. The Fairness Doctrine simply served as a broad guide to insure that stations give at least some time to differing points of view, i.e. views other than those of conservative white guys, and an occasional token conservative woman or black."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/earl-ofari-hutchinson/obama-should-back-the-fai_b_170268.html

[Freddie Stubbs]

1. AP: Senate bars FCC from revisiting Fairness Doctrine

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has barred federal regulators from reviving a policy, abandoned two decades ago, that required balanced coverage of issues on public airwaves.

The Senate vote on the so-called Fairness Doctrine was in part a response to conservative radio talk show hosts who feared that Democrats would try to revive the policy to ensure liberal opinions got equal time.

The Federal Communications Commission implemented the doctrine in 1949, but stopped enforcing it in 1987 after deciding new sources of information and programming made it unnecessary.

President Barack Obama says he has no intention of reimposing the doctrine, but Republicans, led by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., say they still need a guarantee the government would not establish new quotas or guidelines on programming.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iZo8HqKUQ5LkGkTf0CiQtS7WQlQQD96JF8V00

[Occam Bandage]

2. Air America proved two things:

1. There is nothing preventing anyone from offering liberal radio talk shows.
2. The primary reason that liberal radio talk shows do not exist is that nobody listens to them.

[blueclown]

3. Why are you repeating right-wing talking points?

Do we have a Rush Limbaugh listener in our midsts?

[ellacott]

4. I'm surprised that you've bought in to #2

People did and do listen to liberal radio talk shows.

Funny.........

[blueclown]

5. Yes they did.

The only difference is that liberal radio shows were not offered the syndication deals by the (conservative) radio conglomerates that the conservative radio shows were.

[ellacott]

6. Very true