Just a note on the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE

[eagler]

We have never needed it more than we do right now! I realize that many of you out there are able to listen to liberal and moderate talk radio, but across vast expanses of this nation, RW radio is the only game in town.And believe me they are ramping it up and they are popular (Must be the Stockholm sydrome). Anyway, if we don't want 2008 to look like 1994 - then we need a new revised Fairness Doctrine ASAP. It's not going to silence anyone, but will only make them accountable for what they say. Support Kucinich on this. It is that important!

[Uncle Joe]

1. Thanks for the post eagler

Kicked and recommended

[redqueen]

2. Hear hear!

We all need to call about the need for this kind of legislation... EVERY DAY UNTIL WE GET IT!

[H2O Man]

3. Nominated.

Very important. Thanks.

[northzax]

4. nah

the government should not be in the business of regulating the content of media. period. if there was a wide market for liberal talk radio, it would exist beyond the small enclaves it already does.

[tnlurker]

6. monopoly would have to be busted first.

In order for there to be a level playing field without government interference you would have to break up the media monopolies first.

[eagler]

12. The Fairness Doctrine before 1987 went hand in hand with

limits on corporate ownership of major media. I guarantee we can make this thing work for the benefit of all. The bottom line is this: That free access to the media is necessary for a well informed electorate - which in turn guarantees democracy.This is not a new or revolutionary idea but has been around since the 18th century.

[eagler]

14. Please read

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2053

[northzax]

20. true

where should we draw the line? a million readers? 100,000? 10,000? how many listeners can one company get? there are plenty of sources of news beyond the radio these days, the monopoly is irrelevant. does the Washington Post have a monopoly on the DC market? how about the LA Times on the LA market? define a media monopoly in this day and age?

[eagler]

30. This has nothing to do with newspapers.

Talk radio is the prevalent media in the nation and it is on 24/7 - at home,in the car, at work ,anD it costs nothing. Also over most of the nation RW broadcasters have a monopoly. I would also go so far as to say that so called liberal television is not liberal at all. If it was the RW would be screaming for the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE!

[northzax]

32. ok, how many listeners can one station have?

define monopoly.

more people surf the internet every day than listen to talk radio, by the way. More people get a daily newspaper, more people watch TV. last time I checked, the internet and TV were on 24/7 as well.

but again, please define a monopoly in radio. local? regional? national? how about Satelite? Internet radio? define a monopoly. no pithy statements, a simple definition, for this purpose.

[Hippo_Tron]

27. I'm 100% for that idea

We need to break up monopolies in a lot of sectors IMO.

[eagler]

9. Not when the few corporations which control the media

refuse liberal announcers air time. The FD worked just fine for 40 years before it was abbrogated in 1987-Less than a year before Limbaugh went nationwide unopposed. You cannot tell me for one second that someone like John Stewart would have no drawing power. The simple fact is that he would not be allowed time on most stations today because most talk radio is nothing more than government propaganda - not at all unlike what has happened recently in Russian radio.

[northzax]

22. john stewart has tried to do a radio show?

when? and who refused him time?

[eagler]

26. Just used him as an example.

nt

[northzax]

31. got a better one?

no one is entitled to time on the radio, if you can make money, someone will give you time. if you get more listeners, for a lower cost, someone will pick you up.

I mean really, who listens to talk radio?

[eagler]

13. By the way - our government IS in the business of regulating

program content as long as there is no FAIRNESS DOCTRINE.

[Bronyraurus]

15. Prove it

[eagler]

18. Hi Rush!

nt

[Bronyraurus]

19. That's using the old noggin.

[northzax]

21. so by not regulating

they are regulating?

huh?

[eagler]

24. By abbrogating the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 the

'government' effectively silenced any opposing viewpoints to its policies. If I or anyone wished to start up a radio station to compete with any so called RW broadcaster in a certain area, I would be denied a license to do so, You know it, I know it. It's been tried. I believe it was in 2004 when Clear Channel or some major broadcaster thought about putting on Randi Rhodes. Because Limbaugh threatened to quit-the idea was nixed.

[northzax]

29. well, there is a certain amount of airspace out there

if you can get a broadcast license (by buying another station or something) then you can put on liberal talk radio. it's what Air America did.

and if clearchannel thought they could make more money off Randi Rhodes than Rush Limbaugh, they would have done so.

the fact is, liberal talk radio isn't any good, for the most part. people listen to talk radio to appeal to their baser instincts, to hear outrageous things and to get pissed off. doesn't happen from liberal talk radio. it's why liberal talk TV isn't any good either, much harder to rant and rave and insult people, which is what people seem to like, based on ratings.

[The Count]

16. "if there was a market?" Is that like "we fight them over there, so we don't have

to fight them over here?
is that a dig to the RW sabotage of Air America? ABC's memo to advertisers to avoid it? Frivolous law suits and such? Yup, the majority in this country does not want its POV aired...It's all in the wholly market...RW propaganda is NOT subsidized and the tooth faery visits :sarcasm:

[northzax]

34. why, you are completely correct!

oh no, wait, you aren't. in DC, as democratic a city as you can possibly get (there are 25 democrats for every republican. 25 to 1.

head to head, Laura Ingraham beats Al Franken on the radio.

25 to 1. For every single republican, there are 25 democrats. and yet, if only 1 in 25 democrats listens to Al Franken, and EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN IN THE CITY listens to Laura Ingraham, it's tied. but she wins, hands down.

oh right, frivolous lawsuits. that explains it.

[AndyA]

5. K & R - I couldn't agree more.

We must level the playing field. The propaganda from the mainstream corporate owned self-serving media is scandalous. Facts intentionally twisted, the truth ignored, and lies promoted as facts. Disgraceful.

We must force the media to play fair, they have shown us they feel no obligation to do so.

[LSparkle]

7. Absolutely -- wouldn't affect cable but would help w/broadcast media

... like AM EFFING RADIO!

[CottonBear]

8. Boortz and Hannity are saying that the Fairness Doctrine will shut down talk radio.

The RW radio nuts are running scared. They are blaming the Democrats in advance for the obliteration of RW talk radio. They are , of course, knowingly lying to their audiences but they don't care. They are jsut spewing the latest Republican talking point.

[BOSSHOG]

10. (One of) The most important things to know about the fairness doctrine

is that the right wing liars with access to microphones don't want it. Its similar to bank robbers not being fond of a police force. Bottom line, to kinda quote COL Jessup, "Conservatives" can't handle fairness.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. nominated (EOM)

[eagler]

17. Hannity is telling his listeners right now that the FD

would require stations to give EQUAL TIME to opposing viewpoints. He said that if RW radio broadcasts over a network for (say) 8 hours per day, then Air America wouls also be allowed 8 hours per day. That IS NOT the truth. Networks or stations(according to the old FD)would only be required to allow time to respond. If opposing parties only had 1 hour of air time, then the requirements wouls be met. Another way to implement the FD would be to allow an opposing station to broadcast to the the same audiences that the RW'ers talk to.

[Morgana LaFey]

23. The requirement can be met with far less than 1 hour -- try 1 min. nt

[G_Leo_Criley]

28. hamfisty's concerns that

"the FD would require stations to give EQUAL TIME to opposing viewpoints," is understandable.

Oh the horror!!! Run for your lives! Here comes the Fairness Doctrine!!!

Imagine every time Hammy claims that someone is giving aid and comfort to the enemy, someone ... say ... Kucinich gets to come one for a few minutes to make a short statement.

heh heh heh... I like it. There's nothin' like the fairness doctrine to show the RW nitwits for what they are. They've had years and years of saying whatever comes into their pointy little heads while in a RW frenzy.

Time to hold 'em accountable for what they say! Make them prove these fool accusations of theirs! Let the viewers/listeners hear both sides, of EVERY issue.

glc

[porphyrian]

25. Yes we do need it. - n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

33. How do we know that the demographics for daytime talk radio aren't inherently conservative?

Millions of Americans don't listen to daytime talk radio because they are at work and are doing a job that doesn't really allow them to listen to the radio.

Take truck drivers for example. I'm sure not all truck drivers are white men, but if you did a survey I have a feeling that the demographics would be skewed toward white males. Truck drivers also work in a profession that happens to allow them to listen to the radio for several hours a day.

There is a reason that the radio stations don't play Hannity and Rush at 5pm when everyone is driving home from work. People would stop listening to those stations, because they don't want to hear right wing political commentary. They want to hear news, traffic reports, and music.

I don't believe that right wing talk radio converts people into Republicans. I believe that the 20-25% of true believers listen to it religiously and that is why it is successful.

[eagler]

35. Give them some valid competition and let's find out.

nt

[Hippo_Tron]

36. We did, it was called Air America and it flopped

And Air America was in major cities which generally constitutes the target demographics for liberals. Talk radio is a venue for pissed off white men to have their views validated.

[Vidar]

37. K&R.