Nothing Fair in "The Fairness Doctrine"
- Posted by Justin Higgins on July 6th, 2007 in
It's been mentioned on national television shows, radio shows, and once again in the halls of Congress. Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, have been talking about resurrecting an outdated FCC regulation that would be specifically designed to hit Conservative talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. The regulation would force stations to balance air time with liberal and conservative views.
Who listens to liberal talk radio? It's not because it's not on the air, because there was a large failed venture called Air America which is designed to broadcast to a liberal audience. According to Talkers Magazine, the top 5 talk radio audiences are all Conservative! Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and Laura Ingraham have the largest audiences by far. Whereas Rush and Hannity combine for over 25 million listeners, a majority of the liberals are stuck around the 1.25 million mark.
Conservative domination of talk radio isn't a result of bad policy by the FCC, it's a result of capitalism. People have the option to listen to Al Franken in their markets, but instead, they pick Rush or Glenn Beck. Just looking at the Arbitron ratings from my area, we'd take a hit from the Fairness Doctrine. Our top radio station for fall of 2006 just happens to be a talk radio station that carries Limbaugh.
Conservative domination of
Conservative domination of talk radio isn't a result of bad policy by the FCC, it's a result of capitalism.
OK, if it's a free market, then fire up your transmitter tomorrow. Oops, can't do that. Men in black from the FCC will raid your house and force you to eat your own crabgrass.
It isn't a matter of "radio stations will put on whatever draws an audience." Here is a quote from the mission statement of Salem Communications, one of the five groups cited in the Center for American Progress study for having no liberal talk shows:
"Salem is a leading U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher targeting audiences interested in Christian and family-themed content and CONSERVATIVE values."
They wouldn't put liberal talk on if it was number one with 90 percent of the audience.
Cumulus, another company cited in the study, kicked the Dixie Chicks off all its radio stations. Clearly something else is at work other than the marketplace.
Air America is still on the air. They're out of bankruptcy. Is Delta Air Lines a failure because they were once in bankruptcy?
The Center for American Progress did not call for a return to the Fairness Doctrine. Instead, it said that there is too much concentration of ownership. When you have companies that own syndication talk networks and individual stations, you have vertical integration. Salem owns its syndication company and puts its shows on its stations. Ditto Clear Channel.
Vertical integration of this sort was broken up in the past by the Justice Department (as in companies that produced movies and owned the theaters that ran them).
Does being a conservative mean endorsing radio consolidation and celebrating the end of localism on the airwaves? Just curious.
No way
that should happen it's not our fault no one listins to liberals
Rush and Hannity are full of it
Step away from the Rush. He drug-addled propaganda is ruining you.
You might want to try listening to Eddie Schultz on 1330 AM in the Youngstown, OH market.