Free Airwaves?

" first amendment rights -- freedom of speech is under attack again. It is some. Well it's like I've told -- time and time again. The political sleight of hand that President Obama uses is amazing he is a master at it while president Obama's is the Fairness Doctrine will never return. The government may still mandate what's played over the public airwaves but -- call that a different name. History shows us that the government has manipulated the public airwaves for its own benefit before and that they may be gearing up to do it again. Only this time it is much more serious."

" In the 1920s. Radio was booming stations were free to broadcast at any frequency -- But then regular frequency started behind to show. So in 1927. The government set up the federal radio commission to stop this from happening. In 1934 the Federal Communications Commission was formally established. And FDR immediately used radio as a propaganda machine for his new deal programs."

" Roosevelt would not hesitate to deny certain programs to go on the air. Radio stations became obligated. To put on new deal spokesman two and three times a week and not comfort those who were critical of Roosevelt in the new deal. Thus radio becomes an important part. A Franklin Roosevelt promoting his political agenda and being reelected overwhelmingly in 1936."

" In 1949. The FCC in stated policy that became known as the Fairness Doctrine. It held that broadcasters were obligated to provide opposing points of view on controversial issues of national importance."

" We have people would stop watches when -- was a complaint filed -- licensee hadn't complied with the Fairness Doctrine. -- timing. The various amounts of time given to various. Size of an issue. And then determining whether -- a violation of the fairness to --"

" To avoid controversy journalists simply avoided any coverage of heated political issues opinions were silenced. In 1969 the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of upholding the Fairness Doctrine. But in the 1980s. The political winds started -- change deregulation was sweeping through the Reagan administration. The FCC the new chairman mark Fowler and he publicly about to kill the Fairness Doctrine. "

" We looked at all over rules and regulations. That were on the books. And the FCC was really one of the last of the new deal dinosaurs. There's so many rules and regulations. We did you -- start but one good place to start we thought was the fairness start. Because it's so probably violates the First Amendment."

" In 1987 the FCC announced it would no longer -- force the Fairness Doctrine and that's when conservative talk radio started to take off. Liberals failed to break into the talk radio market turns out nobody wanted to listen. Tried to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine through congress that failed twice once under President Reagan and then again under president George HW bush. So they tried to get it passed through back door avenues. One way they tried to do it was through --"

" Moments -- need justification. For localism was that there was a public interest in having radio stations carry local time -- local contact. The problem here lies that a lot of local content. People the general audience was and that -- necessarily that -- who wants to hear cat in tourney stories. When you can get real national stories or even statewide stories. They also did it through diversity of ownership making sure that there was -- social engineering going on in the ownership of these radio stations."

" The latest push for the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine comes from mark -- the new chief diversity officer at the FCC. He coauthored a report while of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress. She where have we seen this one before he called it the structural imbalance of political talk radio the report concludes. The gap between conservative and progressive talk radio is the result of multiple structural problems in the US regulatory system. Particularly the complete breakdown of the public -- concept of broadcast. The elimination of clear public interest requirements for broadcasting and the relaxation of ownership rules including the requirement of local participation. In management. It also suggested. Any effort to encourage more responsive -- balanced radio program will first require steps to increase localism and diversify. Radio station ownership. To better meet local and community needs. Right after this report came out Lloyd wrote an article entitled forget the Fairness Doctrine. Of course he wants us to forget the Fairness Doctrine because its intentions too obvious. Silly -- in the Trojan horse power. The other part of our proposal that gets that ditto heads upset. Here's our suggestion that the commercial radio station owners either played by the rules or pay him. In other words if they don't want to be subjected to local criticism of how they're meeting their license obligations they should pay to support public. Broadcasters. Who operate on -- Half of the local communities. Master plan for the FCC still threatens stations licenses that they don't agree with politically. Government first started regulating -- to prevent air waves from bumping into each other. So why have we allowed them to expand and regulate the content. America. Would you allow the FCC to trample your first amendment rights all in the name of localism and and diversity. It's an --"