Copps: Fairness Doctrine A 'Straw Man'

[Force Commander]

http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id= ... 00#Scene_1

I know this topic keeps coming up, but as long as the FCC mentions it we should discuss. I am getting out of the article Copps is trying to separate the diversity and Fairness Doctrine. Calling it a name doesn't say we are not going to try to invoke it. Maybe I am just untrusting of the FCC. What do you get out of the article?

[AmpedNow]

Looks like double speak to me.

What's sad is that the roundabout may be even more sinister than the original FD. Affirmative action in station ownership.

[Tom Taggart]

Adarand Constructors v. Pena , 515 U.S. 200 (1995). The case that killed selective preferences in public projects. Also the case that will kill any scheme to favor minorities in the ownership of stations.

The real problem is two-fold:

1. Right now, media is on the bank's black list along with hotels, golf courses and restaurants. It's not that sellers don't want to sell to minority owners, it's the banks that don't want to loan money to media business buyers; white, black, Hispanic, or naturalized Romulan.

2. Until you get out of the rated markets, the stations that are for sale are part of a cluster that is for sale. A stand alone may be affordable to a new entrant, a cluster? Most likely not.

The "diversity" issue is a stalking horse for forced sales to the favored. Take one aspect--the "advisory committees."

Anyone in radio who has been in this state for more than few minutes knows that Country and Western--and especially Bluegrass, is a religion unto itself. Create an advisory board and it will not be 10 minutes before some yahoo will be demanding the station play more C&W or more bluegrass. Even if the station is a well established rocker. Even if there are 5 other stations in the market already playing country. (The Yahoo can't find them on his $19.95 WalMart radio back up the hollow).

Since dropping the format for 4 hours of bluegrass would be economic suicide, said Yahoo is blown off. Come RENEWAL TIME. Complaint filed that said station ignores the advisory committee. FCC proposes to yank license, but suggest that if owner sells--at a substantial discount--to an approved minority "FOB," (That's Barry, not Bill, same difference), everything will be forgiven.

Of course new boss--same as the old boss--runs the same successful format. Yahoo pops up to complain about lack of bluegrass again. He dies in a tragic accident two weeks later when "his still" explodes.

[Mike]

Looks to me that their broadcast "diversity" panel is made up of BLACKmailers and other liberal special interest groups.

What is clearly going to happen is the FCC is going to make a cynical stand for "localism" (which it won't be) as a tool to try to destroy the syndicated conservative talkers.

The Obama administration has proven to be incredibly intolerant of dissent. They hate it.

What part of "Congress shall make no law" is hard to understand?

The left kept referring to Bush as a "nazi" etc during his presidency, yet he didn't make ANY attempt to censor or silence them. Obama clearly has every intention of silencing the right. What does that make him?

[Tom Taggart]

Leon Trotsky

[Bob Campbell]

Dudes, whatever you're smoking, where can I get some? That's some good shit.