Name	Office of Communications
Size	301px
Abbreviation	Ofcom
Formation	29 December 2003
Type	Statutory corporation
Status	Created by Office of Communications Act 2002
Purpose	Regulator and competition authority for broadcasting, telecommunications and radiocommunications spectrum
Headquarters	Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA
Location	London, Belfast, Cardiff, Caterham, Glasgow, Newton-le-Willows
Region served	United Kingdom
Language	English, Welsh
Leader title	Chairman
Leader name	Colette Bowe
Main organ	Board
Website	http://www.ofcom.org.uk/ }}

Ofcom (officially the Office of Communications; ) is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act of Parliament 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003. Ofcoms' focus no longer includes some of the technical standards issues overseen by the previous regulatory agencies.

History

On 29 December 2003, Ofcom inherited the duties that had previously been the responsibility of five regulatory bodies:

the Broadcasting Standards Commission,

the Independent Television Commission,

the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel),

the Radio Authority, and

the Radio communications Agency.

News International phone hacking scandal

In July 2011, in the wake of the News International phone hacking scandal, Ofcom came under pressure to launch an inquiry into whether the parent company of News International, News Corporation, was still the "fit and proper" owner of a controlling stake in the satellite broadcasting company British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB). On 13 July former Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged Ofcom to launch an investigation. On 15 July the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg stated that the Government would launch a review of laws on what constituted a "fit and proper" owner for broadcasting companies in the United Kingdom, and that anyone found not to meet that standard can be forced to give up their current holdings in a company. On 22 July it was reported that Ofcom had begun an investigation into whether the phone-hacking scandal may have changed BSkyB's status as the "fit and proper" holder of a UK broadcasting licence. On the same day Ed Richards, the Chief Executive of Ofcom, replied to Simon Hughes MP, Don Foster MP and Tim Farron MP following a letter which they had written to him on 8 July concerning News Corporation's shareholding in BSkyB. In the letter Richards confirmed that Ofcom considers that News Corporation’s current shareholding of 39.14% in BSkyB does give it a material influence over the company; that Ofcom is not precluded from acting by ongoing police investigations; and that Ofcom’s process is not dependent upon a criminal conviction being secured.

Organisation

Responsibilities

Ofcom's responsibilities are wide-ranging, covering all types of industries and processes. It has a statutory duty to the interests of citizens and consumers by promoting competition, and protecting consumers from what might be considers harmful or offensive material. Some of the main areas Ofcom presides over are licensing, research, codes and policies, complaints, competition and protect the radio spectrum from abuse. Ofcom has a policy to undertake many consultation processes.

Consultations

Ofcom consultations are a vital way of helping it to make the correct decisions based upon the evidence presented. Consultation processes begin with publishing documents on its website, asking for views and responses. If the document is perceived to be long and complicated, a plain English summary is usually published as well. A period of ten weeks is allowed for interested persons, companies or organisations to send in their responses to documents.

After this consultation period, Ofcom publishes the responses on their website (excluding any personal or confidential information). When the consultation period has elapsed, Ofcom will prepare a summary of the responses received, and will use this information as a basis for their decisions.

Programme complaints

As the regulatory body for media broadcasts, part of Ofcom's duties are to examine specific complaints by viewers or listeners about programmes broadcast on channels that it has licensed. It does not oversee unlicensed channels broadcast to UK viewers. When Ofcom receives a complaint, it asks the broadcaster for a copy of the programme, it then examines the programme content to see if it is in breach of the broadcasting code. Ofcom requests response from the broadcaster to the complaint. On the basis of this response, Ofcom will mark the complaint as either "upheld" or "not upheld", or alternatively simply "resolved".

Licensing

Ofcom is responsible for the management, regulation, assignment and licensing of the electromagnetic spectrum in the UK, and licenses portions of it for use in TV and radio broadcasts, mobile phone transmissions, private communications networks, and so on. The process of licensing varies depending on the type of usage required. Some licences simply have to be applied and paid for, other commercial licences are subject to a bidding process. Most of the procedures in place have been inherited from the systems used by the previous regulators. However, Ofcom may change some of these processes in future.

Protection

Ofcom protects the radio spectrum in a number of ways:

Working within International organisations (ITU, CEPT and BEREC).

Licencing UK controlled commercial radio spectrum; Ministry of Defence controls its own spectrum. Within the international frame work for frequency use; Ofcom liaises through the UK Government to produce the UKFAT (UK Frequency Allocation Table). The current table was produced in 2010.

Investigate and, when necessary, carryout enforcement activities to clear interference or illegal use from the spectrum. Until June 2010 Ofcom investigated all interference cases within the UK. However Radio and Television Broadcast interference reporting has reverted to the BBC. So consumers in the UK should report cases of interference to the BBC. However commercial and spectrum licence holders report to Ofcom and in all cases Illegal/Pirate Radio operations are also reported to Ofcom.

Postal services

The Postal Services Act 2011 includes transferring regulatory responsibility from Postcomm to Ofcom, ensuring the primary duty of Ofcom would be to maintain the U.K. 6-day a week postal service. In October 2010 the UK Government confirmed that Ofcom would inherit the functions of Postcomm as part of a wider set of public service austerity measures.

Leadership

Colette Bowe was appointed Ofcom Chairman with effect from 11 March 2009. She is the founding chairman of the Telecoms Ombudsman Council, and chaired Ofcom’s Consumer Panel from its inception in 2003 to December 2007. The current Chief Executive is Ed Richards, who previously was Chief Operating Officer, and is responsible for Strategy, Market Research, Finance, Human Resources and other functions. Richards was Senior Policy Advisor to the Labour party Prime Minister Tony Blair for Media, telecoms, the internet and e-govt and Controller of Corporate Strategy at the BBC.

The first chairman of Ofcom was David Currie, Dean of Cass Business School at City University and a life peer under the title Lord Currie of Marylebone. The first chief executive was Stephen Carter, Baron Carter of Barnes, formerly a senior executive of JWT UK and NTL and now Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting.

In June 2009, Conservative party leader, David Cameron said that if his party were elected, they would restructure Ofcom.

Sitefinder database and freedom of information

"Sitefinder" is an Internet database maintained by Ofcom. This was recommended in the "Stewart Report" to the Government in 2000. It is a recommended voluntary scheme which national mobile network operators provide information about the location and operating characteristics of individual mobile phone base stations (or masts).

In September 2007 an Information Tribunal ruled that the public should have access to the database under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. However, as Ofcom has no legal power to enforce mobile phone operators to add information the database, UK mobile phone operators consequently ceased updating it. Ofcom appealed against the Freedom of Information Act ruling, together with one UK mobile operator - T-Mobile. This has led to accusations of the organisation's complicity with the mobile telecommunications industry in keeping information about mast locations secret. Ofcom's stated reasons for the appeal have ranged from "preventing terrorist attacks" on the sites of phone masts to "protecting the intellectual property" of the mobile telecommunications industry.

In April 2008, the High Court found in favour of the Information Commissioner's Office and overruled Ofcom's objections. It is unclear whether Ofcom intends to appeal against this ruling.

Criticism

Ofcom was criticised for incurring unnecessary expenses to the public purse with the use of "extravagant Thames-side offices" and a "top-heavy salary bill". Also for a "Nero approach" and for "poor service".

In May 2011, Ofcom ruled that Press TV, Iran's English satellite channel, was responsible for a serious breach of UK broadcasting rules and could face a fine for airing an interview with Maziar Bahari, the Newsweek journalist arrested covering the Iranian presidential election in 2009, that was obtained by force while he was held in a Tehran jail.

Upon the release of Ofcom's findings, Press TV launched a campaign against Maziar Bahari and Ofcom. Maziar Bahari was accused of being a "an MI6 contact person" taking guidance from "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion, protocol #7". Press TV called Ofcom's ruling "part of an anti-Iranian campaign," and that "A quick look at senior decision makers at OFCOM demonstrates that the regulator is mostly made up of former Channel4 and BBC executives, some of whom are well-linked to and influenced by powerful pro-Israeli politicians."

See also

Advertising Standards Authority

Broadband stakeholder group

Office of Fair Trading

Press Complaints Commission

ISPA

International Telecommunications Union

List of telecommunications regulatory bodies

References

External links

Ofcom website

Ofcom Broadcast Codes

OfcomWatch - Ofcom-related blog

Quick video guide to Ofcom for broadcast journalists

The UK’s only impartial comparison service for digital TV, broadband & home phone, accredited by Ofcom

Category:British radio Category:Television in the United Kingdom Category:Communications authorities Category:Communications in the United Kingdom Category:Media complaints authorities Category:Statutory corporations of the United Kingdom government Category:Government agencies established in 2003 Category:2003 establishments in the United Kingdom

ar:أوفكوم de:Office of Communications fr:Office of communications it:Ofcom ja:Ofcom no:Ofcom pl:Ofcom simple:Ofcom

Name	Laura Schlessinger
Birth name	Laura Catherine Schlessinger
Birth date	January 16, 1947
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Residence	Southern California
Ethnicity	Jewish and Italian
Citizenship	American
Other names	Dr. Laura
Known for	Socially conservative commentary
Education	Physiologist
Alma mater	Stony Brook University, B.S.Columbia University, Ph.D
Occupation	Radio advice show host, self-help author
Years active	16 years in national syndication
Spouse	Michael F. Rudolph, (m. 1972, div. 1977)Lewis G. Bishop (m. 1985)
Children	Deryk Schlessinger (b. 1985)
Parents	Monty (d. 1990, cancer) Yolanda (d. 2002, heart disease)
Awards	Marconi Award, Genii, National Heritage, National Religious Broadcasters
Website	Dr. Laura }}

Laura Catherine Schlessinger (born January 16, 1947) is an American talk radio host, socially conservative commentator and author. Her radio program consists mainly of her responses to callers' requests for personal advice and has occasionally featured her short monologues on social and political topics. Her website says that her show "preaches, teaches, and nags about morals, values and ethics."

Previously, Schlessinger combined a local radio career with a private practice as a marriage and family counselor, but after going into national syndication she concentrated her efforts on the daily ''The Dr. Laura Program'', and on authoring self-help books. The books ''Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives'', and ''The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands'' are among her bestselling works. A short-lived television talk show hosted by Schlessinger was launched in 2000. In August 2010, she announced that she would end her syndicated radio show in December 2010.

Her show moved to Sirius XM Radio on January 3, 2011. Schlessinger announced a "multi-year" deal to be on satellite radio.

Early life and education

Schlessinger was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Brooklyn and on Long Island. Her parents were Monroe (Monty) Schlessinger, a civil engineer of Jewish heritage, and Yolanda Ceccovini Schlessinger, an Italian-Catholic war bride. Schlessinger has said her father was charming and her mother beautiful as a young woman. She has a sister, Cindy, who is eleven years younger. Schlessinger has described her childhood environment as unloving and unpleasant, and her family as dysfunctional. She has ascribed some of the difficulty to extended family rejection of her parents' mixed faith Jewish-Catholic marriage. Schlessinger said her father was "petty, insensitive, mean, thoughtless, demeaning and downright unloving". She described her mother as person with "pathological pride", who "was never grateful", who "would always find something to criticize," and who "constantly expressed disdain for men, sex and love". She credited her father with giving her the drive to succeed.

Schlessinger attended Westbury High School and Jericho High School where she showed an interest in science. She received a bachelor's degree from Stony Brook University. Moving to Columbia University for graduate studies, she earned a Master's and Ph.D. in physiology in 1974. Her doctoral thesis was on the effects of insulin in laboratory rats. After she began dispensing personal advice on the radio, she obtained training and certification in marriage and family counseling from the University of Southern California, and a therapist's license from the State of California. In addition, she opened up a part-time practice as a marriage and family counselor.

Radio career

Schlessinger's first appearance on radio was in 1975 when she called into a KABC (AM) show hosted by Bill Ballance. Impressed by her quick wit and sense of humor, Ballance began featuring her in a weekly segment. Schlessinger's stint on Ballance's show led to her own shows on a series of small radio stations, and by 1979 she was on the air Sunday evenings from 9:00 to midnight on KWIZ in Santa Ana, California. In 1979, the ''Los Angeles Times'' described her show as dealing with all types of emotional problems, "though sex therapy is the show's major focus".

In the late 1980s, Schlessinger was filling in for Barbara De Angelis' noon-time relationship-oriented talk show in Los Angeles on KFI, while working weekends at KGIL San Fernando. Her big break came when Sally Jessy Raphael began working at ABC Radio, and Maurice Tunick, former Vice-President of Talk Programming for the ABC Radio Networks, needed a regular sub for Raphael's evening personal advice show. Tunick chose Schlessinger to fill in for Raphael.

Ultimately, Schlessinger began broadcasting a daily show on KFI which was nationally syndicated in 1994 by Synergy, a company owned by Schlessinger and her husband. In 1997, Synergy sold its rights to the show to Jacor Communications, Inc., for $71.5 million. Later, Jacor merged with Clear Channel Communications and a company co-owned by Schlessinger, Take On The Day, LLC, acquired the production rights. The show became a joint effort between Take On The Day, which produced it, Talk Radio Network, which syndicated and marketed it to radio stations, and Premiere Radio Networks, (a subsidiary of Clear Channel), which provided satellite facilities and handled advertising sales. As of September 2009, Schlessinger broadcast from her home in Santa Barbara, California with KFWB as her flagship station. Podcasts and live streams of the show have been available on her website for a monthly fee, and the show was also on XM Radio.

At its peak, ''The Dr. Laura Program'' was the second-highest-rated radio show after ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', and was heard on more than 450 radio stations. Writing in 1998, Leslie Bennett described the popularity of the show:

In May 2002, the show still had an audience of more than 10 million, but had lost several million listeners in the previous two years as it was dropped by WABC and other affiliates, and was moved from day to night in cities such as Seattle and Boston. These losses were attributed in part to Schlessinger's shift from giving relationship advice to lecturing on morality and conservative politics. Pressure from gay-rights groups caused dozens of sponsors to drop the radio show as well. In 2006 Schlessinger's show was being aired on approximately 200 stations. As of 2009, it was tied for third place along with ''The Glenn Beck Program'' and ''The Savage Nation''.

Schlessinger used "Hot Talkin' Big Shot", a song by country and blues singer and songwriter Nikki Hornsby, for several years as her The Dr. Laura radio program as cue music and for a national radio commercial advertising for the show.

On August 17, 2010, during an appearance on ''Larry King Live'', Schlessinger announced the end of her radio show saying that her motivation was to "regain her First Amendment rights", and that she wanted to be able to say what is on her mind without "some special interest group deciding this is a time to silence a voice of dissent." Several of her affiliates and major sponsors had dropped her show after her on air use of a racial epithet on August 10.

On January 3, 2011, Schlessinger's show moved exclusively to Sirius XM Radio.

Television show

In 2000, Schlessinger signed a deal with Paramount Domestic Television to produce a syndicated talk show, which would be carried mainly by television stations owned and operated by CBS. The producers hoped to extend the success of Schlessinger's radio show to daytime television, however, the show was controversial before it ever aired, and it proved to be short-lived.

In the months before the premiere of her TV show, Schlessinger called homosexuality a "biological error", said that homosexuality was acceptable as long it was not public, and said that homosexuals should not attempt to adopt children. She regularly compared gay parenting to pedophilia by reiterating her view that "a huge portion of the male homosexual populace is predatory on young boys." Schlessinger was frequently criticized in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) media for these views. Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), an LGBT media watchdog group, began monitoring Schlessinger's on-air comments about LGBT people, posting transcripts of relevant shows on its website.

In March 2000, a group of gay activists launched StopDrLaura.com, an online campaign with the purpose of convincing Paramount to cancel the Dr. Laura television show prior to its premiere. The group protested at Paramount studios, stating her views were offensively bigoted. StopDrLaura.com eventually organized protests in 34 cities in the U.S. and Canada, and picked up on an advertiser boycott of both the radio and the TV shows started by another grass-roots organization which called itself "Silence Of The Slams" operating its boycott through AOL Hometown.

The first episode of Schlessinger's television show aired September 11, 2000. Critics and viewers complained that the format had been dulled down and did not stand out from any other daytime talk show. The biting rhetoric that worked well on radio seemed overly harsh for face-to-face discourse, owing to the normal sympathetic nature of most other daytime hosts; the radical change in Schlessinger's demeanor from her radio persona left viewers cold. Ultimately, the television show failed to generate the energy and interest of Schlessinger's radio show.

The credibility of Schlessinger's television program also suffered during its first month when the ''New York Post'' reported that Schlessinger had used show staff to falsely pose as guests on the show. A September 25, 2000, episode named "Readin', Writin', and Cheatin'" featured a so-called college student who specialized in professional note-taking. On the next day's show, "Getting to the Altar," the same guest appeared in different hair and makeup and said she was a woman living with her boyfriend. In fact, the woman was San-D Duchas, a researcher for the show whose name appeared in the closing credits of the shows on which she posed as a guest.

By November 2000, advertisers that had originally committed to Schlessinger's show left, and the ratings plummeted. CBS directed its stations to move the show to a late-night slot or replace it altogether. Other stations outside of CBS did the same thing, while others moved it to weaker sister stations. The television show was cancelled in March 2001 and last aired in September 2001.

In 2004, Schlessinger said that although there is more money and celebrity in television, it is not as meaningful or intimate as radio, and for her television was a "terrible experience".

Publications

Columns

For several years, Schlessinger wrote a weekly column syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate that was carried in many newspapers, as well as ''Jewish World Review''. She discontinued the column in July 2000, citing lack of time due to her upcoming television show. She wrote a monthly column for ''WorldNetDaily'' between 2002 and 2004, with one entry in 2006. In 2006, Schlessinger joined the ''Santa Barbara News-Press'', writing bi-weekly columns dealing with Santa Barbara news, as well as general news and cultural issues discussed on her radio show. She suspended the column in mid 2007, resumed writing it later, then discontinued it in December 2008. She currently writes columns on her blog, on a variety of topics.

Books

Schlessinger has published a number of books. Several follow the mold of her successful ''Ten Stupid Things Women Do to Mess Up Their Lives'', with similarly named books giving advice for men, couples, and parents, while others are more religious or moral in orientation. The later advice books emphasize religion more than the earlier works, until her announced departure from Orthodox Judaism in July 2003.

Her 2004 book, ''The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands'', sold well despite poor reviews by critics. It was a departure from her previous books, which tended to focus on premarital relationships and children. ''Proper Care'' asserts that men need direct communication, respect, appreciation, food, and good loving, rather than tearing down the husband's sense of strength and importance. Schlessinger's thesis is that wives have the power to change their husbands' attitudes by seeing to these needs, and then their husbands will "swim across shark-infested waters to bring you a lemonade." The book proposes that wives have the power to promote devotion, compassion, and love from their husbands.

Magazine

For several years, Schlessinger published a monthly magazine, ''Dr. Laura Perspective''. She was the editor, her husband a contributing photographer, and her son the creative consultant. The magazine has since gone out of publication.

Website

Schlessinger has a website which contains hints for stay at home parents, her blog, a reading list, and streaming audio of her shows (by subscription only). When it was started, 310,000 people tried to access it simultaneously and it crashed. Certain aspects of feminism are often discussed on her website; she was a self-proclaimed feminist in the 1970s, but is now opposed to feminism.

Charitable work

Schlessinger created the Laura Schlessinger Foundation to help abused and neglected children in 1998. Schlessinger regularly asked her on-air audience to donate items for ''My Stuff'' bags, which go to children in need. All other donations came from other people or groups, usually in the form of donated items for the bags. Per the foundation's reports, money not used for operations was directed toward pro-life organizations, such as crisis pregnancy centers. In September 2004, Schlessinger announced that she was closing down the foundation because it had become too difficult and costly for her and her husband to underwrite, and they wished to devote their "energies and resources to other pressing needs".

Schlessinger has been cited as an influential and wealthy donor to Project Prevention, an organization that pays drug and alcohol addicts $200 to use long term birth control or to be sterilized. Her support of the organization has been criticized as unethical, racially biased, and as an endorsement of eugenics. Schlessinger has praised the group emphasizing the voluntary nature of the sterilization or implants, and has said that people who oppose Project Prevention are defending a woman's right "to maim and destroy babies inside her body".

In 2007, Schlessinger began fundraising for Operation Family Fund, an organization which aids the families of fallen or seriously injured veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2008, she helped raise more than $1 million dollars for the organization.

Awards

Schlessinger has received numerous awards from both media and conservative organizations. She was the first woman to win the Marconi Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year (1997). In 1998 she received the American Women in Radio & Television's Genii Award. She was on the Forbes top 100 list of celebrities in 2000 with estimated earnings of $13 million. In September 2002, the industry magazine ''Talkers'' named Schlessinger as the seventh-greatest radio talk show host of all time. In 2005 and 2008, she was nominated for induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame, but was not selected.

Schlessinger received a National Heritage award from the National Council of Young Israel in March 2001. She also received the National Religious Broadcasters Chairman's Award, and has lectured on the national conservative circuit. She was the commencement speaker at Hillsdale College in June 2002, and was awarded an honorary degree as a doctor of tradition and culture.

In 2007, Schlessinger was given an Exceptional Public Service award by the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education. In 2008, Talkers Magazine presented her with an award for outstanding community service by a radio talk show host.

Religious beliefs

Schlessinger was non-religious until she and her son began practicing Conservative Judaism in 1996. In 1998, Schlessinger, Bishop, and their son converted to Orthodox Judaism, and began instruction under Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka of Ottawa, Ontario. During this time, Schlessinger sometimes used Jewish law and examples to advise her callers about their moral dilemmas. She occasionally clarified ethical and moral issues with her local Orthodox Rabbi Moshe D. Bryski, before mentioning them on the air. She was embraced by many in the politically conservative segment of Orthodox Judaism for bringing more awareness of Orthodoxy to her radio show. Some of her expressed views were explicitly religious, and are referenced her 1999 book ''The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God's Laws in Everyday Life''. Although her other books have stressed the importance of morality, they are more secular in nature.

In July 2003, Schlessinger announced on her show that she was no longer an Orthodox Jew.

Marriage and family life

Schlessinger met and married Michael F. Rudolph, a dentist, in 1972 while she was attending Columbia University. The couple had a Unitarian ceremony. Separating from Rudolph, Schlessinger moved to Encino, California in 1975 when she obtained a job in the science department at the University of Southern California. Their divorce was finalized in 1977.

In 1975, while working in the labs at USC, she met Lewis G. Bishop, a professor of neurophysiology who was married and the father of three children. Bishop separated from his wife and began living with Schlessinger the same year. Schlessinger has vociferously proclaimed her disapproval of unwed couples "shacking up." But according to personal friend, Shelly Herman, "Laura lived with Lew for about nine years before she was married to him." "His divorce was final in 1979. Bishop and Schlessinger married in 1985. Herman says that Schlessinger told her she was pregnant at the time, which Herman recalls as " particularly joyful because of the happy news." Schlessinger's only child, a son named Deryk, was born in November 1985.

Schlessinger was estranged from her sister for years, and many thought she was an only child. She had not spoken to her mother for 18 to 20 years before her mother's death in 2002 from heart disease. Her mother's remains were found in her Beverly Hills condo approximately two months after she died, and lay unclaimed for some time in the Los Angeles morgue before Schlessinger had them picked up for burial. Concerning the day that she heard about her mother’s death, she said: “Apparently she had no friends and none of her neighbors were close, so nobody even noticed! How sad.” In 2006, Schlessinger wrote that she had been attacked in a "vulgar, inhumane manner by media types" because of the circumstances surrounding her mother's death, and that false allegations had been made that she was unfit to dispense advice based on family values. She said that she had not mourned the deaths of either of her parents because she had no emotional bond to them.

Controversies

Libel lawsuit

In 1998, Schlessinger was in a Costa Mesa surf shop with her son when she began perusing the skateboarding magazine, ''Big Brother''. On her radio program, Schlessinger declared the magazine to be "stealth pornography." When the owner of the store publicly denied that she found pornography in his store, Schlessinger sued him for lying, claiming that his denial had hurt her reputation. When the case went to court, the judge dismissed her suit, but the shop owner's $4 million defamation countersuit lodged for hurting the reputation of his store was allowed to stand. The suit has since been settled, but the terms of the settlement have not been revealed.

Internet publication of nude photos

In 1998, Schlessinger's early radio mentor, Bill Ballance, sold nude photos that he had taken of Schlessinger in the mid-1970s to a company specializing in internet porn. The photos were taken while Schlessinger was involved in a brief affair with then-married Bill Ballance. Schlessinger sued after the photos were posted on the internet, claiming invasion of privacy and copyright violation. The court ruled that Schlessinger did not own the rights to the photos, and she did not appeal the ruling. She told her radio audience that she was embarrassed, but that the photos were taken when she was going through a divorce and had "no moral authority."

Use of racial epithet

On August 10, 2010, Nita Hanson, an African-American woman married to a white man, called Schlessinger's show to ask for advice on dealing with racial comments made by acquaintances. During the call, Schlessinger used the word "nigger" eleven times. When Hanson asked, "Is it ever OK to say that word?," Schlessinger responded, "It depends how it’s said. Black guys talking to each other seem to think it’s OK." After the call Schlesinger said, "If you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry out of your race." A day later, Schlessinger apologized. Hanson questioned the motivation and sincerity of Schlessinger's apology, believing it to be result of being "caught". Hanson also said that Schlessinger made no apology regarding her comments on interracial marriage.

Schlessinger announced she would end her radio show at the end of 2010:}} Schlessinger stated that she will not retire.

Bibliography

Advice books:

Religious books:

Children's books

''Why Do You Love Me?''. With Martha Lambers, illustrated by Daniel McFeeley. HarperCollins. 1999. pp. 40. ISBN 978-0-06-443654-0.

''But I Waaannt It!''. Illustrated by Daniel McFeeley. HarperCollins. 2000. pp 40. ISBN 978-0-06-443643-4.

''Growing Up Is Hard''. Illustrated by Daniel McFeeley. HarperCollins. 2001. pp. 40. ISBN 978-0-06-029200-3.

''Where's God?'' Illustrated by Daniel McFeeley. HarperCollins. 2003. pp. 40. ISBN 978-0-06-051909-4.

Fictional portrayals

In 1999, Schlessinger was parodied as "Dr. Nora" on the sitcom ''Frasier''. The character was portrayed as having dogmatic and fundamentalist social views that promoted social conservatism. The character was also shown to have a degree that belies her therapeutic advice and was estranged from her mother.

In 2000, in the episode The Midterms on ''The West Wing'', the fictional "Dr. Jenna Jacobs" is scolded by President Bartlet, who criticizes her views on homosexuality, and points out she is not a doctor in any field related to morality, ethics, or theology. He quotes from the Bible to point out the inconsistency of condemning certain sins but not others. Show creator Aaron Sorkin admitted to modeling Bartlet's diatribe on an anonymous "Letter to Dr. Laura," which was a popular viral email at the time.

Schlessinger is featured as an antagonist in the animated series ''Queer Duck''.

See also

Culture war

Talk radio in the United States

Joy Browne - radio psychologist

Toni Grant - radio psychologist

Santa Barbara News-Press controversy

References

External links

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:American children's writers Category:American karateka Category:American Jews Category:American physiologists Category:American self-help writers Category:American talk radio hosts Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Commentators Category:Conservatism in the United States Category:Criticism of feminism Category:People from Brooklyn Category:Radio personalities from Los Angeles, California Category:Stony Brook University alumni Category:University of Southern California alumni Category:Converts to Judaism from atheism or agnosticism

da:Laura Schlessinger de:Laura Schlessinger simple:Laura Schlessinger yi:לאורע שלעזינגער

name	Feargal Sharkey
background	solo_singer
birth name	Sean Feargal Sharkey
born	August 13, 1958
origin	Derry, Northern Ireland
instrument	Vocals
genre	Punk rock, pop
occupation	Musician, A&R; Manager; music industry executive
years active	1976–1991 (as an active performer)1992-present (within musical management)
label	Virgin RecordsA&M; Records (U.S.)Zarjazz Records
associated acts	The Undertones, The Assembly }}

Feargal Sharkey (born Sean Feargal Sharkey, 13 August 1958) is a singer from Northern Ireland who first found fame as the lead vocalist of pop punk band The Undertones. Since moving away from performing in the early 1990s, he has performed various roles supporting the UK's commercial music industry, winning several awards and honors for his work in that area.

Biography

The Undertones (1976-1983)

Sharkey, who was born in Derry, Northern Ireland was a co-founder of The Undertones at their inception in 1976. As the singer, his high, tremulous voice with its undisguised Derry accent was considered integral to the band's sound. In the 1970s they played in many locations throughout Northern Ireland, including the Flamingo Ballroom in Ballymena and Chester's in Portrush.

The Undertones had several UK hits with songs such as "Here Comes The Summer", "My Perfect Cousin", "Wednesday Week" and "It's Going To Happen". The band split in 1983 citing musical differences, with Sharkey pursuing a solo career and other members of the band forming That Petrol Emotion the following year. John Peel famously said in an interview, "'Teenage Kicks' came on the radio, and I had to pull the car over to the side of the road. There's nothing you could add to it or subtract from it that would improve it." The song was played at Peel's funeral in 2004, which Sharkey attended.

Before his solo career took off, he was also the singer of the one-shot group The Assembly with ex-Yazoo and Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke (pre-Erasure). In 1983 their single "Never Never" was a UK #4 hit.

Solo career (1984-1991)

Sharkey's debut single was a collaboration with Madness member Cathal Smyth titled "Listen to Your Father". The single was released on Madness's label Zarjazz Records in 1984, reaching #23 in the UK chart. The track was performed on ''Top of the Pops'' with members of Madness.

Sharkey's solo work was significantly different from the post-punk offerings of The Undertones. His best-known solo material is the 1985 UK chart-topping single penned by Maria McKee, "A Good Heart", which went to #1 in several countries in 1985. He also had UK Top 5 hit in 1986 with "You Little Thief". This song had a link with "A Good Heart": "You Little Thief" was written by Benmont Tench, a member of Tom Petty's band, about his relationship with McKee in response to her writing "A Good Heart" about him. His eponymous debut album reached #12 in the UK Albums Chart.

Following on from his second album ''Wish'' in 1988, he achieved further success in 1991 with his UK Top 30 album ''Songs From The Mardi Gras'', which produced the #12 hit single "I've Got News for You".

Music industry (1992-present)

Starting in the early 1990s Sharkey moved into the business side of the music industry, initially as A&R; for Polydor Records, and then as managing director of EXP Ltd. He was appointed a member of the Radio Authority for five years from December 1998 to December 2003.

He became chairman of the UK Government task force the 'Live Music Forum' in 2004, to evaluate the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on the performance of live music, and gave public evidence before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 11 November 2008.

In 2008, Sharkey was appointed as the CEO of British Music Rights, replacing Emma Pike. In October 2008, he became head of UK Music, an umbrella organisation representing the collective interests of the UK's commercial music industry. He has become prominent in criticising the use of Form 696 by the Metropolitan Police' requiring event promoters to provide data on performers and audiences.

Awards and honours

In 2004, Sharkey was awarded the "Scott Piering Award", by the radio industry for "recognising achievement in the promotion of music and the understanding of the music industry to their colleagues in radio". He is the only member of the Radio Authority to have been honored in this way by the radio industry.

In 2006 he got the "Bottle Award", at the International Live Music Conference for "outstanding contribution to the live music industry".

In 2008, Sharkey was awarded a Honorary "Doctor of Arts", by the University of Hertfordshire in recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of music.

In 2009 he entered ''The Guardian'''s MediaGuardian 100, described as the "MediaGuardian's annual guide to the most powerful people in television, radio, newspapers, magazines, digital media, media business, advertising, marketing and PR", at number 56.

In 2010 he appeared in ''Wired'''s The Wired 100, "Who are the people who shape the Wired world," at number 45. In 2010 awarded a Doctor of Letters honoris causa by the University of Ulster in recognition of his services to music.

Discography

Albums

''Feargal Sharkey'' (1985) - UK #12

''Wish'' (1988)

''Songs From The Mardi Gras'' (1991) - UK #27

1991 "Women & I"

1991 "To Miss Someone"

References

External links

Ukmusic.org

Category:Male singers from Northern Ireland Category:Irish pop singers Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:British music industry executives Category:The Undertones members Category:Irish male singers

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