BlatherWatch

The fairness doctrine: RIP

A total of 83 “outdated and obsolete media-related rules” have been wiped off the books, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Tuesday.

The main one was the so-called  Fairness Doctrine, defunct since 1987.

Politico:

While the commission voted in 1987 to do away with the rule — a legacy to a time when broadcasting was a much more dominant voice than it is today — the language implementing it was never removed. The move Monday, once published in the federal register, effectively erases the rule.

Monday’s move is part of the commission’s response to a White House executive order directing a “government-wide review of regulations already on the books” designed to eliminate unnecessary regulations.

Nixing these regs were never done by the Bush administration, but even before Obama was elected, right-wing talk hosts were riling the dittoheads with predictions that Democrat Dictators would use the long-shelved regulation to silence them.

(photo: a muffled Rush: yeah, right...)

The Doctrine was like Elvis. Or Jesus. Dead for a long, long, time but sighted or resurrected whenever convenient to scare the dittoheads, or frighten the begging-to-be-frightened listeners of religious radio.

Rush, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, the Marx Brothers, Pat Robertson, J.P. Patches, Neal Boortz, Dori Monson, Donald Trump, Billo Reilly, and Rev. James Dobson- all have warned that the subversive, socialistic and dangerous Doctrine (not ever a law) which required access to broadcast stations of opposing views, and discussion of controversial issues, would be revived by Barack Obama, his FCC henchpersons, or Congressional running dogs like Nancy (Shiver) Pelosi. 

It was dropped by the FCC in 1987. But, a bill to kill it again was proposed last year by Republicans in February, even though it was already dead even before Senate Republicans slew it in 2009.

It was a convenient right-wing straw man, a conspiracy theory that buttressed the right's dire predictions that Obama was an evil oligarch on the brink of cancelling the Constitution; it was cited in Christian pastoral infomercials on religious stations to scare the money out of their flighty listeners. 

Despite FCC Chair Julius Genachowski testified in 2009 he wasn’t going to revive it. And he never has. No matter candidate Obama was against bringing it back, and President Obama still opposed the Doctrine. Or that Speaker Nancy Pelosi never proposed it when she had the power, and neither has Leader Harry Reid.

Despite all this the policy remained, fallow, on the books. Until now.

And Limbaugh, Beck et al, kept it alive by warning that it might be revived in the long-debated "localism" initiative proposed by the Bush FCC, and continued in the Obama years by Genachowski.

Don't expect the right to stop using this bogey man- Obama's “'government-wide review of regulations already on the books' designed to eliminate unnecessary regulations" runs counters to their narrative of "big-governent liberal trying to run your lives."

The facts haven't fazed the right so far, don't expect them to any time soon.

It must be election time: fairness doctrine slain... once again

The Fairness Doctrine is like Elvis. Or Jesus. Dead for a long, long, time but sighted or resurrected whenever  convenient to scare the dittoheads, make a fake political headline-for-a-day, or frighten the begging-to-be-frightened listeners of religious radio.

(photo: Comrade Genachowski)

Rush, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, and Glenn Beck, the Marx Brothers, Pat Robertson and Rev. James Dobson- all have warned that the subversive, socialistic and dangerous Doctrine (not ever a law) which required access to broadcast stations of opposing views, and discussion of controversial issues, would be revived by Barack Obama, his FCC henchpersons, or Congressional running dogs like Nancy (Shiver) Pelosi. 

The long dead fairness doctrine to be killed again by house republicans

FCC Chair Julius Genachowski testified in 2009 he wasn’t going to revive it. And he hasn't.

Candidate Obama was against bringing it back; President Obama has never proposed a revival.

Nancy Pelosi didn't bring it up when she had the power, neither has Leader Harry Reid.

We speak, of course, of the Fairness Doctrine, an FCC policy which required access to broadcast stations of opposing views, and discussion of controversial issues.

Blathering 2009, part 1: portable people monsters; shoe-droppings, ratings-bustings, belt-cinchings, and fierce firings

 Seattle talk radio took it in the shorts in 2009. As we fall helplessly into 2010, we can’t say that 2010 looks better, or more certain. When will the black come back?

THE BIG STORIES

THE PEE-PEE-EMS: Amidst the fast-shrinking revenues of a tight recession, Arbitron’s electronic, personal metering system (PPMs) were dropped into the Seattle market in March/April and turned it upside down. As the new technology found out what folks were REALLY listening to, the top became the bottom. After a near 20-year hiatus, music radio once again became ratings leading format.

KIRO TAKES A SELF-INFLICTED BLOW: After much fanfare and nearly simultaneous with Arbitron’s installation of the PPM’s, Bonneville flipped their legendary AM blowtorch to sports talk, then tucked their high-paid help (Dave, Dori, Ron & Don) into their oldies FM station (the late, not too great KBSG)

FCC's mark lloyd: "I am not a czar appointed by president obama," but he IS rather, er... black!

FCC Chief Diversity Officer Mark Lloyd said last week that a "right-wing smear campaign" has been waged to mislead people about his beliefs.

Brian jennings' talk radio book is less than some of its parts

 It's an inconsequential book. There's no new information, and it neither asks new questions; nor anything of its readers. (Plus, there are no pictures,  always a disappointment in a geezerly book about radio).

It's Censorship, The Threat to Silence Talk Radio by Brian Jennings and we waited until we could get it new at Amazon for $5.52. (Advice: don't pay retail for this dog!)

Be very afraid: bill clinton supports "more balance"

Bill Clinton told Mario Solis Marich on LA's Talk KTLK/that he'd like to see "something like" the Fairness Doctrine return, "or we ought to have more balance on the other side."

Politico.com reports:

"... because essentially there's always been a lot of big money to support the right wing talk shows and let face it, you know, Rush Limbaugh is fairly entertaining even when he is saying things that I think are ridiculous..."

A real right-wing conspiracy

 Bill Press, the thoughtful, liberal radio talker writes a Washington Post op-ed for Sunday's paper that's going to be influential.

It's a convincing case for some doctrinal fairness, and free speech to be re-inserted into radio. The new FCC will definitely be reading it.

Press bemoans a station flip -- this one in Washington DC -- from progressive talk to pre-recorded financial advice programming.