Should the FCC be returned to pre-Reagan standards?
Prior to Reagan the FCC required that broadcasters air a minimum of locally produced content a week, children’s programming that had merit (rather than trying to sell toys and junk food) and controlled the number of outlets a media company could own in a local area. The purpose was to recognize that the air-waves were publicly owned, and the license to broadcast carried with it an obligation to be a service to the community, and addressing the needs of the community was paramount. Now, most radio stations carry homogenized national programming, and TV stations show syndicated pablum. Even news programming is dependent on national news outlets for most of their content, and often this content is just quality crafted public relations rather than news.
Would it not be better for everyone if local media were actually “local”?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
10 Answers
Absolutely. In fact I can think of a lot of things that were better before Ronald Reagan put his fascist paws on them.
@AstroChuck : Well that’s not funny. You’re reputation is being funny. Be funny Dammit! :-)
Does this make you feel better?
You mean the ‘fairness doctrine’... meant to quell talk radio. The only way your form of liberalism to work, chuck, is if we don’t allow any other view to be heard… you call it tolerance.
Of course it would be better, but it will never happen. It’s less profitable, and they are used to the fact that the airwaves are Socialized. They hate Socialized anything except when it benefits them.
@Tomfafa : I’m not talking Fairness doctrine. I’m talking returning responsibility to “local” media. Example A train carrying toxic chemicals dis-railed. The local police were made aware of it and tried to get the local radio stations to get the word out so people could avoid the area. Unfortunately, the only person at the radio station was a janitor. The programming came from a satellite feed.
I don’t give a rats ass if the talk content is all right wing crap… as long as they respect that the fact hat the airwaves are owned by the people and they have an obligation to serve the public. If that means airing the local high school football game once a week, or having a locally produced chat show, so be it. 24/7 mass produced homogeneous crap serves No one.
@AstroChuck : dunno. That wasn’t laugh out loud funny… more. Apparently one cannot demand an A game at such short notice.
I’m sorry Bear, I have no idea what you are talking about. Are you talking about imminent danger? Well then we have the emergency broadcast network for that… are you talking about right wing crap? A philosophical danger… which I’m sure cannot harm one as smart as yourself~
@Tomfafa I am talking about the fact that the media has become a homogenized mush, a pablum for the masses because the FCC has had it’s teeth removed and big business, interested only in making a dollar has taken a public service and neutered it. The fact is a local politician has more influence in the day to day life of an averaged person, but most people don’t know squat about the local office holders because the “local” media makes more money broadcasting syndicated crap than local news… because real news has been replaced by infotainment because it’s cheaper to broadcast what is handed to you rather than hire a reporter…. because the government has taken the property of the American people and turned it over big business because Reagan thought less regulation was best. This is the moral equivalent of turning the National Park system over to Waste Management because they can make a buck.
But then you knew all that.
The FCC should be abolished. It’s another government alphabet that interferes with our lives.
@UScitizen Thanks for the thoughtful explanation. Now I understand.
Answer this question 
Composing members:
0
