Posted on 02/08/2009 12:36:00 PM PST by unique
Snip.... In June of 2007, Podesta's Center for American Progress released a report titled "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio," detailing the conservative viewpoint's dominance on the airwaves and proposing steps for leveling the playing field. "Our conclusion is that the gap between conservative and progressive talk radio is the result of multiple structural problems in the U.S. regulatory system," the report reads, "particularly the complete breakdown of the public trustee 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." The report then demonstrates how radio stations owned locally, or operated by female and minority owners, are statistically more likely to carry liberal political talk shows. Therefore, the report concludes, the answer to getting equal time for "progressives" lies in mandating "localism" and "diversity" without ever needing to mention the "Fairness Doctrine." To accomplish the strategy, the report recommends legislating local and national caps on ownership of commercial radio stations and demanding radio stations regularly prove to the FCC that they are "operating on behalf of the public interest" to maintain their broadcasting license. And if stations are unwilling to abide by the FCC's new regulatory standards, the report recommends, they should pay spectrum-use fees directly to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting "with clear mandates to support local news and public affairs programming and to cover controversial and political issues in a fair and balanced manner." In this way, the report concludes, between $100 million and $250 million could be raised for public radio, which will be compelled to broadcast via the old standards established by the "Fairness Doctrine." Since the report's release in 2007, the Obama camp has twice gone on record advocating positions identical to Podesta's think tank. Snip......
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
John Podesta bragged that he had chosen and vetted all the Obama nominees. He doesn’t have much credibility, any more.
We already are!
NPR = NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO is paid with TAX DOLLARS
Does anybody ever stop to think that, a key reason that talk radio leans conservative because people are listening to them, and they have higher ratings than the Air America type liberal talk radio??????
Whenever conservatives complain about trash or explicit content on cable TV, they are told that, #1, these shows get good ratings, it’s what the public wants to see, and that’s why those shows are on TV, and #2, if you don’t like it, turn off the TV and change the channel.
Well, why doesn’t the same logic apply to talk radio? If people want to listen to Rush Limbaugh, and he has high arbitron ratings, isn’t that just like the trashy reality shows that get ratings on cable TV? And, shouldn’t these good liberals simply change their radio dial to some other programming if they don’t like it??????
All it really does is dumn-down the level of discourse.
can we turn it around on Hollywood? For every liberal movie, they have to make a conservative movie? How about TV..for every sitcom that bashes Repubicans (which is all of them) they have to bash Democrats...How’d you think that would fly?
And we have to stop referring to it as the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE...let’s call it what it is...THE ANTI-FIRST AMENDMENT DOCTRINE.
Yes, the “The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio” is what has kept the White House and Congress in Republican hands all these years.
That’s like complaining that the reason somebody won a foot race is because they were the fastest.
Therefore, in the next race, they either have to carry the other contestants or have one leg chopped off.
well, this sentence sums up where their minds are at, i.e., hidden taxes:
‘And if stations are unwilling to abide by the FCC’s new regulatory standards, the report recommends, they should pay spectrum-use fees’
Perhaps we should all brush up on our shortwave skills :)
CAN YOU MOVE ON FROM BASHING MCCAIN. STOP LIVING IN THE PAST. We have problems now and going back and bashing McCain and Republicans is NOT GOING TO SOLVE THEM.
sounds to me that wolfpat is only calling a spade a spade....
AAARRRGHGHHH...
Oh yeah, forgot about that! I guess Podesta would be in charge of handicapping. ;o)
Exactly! What a good point. And what about colleges and universities: for every liberal/Democrat professor, hire a conservative/Republican one. How about videoing all college lectures and making sure they balance liberal comments with conservative comments? And how about jobs in government agencies? Why shouldn't they have to practice fairness in hiring? It is even unbalanced in companies. For example, my company will make matching gift contributions for employee contributions to non-profit organizations. Unless it is a faith-based organization, so half the conservative organizations one might want to donate to don't qualify for matching funds. But the liberal "faith", well, that is just normal, mainstream. I never tried it, but they will probably match gifts to Planned Parenthood, and I'm sure they match to all the green environmental anti-property-rights groups.
The states need to get involved and pass legislation that will protect stations (located in their state) right to free speech...and free to broadcast whatever they want
The FCC is not Constitutional....but the 1st Amendment is. The states can pass laws that give people more freedom than the Constitution allows (10th Amendment protects this right)
Any state w the repros to stand up to the Feds would be huge...and all these radio networks would be moving to that state.
Don’t get hysterical.
I only stated a simple truth. You act like a liberal when you get mad at the truth. You also act like a liberal when you say to move on, even though the McCain/Feingold act is STILL IN EFFECT!
How stupid can they get. I guess some idiots love wrestling with tar babies.
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