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Monday, April 13, 2009

The Free Speech Attack Machine

Things my sister sent me:


I appeared on Mike Pintek’s show on America’s first radio station, KDKA in Pittsburgh, the other night talking about speech regulations the FCC has proposed for radio and television. These regulations would erase more than twenty years of speech governed by the free marketplace rather than by government edict. It’s a sad story when we are talking about regulating speech in America. But, we are in 2009.

Shortly after the KDKA appearance one liberal blogger wrote the following:

Heard Jennings last night on Pittsburgh RW [right-wing] KDKA for a few minutes last night before I had to turn him off cause my blood pressure was probably rising. What a bunch of BS. He was claiming there are going to be regional boards that radio execs will have to report to on their content. Also that it may not be a Fairness Doctrine but another stealth measure like I mentioned with the regional boards.


So, reporting to regional boards is BS? Here are the facts. The FCC has such a requirement teed up and ready to roll out.

On January 24, 2008, the FCC filed a “Report on Broadcast Localism And Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.” In that 98 page report, there are EIGHT references requiring radio stations to set up “community advisory boards” to advise on station programming. The Vice President of the San Antonio branch of the NAACP, Joe Linson, said such boards would ”allow individuals from all sectors of the community to provide input and to help shape the message for their areas,” in a statement before the FCC.


Read the whole thing.

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