FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently fined a community radio station for airing a political rap song that attacks sexual exploitation and degrading lyrics in popular music. On May 17, the FCC issued a $7,000 fine to Portland, Oregon’s KBOO, a listener-sponsored station, charging that Sarah Jones’ “Your Revolution” violated the Commission’s decency standards, which […]
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is moving to weaken or eliminate two of the few remaining broadcasting rules that protect some degree of media diversity. On April 19, the FCC voted 3-1 in favor of eliminating the “dual network” rule, which had prevented one television network from buying another. This rule change will immediately benefit […]
In January, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a plan to license low power (or “micro”) radio stations in many areas of the country, largely due to a campaign waged by a diverse coalition of public interest groups, churches and labor unions. The FCC planned to begin the licensing process for non-commercial radio stations operating […]
In a major relaxation of broadcast ownership rules, the Federal Communications Commission has announced it will allow networks to own two TV stations in the same city. Previously, the FCC limited a network or other company to one television station per city. Under the new regulations announced August 5, a company can own two television […]
“FCC Closes Down Unlicensed Radio Operation That Threatened Air Safety at Sacramento Airport; Fourth Report of Interference Incident in Five Months.” So reads the Federal Communications Commission’s March 20, 1998 press release applauding its own shutdown of unlicensed broadcasters who the agency claims have caused interference to air/ground communications this year in Miami and West […]
The last issue of Extra! (5-6/96) discussed the threat that public television stations might be sold to commercial broadcasters. One of the first such sales may be imminent–and now is the time to try to stop it. Pittsburgh is one of 30-some metropolitan regions across the country that is fortunate enough to have more than […]
There’s a Latin phrase that people use—cui bono—that translates as “for whose good?” It means that you can figure out who is responsible for a situation by looking at who benefits from it. Sometimes, though, it’s easier to figure out who benefits by looking at who is responsible. This rule greatly simplifies the task of […]
Jack Welch oversees a project that fills America’s airwaves with millions of watts. His outfit has committed felonies that include bribery and large-scale fraud. Stephen Dunifer oversees a project with 15 watts of radio power. He and his organization have never been found guilty of a crime. Guess which man is in trouble with the […]
Executives of America’s leading broadcasting companies have made a startling admission: Free speech, widely cherished as an American value, has not been practiced on television. What has stifled freedom of expression? The media moguls pin the blame on the Fairness Doctrine, which required TV and radio stations to air opposing viewpoints on controversial issues. (In […]
