Thogey wrote:theo wrote:Thogey wrote:From what I gather the bill simply allows more low power stations. "como Mexico"
I don't see the downside. More opinions on the radio, that's good. Isn't it?
True, but they seem to see it as the first step to pushing Beck, Limbaugh and Hannity off the air. I doubt there is a threat now, but I think the FCC will make an attempt to limit access to conservative opinion on the radio, especially if Ob*ma gets elected to a second term. I know conservative talk can be a bit much at times, but they are an important source for alternative opinions and analysis (which wouldn't be necessary if the MSM actually did its job). Hannity was one of the first members of the media to bring light to Ob*ma's radical past and Beck was warning about a potential market crash in late 2007/early 2008. Everybody (myself included) called him nuts. I was so mad I stopped listening to him.
If the left wants to counter the conservative message on the radio, they should improve their content. There are plenty of left-wing voices on the radio, but very few of them have the ratings to expand. I was listening to one them today (Bash the Right Radio) and it was barely coherent. The host kept asserting that the "right-wing corporate stooges" are racist and why can't everyone see that? His only supporting fact was an obviously out of context Ron Paul quote. Not everything Limbaugh says is defendable, but compared to the left he comes off as fairly responsible.
How does this push anyone off the air?
The article strongly implies that this effort is part of a larger strategy to limit the influence of conservative opinion on the radio. The people who are pushing this seem to be same people who tried influences Rush's adertisers to pull their ads. I won't defend Limbaugh comments but there is clearly a double standard here.
"In other words, the dismantling of Rush Limbaugh was just the beginning, and the whole FM dial is next."There as been an effort over the past decade to "localize" radio stations so they would be less likely to carry nationally syndicated shows, like Limbaugh. Now it seems like they are trying another route.
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The bill freed up portions of the radio spectrum that had otherwise been kept empty by the larger broadcasters, who had long insisted upon four clicks of blank space on the FM dial to prevent interference. It also stipulated that new space on the dial must be reserved for community stations in urban areas where there might otherwise be none."Now it could be that the request for the blank space is merely an attempt by the larger stations to squelch competition. However allowing local community stations to set up shop one click over could be a back-handed attempt to block out the larger station in certain areas. Honestly, I don't know enough to tell the difference.
In any event, its seems like this is a political decision in that it is likely that most, if not all, of these community stations will be left leaning. It will be interesting to see if any tea partiers or libertarians get let in. My guess is that the plug would get pulled at the first mention of Ron Paul. Having all of that, I would love to be wrong.
