rjr@mgweed.UUCP (11/22/83)
The Nov. 21 issue of TIME Magazine has an article about changes that FCC Chairman Mark Fowler would like to make in the Broadcast industry. He has already asked Congress to repeal the Fairness Doctrine. Fowler would also like to eliminate the requirement for "public service programs". He says " let the marketplace decide." Fowler wants to end financial restrictions on how stations do business and strip away Government control of program content. He wants to remove the rule that prevents a company from owning more than 7 stations, end the 16 minute per hour restrictions on commercials, and remove requirements for nonentertainment items like news and educational programming. "Fowler's goal is to free broadcasters from nearly all of the thousands of FCC rules, policies and doctrines requiring that 'the public interest be served'. He rejects the fundamental FCC tenet that broadcasters must demonstrate social responsibility in exchange for using public air waves." I wonder how this will affect broadcasting in the U.S. mgweed!rjr
wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (11/23/83)
I find that the proposals to deregulate the broadcast industry very interesting. It appears to me that this could open up a whole new perspective on how the media reacts to the consumer. Cable tv would probably benefit most from this idea in that they would begin to tailor their programming to even more areas of interest. The Networks would probably narrow their views and broadcasting bias to suit their own tastes. I can see it all now. NBC will change their name to the Leftist Broadcasting Company (LBC), CBS will become the Conservative Broadcasting Company (with apologies North of the border - CBC), and ABC will be the Doomsday and Sports Broadcasting Company (DSBC). They will each shuffle their programming around according to their new images. Poor CBC will have to hire a bunch of new people with conservative views to make up for the current lack of same on all networks. LBC will have an overabundance of newscasters, all fighting for the top spot by sabotaging each others hair pieces and makeup jars. CBC will have Jerry Falwell and Bill Buckley reading the National news behind rose colored glasses. DSBC will run sports events and disaster movies, one behind the other. The cable networks will further narrow their sights on segments of the population until there will be channels that cater to groups such as wrestling match promoters, Eastern Ukrainian Music Critics, and the Delaware Chicken Sexer's Association. It will be just great. When all of this comes about, we will truely be able to choose what we want to watch instead of wading through someone else's drivel. We would only have to turn to our political point of view station to feel secure in our beliefs. Of course, Congress would have to limit the number of viewers on the DSBC network as that would probably be where everyone would end up. I can hardly wait. from the much maligned T. C. Wheeler