Monday, February 25, 2008
FCC Regulation of the Radio
On February 28th, I will be giving a presentation on the ownership of the airwaves, FCC regulations, and how these regulations influence the public; which relates to Ch. 6-Radio of Media Now. First I will discuss the FCC as a regulatory agency and its definitions of obscene and indecent content. I will also examine the FCC's rules about ownership, touching on concentration of ownership, cross-ownership, and group owners; with a focus on Clear Channel- the leading group owner in the United States. To get a closer look at indecency as a broadcasting issue, we will look at the individual cases of Janet Jackson, Howard Stern, Todd Clem, and George Carlin. Through these cases I will touch on regulation violations and responsible broadcasting, which includes broadcast delay, tighter regulations, and safe harbor hours. For more information on the FCC please visit their website at http://www.fcc.gov/.
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I summed up my presentation by stating that the FCC is a very powerful agency who set the standards for broadcasters, and even though they have loosened their restrictions over the years, they still restrict indecent speech. The class got involved by asking about who actually got fined for the violations, if it is the individuals, or the group owners/companies. The owners are the ones who deal with the repercussions, reprimands, and monetary fines. The individuals in question may get fired, lose privileges, or just be publically criticized. A question that I would have liked to ask the class but didn't have time to is- what are your opinions on increased or decreased diversity of content due to group ownership? I have thoughts both ways on the issue, but I tend to lean more towards it being more diverse, because the owners want to target different interest groups and reach the greatest audience range.
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