Incoming FCC Chairman: No Censorship

There was good news coming out of the Senate Commerce Committee Tuesday.  Julius Genachowski, President Obama’s choice to head the Federal Communications Committee made a strong statement that he does not favor censorship of the broadcast airwaves.  It is the most definitive and concise statement heard from the Chairman-to-be and from the Obama administration.  We welcome it.  Let’s hope the far-left backs off its call for a return of Fairness Doctrine-like regulations aimed at conservative talk radio.  I doubt they will, but at least Genachowski is on record as opposed to the Fairness Doctrine and controversial localism mandates that would censor free speech determined by the marketplace.

Genachowski made the statement in response to a question from Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas. 

Generally, the Senate hearing was a lovefest and accolades were also handed out to Robert McDowell, a Republican who has been re-nominated for another term on the commission.  McDowell has stated unequivocally that he does not favor regulations such as mandated programming advisory boards considered under localism regulations that the FCC issued for proposed rule-making in January 2008.  Let’s hope that report finds itself shredded and trashed forever. (more…)

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Tags: Brian Jennings, Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio, Fairness Doctrine, FCC, Julius Genachowski
Posted Jun 17th 2009 at 3:40 pm in Featured Story, Media Criticism, Politics | 16338612 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/06/17/fcc-chairman-to-be-no-censorship/Incoming+FCC+Chairman%3A+No+Censorship2009-06-17+22%3A40%3A48Brian+Jennings

Obama’s Latest Assault on Conservative Talk

There is no question the Obama administration and most Democrats thinks conservative talk radio is something that should be eliminated from the “new” American culture.  We documented that in the book Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio.  Now, the administration is stepping up its subtle attack on conservative talk radio stations. 

In 2008, Arbitron, which measures radio audiences nationwide, began rolling out its latest measurement technology called the “Portable People Meter,” or PPM.  It’s a pager-device that automatically registers what someone is listening to at any moment.  It’s the measurement of real time listening as opposed to the “old” system that required a listener to recall and write down once a week the stations they could remember they heard.  Most radio executives feel this system is the future for radio audience measurement.  When the New York ratings came out last fall, it showed conservative talk radio was even stronger than previously noted under the old audience measurement system and that minority radio stations were not as popular.  Well, you know the rest of the story. (more…)

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Tags: arbitron, Brian Jennings, Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio, Fairness Doctrine, FCC
Posted May 26th 2009 at 4:11 pm in Featured Story, Media Criticism, Politics | 14385411 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/05/26/obamas-latest-assault-on-conservative-talk/Obama%27s+Latest+Assault+on+Conservative+Talk2009-05-26+23%3A11%3A01Brian+Jennings

The Fight for Free Speech is On!

There have been several new developments regarding the battle to regulate free speech on your radio. First, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas provided a definitive statement about how the court might view restoration of the Fairness Doctrine.  Accordng to WorldNetDaily, Justice Thomas called the policy “problematic” and a “deep intrusion into the First Amendment rights of broadcasters.”  He is right.  That’s why Democrats are going through the FCC backdoor to regulate broadcasters in a stealth manner with measures that would accomplish their goals of snuffing out conservative talk and thus conservative values in America.  They are smart enough to know the “old” Fairness Doctrine wouldn’t stand up in court.  So, the first step in the process begins May 7th when the FCC will start conducting hearings to “redistribute media ownership” in America.  The theme of redistributing wealth continues.

The other major development is news about new FCC appointments coming soon. According to Radio & Records, the new appointments are imminent.  It appears Obama will nominate Mignon Clyburn from South Carolina as one of his Democrat appointments along with Julius Genachowski as Chairman.  Ms. Clyburn has a newspaper background, so hopefully she will have some sympathies for conservative talk radio, but I doubt it.  She also has a strong public service background and has been vetted by Obama. Newspapers have always held a low opinion of conservative talk radio.  Watch for the hammer to come down.  (more…)

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Tags: Brian Jennings, Clarence Thomas, Fairness Doctrine, FCC, KOGO
Posted Apr 30th 2009 at 3:35 pm in Featured Story, Media Criticism, Politics | 1225145 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/04/30/the-fight-for-free-speech-is-on/The+Fight+for+Free+Speech+is+On%212009-04-30+22%3A35%3A00Brian+Jennings