Hidden Agenda: The FCC’s Diversity Officer

Since writing Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio published in May by Simon & Schuster, I’ve been watching developments at the FCC closely. The book suggested the left had a hidden agenda to silence conservative talk radio and that they never were serious about re-instating the Fairness Doctrine because there was a better way to silence conservatives. I quoted Craig Aaron of Free Press, a liberal media watchdog group with inside connections to the FCC ,who said: “I don’t support re-instating the Fairness Doctrine not because I don’t support the goals, but because I think it’s the wrong way to go about it.”  In other words, there is a RIGHT way to go about it – to muzzle conservative talk radio. 

The right way appears to be Mark Lloyd, the FCC’s Chief Diversity Officer, a man who literally hates conservative talk.  Apparently, diversity does not include conservative talk radio.  As documented by the Media Research Center and others, Mark Lloyd thinks that if conservative broadcasters don’t present liberal points of view, they should be fined and the money given to public broadcasters.    (more…)

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Tags: Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio, Chief Diversity Officer, FCC, Glenn Beck, Mark Lloyd
Posted Sep 10th 2009 at 4:33 pm in Featured Story, Politics, Video | 21936661 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/09/10/hidden-agenda-the-fccs-diversity-officer/Hidden+Agenda%3A+The+FCC%27s+Diversity+Officer2009-09-10+23%3A33%3A00Brian+Jennings

Unreal: Broadcaster Freedom Amendment Defeated

For those of us fighting for free speech on American airwaves, this is a major setback. The Broadcaster Freedom Amendment sponsored by Congressmen Greg Walden of Oregon and Mike Pence of Indiana has been defeated. The amendment would have prevented any form of the Fairness Doctrine from returning, including the new Fairness Doctrine disguised in localism rules and programming advisory boards for radio stations.

Plain and simple, this is censorship. If Congress truly believed in free speech, it would have allowed a vote on this. To do otherwise is a slap in the face of all Americans, the First Amendment, and those who drafted the First Amendment in 1791. To not allow a vote on this freedom of speech issue telegraphs one thing – Democrats in charge of the House want to censor the airwaves, and in particular conservative talk radio. (more…)

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Tags: Broadcaster Freedom Amendment, Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio, Congress, Fairness Doctrine, FCC Chairman Julius Genach
Posted Jul 15th 2009 at 9:22 am in Featured Story, Politics | 184146187 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/07/15/broadcaster-freedom-amendment-defeated/Unreal%3A+Broadcaster+Freedom+Amendment+Defeated2009-07-15+16%3A22%3A10Brian+Jennings

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

Eye on the Ball Conservatives: Free Speech

Because I am a conservative, I am obviously a racist.  Because I am a conservative, I am a homophobe.  Because I am a conservative, I am Islamaphobic.  Because I am a conservative, I am hateful.  And, Homeland Security says I’m a right wing extremist.  B.S.  If conservatives were endangered by global warming, the left would abandon their hysteria about it.  The last few weeks have been incredible in terms of the left exerting their new found power.  They are punch drunk with sinister goals.

Hillary Clinton laughs during an interview about Somali pirates.  Obama wants to consider prosecution of those who used torture tactics that Karl Rove says saved Los Angeles from a World Trade Center type attack.  Nancy Pelosi says those of us who spoke and participated in the Tea Bag parties were astro-turfers.  Harry Reid told KKOH radio in Reno that only 250 people showed up in Carson City for a rally when there were thousands.  Janeane Garofalo says anyone who showed up to the Tea Parties was a racist.  Miss California is a homophobe.  She put her convictions above winning.  David Letterman and Jon Stewart insult us on TV.  Where does it stop? (more…)

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Tags: Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio, Fairness Doctrine, FCC, Free Speech, Limbaugh
Posted Apr 22nd 2009 at 8:41 am in Politics | 1128382 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/04/22/conservatives-and-endangered-species/Eye+on+the+Ball+Conservatives%3A+Free+Speech2009-04-22+15%3A41%3A57Brian+Jennings

Pardon the Obama Media Hypocrisy!

When writing my book Censorship: The Threat To Silence Talk Radio, I included one of the Obama campaign’s most hypocritical moments.  After reading this, you’ll have no question why the “Teleprompter of the United States” needs one.  John McCain was no challenge in the debates but Obama avoided this confrontation. An excerpt from my book which Simon & Schuster will publish May 5th:

In late August, 2008, Obama supporters unleashed their venom on Chicago’s WGN radio for allowing a critic of Barack to come on the air.  The station had scheduled an interview with Stanley Kurtz, author of an article that linked Obama to 60’s radical William Ayers.  (Ayers – now a professor in the College of Education at University of Illinois – was co-founder of a radical left-wing organization called the Weather Underground that was responsible for bombings of public buildings in the 60’s and 70’s, resulting in injuries to and deaths of several people.)  (more…)

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Tags: ayers, Bob Shomper, Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio, chicago, Howard Kurtz
Posted Mar 24th 2009 at 11:33 am in Media Criticism, Politics | 8775422 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/03/24/pardon-the-obama-media-hypocrisy/Pardon+the+Obama+Media+Hypocrisy%212009-03-24+18%3A33%3A42Brian+Jennings

Free Speech Fades in America

There is growing alarm among talk radio personalities and executives nationwide as the Obama administration embeds socialistic values into the American mainstream.  Thanks to President Reagan, broadcasters have been free from the Orwellian Fairness Doctrine for over twenty years.  The number of talk stations has grown from 125 to now over 2000 thanks to his great wisdom of repealing this doctrine which muzzled free speech.  Radio and Television owners simply didn’t want to risk being turned into the FCC and potentially lose their broadcast license if they said something controversial.  I worked for twenty years under this doctrine and we never broached major controversy – free thought and expression was tightly controlled over the airwaves.  When Reagan dropped the restrictions, Rush Limbaugh and a multitude of other conservative hosts emerged and succeeded because there was so much pent up demand by those who felt their views negated by restrictions and by the overwhelming liberal media bias.  Now, Democrats want to restore speech restrictions and it is simply covert censorship. (more…)

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Tags: Censorship, Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio, Conservative talk radio, Fairness Doctrine, Orwell
Posted Mar 19th 2009 at 10:44 am in Media Criticism, Politics | 84046163 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bjennings/2009/03/19/free-speech-fades-in-america/Free+Speech+Fades+in+America2009-03-19+17%3A44%3A01Brian+Jennings