Re: 'Religious' broadcasters....

[Dan Strassberg <dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net>]

At 01:59 AM 8/6/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
>Not sure what your point is.  Most of the population of the US is from a
>Christian background of some sort (Catholic & Protestant) And most of
>the 'religious' programming is Christian based.  And Catholics are just
>as receptive to "Christian" programming as Protestants.  While the
>Catholic Church has not embraced the elctronic media as quick as the
>Evangelicals did....there was a survey done by an owner of a religious
>station in the area that found that MOST of his audience was Catholic...
>even though most of his programming is produced by protestants.  No one
>limits Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Etc to only listening to
>programs from their own specific denomination.  
>
My point was that it is a cultural thing (or so I thought). Certain
denominations use radio for paid ministires; other don't--or use they it
very little. To this, Mr Carter replied that there was another reason. On
his station, he would not accept programming that did not "fit in" (my
words) with what his audience turns to WJLT to hear. He says that this
practice is typical of most Christian stations. In that case, I am wrong.
Which denominations air ministries on those stations may not be a cultural
thing. Rather, it may be determined by who controls the stations and what
the station operators feel their audience wants to hear.

This gave rise to the discussion about whether operators of commercial
religious stations that use the public airwaves can legally deny access to
religious broadcasters who offer to buy time in good faith (no pun
intended), but who do not "fit in" with the station operator's idea of who
should appear on the station. Several of us say that such selectiveness must
be illegal under this very limited set of circumstances (commercial station,
etc). An even larger group (including Joe Ross, who is an attorney) say that
we are wrong. Joe concedes, however, that if the case ever got to court, it
would not be an open-and-shut case.

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Dan Strassberg (Note: Address is CASE SENSITIVE!)
ALL _LOWER_ CASE!!!--> dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net
(617) 558-4205; Fax (617) 928-4205

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