Re: Duplication rules

["A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@world.std.com>]

Donna Halper wrote:
 
> Yeah, it's really ironic how this all turned out.  In 1943, the FCC forced
> David Sarnoff to divest one of his networks-- he owned (gasp) two, NBC Red
> and NBC Blue.  The FCC was worried about chains consolidating and having
> too much power, and they wanted to ensure competition.  (And in 1928, the
> FRC-- the ancestor of the FCC-- had ruled that small local stations were no
> longer useful, and that big network-run stations could serve a market
> better than local stations could.  So, 162 stations were arbitrarily
> deleted, many of which had offered unique programming, and the entire state
> of Mass. was reduced to about 11 stations total...)  Yup, we've seen all of
> this before and it didn't work out well for the listeners.  It did work out
> well for the sponsors and the network execs, however...

It depends entirely on the political climate.  1928 was the height of big
business power before the Great Depression and the New Deal.  1964 was the
year of the big LBJ and Democratic landslide.  The Telecommunications Act
was the product of a Republican Congress.  I don't see the FCC changing
direction much until the Democrats regain control of Congress.

 
> So will today's FCC try to re-assert itself?  Is it clear to most people
> that de-regulation does NOT mean better radio or more competition, as it
> was advertised?  Somehow, I don't think the FCC or Congress will do much to
> change things, and radio will continue to become more irrelevent, as
> network TV is rapidly becoming.  I hope I am wrong, of course, but based on
> what has happened up to this point, I see no evidence that the current
> situation in radio will improve or that any creative or controversial or
> cutting edge programming will find a home on any major stations.  I await
> the usual flames, but I am going to Alaska on business Friday, so those
> flames might be useful!!!

- -- 
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 A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                                     617.367.0468
 15 Court Square                                  lawyer@world.std.com
 Boston, MA 02108-2503                   http://world.std.com/~lawyer/
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