Re: Re:Re:Wired.com on Reversing Consolidation

["Dan Billings" <billings@suscom-maine.net>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Garrett Wollman" <wollman@lcs.mit.edu>
To: "SteveOrdinetz" <steveord@bit-net.com>
Cc: <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2003 4:08 PM
Subject: Re: Re:Re:Wired.com on Reversing Consolidation


> On the other hand, a commercial station that
> regularly sells spot time for statewide political campaigns and issue
> advocacy, but refuses to accept a market-rate advertisement from a
> local candidate, would seem to me not to be serving the needs of its
> community.

The problem is that the station can't charge market rates!  Under federal
law, if a station sells ads to any candidate in a race, they must give that
candidate and any other candidates in that race the same rates as the
station gives its best customers.  For example, a candidate buying 10 ads
gets the same rates as a regular customer that signs a year long contract
for 10 spots a day.  It is this ridiculous rule that causes stations not to
accept ads.  Why should they have to turn down market rate ads to run
bargain ads for politicians?

By the way: issue advocacy ads are not covered by the lowest unit rate
rules. Those groups pay the market rates.

-- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine