Re: good Phoenix article

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

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aaron Read" <aread@speakeasy.net>
To: <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2003 5:40 PM
Subject: Re: good Phoenix article

> I know this is blasphemy...but I've never actually seen where it says that
> AM/FM licensees must serve the public interest.  Is this just an axiom or
> was there an actual rule about it at one point?

I believe the Communications Act says that the public airwaves are to be
used in the public interest and necessity.

> Your argument is "slippery slope" too, Dan....if a defining part of
serving
> the public is to get listeners, then you're almost always pandering to the
> lowest common denominator.  That's kinda how we got where we are
> now.   There are exceptions, of course...NPR comes to mind...but by and
> large it's lowest common denominator programming.

I reject that there is an ascertainable "public interest."  We have a
combination of private interests.  But the law uses the term.  I can't see
how a station that garners a large audience is not serving the public
interest.  The people who listen obviously believe their interests are being
served by the station's programming so how can some bureaucrat decide that
those listeners are wrong?  At the same time, I do not see how a station
that garners few listeners can be serving the public if the public does not
listen.  I readily admit that my view is not the traditional one, but I
don't think the FCC should be passing judgment on the quality of program
content, which is something that they would have to do if they are to decide
if a station serves the public interest or not.

-- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine