Michael Savage vs The Fairness Doctrine

[Donna Halper]

At 12:25 AM 2/25/2009, Bob Nelson wrote:
>The effort by Savage and the Thomas More Center isn't the only one; 
>former San Diego mayor and current
>Radio America talk host Roger Hedgecock has joined forces in 
>establishing the Free Radio Coalition which
>is dedicated to opposing the possible re-introduction of the 
>Doctrine or something similar. The FRC
>feels that government should not be a media watchdog and that during 
>the Doctrine's time "it was repeatedly used by presidents and other 
>political leaders to muzzle dissent and criticism" and that its 
>repeal resulted in an explosion of different viewpoints,
>led by Rush Limbaugh.

Umm, nice right wing talking points, but the reality is far 
different.  Under the Fairness Doctrine, many rightie talkers became 
very wealthy and very popular.  They were not muzzled or stifled or 
anything.  And there were also leftie or moderate talkers, and they 
too became successful and wealthy.  There is so much myth about the 
Fairness Doctrine that it boggles the minds of those of us who are 
media historians.  The right uses the alleged immanent return of the 
FD as a fund-raising tool, but seriously, there is ZERO effort to 
bring it back.  A couple of congresspeople like it and want it, but 
that's hardly a major movement.  As for the end of the FD resulting 
in an explosion of different viewpoints, that is totally 
inaccurate.  The repeal of the doctrine was part of a long-standing 
(and I must admit very successful) effort on the part of 
conservatives to re-make talk radio and put forth a specific 
viewpoint to the exclusion of all others.  The "explosion of 
different viewpoints" is quite misleading, since there already were a 
huge number of righties and lefties slugging it out on major stations 
all across the US.  Since the Republicans successfully got rid of the 
Fairness Doctrine, talk radio is now 95% right wing and 
conservative.  What explosion of viewpoints were you talking about, Bob?