AM RADIO AND THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE

A court that considers the doctrine today will note that whereas in 1980 there were fewer than 100 talk radio programs, today there are more than 1,500 news or talk radio stations.

IN LOS ANGELES THERE ARE THREE TALK RADIO STATIONS. AND THIRTY PERCENT OF THEIR RADIO TIME IS ADVERTISEMENTS. THAT SHOULD BE EVALUATED AS RUNAWAY FREE MARKET PRODUCT DETERIORATION.

TWO RGHT WING, ONE LEFT WING, AND THE LEFT STATION HAS SPORTS COVERAGE MANY EVENINGS, STARTING DURING DRIVE TIME. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SYNDICATED RADIO SHOWS, YET ONLY TEN OR FIFTEEN OF THEM ARE IN THE L.A. AREA. FOR FAIRNESS, THAT SHOULD BE EXTENDED. CONSUMERS ARE GETTNG A VERY THIN OUTPUT, AND THAT IS A CHALLENGE THAT SHOULD BE MET, BUT IS NERVER DISDCUSSED.


IF THERE WERE TWENTY OR THIRTY TALK RADIO STATIIONS IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA, THAT WOULD GUARANTEE FAIRNESS. BUCHANIN, SLEEWA, BUCHANIN, NADIR, JOE BIDEN AND BOBBY JINDAL, WOULD ADD FAIRNESS BY THEIR SHEER NUMBER. A DOZEN MORE NAMES, CATERINE COULTER KARL ROVE, MICHAEL KINSLEY, GEORGE WILL, PEGGY NOONAN. TWENTY OR THIRTY MORE HOSTS ADDED TO CITY RADIO VENUES. EVEN NOAM CHOMPSKY.


THERE WOULD BE, ONE WOULD HOPE, A GOOD VARIETY. OBVIOUSLY THE STATE AS IT IS TODAY, AND HAS BEEN FOR SOME YEARS, DOES LITTLE TO BROADEN THE SPECTRUM, WITH ONLY THREE OR FOUR STATIONS DOING A TALK VENUE.

BUT WHAT WE HEAR IS THERE ARE FIFTEEN HUNDRED NEWS OR TALK RADIO STATIONS. THATS NATIONWIDE. THAT FIFTEEN HUNDRED DEVOLVES TO FOUR OR FIVE IN ANY GIVEN AREA. THAT IS OBVIOUSLY MARKET DRIVEN AND ANTI CONSUMER. IT HAPPENS A LOT. . t without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control . AND IT HAS IN RADIO. COMMERCIALS EVERY SEVEN OR EIGHT MINUTES. FOUR MINUTE OR LONGER BANKS OF ADVERTISEMENTS. AND ONLY A MODEST NUMBER OF TALK SHOWS COMPETITING, MAKING IT EASIER FOR THE CONSERVATIVES TO RULE THE ROOST. THEY DO HAVE MORE APPEAL. THEY ARE BRASH AND ENTERTAINING, WHILE PROGRESSIVE RADIO HAS LESS ENTERTAINMENT TO OFFER. BUT PLENTY OF TRUTY AND CONTROVERSY. I THINK THAT POINT IS FAIRLY CLEAR. IF YOU WOULD AGREE AND SUPPORT MY POSITION, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO CLOSE THE SUBJECT FAIRLY SOON WITH AN AGENDA, TO WORK TOWARD NOT FAIRNESS, BUT TOWARD MORE TALK RADIO STATIONS COMPETING. HOPEFULLY, AND I AM REPEATING MYSELF, HOPEFULLY THAT WILL INCREASE FAIRNESS. CURTIS SLEEWA, BILL ORIELY (HAS A SHOW BUT NOT PLAYED IN LOS ANGELES, FOR NO GOOD REASON, AND A HUGE NUMBER OF PROFESSIONAL RADIO HOSTS NEED TO FIND PLACES IN ALL THE MAJOR CITIES. FOR DECADES TALK RADIO HAS BEEN SCANTY. TIME TO CHANGE THAT. AND SKIRT THE FAIRNESS ISSUE. JUST GIVE US A LOT MORE PROGRAMS. DON IMUS IS ON THE RADIO, AT THREE A.M. THAT DOESNT MAKE ANY SENSE, BUT THERE JUST ARENT ENOUGH STATIONS TO SUPPORT A PRIME TIME APPEARANCE OF THIS VERY CONTROVERSIAL AND TALENTED MAN. Curtis_Sliwa, DON IMUS RALPH NADIR NEEDS A SHOW. BILL CLINTON, THEY COULD CONDUCT A HOUR A WEEK WITH CALL INS. BUT THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM IN THE AM BAND, WITH FEWER, HIGHER PRICED COMMERCIALS. SO MANY OF THE STATIONS ARE RELIGIOUS, FOREIGN LANGUAGE, FOREIGN MUSIC SHOWS. THOSE COULD BE REPLACED.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS SUGGESTION, AND IT CERTAINLY WORKS BETTER THAN A FAIRNESS DOCTRINE, TELLING PROGRAM PRODUCERS WHO THEY CAN AND CANNOT HAVE ON THEIR PROGRAMS. THAT DOESN'T APPEAL TO ME, AND IN GENERAL, LACKS APPEAL. NO. MORE STATIONS, AND MORE TOP OF THER LINE PROFESSIIONAL PUNDITS WITH DAILY OR WEEKLY SHOWS.WILL COME CLOSE TO FIXING THE PROBLEM WITHOUT THE DRACONIAN MEASURES OF A SUBJECTIVE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE.