« UPDATE: FOX Says NO to Narcissistic Obama Demands TV Sweeps Timeslot | Main | The NOT So Articulate Obama Gets Ahead of His Trusty Teleprompter ~ LOL »
April 28, 2009
Nation's Talkers Meet On 'imminent threat'
Top hosts hold unprecedented summit to stop efforts at government control
Putting aside their own competitive interests, representatives of more than two dozen of the nation's top talk shows held an unprecedented private meeting over the weekend to brainstorm strategies against what they agreed are government plans by to squelch critical political speech on radio.
Organized by Brad O'Leary, author of the new book, "Shut Up, America! The End of Free Speech," and Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, the group chose one attendee to be spokesman and chairman of the coalition – syndicated host Roger Hedgecock of San Diego .
A daylong discussion today focused on what was described as the "imminent threat" of so-called "localism" requirements that will subject radio programming to the review by panels of community activists who will evaluate station content. These panels will be empowered to make recommendations for programming changes and challenge at the Federal Communications Commission the licenses renewals of stations that don't heed their advice.
Last month, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., submitted an amendment to the D.C. Voting Bill which would require the FCC to "encourage and promote diversity in ... media ownership" and reaffirm FCC authority to mandate the presentation "of opposing points of view on issues of public importance."
Also of concern to the hosts and producers gathered in the nation's capital was a decision last week by Clear Channel, the nation's largest owner of radio stations, to mandate the creation of local advisory boards by June at all of its properties. The move was seen as pre-emptive as the industry anticipates an FCC stacked with Barack Obama appointees will soon require stations to answer to panels of community activists.
Clear Channel stations will be required to air a total of 12 minutes of public service announcements daily and 84 minutes per week. Community leaders will be invited to submit information for future PSAs. In addition, the company will choose one national cause to be highlighted company-wide each quarter for coordinated campaigns.
The FCC is currently composed of two Democrat and two Republican commissioners. Obama has nominated a new chairman, Julius Genachowski, which would give Democrats a 3-2 majority once he is confirmed.
Obama technology agenda, which states:
"Encourage diversity in the ownership of broadcast media, promote the development of new media outlets for expression of diverse viewpoints, and clarify the public interest obligations of broadcasters who occupy the nation's spectrum."
"Such language is bureaucratese for government control," says O'Leary. "So-called 'public interest' requirements would put broadcasters at the mercy of local review boards. Such boards would, of course, be politically charged entities with the power to bar any broadcast content that is not deemed to be in the 'public interest' of the local community."
O'Leary says the plan amounts to the development of party-approved "commissar committees" to censor the kind of lively and free-wheeling debate America has known since the scrapping of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine" by President Reagan's Federal Communications Commission in 1987.
By demanding radio stations answer to local community watchdog boards to ensure programming is "balanced," "fair," "diverse," "tolerant" and "serving the public interest locally," O'Leary says the rules and legislation being planned will once again make talk radio accountable to politicians, political activists and bureaucrats at the FCC.
Wild Thing's comment.......
"Diversity" , the socialist code word for accept socialism or else.
The current administration has no more respect for the First Amendment than it does for the Second; they’re just waiting for the right time to move. Against conservatives only, of course.
For so many years we have had the right to free speech, now with Obama that is something that might disappear if ithey get their agenda passed on all the various things he wants to do.
....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67
Posted by Wild Thing at April 28, 2009 05:40 AM
Comments
So if you have an opinion different from a left wing nut case who just happens to be a Senator he can get you fired from your job. To hell with Free Speech.
Diversity, tolerance(gay Marriage, Abortion on demand, Stem cell cloning, i.e., if you disagree with any part of the left's current agenda you're a dead man).
This is known as making the playing field level aka, they can't compete in the arena of ideas. They have tried and failed everytime they've done it.
So what is not covered here in un-Fairness bill, will be covered in the hate crimes bill. They are covering all their bases as far as quelching the conservative's free speech. and Nary an outcry of foul.
Posted by: Mark at April 28, 2009 02:00 PM
Actually, the primary attack on free speech started during Woodrow Wilson's administration. More than half the nation’s newspapers from 1912 did not survive WWI to 1920. (I am counting the German and other foreign language Newspapers as well as the English language ones the press barons wanted closed.) To paraphrase a more contemporary Democrat, never let a crisis go to waste.
Posted by: Avitar at April 28, 2009 02:38 PM
Yes. I want diversity also. There are too many rap music stations and not enough stations playing Classical music C'mon gubmint. Replace some of those rap stations.
Posted by: TomR at April 28, 2009 06:07 PM
Mark, well said!! Your so right, they
really are trying to cover all their
bases, one step, huge steps at a time.
Then just watch people will say what
happened? And we will say well where were
you when they put this through and that
through.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 29, 2009 12:11 AM
Avitar, they do love to have a crisis.
The left are people that crave doom and
gloom to make their day.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 29, 2009 12:14 AM
Tom, good one! It can work against them and
that is a good example. They want their rap
with it's hate lyrics.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 29, 2009 12:17 AM
