March 12th / 14th, 2010
"FCC Poised to Reform Local TV"
Compared to rising unemployment and a healthcare system gone wild, the
business of television may seem insignificant to most Americans. But since we
own the airwaves from which broadcasters profit, all of us should be
concerned by the lack of service most TV stations provide to our communities.
Last week the Federal Communications Commission held a long overdue
workshop in which the agency and various media analysts outlined the alarming
lack of quantifiable public interest obligations on the part of local
broadcasters. FCC Commissioner Michael Copps berated broadcasters for "dropping the
ball on public interest programming". He blamed consolidation and, "three
decades of horrendous decisions" by regulators for the "evisceration or
outright elimination of just about every public interest obligation or public
interest guideline we had". Copps also concluded that, "the result has been
less news and information, a dumbed down democratic dialogue, diminished
civic engagement, and the absence of meaningful public interest oversight".
Andrew Schwartzman, president of The Media Access Project, also came down
hard on television broadcasters, saying, "some stations do absolutely
nothing local, but that is what the system tolerates". That system is supposed
to include consequences for broadcasters who fail to serve their community,
but as Schwartzman noted, " The license renewal process is broken. There
are still license renewal cases going back to 2003 still pending...the (FCC)
is sending a message to broadcasters that if you have a multi million
dollar deal to get done, the FCC will do it in a few months, but a license
challenge will languish for years".
Commissioner Copps then wondered aloud how to guarantee that, "minorities,
women, the disabled, the poor, the non affluent, and the non elite have an
equal chance of being heard" in this era of corporate absentee ownership
and consolidation. And Schwartzman responded by calling for new regulations.
For starters he wants the license period shortened from eight years to
just three years. He also wants the FCC to conduct audits to make sure TV
stations are in compliance with their public interest obligations, and to put
teeth into those obligations.
Mr. Schwartzman is right on track by demanding newer regulations and
better enforcement, but shortening the licensing period alone will not fix the
problem. If Copps and his colleagues at the FCC are serious about restoring
local public service to local broadcasting, they must also require a
minimum number of hours of locally produced programming per week. A fair number
to start would be three hours, none of which could be aired in the middle of
the night, or during easily pre-emptible time slots. And, despite pleas
from lobbyists like the National Association of Broadcasters, news programs
would not count toward fulfilling the minimum requirement for community
service.
Commissioner Copps used a basketball analogy when he accused broadcasters
of "dropping the ball" on public service, and as the referee, he has the
power to blow his whistle and enforce the rules. That's why with remedies
easily available, if the FCC fails to enact meaningful reform this year, then
they will have succeeded in giving violators nothing more than a big
assist.
|
