Sterns rat nest hair
Posted on 10/26/2004 4:12:59 PM PDT by crushelits
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Radio shock jock Howard Stern, who is moving to satellite radio to avoid broadcast decency rules, traded verbal jabs on air with Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) Chairman Michael Powell on Tuesday, charging him with nepotism and undermining free speech.
"It is apparent to most of us in broadcasting that your father got you your job," said Stern, who called in while Powell was being interviewed on San Francisco's KGO-AM 810.
Powell shot back that his father, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites), had nothing to do with his appointment. The FCC (news - web sites) chief was nominated to the commission by then-President Bill Clinton (news - web sites) and elevated to chairman by President Bush (news - web sites).
"You can look at my resume if you want, Howard, I'm not ashamed of it, I think it justifies my existence," he said.
The FCC has proposed fining stations a total of about $2.5 million for airing incidents on Stern's show, including a $495,000 fine against Clear Channel Communications Inc. stations for an incident that led the company to drop him from six stations, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
Regulations bar broadcast television and radio stations from airing indecent material -- typically explicit sexual talk, profanity, or nudity -- when children are likely to be listening, usually from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The two jousted for more than 10 minutes. The FCC chief initially resisted taking calls from audience listeners but relented and Stern pounced after getting word of the show.
"I don't think that you personally hate me ... I think what you've been doing is dangerous to free speech," Stern said. "I think things have gotten way out of control."
The radio personality has signed a deal to take his show in 2006 to Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., a subscription service to which decency rules do not apply.
Stern accused Powell and the FCC of preventing Viacom Inc., which presently syndicates Stern's show, from going to court to challenge fines and blocking them from acquiring more stations because of tussles over decency violations.
"That's flatly false ... there's no reason why Viacom or any other company who feels that they have been wrongly fined can't sue us in court," Powell said.
Mark Silverman, the producer of Ronn Owens' show on which the two appeared, said Powell was caught by surprise and appeared to be tense, and his staff was angry.
"The chairman handled himself quite well even though he wasn't prepared," Silverman told Reuters.
Powell denied on the show that he was nervous being confronted by Stern
C'mon.
Jeez man, at least he chose another field. There was no free ride.
There are many people just as qualified who would never get in the door at the FCC.
What do you think is the difference?
Yup, he's getting a bit stale. Another issue is visual. You can't see the interviewees' t*ts on satellite radio. The dialog, sans visuals, can be pretty boring.
He was heading a non-partisan foundation and it was obvious Clinton appointed his son to the position as a token to the father.
Sure. And anyone who pretends not to see that is delusional.
Fine speculation...show me these people.
Good Grief Man. Michael Powell wasn't just sitting on his @@@ waiting for daddy to help him. I followed my Father into the same field and I wouldn't call it nepotism.
Can you define the line between "given" and "earned" for us?
Stern hasn't pushed boundaries in years. He's done the same show for years.
He will not suffer from the move in the least.
Don't discount the idea. How many in his audience do you think would pay money to listen to him?
They estimate that they need 1,000,000 new subscribers to pay for it. I don't think that will be a problem really.
He can't do it. He's lame and everyone knows it.
Yeah he was fined.
Fining syndicates is a new idea by this FCC.
With the ability to Packet Type and ID data over the air the FCC is quickly becomming a meaningless Beauracracy that is now struggling to survive. The public resource of the airwaves is quickly becomming a limitless resource not a shared public resource it once was that needs the regulation of the feds. There recent measures and actions are no more than efforts to find a problem to solve. Just wait until they propose controlling pay to view/listen content... oh wait they already have. Powell would do himself well by setting out the elegant steps to the end of the FCC rather than engage in these Death Throws Antics.
One thing you can trust in though is you can never kill a beauracracy.
-- lates
-- jrawk
Should have proofed but didn't. I oughta work for 60 Minutes.
Considering 1 million new subscribers to cover a 100 million dollar contract it sounds like a loser but there are many more factors to think about as well like advertising, and the market behind the idea of pay radio.
Sterns rat nest hair
I'm sorry Mr. Powell. I didn't realize it was you.
Oh behave!
Which FCC? Is there a new one? They've never been fined before or no rules were broken before? One would make it seem that they had never enforced the laws until "this FCC"?
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