... beyond repulsive. My gills just turned green
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
LOL ! sorry
sure, they will get many new signups when he first goes over. but after 3 months of hear "f-this, f-that", they won't pay the $12.95 anymore.
... beyond repulsive. My gills just turned green
Nepotism is alive and well in Washington D.C.
Try world wide.
Jeez that's a very repulsive picture and if it was larger it just might be removed. LOL
Hey, I'm really sorry about that but let me make it up to you, I'm trying to sell this big bridge in New York.............
Ronn Owens is a liberal that calls himself moderate. Nevertheless, he has a good show, and frequently has great guests. Today was one of those days.
Powell was an excellent guest, and although he was somewhat blindsided by the Stern call, he handled himself very well.
Ronn Owens is a liberal that calls himself moderate. Nevertheless, he has a good show, and frequently has great guests. Today was one of those days.
Powell was an excellent guest, and although he was somewhat blindsided by the Stern call, he handled himself very well.
I have no idea how I did that.
I have no idea how I did that.
So, nepotism is the sole reason for Stern's fines? What a lame personal attack! It's precisely what the left says of George W. Bush, and yet it completely discounts the difficulty in becoming elected.
Sounds as though Michael Powell did an excellent job countering Howard Stern, especially his point being that the fines can be contested in a court of law.
Stern laughing as well! Now that's accurate!
The only bridge I want to buy is one that leaves this worker's paradise (as soon as my little one finishes school).
I believe you just asked questions you already know the answer to. Clever but well known debate tactic.
Any response for my position that the REGULATIONS they enforce are growing ever more obsolete as the public airwaves are no longer the limited quantity they used to be as a few hundred available channels can now carry billions of stations, and each piece of information is being asked for by listener and being addressed to that listener by the broadcaster. No different than cable, or satellite, or internet, or for that matter US Postal Service. (ok a little faster than the US Postal Service)
That all of this adds up to a FCC struggling to find a purpose and making that purpose controlling obscenity, which was one of their weakest charges to begin with.
-- lates
-- jrawk
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.