Does this ONLY apply to talk radio?...
...I believe this is a radio only mandate, originating in 1949 or thereabouts...I agree with the writer of the article, in his supposition that even with congressinal support, Obama may be unlikely to try something so blatant as a federal regulation of airing equal time, when it would work just as well, with much less friction to simply mandate radio stations to devote more time to local programming, thus cutting down (but not eliminating) national talk shows...I believe this will be how ‘fairness’ will be brought about...
Here’s how it works:
Radio stations will be required to provide “opposing viewpoints” whenever a “non-news” segment expresses an opinion. The left will have listeners looking for conservative viewpoints being expressed, then file a complaint and a demand for “equal time”.
The stations will have to provide, FOR FREE, “equal time” to the “opposing viewpoint”. Of course, leftist opinion doesn’t get listened to, and that’s not the point. No advertiser is going to pay for ads during the “equal time” segments,
so the radio stations will just play music or sports - no more conservative dissenting views.
This will only apply to conservative and Christian radio. It specifically excludes “news” (NPR is “news” by definition - those in power get to do the defining).
Now, after you understand that - go look up “net neutrality” to see how they’ll apply this to the internet.