(Surprise, surprise): Obama Appoints Fairness Doctrine Backer

newsmax.com ^ | November 10, 2008 | Jim Meyers

[Publius804]

Obama Appoints Fairness Doctrine Backer

Monday, November 10, 2008 10:41 AM

By: Jim Meyers

President-elect Barack Obama has designated former Federal Communications Commissioner Henry Rivera to head the team that will select the next FCC chairman — an Obama move that bodes poorly for conservative talk radio.

That’s because Rivera is widely believed to support the reinstitution of the so-called Fairness Doctrine.

Originally instituted in 1949 by the FCC, the Fairness Doctrine required broadcasters over the public airwaves to give equal time to opposing political views.

Since talk radio is overwhelmingly dominated by conservative hosts, and liberal talk radio draws few listeners, the “equal time” provision would likely force many radio stations to pull popular conservative hosts from the air rather than air low-rated liberal hosts.

Rivera served on the five-member FCC from 1981 to 1985 under Republican chairman Mark Fowler. His departure paved the way for the Fairness Doctrine’s repeal when President Ronald Reagan replace him with an opponent of the doctrine, Brian Maloney disclosed on his Web site The Radio Equalizer

[norwaypinesavage]

It always irritates me that we let the left define the titles of the fights. “Fairness Doctrine”, Employee Choice”, “Choice”, Wetlands are some recent examples. They give the issue a name that tilts the issue in their direction. Lets call a spade a spade. This is not a “Fairness Doctrine”, it is “Suppression of Free Speech”. Let us call it that.

[Names Ash Housewares]

Obviously we do not trust the guy.
It will likely end up just another form of flip flop.

I know one thing for sure.

There will be hellstorm if they try it.
Talk radio will go nuclear.

[Kitanis]

“I don’t think the issue will even come up. The doctrine is so unconstitutional it’s not even worth anyone’s time to try to reinstate it.” Since When? it was in the law from 1949 through 1986 when President Reagan let it die... The Dems would LOVE to see it brought back

[MJemison]

Seems like the advertisers would have some effect on all this. They make out great on Rush’s show, but must have lost money on AirAmerica.

[Right Cal Gal]

Rush has millions that subscribe to his podcasts for $60 a year and you get the whole show without commercials. Mark Levin gives his away for free via iTunes. Levin is already on both XM and Sirius. I think Rush could very easily move to XM/Sirius and bring millions of subscribers with him.

(Man wouldn’t that just kill that POS Howard Stern if Rush moved to satellite and 30,000,000 people joined XM just to hear him? I think that at its height, Sirius only got 12,000,000 of Stern’s listeners to sign up!)

[BlueStateBlues]

It’s just a hunch that the doctrine won’t fit into Obama’s plans, and he and Congress will let it fade away.

[Yaelle]

Rush doesn’t care.

Here is where you and your terrible secret are wrong.

Rush actually gets MORE from being there for his listeners, and the respect and honor they give him, than he does from the money, and he gets a LOT from the money. Rush loves what he does and has no desire to stop doing it. He looks forward to working after he's had his little vacations.

And speaking for his audience, as long as Rush is breathing, we actually NEED him in this country. Now, more than ever. He may never have served the USA in the military, but the service he does to this great land is comparable. He should not stop. He won't stop.

[Names Ash Housewares]

Talk radio will fight back.
I don’t know how yet, but considering how well it’s listeners organized against amnesty, it will easily go nuclear over self preservation.

[Kitanis]

If thats true.. then Someone needs to give a Playbook to Chuck Schummer, Nancy Pelosie and Barney Frank

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

God made sure that the American people had no excuse when choosing between good and evil in this election.

More like about 31 percent Obama, 29 percent McCain, and 40 percent no choice.

For comparison during the Revolutionary war, about a third were loyalists, a third rebels, and a third that didn't much care.

[6SJ7]

Get off the public airwaves. Let the industry die.

"Going John Galt" on the libs may be the only way. Starve them for cash.

[TV Dinners]

which leads me to believe that the stations will have plenty of money to lobby and if need be take this all the way to SCOTUS to get it ruled illegal.

[MrB]

Two things I will not personally forgive over the election of 0bama:

willful ignorance
apathy

[uscabjd]

Why wouldn’t the “fairness doctrine” also apply to MSNBC, other TV and cable outlets, and the print media, like the NYT?

[carolinablonde]

It seems to me the way to combat this (assuming they actually try to implement it - and they probably will) is to push back and file suit if CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, et al don't start airing an equal amount of conservative opinion? Same thing with Air America.

If it's challenged on First Amendment grounds, seems like this be this could be done away with once and for all.

[Recovering_Democrat]

Ah. Shutting down free speech. Where has that happened before? Oh. Now I remember.

[pepperdog]

You don’t think they’ll be able to shut satellite radio down by applying the “fairness doctrine”? I’m asking seriously because I truly believe they’ll silence OTA conservative talk radio.

[Girlene]

From the American Spectator, Saul Alinsky Takes the White House , here's their take on how it might happen.

..........."And, only when the time is right and the ground (or air) has been well prepared, will come the grand-daddy of all fights, the re-enactment of the misnamed "Fairness Doctrine."

Oh, they'll be clever. They'll pick their spot. They'll wait until Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity or Mark Levin says something innocent they can twist out of context and call "hate speech" -- and then they'll highlight some schoolyard fight where a member of a "victim group" gets the worst of it as if the "attack" were caused by talk-rad…no, make that "hate radio," which will be the new moniker the Fifth Column/Fourth Estate hangs on the talkmeisters.

(Even before imposing the Fairness Doctrine, they'll use the Federal Communications Commission in other ways to put a muffler on their opponents.)

And, always, a few carefully calibrated street demonstrations, splashed with just the right headlines across the East Coast newspapers and captured by just the right camera angle on CBS News, will be used any time, on any issue, to make the point that civil unrest would be the price of resistance to the benevolent desires of the Obama regime. "...........

[AngieGal]

That sounds good. Find the most laughable, dimwitted liberal possible for the alternating airtime. Then let conservative callers take him/her apart. Could be good fun...

[ladyvet]

Shhhhh children..lock the doors, draw the curtains. Radio free Rush is almost on.