Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: conservatism_IS_compassion; Roscoe
I failed to address your main point: the fedgov promotes one way communication with its licensing of broadcast spectra.

I 've read that it currently does this for free, so I proposed the auction of renewals to at least get something back for the citizens.

But as for the one way communication, I don't have a clear solution I like. Anti-trust limitations, one share per citizen, no licensing at all and let anarchy prevail...different solutions, but none of them grab me.
21 posted on 08/04/2002 6:10:12 AM PDT by secretagent
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies ]


To: secretagent
I failed to address your main point: the fedgov promotes one way communication with its licensing of broadcast spectra.

I 've read that it currently does this for free, so I proposed the auction of renewals to at least get something back for the citizens.

But as for the one way communication, I don't have a clear solution I like. Anti-trust limitations, one share per citizen, no licensing at all and let anarchy prevail...different solutions, but none of them grab me.

One of the things I dislike least is the idea of requiring a one-week tape delay for everything except the weather, traffic, and sports reports. And, of course, legal authorities in response to a public-safety crisis such as major storm threat or civil unrest.

That would, at least, take away the advantage of broadcast speed from journalism. The problem with journalism is its rush to judgement, and its implicit excuse-making for the fact that its hip-shots are so consistently wrong. And that the government de facto (de jure, in McCain-Feingold) backs its claims of objectivity.

My delay would reduce broadcast journalism to a newsweekly format. But then, Time and Newsweek are no bargain, so it might be of marginal benefit . . .

If there were some way of making the journalists take randomly selected listener calls, that would inject talk-radio sanity into the equation, just like C-Span used to have before it started rationing the sane callers in favor of liberals and "moderates." But journalists are hit-and-run artists, generally.


22 posted on 08/04/2002 6:43:23 AM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies ]

To: secretagent
Other possibilities: An end to duopoly in any market with no remaining available channels for allocation; reduced maximum and increased minimum wattage for broadcast licenses in such markets.
25 posted on 08/04/2002 10:39:34 AM PDT by Roscoe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson