By Kathleen Robbins
In the beginning, the Federal government allocated broadcast spectrum and issued free licenses to commercial broadcasters for the public good. Initially, broadcasters were required to demonstrate every three (3) years that they were meeting these requirements of equal access and the standards of ‘public good’ in order to renew their broadcast license.
These requirements have been radically reduced over the past 20 years however, to the point where licenses are now only renewed every eight (8) years, and any pretense of equal access has been removed, with the notable exception of ‘sexually offensive’ (as defined by the FCC and the conservative religious groups) material, anything goes.
One of the corporations that has made the most of this opportunity to push their agenda is Sinclair Broadcasting Group, http://www.sbgi.net/business/television.shtml whose stations cover 24% of the nation. The majority stockholders and officers in this corporation are the Smith brothers. They insist all of Sinclair’s 64 broadcast stations follow the corporation line, including their one sided commentary, The Point, by their VP of Communications, Mark Hyman. Their refusal on Memorial Day 2004 to carry Nightline’s annual reading of the names of the American dead in the Iraqi war demonstrates their position on the Iraq war. And their broadcast of Stolen Honor, a totally one sided presentation intended to cast doubt and dispersion on the heroic actions of a young volunteer in Vietnam, US Navy Lt. John Kerry was a decidedly political act.
Our local station, WICD here in Champaign is one of Sinclair’s stations and their license is now before the Federal Communications Commission for renewal on December 1, 2005.
Between now and October 31, 2005 is our time to tell the FCC what we think of WICD’s performance and how their actions have impacted our community. Does WICD really serve the ‘public good’? Does “The Point” provide equal access and balanced commentary? Does their consolidated news and weather format effectively serve the local community? Does their required 3.5 hours per week of children’s programming serve your children? Does the quality of their programming reflect your values?
If you have concerns about any of these issues, now is the time to speak-up. The FCC wants to hear from you! All it takes is an informal letter from you stating your concerns to the FCC (original and two copies by US Mail – emails are NOT accepted) with a copy to the WICD.
Video Division, Media Bureau
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20554
WICD
Gary Hackler, Station Manager
250 South Country Fair Dr.
Champaign, IL 61812
More details on this process can be found at www.fcc.gov/mb/video/renewal.html . Your voice can make a difference! If you are not happy with the state of our local broadcast media, now is the time to make your concerns known!
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