Wiston Papers
Radio and Television Station Political Advertising
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering a
proposal to require the nation’s radio and television stations to post from their
Public Files information about the political ads or commercials the stations
broadcast.
When I first head this proposal I contacted local stations for their reaction. Not surprisingly it was negative. “We could do it, but it would be a lot of work,” was the reply. That’s true.
But is the extra effort worth it? Will the public benefit from this knowledge?
The answers are yes and yes. A more important question, I would argue, is whether the stations themselves need to post this information?
Radio and television station Public Files are just that. Open to anyone who wants to go to the station and request to see the contents.
Proponents of electronic posting claim that the current system imposes an unacceptable burden because it requires interested listeners and viewers to physically go to the station—a special hardship for those who may be physically challenged or have transportation problems.
True, the current procedure does require extra effort. But that effort separates the seriously interested from either the casual reader or the voyeuristically curious.
SOLUTION: Why not rely on the new popularity of Citizen Journalism? I believe some enterprising local resident could adopt this as his or her community beat. One person could go to the station, review the information, summarize the contents, then post the information on a blog or news site. It would not guarantee that every public file for every broadcast station in America would be posted, of course, because not community would have an interested citizen journalist. But that’s the way it is now.
I don’t sense a groundswell of support or demand for electronic posting of this political information. And until there is, I suggest leaving the existing system intact.
When I first head this proposal I contacted local stations for their reaction. Not surprisingly it was negative. “We could do it, but it would be a lot of work,” was the reply. That’s true.
But is the extra effort worth it? Will the public benefit from this knowledge?
The answers are yes and yes. A more important question, I would argue, is whether the stations themselves need to post this information?
Radio and television station Public Files are just that. Open to anyone who wants to go to the station and request to see the contents.
Proponents of electronic posting claim that the current system imposes an unacceptable burden because it requires interested listeners and viewers to physically go to the station—a special hardship for those who may be physically challenged or have transportation problems.
True, the current procedure does require extra effort. But that effort separates the seriously interested from either the casual reader or the voyeuristically curious.
SOLUTION: Why not rely on the new popularity of Citizen Journalism? I believe some enterprising local resident could adopt this as his or her community beat. One person could go to the station, review the information, summarize the contents, then post the information on a blog or news site. It would not guarantee that every public file for every broadcast station in America would be posted, of course, because not community would have an interested citizen journalist. But that’s the way it is now.
I don’t sense a groundswell of support or demand for electronic posting of this political information. And until there is, I suggest leaving the existing system intact.
Steve Coon
April 27, 2012
April 27, 2012
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