BuzzFlash Reader Contribution

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Communication Deregulation

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Jack Garner

The biggest danger to the American way of life is the Sinclair Broadcasting Co. and other like-minded corporations that seek unlimited growth in the information media. Sinclair has 62 stations in 39 markets and claims to reach 24% of the American viewers. Sounds like a giant, huh? Yet Sinclair is a dwarf when you compare it to Rupert Murdoch's Fox network (the unofficial voice of the Republican Party) with 38%, Viacom 39%, with CBS and UPN exceeding this. Clear Channel Communications Inc., the nation's largest radio station operator with 1,200 radio stations, has selected Fox News Radio for most of its news and talk stations in a transaction projected to nearly double the Fox radio presence.

There was a time in the fifties, when a broadcaster was limited as to the amount of Broadcast properties they could own. This all changed during the Reagan administration and the cork was totally popped by the Clinton administration in 1996. Society has never been able or doesn't care about putting it back in the bottle.

The Federal Communications Commission was established in 1934 and is supposed to regulate radio, television, satellite and cable broadcasting. A function of the FCC has traditionally to prevent dominate media monopolies by establishing limits on media ownership.

The danger that kept the amount of properties low in the pre-Reagan area surfaced at last during the last election when Sinclair decided to run a politically damaging program smearing John Kerry. Fortunately enough concerned people emailed the Federal Communications Commission and drowned advertisers on Sinclair with an ocean of emails threatening to never buy another product or service that was advertised by Sinclair. The good news is the concerned people won. The bad news is there are 5 members of the FCC, 3 of them are Republicans and it is believed the Bush administration will resurrect deregulation, which means fewer owners controlling even more assets. They will attempt to hunt for favor with the established Washington powers in turn for relaxation of regulations that are supposed to protect the public interest.

The FCC formerly barred radio or television station owners from owning a newspaper in the same market. The FCC (remember now they are supposed to protect the public interest) has now abolished this rule in the majority of the large markets in this country.

We are extremely fortunate that some members of Congress are against this FCC move and are proposing a bill that would ban ownership of a newspaper as well as a radio station and television in most markets. We are unfortunate in having a President that will probably veto such an attempt.

What we are looking at will be a monopoly, one that will transmit ONLY THE NEWS IT WANTS YOU TO HEAR, and will be in a position to bring about the election of only the people it wants in power. This is a critical year and most of the public is totally unaware of what is happening. You, as individual citizens, must protest by calling and writing your elected representatives and making it quite clear that you are not ready to give up your freedom. Tell them you want the information media giants broken up and more regulation of that group.

Don't expect to hear anything about this on the national television and very little in major newspapers (only an estimated 20% of our nations newspapers are now truly independent) -- the internet is the only place where the news is not managed to some degree or the other.

It doesn't matter what your party preference is -- Republicans will be enslaved just as fast as the Democrats.

You won't lose your freedom by having your guns confiscated, but you will lose it, when you no longer have the ability to gain information vital to your daily decision making, decision making like voting.

Jesus said "Ye shall know the truth and it shall make you free." What happens to you when you can no longer see, hear, or read the truth? Think about it.

A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION