The Value of Talk Radio
Dennis AuBuchon
February 25, 2009
Talk radio is an important commodity which provides various viewpoints and issues from different perspectives. This important segment of society is increasing more than ever before with the technology we have today. Besides being regular radio stations there now are Internet radio stations. The influx of this new opportunity offers greater resources to provide information to the public. This not only occurs with the regular stations but with talk radio programs. Today you can find a variety of programs across various perspectives. This is good for America and the public in general. While we as individuals may not always agree on positions or discussions we have the freedom to choose to what we want to listen. Granted there have been issues in the past where statements made have brought discredit to the industry but these are the exceptions rather than the rule.
Talk radio and the way this segment of society operates are important to get all viewpoints of an issue on the table provided there are listeners who want to hear it. The freedom of speech is a right that this segment of society uses to operate within the boundaries established. The boundaries involve restrictions on libel and slander. We have a right to express our opinion but we cannot do so when it violates the rights of others. Freedom of speech is an important privilege granted to us under the 1st Amendment and the founding fathers were smart to establish this right for the future of the United States. While not all stations present both sides of an issue on their programs it is their right to present their views to anyone who will listen.
Today in Congress there are efforts to cause a change in the way these radio stations operate. It is called the Fairness Doctrine. While many people may not know what this involves this article will attempt to provide some details. The Fairness Doctrine is an attempt to increase federal regulation over public broadcasting. Talk radio stations of all varieties will be greatly impacted if this doctrine or anything resembling it becomes law. The basic principle of this doctrine is to force talk radio stations to present both sides of an issue, not just one. While some presently do this others do not.
Present efforts in both the Senate and House of Representatives want to make this philosophy become the law under the rule of the Federal Communications Commission. In the past this doctrine was abandoned. The key aspect when this existed was that there were few broadcasters and it was felt that they had a duty to the public interest to make time available for airing of opposing viewpoints. Today these conditions do not exist. There are hundreds if not thousands of radio stations both Internet and regular that offer a variety of viewpoints on issues of the day. We have a society where we can choose what we want to hear.
There are questions regarding the implementation of the Fairness Doctrine or anything like it. One big question involves who determines if the time available is adequate to meet the conditions of this principle. Another point is who would be considered to be qualified and what conditions must be in place to meet the opposing viewpoint scenario. While it is not certain that this effort will succeed there are efforts to prevent this from occurring. I urge the readers of this article to become familiar with this doctrine and contact your senators and representatives. We must remember that they work for us and they need to receive our opinion on the right of free speech and any effort to affect this right granted in the 1st Amendment. There are countries where speaking out about government actions can be deemed to be treason but in this country we have the right to disagree and voice our opinion. We must cherish this right and not allow any action by Congress to alter the way this right is used by us and talk radio.
Many times there are laws being processed in our legislatures which may not necessarily impact us personally but they can impact the way business operates. A free market society is a great thing and with that philosophy the market dictates what will be successful and what will not. Programs that provide good information or opportunities to express our opinion are beneficial to the fabric of our society. No one should be forced to provide others opinions on their programs. As stated earlier we have a right to our opinion but that right does not guarantee that media sources will give it exposure. Let us voice our opinion to our legislative officials on this topic. Links to connect to our senators and representatives in Washington can be found through many web sites including my own. We must stay informed about actions of Congress and when we feel they are going in the wrong direction we need to let them know. This opportunity is not available in other countries like it is here as many do not have the opportunity to provide their input without criticism. Let us use this opportunity to always voice our opinion on important topics of the day and most importantly those that we feel are high on our list.
The subject of this article has been the value of talk radio and the efforts currently in Congress to affect the way talk radio operates. Talk radio provides critical opportunity to let the public hear opposing views on issues of the day. While they may not necessarily be on the same station or program you can find varying viewpoints on almost anything. Many times there are comments made with which we personally may not agree but it is not a reason to require both sides of an issue to be on the same station or program. Those that offer both sides of an issue would probably not be affected as much with any changes presently being proposed but others would. Let the right to free speech remain as it is today as it has been working for over 200 years. I call upon those reading this article if you feel the right to free speech is important as provided in the 1st Amendment to let your elected officials know how you feel. The Fairness Doctrine is too much to address in this article but I am in the process of discussing details of this philosophy which will be submitted for publication to this site. Another aspect is to search Google for information on the Fairness Doctrine to learn more about what it involves. one discussing this topic and its impact will also be published on this site.
Talk radio and the way this segment of society operates are important to get all viewpoints of an issue on the table provided there are listeners who want to hear it. The freedom of speech is a right that this segment of society uses to operate within the boundaries established. The boundaries involve restrictions on libel and slander. We have a right to express our opinion but we cannot do so when it violates the rights of others. Freedom of speech is an important privilege granted to us under the 1st Amendment and the founding fathers were smart to establish this right for the future of the United States. While not all stations present both sides of an issue on their programs it is their right to present their views to anyone who will listen.
Today in Congress there are efforts to cause a change in the way these radio stations operate. It is called the Fairness Doctrine. While many people may not know what this involves this article will attempt to provide some details. The Fairness Doctrine is an attempt to increase federal regulation over public broadcasting. Talk radio stations of all varieties will be greatly impacted if this doctrine or anything resembling it becomes law. The basic principle of this doctrine is to force talk radio stations to present both sides of an issue, not just one. While some presently do this others do not.
Present efforts in both the Senate and House of Representatives want to make this philosophy become the law under the rule of the Federal Communications Commission. In the past this doctrine was abandoned. The key aspect when this existed was that there were few broadcasters and it was felt that they had a duty to the public interest to make time available for airing of opposing viewpoints. Today these conditions do not exist. There are hundreds if not thousands of radio stations both Internet and regular that offer a variety of viewpoints on issues of the day. We have a society where we can choose what we want to hear.
There are questions regarding the implementation of the Fairness Doctrine or anything like it. One big question involves who determines if the time available is adequate to meet the conditions of this principle. Another point is who would be considered to be qualified and what conditions must be in place to meet the opposing viewpoint scenario. While it is not certain that this effort will succeed there are efforts to prevent this from occurring. I urge the readers of this article to become familiar with this doctrine and contact your senators and representatives. We must remember that they work for us and they need to receive our opinion on the right of free speech and any effort to affect this right granted in the 1st Amendment. There are countries where speaking out about government actions can be deemed to be treason but in this country we have the right to disagree and voice our opinion. We must cherish this right and not allow any action by Congress to alter the way this right is used by us and talk radio.
Many times there are laws being processed in our legislatures which may not necessarily impact us personally but they can impact the way business operates. A free market society is a great thing and with that philosophy the market dictates what will be successful and what will not. Programs that provide good information or opportunities to express our opinion are beneficial to the fabric of our society. No one should be forced to provide others opinions on their programs. As stated earlier we have a right to our opinion but that right does not guarantee that media sources will give it exposure. Let us voice our opinion to our legislative officials on this topic. Links to connect to our senators and representatives in Washington can be found through many web sites including my own. We must stay informed about actions of Congress and when we feel they are going in the wrong direction we need to let them know. This opportunity is not available in other countries like it is here as many do not have the opportunity to provide their input without criticism. Let us use this opportunity to always voice our opinion on important topics of the day and most importantly those that we feel are high on our list.
The subject of this article has been the value of talk radio and the efforts currently in Congress to affect the way talk radio operates. Talk radio provides critical opportunity to let the public hear opposing views on issues of the day. While they may not necessarily be on the same station or program you can find varying viewpoints on almost anything. Many times there are comments made with which we personally may not agree but it is not a reason to require both sides of an issue to be on the same station or program. Those that offer both sides of an issue would probably not be affected as much with any changes presently being proposed but others would. Let the right to free speech remain as it is today as it has been working for over 200 years. I call upon those reading this article if you feel the right to free speech is important as provided in the 1st Amendment to let your elected officials know how you feel. The Fairness Doctrine is too much to address in this article but I am in the process of discussing details of this philosophy which will be submitted for publication to this site. Another aspect is to search Google for information on the Fairness Doctrine to learn more about what it involves. one discussing this topic and its impact will also be published on this site.