There are simply no rational arguments for the continuation of the Fairness Doctrine.

But one less corrupt obese government agency still might.
JMR

The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.

CHARLIE :This is a big farce that these people use which is real dumb. The right should have no problem with debating opposite views if given the time. This law would i think be more harmful to the kooky left who are being paid thru tax money, IE:PBS. The real reason that these so called talk radio conservatives are worried is because it will cut into thier ad revenues as they would have to give more time for debate and real answers, not who needs a steel building and other junk. And thats the truth.  

Fairness Doctrine will mean the end of it. Few people listen to AM/FM already except for conservative talk. Personally, I listen to streaming on the Web but little else. If the 'RATs take that away, I'll get along with no radio and just read the Web for my news. I'll NEVER go back to reading anything in the MSM.

I think the fairness doctrine is getting at the wrong issue. We don't need all stations to be "fair" in any sense of the word so much as we need them to be transparent in their biases.

Isn't that the argument? People might not recognize they're only getting one side of the story? Well if we make explicit what viewpoint people were getting, might they then gets news from where they want without as much regulation?

I just think shooting for fairness is the wrong target.

Like I said before, Clear Channel -- owning five stations in my little
neck of the woods, gives you choices: if you don't like three hours of
el Rushbo, you can catch up on the news with three hours of Hannity.

Local advertisers can pick their favorite, too.

I think CC is doing a heck of a job, and we should let them buy up all
the stations. The one AM station they don't own carries ESPN, and their
listeners don't get the good word.

"Burn that mother down." -- Jimmy Ellis

The Democrats seem to be stuck in the 30's when Radio was the primary source of entertainment and information available to everyone. Times have changed, but the Democrats haven't. So much for "Change you can believe in." It’s more like “Change we will ignore for the greater good.”

BTW, what, exactly is "fair" about this doctrine? No one is being forced to listen to talk radio (as Air America knows all to well, hee hee) so how fair can it be to MANDATE that radio content be “balanced” like they propose? If I want an opposing opinion, I look to another station or format for that opinion. That's the only way to ensure that the opinions are truly different and are not being manipulated by the station or format owners. The federal government has no business regulating public or private opinions and should not be in the business of controlling access to, and content of, those opinions.

If Congress REALLY wanted fairness in talk radio, they would remove most of the restrictions on ownership and broadcast rights and allow more people to broadcast without restrictions as to reach and content, but that would remove a lot of license income that is currently generate by federal interference so I don't expect that any time soon.

Just in case anyone missed it, here it is a black and white:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

There it is, "Congress shall make no law...". My only comment NB is that the so called "Fairness Doctrine" was unconstitutional, therefore, IMHO, we don't need another law to eradicate it or any notions associated therewith. All we need to do is go back to the Constitution, which to anyone who can read and think idependently is quite clear on the matter. Every time Congress decides to enact a law "clarifying" some matter of liberty they only serve to curb American freedoms. I believe this to be true whether it is coming from the Democrats or Republicans. My vote is to just leave the Bill of Rights alone.

"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." - C.S. Lewis