[BC] Do We Really Need All This Deception?

[Rich Wood]

It seems there's a new "consumer" group called the "Consumer 
Coalition for Competition in Satellite Radio." It appears there are 
no "consumers" involved. According to Mark Ramsey"s "Hear 2.0" this 
morning it's funded by the NAB.

Is terrestrial radio in such horrible shape that the NAB has to 
double up under different names to shoot down a service that has a 
fraction of the audience terrestrial radio has and won't have 
anywhere near its set penetration in any of our lifetimes. Since the 
NAB is spearheading the effort to force them to include HD Radio 
capability whether "consumers" want it or not would the "Consumer's 
Concerned ..." group be happy and go away if Satellite receivers had 
this capability?

As a concerned consumer myself I'd like to see Satellite reception 
capabilities in all HD Receivers I might form a group, myself.

While I'm not in favor of the merger because I strongly believe 
prices will rise and format choices will dwindle and I don't believe 
the claim that I'll get the same things I get now and have a lower 
priced choice for fewer channels I don't believe Satellite radio  is 
causing the sky to fall the way special interests claim. There's 
always the possibility one of them will go belly up due to economic 
forces and we'll have a monopoly service by default. With the sales 
of terrestrial digital radios seeming to slow down

When there are so many other, more critical threats from the FCC it 
seems to me that's where the NAB should be focused, not on pimping 
for a special interest.

Here's the link for details http://www.hear2.com/.

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that applies here "If You're Not 
Outraged, You're Not Paying Attention."

It's sad when the only way to accomplish something is though lies and 
deception. I realize it's a Washington tradition but, as an industry 
that used to follow high journalistic traditions, we should be better 
than that.

Rich