[BC] Public File proceeding

[Mike Erickson]

On 6/13/06, Larry Fuss <lfuss2 at cox.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> The Public & Broadcasting Manual is useless and out of date.  The Issues &
> Programs lists are a farce.
> So tell me, what in the file actually serves a useful purpose?  The
> ownership report? It's available
> online.  The employment report? Same.  Letters from the public? Yea,
> right.


Issues and Programs list and the programs on that list are sometimes the
only ways a license serves the community at many stations each week.  After
that, it's back to the same 300 records and ads.


> But what does that have to do with the Public File?  Why not just enforce
> that rule?


The problem is, across the board, there has been less enforcement and more
relaxing of regulations.  It's gotta stop somewhere.

> THEN we virtually get rid of all news and public affairs programming.
>
> How does maintaining a Public File change that?


Because it forces broadcasters to actually log and legally put SOMETHING in
the file.  The hope is, what's in the file was actually broadcast.


>
> On the other hand, I've been to many stations over the years and asked to
> see their
> Public Files.  Most were a joke.  Very few had all the required material,
> and most
> had lots of junk that shouldn't have been in there at all, including
> privileged communications
> from their FCC attorneys, lists of contest winners, copies of every PSA
> they
> ever aired,
> instruction manuals for cart machines, maintenance records for the station
> van, etc.  It
> really is a joke.


So, the fact that these files were a joke leads you to believe that, instead
of realizing that maybe some of these people are unfit to hold a license, we
should just eliminate the public file all together?  Why not lower the
drinking age or legalize drugs since so many people break the law?  Let's
eliminate speed limits.




>
> Yes, it really is.  As I said before, stations should be held accountable
> to
> certain rules.
> I still hear stations, even in big markets, that don't seem to understand
> what constitutes
> a legal ID.


A legal ID?  That's what you're worried about?



I observe AM stations operating at night with day power and/or
> pattern.  And
> as you mentioned above, there are stations far from the city-of-license
> with
> no published
> phone number in the COL.  Enforce THOSE rules rather than put stations
> through a useless
> paperwork exercise.


I wonder what their public files look like.

=Mike Erickson=