[BC] FCC politics

[Donna Halper]

On 7/23/2014 2:37 PM, Ed Czarnecki wrote:
> Great reference to FRC Gen Order 32 - although I think the order removed 109
> stations from the air to reduce interference with other stations.
>    

I stand corrected-- it was 108, in the final total, I believe.  But 
regarded the idea of "reducing interference..", not exactly.  That's how 
the mainstream press reported it, in language that sounded like 
publicity from David Sarnoff, William Paley and other corporate execs. 
(Robert McChesney, in his wonderful book Rich Media/Poor Democracy, 
discusses in detail how big business lobbied for those frequencies, and 
network expansion was the ultimate goal.)  If you take a closer look at 
the stations deleted, it tells a very different story.  Many were small 
community stations owned by local entrepreneurs, and they were really 
performing a service to their communities.  Some, yeah they were owned 
by charlatans and good riddance.  But many others were not interfering 
with anyone.  The owners were told they could fight being taken off the 
air if they wanted, but most did not have the money for a prolonged 
fight; many couldn't even get to Washington or afford an attorney, so 
they just gave in.