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‘Death Knell for Catholic Radio’
Fairness Doctrine and ‘Localism’ Worry Catholic Radio Stations
WASHINGTON — The debate over the possible renewal of the Fairness Doctrine has generally pitted liberal lawmakers against popular conservative talk show hosts.
But small media outlets such as Catholic radio stations may stand to lose the most if Federal Communications Commission regulators step back into the arena.
With fragile budgets and small staffs, Catholic radio stations would be hard pressed to meet the Fairness Doctrine’s requirement to air opposing views on controversial issues or provide the range of programming that local review boards may demand.
These additional regulations would “be the death knell for Catholic radio,” said Stephen Gajdosik, president of the Catholic Radio Association, a trade association with some 200 member stations and programs throughout the nation.
“If I had to predict, I would say that the actual Fairness Doctrine will not be passed,” he said, “but the same effect may be accomplished through an FCC administrative rule called ‘localism.’ This gives a local review board oversight to decide whether a station’s content serves the needs and interests of the local population.”
Yet, the Church teachings that Catholic stations help disseminate are not open to debate or popular opinion, even if they are not widely accepted, Gajdosik pointed out.
“What if a local board does not agree with the Church and sees no value in having a radio station sending that message?” he asked.
The Fairness Doctrine was adopted by the FCC in a 1949 rule that required broadcasters using public bandwidth to air discussions “of conflicting views of public importance.” Cable and satellite stations are not affected. The rule was revoked in 1987 under the Reagan administration, but there have been periodic moves by lawmakers to restore it.
Fairness Doctrine and ‘Localism’ Worry Catholic Radio Stations
WASHINGTON — The debate over the possible renewal of the Fairness Doctrine has generally pitted liberal lawmakers against popular conservative talk show hosts.
But small media outlets such as Catholic radio stations may stand to lose the most if Federal Communications Commission regulators step back into the arena.
With fragile budgets and small staffs, Catholic radio stations would be hard pressed to meet the Fairness Doctrine’s requirement to air opposing views on controversial issues or provide the range of programming that local review boards may demand.
These additional regulations would “be the death knell for Catholic radio,” said Stephen Gajdosik, president of the Catholic Radio Association, a trade association with some 200 member stations and programs throughout the nation.
“If I had to predict, I would say that the actual Fairness Doctrine will not be passed,” he said, “but the same effect may be accomplished through an FCC administrative rule called ‘localism.’ This gives a local review board oversight to decide whether a station’s content serves the needs and interests of the local population.”
Yet, the Church teachings that Catholic stations help disseminate are not open to debate or popular opinion, even if they are not widely accepted, Gajdosik pointed out.
“What if a local board does not agree with the Church and sees no value in having a radio station sending that message?” he asked.
The Fairness Doctrine was adopted by the FCC in a 1949 rule that required broadcasters using public bandwidth to air discussions “of conflicting views of public importance.” Cable and satellite stations are not affected. The rule was revoked in 1987 under the Reagan administration, but there have been periodic moves by lawmakers to restore it.