bluecell
09-14-2002, 09:07 PM
I found this link on FoundryMusic (http://www.foundrymusic.com). It's funny how this Michael Copps guy appears to be alone in his battle at the FCC.
Here's the article:
Ownership Rules, Indecency Discussed at FCC Policymakers Breakfast
SEATTLE – September 13 - FCC Commissioners Kathleen Abernathy and Michael Copps offered glowing reviews of radio’s 9/11 efforts at the NAB Radio Show’s annual policymakers breakfast this morning, before turning their remarks to the Commission’s massive review of media ownership rules, which formally began yesterday. "This is a really serious and profound exercise," Copps said. "At stake is how this industry will look into the next generation and beyond." Sweeping reforms from the Telecom Act of ’96 went beyond what many expected, Copps said, and the verdict in Congress about whether or not the outcome is in the public interest falls along party lines. "We shouldn’t allow [industry] efficiency to trump the public interest," he said. The Commission will release a study from its media ownership task force this fall, and Copps would like broadcasters to participate in local hearings on the subject before the Commission makes any rulings next spring.
On the subject of indecency, Copps reiterated his contention that the burden of proof should shift away from the listener, encouraging broadcasters to voluntarily keep tapes of their stations. Regarding its ongoing investigation of Opie & Anthony’s "Sex For Sam" stunt, Copps said there was "a considerable feeling at the Commission that we could start an investigation without a formal complaint." Saying "this race to the bottom… is not acceptable and it’s not in the public interest," he called on the broadcast and cable industries to voluntarily discuss resurrecting a code of conduct that was thrown out in the ’70s after the Department of Justice raised antitrust concerns. Copps said the Commission received so many e-mails about the O&A broadcast, which originated on Infinity’s WNEW/New York, that one of its servers collapsed.
Commissioner Abernathy’s comments on O&A weren’t as harsh. "Just because I find something offensive and tasteless, I won’t go the next step and declare it indecent," she said. What action the Commission takes on the O&A debacle will be determined by whether what was broadcast is judged to have "risen to the level of indecent speech," she said.
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The FCC's crusader for decency in media, Michael Copps:
http://www.fmqb.com/site/BreakingNews/StoryImg02/Copps_Michael0426.jpg
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FMQB article (http://www.fmqb.com/site/BreakingNews/2002/NAB2002.html)
Here's the article:
Ownership Rules, Indecency Discussed at FCC Policymakers Breakfast
SEATTLE – September 13 - FCC Commissioners Kathleen Abernathy and Michael Copps offered glowing reviews of radio’s 9/11 efforts at the NAB Radio Show’s annual policymakers breakfast this morning, before turning their remarks to the Commission’s massive review of media ownership rules, which formally began yesterday. "This is a really serious and profound exercise," Copps said. "At stake is how this industry will look into the next generation and beyond." Sweeping reforms from the Telecom Act of ’96 went beyond what many expected, Copps said, and the verdict in Congress about whether or not the outcome is in the public interest falls along party lines. "We shouldn’t allow [industry] efficiency to trump the public interest," he said. The Commission will release a study from its media ownership task force this fall, and Copps would like broadcasters to participate in local hearings on the subject before the Commission makes any rulings next spring.
On the subject of indecency, Copps reiterated his contention that the burden of proof should shift away from the listener, encouraging broadcasters to voluntarily keep tapes of their stations. Regarding its ongoing investigation of Opie & Anthony’s "Sex For Sam" stunt, Copps said there was "a considerable feeling at the Commission that we could start an investigation without a formal complaint." Saying "this race to the bottom… is not acceptable and it’s not in the public interest," he called on the broadcast and cable industries to voluntarily discuss resurrecting a code of conduct that was thrown out in the ’70s after the Department of Justice raised antitrust concerns. Copps said the Commission received so many e-mails about the O&A broadcast, which originated on Infinity’s WNEW/New York, that one of its servers collapsed.
Commissioner Abernathy’s comments on O&A weren’t as harsh. "Just because I find something offensive and tasteless, I won’t go the next step and declare it indecent," she said. What action the Commission takes on the O&A debacle will be determined by whether what was broadcast is judged to have "risen to the level of indecent speech," she said.
-
The FCC's crusader for decency in media, Michael Copps:
http://www.fmqb.com/site/BreakingNews/StoryImg02/Copps_Michael0426.jpg
-
FMQB article (http://www.fmqb.com/site/BreakingNews/2002/NAB2002.html)