Television
 Impact
 Regulation
 Ownership
 Content
Impact
 Almost
destroyed radio
 Changed magazines – fiction virtually
disappears
 Film – theaters closed, B movies
declined
 Newspapers – are continuing to
decline after TV
Regulation
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Broadcast media are the most regulated
Radio and TV are the most regulated
Began with radio – too many overlapping signals
What is the frequency (91.9 for example) of
your favorite radio station?
Suppose another station broadcast on that
frequency or close to it?
What’s to stop a station from picking any old
frequency even if it causes interference?
How Regulation Came About
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1912 – Titanic Sank. Besides too few lifeboats,
radio operators on nearby ships were off duty.
Spawned the RADIO ACT OF 1912.
Established basic rules for radio transmission –
especially ship to shore– and established the
Federal Radio Commission.
Then radio as an entertainment/informational
medium was invented – KDKA Nov 2, 1920.
Three Big Events In
Broadcast Regulation
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Radio Act of 1912
Radio Act of 1927
Communications Act of 1934
Tinkering With Regulation
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The Reagan era ended many kinds of regulation.
Church groups blocked some regulations.
In 1996, regulations were adjusted to adapt to
the growth of cable – a major issue since cable
is not broadcast, therefore has more freedom.
Chaos
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“Cochannel interference became so bad that the
listener might suppose instead of a receiving set
(a radio) he had a peanut roaster with assorted
whistles.
Literal chaos made broadcasting irrelevant. Two
many stations were too close or overlapping on
the dial and no one could hear any of them
clearly.
Regulation to the Rescue
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The Radio Act of 1927 – the FRC (Federal Radio
Commission) was given authority to monitor broadcast
radio stations.
FRC was given the power to grant and deny licenses.
Regulated content of broadcast.
Here a choice was made – broadcasting could be
operated by the government or could be a free market
system. Regulation was a compromise.
Great Britain chose government broadcasting (The
BBC –British Broadcasting Corporation)
More Power To Regulators
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The Communications Act of 1934 pulled
together a variety of functions under one
commission: telegraph, telephone, radio.
The Federal Radio Commission became the
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION.
Broadcasters were required by statute to operate
in the INTEREST, CONVENIENCE AND
NECESSITY OF THE PUBLIC.
Examples of Regulations
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The Fairness Doctrine
The Equal Time Provision
Limits on Advertising
Regulated oversight to prevent broadcast of
profanity, obscenity and other “harmful” acts.
The FCC had the power to revoke broadcast
licenses and issue fines.
The Seven Words
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“There are some people that aren't into all the words.
There are some people who would have you not use
certain words. Yeah, there are 400,000 words in the
English language, and there are seven of them that you
can't say on television. What a ratio that is. 399,993 to
seven. They must really be bad. They'd have to be
outrageous, to be separated from a group that large. All
of you over here, you seven. Bad words. That's what
they told us they were, remember? 'That's a bad word.'
'Awwww.' There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad
Intentions.” George Carlin
Howard Stern