Relationships among economic,newsroom, and content variables: A path model.

This study examines the relation between local news content and ownership structure in 17 television markets in the United States. It is an extension of the localism research that was conducted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2004 and the Local Television News Media Project at the University of Delaware in 2007 (see FCC, 2007). The findings point to the need to consider television markets as the appropriate unit of analysis when examining the effect of ownership on local content. Ownership does matter in the production of news on local broadcasts. When examining only station-level factors, independent stations broadcast more local content on their newscasts than those stations that were either (a) owned-and-operated (O&O) and part of a duopoly, (b) O&O-only, or (c) part of a duopoly-only. However, when examining station-level and market-level factors of television markets, the station-level ownership profiles positively affected local content. Market-level factors that indicated more consolidation negatively affected the proportion of local news presented in the entire designated market area.     

Revocation,renewal of license,and fines and forfeiture cases before the federal communications commission

The lead article in this issue of the Journal mentions the various punitive powers of the Federal Communications Commission. These powers, are often misunderstood or misjudged by station licensees who have violated either the Communications Act of 1934 or the rules and regulations issued by the FCC persuant to that act. Until relatively recently, the only weapon available to the FCC itself, in broadcast matters, was the power to revoke the offending station's license. Except in the most flagrant cases, this “big stick’ was rarely used, and thus lost much credibility as a deterrent. Although violators of Federal law have always been liable for prosecution, the highly technical nature of many violations, the lack of a spectrum of “punishments” available to the FCC, and the ready access to lengthy court proceedings all combined to severely hamper the Commission in its efforts to apply sanctions to the few “bad apples” who, in the FCCs opinion, deserved them. This situation was radically changed in 1960, when Congress gave the FCC the power to issue short‐term licenses and impose fines as well as continue to utilize the suasion of its power to revoke licenses for cause.

The following lists of revocation, denial of license renewal, and fines and forfeiture proceedings before the FCC give a good picture of how the FCC has used its powers in the four years since the Communications Act was amended along these lines. Mr. Earl R. Stanley, a partner in the Washington law firm of Dow, Lohnes and Albertson, originally prepared these lists as appendices to a September 1964 speech before the Nebraska Broadcasters Association.     

Black ownership of broadcast stations: An FCC licensing problem

The development of minority (in this case, black) ownership of television stations as a factor in licensing is analysed through discussion of the Orlando, Florida TV 9 and Hunts‐ville, Alabama Garrett cases. The author, part of the department of communication at Florida Technological University (Orlando), contends that Appeals court actions have forced the FCC to more carefully consider minority ownership aspirations—but that many basic questions need to be clearly answered prior to any definitive rule‐making on the subject.     

The ecology of broadcasters in the United States

Forbidden to censor, and saddled with an undefined (and perhaps undefinable) criterion of the “public interest, convenience and necessity”; for deciding among otherwise‐qualified applicants for a broadcast facility, it is little wonder that the FCC has relied upon a patchwork of precedents and rule‐of‐thumb standards. Possibly because of the uncertainty of these standards, and partly because the staff has not increased in size as greatly as has the workload, the Commission has avoided whenever possible the enlargement of license application hearings to include anyone other than the applicants themselves. Sometimes, however, the courts haven't allowed the FCC to so restrict the number of participants in a hearing, and sometimes the courts have had to remind the Commission that the laboriously accumulated body of administrative practice and precedent is not always the same as the language or purpose of the Communications Act of 1934.

“Economic injury”; is a station owner's concept. It is at the interface of theory and marketplace reality. It is the almost impossible‐to‐prove claim that the establishment of a new station in one's market will so split the available revenues that both stations will fail—or, at least, that both stations will have to operate with substandard (e.g., cheaper) programming, and thus will not serve the public interest. At first, the FCC listened to some of these claims, but soon evolved a policy of avoiding them, by whatever means and reasoning that it could. Over the years, and despite substantial prodding from the courts, the FCC's policy of avoiding this claim has become rigid . . . thus providing us with an excellent and fascinating case study of administrative policy formulation.     

News Talk: Investigating the Language of Journalism

The “topless radio”; phenomenon was briefly widespread— and controversy about such formats continues to appear. This article reviews two important FCC decisions, Sonderling (WGLD‐FM), and Pacifica (WBAI‐FM), to discern and describe FCC policy trends and attempts to define just what obscenity and indecency is and what standards for broadcasting should exist. Dr. Feldman is on the speech faculty at Denison University (Ohio), while Dr. Tickton teaches mass communication and speech at, respectively, Norfolk State College and Old Dominion University, both in Virginia.     

Undervaluing Mutual: The FCC’s Missed Opportunity to Restructure Radio Broadcasting in the New Deal Era

This article reexamines the Federal Communications Commission’s investigation into monopoly practices by the “chain” or network radio broadcasters in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The FCC targeted NBC and CBS and eventually succeeded in forcing NBC to sell its Blue radio network. But the Commission ultimately failed to prevent network domination of affiliates. I argue that the Commission missed an opportunity to recognize that the Mutual Broadcasting System offered an alternative, cooperative model for organization of the industry that could have better served the FCC’s goals of harnessing the power of chain broadcasting and promoting localism in broadcasting.     

Juggling Justifications: Modifications to the National Television Station Ownership Rule

In light of the court's rulings in Fox et al. v. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that the Commission failed to explain its departure from its 1984 efforts to eliminate the National Television Station Ownership rule, this paper examines the FCC record and finds two competing justifications: The 1984 Report argued that the rule did not encourage localism whereas the 2003 Report argued that the rule sustains localism, defined as affiliates' right to preempt network programming. This case demonstrates the politics of broadcast regulation, the power of the rhetoric of the marketplace, and the increased role of the courts in policy-making.     

Media Policy Goes to Main Street: The Uprising of 2003

In this article, I chronicle the uprising of 2003, when media policy absolutely exploded into the public consciousness as millions of Americans registered their opposition to the relaxation of long-standing media ownership rules. I concentrate on the first half of 2003, when the popular movement moved from the margins to the mainstream and put media reform activism in the public eye for the first time in generations. In some ways this event also provides a textbook case of corrupt policy making as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) majority, following standard operating procedure for that less-than-august body, acted reprehensibly in view of the public feedback it received. The Republican leadership in Congress was no better. I will emphasize the activities and arguments of FCC members Michael Powell and Michael Copps because they came to lead the respective sides and became the leading public faces of the media ownership debate. Important organizing work took place in previous years—centered around groups like Consumers Union, Media Access Project, and Center for Digital Democracy—and made what happened in 2003 possible. Once the struggle reached Congress in the summer of 2003, popular opposition to the relaxation of media ownership rules was already organized, and the outcome remained undetermined even into 2004.     

A selected bibliography of works on the federal communications commission, 1967–1969 supplement

In the Winter 1967–68 issue of the Journal of Broadcasting Mr. Sperry published a highly selective bibliography of works on the FCC prepared following a search of the various periodical indices, lists of theses and dissertations, the Monthly Catalog of U. S. Government Publications, the Library of Congress Catalog and similar sources. The following supplement to that bibliography, extending through 1969, is provided as a somewhat less exclusive guide to more recent materials on the Commission. Mr. Sperry is Librarian in Lyndon State College, Lyndonville, Vermont.     

The “red lion”; decision

The decision of the Supreme Court last June in the “Red Lion”; and “RTNDA”; cases is the most important decision on broadcasting from SCOTUS in many years. On this fact communications attorneys, members of the FCC, editorial writers, teachers, and the Vice President of the U. S. can all agree. To make this landmark decision more readily available, the Journal is providing below most of the verbatim text of the decision. In the interests of conserving space, some minor marked deletions have been made.

The full title of this case is: “Red Lion Broadcasting Co., Inc., etc., et al, Petitioners, v Federal Communications Commission et al. (No. 2)—United States et al. Petitioners, v Radio Television News Directors Association, et al. (No. 717).”; It was argued April 2 and 3, 1969, and decided June 9, 1969, with Mr. Justice White delivering the opinion of the Court. The precise legal citations from the court reporting systems are not yet available.     

An Evaluation of the Federal Communications Commission's 2007 Report on TV Violence

At the behest of 39 members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce, in 2007 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a report that addressed the effects of violent television on children, the constitutionality of various strategies for regulating children's exposure to violent television content, and the viability and benefit of a congressionally developed definition of excessively violent television programming. This review evaluates how well the FCC carried out the tasks assigned to it by Congress, particularly in regards to the FCC's assessment of the social scientific research on the effects of exposure to televised violence.     

Pirates,Pranksters, and Prophets: Understanding America's Unlicensed "Free" Radio Movement

This study takes a qualitative look at illegal radio operations as defined by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). It offers a better understanding of the character and motivations of these broadcasters to operate outside the law. Additionally, the project examined reactions to recent FCC inquiries to create legitimate low power "micro radio" broadcasting for licensed small broadcasters. The study concludes that, depending on the specific broadcaster, there can be several motivating factors influencing the decision to bypass the FCC and start up a radio station. Many of these unlicensed operators do not see themselves as true criminals but rather counter-culture renegades of the air- waves. Researchers also found a strong interest in micro radio pro- posed by the FCC.     

The evolution of television: 1944–1948

In the Summer of 1960 issue of the Journal of Broadcasting (Volume IV, Number 3) appeared the first in a series of excerpts from the official records of the Federal Commications Commission relating to broadcasting. It outlined the evolution of television from 1927 through 1943. Below, this history is carried through fiscal 1948, the year that television broadcasting took its first giant jump in number of stations, number of receivers, and number of problems. At the end of this period, television was poised at the edge of the “freeze” Following 1948, Annual Reports of the Commission become more readily available (as contrasted to the bare handful of copies of the 1944 Report in dog‐eared existence), as do broadcasters and others who lived through and are familiar with subsequent events.

The Journal is hopeful that these verbatim excerpts from official Annual Reports of the FCC will be of use to researchers, and of interest and value to the Journal's entire readership. As the introduction to the first installment said, “From them we may, with some confidence in factual accuracy, examine the fascinating panorama of the growth of a great American industry . . . .”     

Out of Eden: The Legion of Decency,the FCC,and Mae West's 1937 Appearance on The Chase & Sanborn Hour

During a 1937 appearance on NBC's top-rated Chase & Sanborn Hour, Hollywood icon Mae West starred in a comedy skit based on the Garden of Eden that drew complaints of indecency from offended listeners. Much of the reaction came from Catholic reformers seeking to expand the Legion of Decency's influence to radio. The sponsor and network apologized, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a letter of reprimand to NBC and its affiliates. This action spurred a backlash among critics, who charged the FCC with censorship. The incident was an important landmark in the prewar debate over government's role in regulating radio.     

Standards of conduct for FCC employees

The policy statement that follows was issued by the Commission on September 18, 1961 as Public Notice G (Mimeo 10150), in connection with revising its Administrative Order No. 10. American broadcasters should keep these standards in mind in all relations with FCC employees.     

Uneasy Listening: Pacifica Radio's Civil War. Cambridge,U.K.: Black Apollo Press, 2006

This historical account examines the Federal Communications Commission's investigation and hearings into newspaper ownership of radio stations. The hearing, which lasted from 1941 to 1944, were the opening round in what has proved to be a long‐term concern of the commission—cross‐media ownership in local markets. In the years since the newspaper hearings, the FCC has held to its decision to police cross‐media ownership case‐by‐case with the goal to avoid local monopolies. FCC ridings blocking cross ownership have been argued repeatedly, but the commission's authority has been upheld. Thus the hearings had an important result: The FCC reasserted its responsibility to ensure ownership diversification of broadcast stations. The hearings set the stage for future action by the FCC to police cross ownership, action that has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.     

FCC enforcement difficulties with unlicensed micro radio

The purpose of this study is to analyze Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulatory and enforcement strategies concerning unlicensed micro broadcasting. Micro radio stations in the United States have increased markedly since 1994. Employing document analysis, observations, and interviews, the FCC's regulatory and enforcement difficulties associated with micro radio activities are identified. Results indicate that FCC's efforts to restrict access to micro broadcasting technology have been stymied by the grassroots efforts of micro radio stations.     

The evolution of FM radio: 1941–1946

The following verbatim extracts from FCC Annual, Reports are part of a continuing series published in the Journal of Broadcasting that includes: “The Evolution of Television: 1927–1943” (Summer, 1960); “The Evolution of Television: 1944–1948” (Winter, 1960–61); and “The Evolution of FM Radio: 1935–1940” (Spring, 1961).     

Book of the Month: Cable

Don R. Le Duc's Cable Television and the FCC: A Crisis in Media Control (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1973—$7.95),     

Sale and value of radio stations

Appraisal of a broadcasting station for the purpose of sale is an activity involving considerable risk and even more guesswork. It is very hard to determine value, particularly when the purchase price is determined more by intangible assets and prospects than real property, and a cursory examination of the public record of the purchase price yields insufficient information about these prospects, assets and attributes.

Most of the important information desirable is available, however, in the public records of the Federal Communications Commission, on file in Washington. Obtaining the desired information from these records requires considerable effort, from first finding out just what is available and then performing the time‐consuming task of abstracting from the records. In this activity, knowledge of FCC procedures is a valuable asset. In the report that follows, data were gathered by Dr. Walter B. Emery, former FCC staff member and presently Professor in the Television and Radio Department of Michigan State University, while spending much of the summer of 1960 at the FCC under a research grant from Michigan State University. The correlational analyses and composition of the report were conducted by Dr. Paul J. Deutschmann, Director of the Communications Research Center at Michigan State University.