Epilogue to the Quiz Show Scandal: A Case Study of the FCC and Corporate Favoritism

In 1959, the Federal Communications Commission was severely criticized for its failures regarding the television quiz scandals. Anxious to make amends, the Commission had the opportunity to redress its mistakes when it reviewed license applications for stations operated by three key figures in the scandal: Jack Barry, Daniel Enright, and NBC. Unfortunately, the Commission inconsistently applied its character requirements for licensees by ignoring NBC's questionable actions in the quiz show scandal but punishing Barry and Enright for theirs. This essay explicates the FCC's response to the quiz show deception through the relicensing cases of Melody MusidWGMA and NBWRCV.