General Interest > Tacitus' Realm
Stern And The FCC
Antigen:
--- Quote ---On 2004-03-13 13:00:00, RTP2003 wrote:
Deregulation in the 80s started the trend, and Clear Channel carried it out to its logical conclusion.
--- End quote ---
I think selective deregulation is a more accurate term for what has happened. First, we gave over control of our airwaves to the Federal government. Then we grew a broadcast industry in that socialized environment. Then the biggest, baddest players--those who have risen up through the ranks because they're most adept at operating in that kind of environment (think Sr. Staff here)--hired a bunch of lobbyists to eliminate just those regulations that they don't like.
At roughly the same time as this was really heating up in the late `80's, the FCC went on a smash and burn rampage against unlicensed micro stations. If you can't support a $10k/yr licensing dependency while starting up in competition with the people who essentially write the licensing policies, then you can't run your $200 transmitter.
I think the time is coming pretty soon here when people will just quit taking the Federal government so seriously. You can only bust so many microstations in a day. And you can build a transmitter for under $200.
In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one should afflict the comfortable, and especially when they are comfortably, contentedly, even happily wrong
--John Kenneth Galbraith
--- End quote ---
RTP2003:
I live in a college town so I've heard a lot of pirate stations over the years. Uncle Charlie (FCC) actually came in with guns drawn when they raided one house that was broadcasting pirate signals. What was funny was another group of people who were also doing pirate radio started having "raid drills" and planning what they were going to do in the event one happened. They were so jealous of the other station and I would hear them pine away for hours about how they wanted to get raided too. They were more left-wing politically oriented than the station that did get shut down (who just wanted to play stupid rock and roll) and they thought that they would "help the cause" by getting raided. Eventually, I think they lost interest, as did most of their audience. We just wanted to hear stupid rock and roll, not political diatribes.
Antigen:
So why do you think they went after the one and not the other? My guess is that it had more to do with the power of influence over the audience than the power of the transmitter.
Anyway, have you heard the news that Stern is negotiating a contract w/ Serius? I wonder how that will all pan out. Sooner or later, some wise ass will probably start bootlegging the signal. Serius might not even object, either, as the signal would have to be crap compared to what the subscribers get, so it would amount to free advertising to those who can afford it and a vote of confidence from those who can't.
From the bottom of any large organization looking up through the ranks, human greed and stupidity look a lot like a conspiracy.
--S. Gilbert
--- End quote ---
Froderik:
--- Quote ---Eventually, I think they lost interest, as did most of their audience. We just wanted to hear stupid rock and roll, not political diatribes.
--- End quote ---
::bwahaha2:: ::drummer:: ::rainbow::
Antigen:
See, I don't think it's all that stupid.
This fits a long term pattern going back as far as the "heathens to the north" have been able to mark down a record of it.
April Fools Day came about as a result of the Holy Roman Catholic Church punishing w/o mercy anyone foolish enough to celebrate the new year on the first day of Spring. These celebrations usually involved feasting, dancing, singing and general merrymaking, 2nd only to that seen on Midsummer Night.
Twice, at Wounded Knee, the US Federal Government violently put down "rebellions". The first one involved dancing and singing, the second was more about trying to evict the Feds from the reservation (so they could go back to dancing and singing).
Now we have the RAVE Act and strict enforcement against any kind of unauthorized ... dancing and singing or even unauthorized rebroadcast of same.
I don't know what it is about the tired old men who we've selected as kinds, but they sure as hell don't like dancing and singing!
So.....
Let's Have a SONG!!
--- Quote ---EVERCLEAR ~ BLACKJACK LYRICS
Scary john gets his strong arm on
He can break me and make me
Happy with his blackjack
Scary john has the heavy hand on
He smiles without his eyes
Nice and easy with his blackjack
Don?t tell me that
You didn?t see this coming down
Please don?t say that this
Isn?t what you wanted now
Scary john gets his strong arm on
He can break me and make me
Happy with his blackjack
Scary john
Always knows what?s goin on
He is everywhere
Happy with his blackjack
Please don?t tell me that
You didn?t see this coming down
Please don?t say that this
Isn?t what you wanted now
This is your american dream
Everything is simple in the
White and the black
You will never need to see the grey anymore
You will never have to be afraid
When you are happy with the blackjack
I hope you are happy with the blackjack
Scary john
He wants to kill my song
He doesn?t like the fact
I?m not happy with the blackjack
I don?t want to hear the words
He has to say
Please don?t tell me that
You didn?t see this coming
Please don?t tell me
That this isn?t what you asked for
Be careful what you ask for
This is your american dream
Everthing is simple in the
White and the black
You will never need to see the grey anymore
You will never have to be afraid
When you are happy with the blackjack
I hope you are happy with the blackjack
This is your american dream
--- End quote ---
Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will [America's] heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.
--John Quincy Adams, Speech to the U.S. House of Representatives [July 4, 1821]
--- End quote ---
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