Hush Rush

Debate over the Fairness Doctrine continues

A few weeks ago the United States House of Representatives voted 308-115 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from re-imposing the so-called Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters. Although the vote was decisive it likely will not be the last word on the subject. Liberals view reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine as critical to silencing conservative talk radio, and a recent poll suggests the public is evenly split on the issue.

The doctrine, which compelled broadcasters to provide various viewpoints on issues discussed over the airwaves, was repealed 20 years ago. That opened the door for the emergence of talk radio. The timing was fortunate for broadcasters. Competition from FM stations threatened to make AM radio as obsolete as the telegraph. But along came Rush Limbaugh and talk radio which proved to be AM broadcasting’s salvation.

Talk radio has largely been the province of conservatives ever since. In the nation’s top ten markets, 76% of talk radio is dominated by conservatives. Limbaugh attracts 13.5 million listeners each week and Sean Hannity 12.5 million. By contract, the most listened to liberal talker is Ed Schultz who has an average weekly audience of 3 million listeners.

Liberals, who previously controlled the public issues debate through the mainstream television networks and the nation’s largest newspapers, have seethed over the impact of talk radio. They see reimplementation of the Fairness Doctrine as a way to hush Rush and other conservative talkers because radio stations would be compelled to provide equal time to liberal talk shows, which are not economically viable because few people will listen.

The power of conservative talk radio was on display recently as the grand compromise immigration reform bill was being debated by Congress. Prodded by talk shows hosts from coast to coast listeners bombarded their Senators and Congressmen with telephone calls, e-mails and faxes. This grassroots uprising resulted in the immigration reform bill going down to a stunning defeat.

Congressional powerbrokers were not pleased. And it wasn’t just liberals who were complaining. Senator Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) complained “talk radio is running America” and he added “we have to deal with that problem.” Another uproar ensued and Lott backtracked saying he did not want to place government restrictions on free speech.

Meanwhile, over in the House of Representatives, Congressman Mike Pence – a former talk show host – proposed an amendment to an appropriations bill for the FCC banning the agency from using any funds to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. The Pence amendment passed with unanimous Republican support and the votes of a majority of Democrats. To further drive a stake into the heart of efforts to revive the doctrine, President Bush announced he would veto any such legislation that passed Congress.

Don’t expect liberals to surrender. A recent Rasmussen poll showed that while the general public is not very focused on the issue, 41% favor reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine and 41% are opposed. As you might expect, support for reinstatement of the doctrine is much stronger among self-described liberal voters. Fifty-one percent of liberals support reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, with 33% opposed. Meanwhile, conservative voters are opposed to reinstatement by a 48% to 40% margin.

Lest liberal advocates of the Fairness Doctrine take too much heart from the Rasmussen poll results, the same survey also found many voters believe that talk radio became so popular because there was a need for an alternative to traditional media. Thus, an effort to place so-called fairness restrictions on conservative talk radio could also be met with demands for more balance by liberal broadcast venues such as the on-air television networks and National Public Radio.

Congressman Pence is continuing his battle to keep the airwaves free from regulation by politically correct though police by proposing a permanent Congressional ban on the Fairness Doctrine. Known as the Broadcaster Freedom Act, the Pence bill would permanently bar the FCC from ever re-imposing the Fairness Doctrine. The bill already has 100 co-sponsors, and companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate.

So look for this critical battle over our free speech rights to continue into the fall and perhaps beyond. Liberals know they have lost the fight for the hearts and minds of millions of radio listeners. Since they cannot win in a free exchange of ideas, they are left with no choice but to try and silence the debate.