Last day to save Christian radio?

[Xenia]

FCC rule change seen as threat to licenses of religious stations

Posted: April 28, 2008
12:00 am Eastern

© 2008 WorldNetDaily

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/images/misc/FCClogo.jpg

WASHINGTON – Today is the last day for public comments on a proposed Federal Communications Commission rule change (http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-07-218A1.pdf) some say would threaten the licenses of Christian radio stations from coast to coast.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=62756

[Timber Wolf]

I've heard this before.
Not sure if it is the same as what I have heard, but last time it was a hoax.
Will have to look at the links.

[ProfessorAlan]

I don't listen to a ton of christian radio, but I would guess it's enough that if this were a real threat, they would have mentioned it the last week or so.

[lynnmosher]

Snopes says it is false. Here's the link...

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/fcc.asp

[Xenia]

Oh brother! I guess that means that I cannot trust Worldnet Daily?!?! Sorry guys... On the bright side ~ I'm glad it's not true!

[lynnmosher]

Yeah, it confused me. Must be that they fell into accepting it just like the rest of us.

[Lookin^Up]

I remember the wilderness that existed before Christian radio became so prominent. It was a choice between secular music and ideals, and dull preaching and chancel choirs that rarely breathed life into Scriptures. I thank God for Christian radio. I'm glad this rumor is unfounded--a bit of wishful thinking on the part of someone with an ax to grind.

[Ransom v. Unman]

Oh brother! I guess that means that I cannot trust Worldnet Daily?!?!
Well, check their sources at least... and check those sources too.

All in all though, WND still seems about as reliable as any media outlet.

(This isn't to say that I like them!)

[Cymrugirl]

Not the same thing. I thought as soon as I saw this thread title that it would be this twenty year old O'Hare petition again - but that FCC document is a different dog. When questions on this subject come into my office they end up on my desk, so I can tell you we've looked closely at this puppy and this is different.

There has been a lot of political murmur about stopping certain provocative radio personalities the last year or so, and this looks to me like the fruition of that murmuring. I have run it by several folks in my office and it looks legit in terms of its language.

The problem lies in the fact that the public airwaves aren't privately owned - they're essentially leased. So if the government - specifically, the FCC - leases these tax funded air waves, then they can ultimately have more control over those airwaves. Public broadcasting stations on television fall under the same category.

In the end, I think radio is going to go the way of the satellite because that is the only guarantee a broadcaster has that he can air what he wants without interference. But hey, you win some you lose some. I have satellite radio and the content is not as friendly on some channels. Radio just may go the course of television, cable, etc.

This is just a regulatory consideration however. Nothing is set in stone. It could go down in flames.

From what I can tell in the language of the proposal, it wouldn't be an out and out takeover of these stations - as much as a requirement that they carry local news, and so forth. They will probably have to provide a certain amount of local services in order to maintain their license. Some of this already is in play. If there are two stations warring for the same spot on the dial, the one that is most local is always given priority. It has caused a lot of bitterness in my town recently when one Christian radio station ousted a twenty year station out of their spot - and what's worse - aired nothing but rants on how people of that particular theological leaning were basically messengers of Satan.

Yeah, it was bad.