MCCAIN, POWELL CHALLENGE BROADCASTERS ON PUBLIC SERVICE
Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.) and FCC Chmn. Powell sent a letter to major broadcasters, challenging them to increase election news coverage and public affairs programming. The letter was sent to NAB Pres. Eddie Fritts, Disney Pres. Robert Iger, Fox COO Peter Chernin, NBC Chmn. Bob Wright and Viacom Co-Pres. Leslie Moonves. The letter commends broadcasters who are doing an exemplary job of covering election news and challenges others to do more. Powell and McCain, co-author of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, announced their challenge at a Capitol Hill news conference.
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An NAB spokesman said broadcasters provide an “enormous amount of air time for politicians” and that one of the constant challenges for broadcasters is getting incumbent politicians to accept offers for free air time. He said many politicians turn down free air time “on the advice of high- priced political consultants.” He said they often advise incumbents to reject opportunities to debate lesser-known challengers. “It’s a source of frustration for broadcasters all over America that politicians reject our offers of free air time,” he said. A Disney spokeswoman didn’t return a telephone message seeking comment. Representatives of Fox, NBC and Viacom declined to comment. An industry source cautioned that the letter wasn’t specific about whether the request to do more election coverage was aimed at network owned and operated stations, network affiliates, or independent stations. The letter didn’t threaten any govt. action if stations didn’t comply, and McCain noted that all the govt. could do legally was call for voluntary action. Powell noted that whether broadcasters fulfill their public interest obligations is considered when those stations go to renew their licenses. An FCC spokesman said the letter wasn’t meant to target the networks but was meant to cover all radio and TV broadcasters.
The letter cited a study by the U. of Southern Cal. and the U. of Wis. that found that in the 2 weeks leading up to the 2002 election, more than half of all top-rated local broadcasts didn’t include any campaign coverage. The study also found that among those that did stories, often the stories weren’t about issues and instead focused on polling data and campaign strategy or, as McCain put it, were little more than 12-sec. candidate “sound bites.”
The letter challenges all local broadcast TV and local radio stations to ensure they're providing their local communities with information on issues, campaign platforms and candidate debates. “We hope those in your industry not already offering such news coverage agree to accept the challenge and we look forward to hearing from all broadcasters on their specific plans to further educate voters during this election cycle,” McCain and Powell wrote.
The news conference was called by the Campaign Legal Center, which was releasing its new campaign media guide for the 2004 election cycle. The guide, which was distributed to broadcasters and candidates around the country, provides guidance on candidates’ rights to ad time and special rates, citizen rights to review broadcasters’ public files, and guidelines for broadcasters on the sale of ad time and their public interest obligations. McCain took the opportunity to chide those broadcasters who would offer little election coverage but profit from candidates’ ads, saying some candidates paid 65% more than the lowest unit charge. Some broadcasters, he said, raise the lowest unit charge in the weeks before major elections because demand is high. McCain also called on broadcasters to put information in their public files online.
McCain criticized the FEC for delaying a vote that might have set restrictions on the political fund-raising by Sec. 527 organizations, which are amorphous political groups not tied directly to political parties. McCain called that vote “remarkable” and said the FEC wasn’t doing its job.
FCC Comr. Adelstein, who also was at the news conference, said broadcasters “should be able to spare 5 minutes” per night to serve the public interest with election coverage, since the broadcasters are using billions of dollars of public spectrum free of charge. “We need to turn this around. We expect broadcasters to do better,” he said.