“Change is in the Air” – Michael Copps, FCC commissioner. his comments here.
He bemoans the media for becoming a “wasteland” due to 30 years (translation: since Ronald Reagan defanged the FCC) of inaction within the FCC to force licensees to live up to their obligation to serve their local communities in the public interest.
Newspapers do not require a government license to publish. They have no “public interest” obligation – they prosper or fail based on whether people view them as providing value and whether advertisers can find customers by advertising. Newspapers are largely turning into the same wasteland, mostly carrying synidcated features and wire copy.
The changes in media are a reflection of the culture. When I grew up, there were 3 TV stations in a major city, and a PBS station just starting to get on the air. Today, I can subscribe to Cable or satellite and get 100s – or I can pay for movies on demand or use Hulu and get what I want when I want it. I can stream any one of 7,800 radio stations just in the United States, or listen to Sirius/XM or Pandora or 10s of thousands of internet-only streams and stations in other countries.
People have options now – you can’t force them to listen to their local mayor talk about the upgrade to the sewer system or ACORN lecture us about inequity in housing. It’s Mr Cobb who is seriously out of touch with the state of the Media.
What is he really saying? .
I think this is a non issue Art, at least until after the Nov. election. The fire storm this guy would cause by telling stations they would have to pull Beck, Hannity, Doyle for the greater good. Oh yeah, that would be a good move.
Plus I thought they were really after the internet?