This morning, Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY) went on the air with Howard Stern to discuss the House vote happening today that would increase indecency fines to $500,000 (up from $27,500) per incident. Additionally, as I understood it, instead of holding the radio station or corporate owner responsible (i.e., Infinity Broadcasting, Clear Channel, etc), the individual broadcaster would be held responsible. And each incident actually means whereever the indecency may be broadcast. For example, if Stern is on 100 radio stations, his fine for one event deemed indecent by the FCC would be $500,000 per radio station.
I can’t begin to express coherently how dangerous such a law could be to the 1st Ammendment, and I have to believe that even if this gets passed in the House (which it probably will) and the Senate (less likely, but still possible), that it wouldn’t survive in the courts, but these days, who knows.
The utter hypocrisy by the corporate ownership of these broadcasters, however, many of whom are definitely in bed with the conservative legislators and other politicians is shocking. Clear Channel made this huge stand by pulling Stern off the six stations they owned which broadcast his show, however they reportedly continue to air the “live” commercials voiced by Stern. And this morning on Stern’s local WXRK broadcast in New York, one of the commercials was Channel 35 mainstay Robin Byrd advertising one of her phone sex lines. Commercialism reigns supreme again. Indecency apparently only exists when money isn’t changing hands.
Out of Focus 