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Restore the Public Interest to the Public Airwaves:Rewrite Radio Ownership Rules!
Today, six giant multinational corporations now control all 14,000 radio stations inour country, almost all 6,000 TV stations, 80 percent of our newspapers, all of our billboards, and now most of the Internet information services. So you have six guyswho dictate what Americans have as information and what we see as news. The newsdepartments have become corporate profit centers. They no longer have any obligationto benefit the public interest; their only obligation is to their shareholders, and they fulfill that obligation by increasing viewership
.
 Robert F. Kennedy, in a speech to the Sierra Club, September 10, 2005
The 1996 Telecommunications Act rewrote radio ownership rules to allow a handful of corporategiants to take over local radio. This hijacking of the radio airwaves is the reason why RushLimbaugh and company dominate the public airwaves and the political discussion. It is thereason why Bill Clinton was impeached, why John Kerry was swiftboated, why George Bush waselected and why the Tea Parties have flourished. It is the reason why we as a nation are so polarized, why we shout at each other rather than debate with each other, and why we as a cultureare growing accepting of hate radio which incites violence.It is why local bands can no longer get on the air, and why midwesterners can no longer gettornado alerts. It affects the quality of our news, our information, and the health and public safetyof our communities. It is why local people have no say over the content provided by the veryradio stations licensed to serve their interest, the public interest.In short, the 1996 Telecommunications Act has worn away the very fabric of America. It is timeto restore discourse to the America the founding fathers envisioned by restoring local ownershipto the publicly owned airwaves .
Congress is currently taking comments on rewriting the Communications Act toinclude New Media. Tell Congress to rewrite the Old Media radio ownershiprules at the same time.Sue WilsonNovember 22, 2010suewilsonreports.com
 
010,000,00020,000,00030,000,00040,000,00050,000,000
U.S. Talk Radio Programming
ConservativeProgressive
53 million people in the U.S.listen to Talk Radio.
(source: Arbitron Radio Today,2009.)
91% of Talk Radio Programsare Conservative.
(source: Structural Imbalance of Talk Radio, Center for American Progressand Free Press, 2007.)
050010001500200025003000
Hours of Conservative v ProgressiveTalk Radio Aired Daily
ProgressiveConservative
2,570 hours of ConservativeTalk Radio are broadcast eachweekday on these stationscompared to 254 hours of Progressive Talk.
(source: Structural Imbalance of Talk Radio, Center for American Progressand Free Press, 2007.)
050100150200250Conservative v. Progressive Ideason the Public AirwavesAirs NoProgressiveIdeasAirs SomeProgressiveIdeas
92 percent of talk radiostations do not broadcast asingle minute of progressivetalk radio programming.
 (source: Structural Imbalance of Talk Radio, Center for American Progressand Free Press, 2007.)
 
020406080100
Radio Reaches More than AnyMedia
% Americansreached byradio
Radio has the greatest penetration of any media(print, broadcast, or digital,)reaching 90 percent of Americans each week.
(source: Arbitron, “Radio Today:How America Listens to Radio, 2007edition,” p. 3. Total percentages based on spring 2006 data)
02040608010020012008Radio Reach Strong Despite New MediaWeekly Reach
Despite the availability of numerous new mediaalternatives, radio’s weeklyreach has declined onlymodestly in the past severalyears, from 94.9% in Spring2001, when the iPod wasintroduced, to 91% in Fall ’08
.
(source: Arbitron Radio Today,2009)
010203040506070
Radio Listening Occurs Away fromHome, Mostly in Cars
% RadioListening incars or awayfrom home% RadioListening atHome
From 7AM to 7PM weekdays,more radio listening takes place away from home:accompanying listeners in thecar, at work or some other location. Overall, 64% of weekday listening occurredout-of home. Commutersmake up 44% of radiolisteners.
(source: Arbitron Radio Today, 2009, Nielsen Media Research)
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