The Far Left Secular Progressives, the Democrats, and Bringing Back the Fairness Doctrine . . .that’s the Subject of this Big B File.
Today is April 1st . . . Palm (or Passion) Sunday. It is also April Fool’s Day and what I am about to tell in this Big B File is no joke. There is a bill that was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives 14 months ago today that it’s sponsors and supporters say would restore fairness to Broadcasting, in this case radio . . .Talk Radio. What they won’t say is that the bill, the Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act a.k.a.. the Fairness Doctrine (House Resolution 501 from 2005) is intended to silence those people who oppose the Ideology and agenda of the Far Left Secular Progressives (S-Ps) . . . namely Conservative Talk Radio, Christian Radio and other Broadcasters such as Covenant Network (operator of Catholic Radio Stations) and New Life Media (who owns & operates Christian Radio Stations such as WBGL-FM in Champaign-Urbana, IL and WIBI-FM in Carlinville, IL, along with translator stations).
The reason the Far Left Secular Progressives are trying to silence these religious broadcasters and others like them along with talk show hosts like Bill O’Reilly and conservative radio talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, G. Gordon Liddy, Laura Ingraham, Jerry Doyle, Michael Medved and others is that these people and others are holding the S-Ps feet to the fire and constantly bringing to light their agenda precisely for what it is...Big Government (Government Controls Everything in Our Lives), Wealth Distribution, an "Anything Goes" mentality . . . meaning No Moral Absolutes, no right and wrong, Gay Marriage, Pedophilia, etc., and no accountability whatsoever. The S-Ps do not want to have to deal with the consequences for their actions . . . they want you to look at only their intentions and not the results of their agenda, viewpoint, Ideology . . . whatever.
In other words, their form of Socialism and Communism combined. The Far Left Secular Progressives obviously do not like being held to account and the truth being told about their agenda.
The following "Findings" are cited in the S-P bill, House Resolution 501 as Evidence of a conservative bias and domination of the Media, particularly the radio (Talk Radio) and new Media, i.e., internet blogs such as the Big B Files , Michelle Malkin, and others:
(4) Since the rescission of the Fairness Doctrine, the country has experienced a proliferation of highly partisan networks, news outlets, and ownership groups that disseminate unbalanced news coverage and broadcast content.
(5) News consumers, particularly those of talk radio, are overwhelmingly exposed to a single point of view. A 2004 survey by Democracy Radio revealed that 90 percent of all broadcast hours on talk radio are characterized as conservative. This imbalance results in issues of public importance receiving little or no attention, while others are presented in a manner not conducive to the listeners' receiving the facts and range of opinions necessary to make informed decisions.
(6) The 2004 survey, done by Democracy Radio, found that there were 2,349 hours of local conservative programs broadcast every week versus 555 hours of local progressive programs, and 39,382 hours of national conservative programs broadcast every week versus 2,487 hours of national progressive programs.
(7) An April 2004 poll, conducted by Media Matters for America of likely voters shows overwhelming support across the political and demographic spectrum for restoring rules requiring fairness and balance on the public's airwaves. When asked whether television and radio stations that use the public's airwaves should be required to present the sides of an issue in a reasonably balanced way including giving time to opposing points of view.
Let’s Address the Word Findings. The Findings in the bill are the arguments that the Far Left S-Ps are using to try to get the bill passed and signed into law. The portion of paragraph 4, "the country has experienced a proliferation of highly partisan networks, news outlets, and ownership groups that disseminate unbalanced news coverage and broadcast content" was aimed directly at and referring to Conservative Talk Radio and station owners such as Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (SBG), which use to own both radio & Television stations and now owns only owns and operates, programs, or provides sales services to 58 television stations in 36 markets. All SBGI does is to add a commentary from a conservative viewpoint to one of each of their stations’ nightly newscasts called "The Point with Mark Hyman" (hosted by Mark Hyman) and cover National and World News the way the Ancient Media has refused to do it up to the writing of this Big B File . . . fair and balanced, and not with a left-wing or right-wing viewpoint. Why do you think Fox News Channel has been so successful and gets attacked on a daily basis?
Ironically, the 4th "finding in HR 501 can also be applied to television as well, which has been dominated and controlled by the Far Left going all the way back to the 1950's.
Findings five through seven is "evidence provided by Democracy Radio and Media Matters for America . . . both are Far Left Secular Progressive (S-P) Groups and are nowhere near unbiased and nowhere near nonpartisan! I could just as easily give you a list of Conservative and Traditionalist Groups who would provide you documentation ans surveys showing that there is a Far Left SP Bias in the Ancient Media, especially on the TV side of things . . . in Local and Network TV News and in the Print Media, with proof to back them up. Now, let’s address Findings five through Seven individually.
Section 2, Paragraph 5 says the following about talk radio:
5) News consumers, particularly those of talk radio, are overwhelmingly exposed to a single point of view. A 2004 survey by Democracy Radio revealed that 90 percent of all broadcast hours on talk radio are characterized as conservative. This imbalance results in issues of public importance receiving little or no attention, while others are presented in a manner not conducive to the listeners' receiving the facts and range of opinions necessary to make informed decisions.
The first sentence says that you are exposed to only one point of view...conservative. Oh Really? Then look at Television, the vast majority of Magazines and newspapers...who are they all dominated by?
RADIO IS A RATINGS DRIVEN BUSINESS. What that means is that ALL radio programs, talk radio programs and otherwise, is driven by what the listeners choose to listen to. You have to be able to do to do a radio show that gets the listener’s attention, gets the the listener to keep listening to your show, and wanting to keep coming back for more time and time again. If after a few months or years of having good ratings, you begin to decline in ratings. If you don’t improve your show’s ratings, your show will eventually be cancelled...remember Air America?
I am a big fan of the Free market system, and as I said in the last paragraph, you live and die by the ratings book in the medium of radio and television. What’s so grand about the free market system is that anyone can do a radio show (talk radio & otherwise) and try to make it in the business. It is also what the American Dream is all about and even a liberal broadcaster like the late Charles Kuralt understood that (the American Dream).
It just turns out to be that Conservatives & Christians are far more successful radio talk show hosts than Far Left Secular Progressives and others are, with few exceptions...such as Alan Colmes and Tammy Bruce.
As many of you know, Alan Colmes is the co-host of Fox News Channel’s Hannity & Colmes with fellow radio talk show host Sean Hannity and hosts his own show "The Alan Colmes Show" on Fox News Radio Affiliates across the USA from 9:00pm till Midnight Central Time.
Tammy Bruce is openly gay, pro-choice, gun owning, pro-death penalty, voted-for-President Bush, an authentic feminist & a lifelong moderate Democrat who was once part of a Highly Successful Radio Talk Show on KABC-AM in Los Angeles, California. Tammy is now a Successful nationally syndicated Radio Talk Show host and is a contributor for the Fox News Channel.
Other than Mr. Alan Colmes and Ms. Tammy Bruce, the fact is that the vast majority of talk show hosts are conservative and that the Far Left Secular Progressive (S-P) hosts and the Far Left Secular Progressive networks have failed miserably to attract listeners for their shows and networks is the main reason that the S-Ps are trying to resurrect the Fairness Doctrine for Radio . . . a medium that they have been unable to dominate and control for at least the past 20 years and codifying it into Federal Law . . . remember Air America, the S-P talk radio network.
The Far Left Secular Progressives have been unable to control radio...especially talk radio since 1987 on the local level, when the original Fairness Doctrine was rescinded, and at the national level in 1989 when Rush Limbaugh became nationally syndicated with his program "The Rush Limbaugh Program". The Far Left Secular Progressives have controlled and dominated the television broadcast airwaves for at least the last 40 years, if not longer than that.
The Far Left Secular Progressives view the vast majority of Americans, who are traditionalists and are people of faith (most of whom are of one Christian Denomination or another), as a threat to them and their agenda than Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, Iran, Radical Islam, and all the terrorists combined. Therefore, the s-ps believe that they must silence those whom do buy into the S-P Ideology & agenda by ALL means Necessary . . . which is why they are doing everything they can to try to get passed in congress and signed into law H.R. 501 . . . The Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act a.k.a.. the Fairness Doctrine.
The bill is written in such a way that only would be affected if it became law . . . Conservative talk Radio and Christian Radio (including Catholic Radio). It is only the Far Left Secular Progressives who are the only ones who oppose their agenda . . . nobody else. Conservatives have correctly complained for years that there is a Far Left Secular Progressive Agenda being pushed on Broadcast and (for the mostly part) Cable television, and that the "Mainstream Media" a.k.a. "Ancient Media" has had a Far Left Secular Progressive bias since the 1950s. Are Conservatives, traditionalists and Christians trying to silence those whom they disagree with? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
If the Far Left Secular Progressives want to " to restore fairness in broadcasting" and "promote diversity, localism, and competition in American media, why don’t’ they include television Networks and TV News shows at the local an network level as well? I have a couple of questions in relation to this bill:
Why are Television stations, networks, and Cable TV Networks not affected by this bill?
Why would the Ancient Media not be affected by this bill?
Why Not? Because the Far Left Secular Progressives are out to silence their enemies 
and not to give all sides equal time at all. It will be a catastrophic day for the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Free Speech un the United States of America if the Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act a.k.a.. the Fairness Doctrine becomes law.
That’s the Big B Files. Click on the “Comments” link below and tell me what you think . . . I’m Bryan Hewing