Valley broadcaster defends GOP gift, others question legality

[Reciprocity]

By the time this goes through proper channels the election will be over.


Valley broadcaster defends GOP gift, others question legality
TOM CHORNEAU
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO - Executives and attorneys from Pappas Telecasting Cos. insisted Wednesday there are no federal or state laws preventing them from giving free air time to Republican candidates without making an equivalent offer to Democrats. And, they said, federal regulators agree.

But a spokeswoman for the Federal Communications Commission flatly denied her agency issued any opinion on $350,000 worth of air time the Fresno-area broadcaster has contributed to GOP county committees in support of Republican candidates running in the central part of the state.

Meanwhile, in an effort to quell a protest that has spread across the country, company executives extended to Democratic candidates a smaller offer of free air time on a company-owned Spanish language station in San Francisco - time that would be of little use to candidates in the hotly contested Central Valley races.

Under federal law, Schwartzman said, an offer of free air time to one candidate triggers a requirement that equal time must be made available to opposing candidates and any other interpretation of the rule is "just wrong."
For more..
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/special_packages/election2004/10031064.htm?1c

[ClassWarrior]

1. YESSS! The greedy bastards are forcing a new showdown...

...on the Fairness Doctrine.

Beauty.

24.

[ibegurpard]

2. Oh, this is rich:

"Meanwhile, in an effort to quell a protest that has spread across the country, company executives extended to Democratic candidates a smaller offer of free air time on a company-owned Spanish language station in San Francisco - time that would be of little use to candidates in the hotly contested Central Valley races."

Do they really think the people outraged about this are fucking IDIOTS? Free airtime on a spanish language station in SAN FRANCISCO???
Fuck, something needs to be done about corporate media consolidation.

[JPace]

3. The more these jerks play around with the publics

airwaves the more evidence we will have to re-install the fairness
doctrine.