Media Law: Regulations and Cases in Broadcasting - Prof. Larry Burriss, Study notes of Communication

Download Media Law: Regulations and Cases in Broadcasting - Prof. Larry Burriss and more Study notes Communication in PDF only on Docsity! 3/1/11 – Media Law  Broadcasting o Federal Communications Commission  Philosophical Background  Public Interest, Convenience, and Necessity – Something that is in the public interest, convenience, and necessity o FCC regulations do NOT apply to cable and satellite, but are generally followed by cable and satellite companies  Scarcity vs. Access – Broadcasters only have certain amount of space in spectrum before they start to interfere with each other (people who want to broadcast can’t broadcast due to spectrum space)  Technology vs. Content – FCC regulates technology but not content (this is bologna) o By regulating technology, FCC by default regulates content  Rules and Regulations  Wireless Ship Act (1910) o Required all ships that had so many passengers to have a wireless radio and operator  Radio Act (1912) o  Radio Act (1927)  Communications Act (1934)  Telecommunications Act (1996)  Fairness Doctrine  Public right to be informed  Stations should produce programs on controversial issues  Right of reply from opposing points of view  Ascertain – to compile  John Banzhaf and the Cigarette Commercials  How to change the media o Monitor the media o Find an applicable law  Cig ads was half the programming and half the income  Cig ads banned Jan. 2, 1971  The law of unintended consequences  Stations avoided controversial programming rather than give community representatives airtime  1985 stopped enforcing doctrine  Rejected the scarcity argument  Supreme Court struck down Fairness Doctrine in 2001 o United States Code