"Purely Hypothetical"

[MediaBoy4Radio]

Suppose there was a radio market where a large corporation favored one of its
am stations to the detriment of others that it owned, even though it might be
argued that one of them had a superior signal to the "favored" station.

If the FCC did not allow multiple stations to be owned by a large corporation it is
possible that the "unfavored" station would be programmed at a higher standard.

Now my question ..............is the current situation really in the public interest,,,,,,is it really serving the public good...........................????????????

Just wondering...............................................

Glad this sort or thing is not possible.................

 

[nytalkin]

Your hypothetical may work if the market in which these stations operated was getting smaller everyday; the advertising dollars were getting fewer. If they were able to completely sell the airtime of the prefered station and operate the other station at minimal levels perhaps the large corporation could make money.

If your scenario were real, the FCC could probably make a case that the non-perferred station was no longer serving the public interest and take the frequency to a growing market that is currently under-served.

 

[Bob1370]

"If your scenario were real, the FCC could probably make a case that the non-perferred station was no longer serving the public interest and take the frequency to a growing market that is currently under-served."

Or a more likely scenario under today's rules; the owner of that non-preferred station, as soon as the FCC opens up its next window for significant facilities changes (expected next year) could argue that he could serve the public better by moving to a city of license not too far away but economically healthier, where he could establish a new and competitive service as an alternative to a tiring heritage talker that exists there now.

Of course I'm not necessarily predicting that under this scenario, AM1520 would suddenly sprout a pair of new 400 foot towers just off Manitou Road in Greece sometime in the next 36 months, move its studios to Mill Street in downtown Rochester, hire some hosts, and announce itself as Rochester's New Voice...

Or am I?

 

[SirRoxalot]

As long as we're dreaming...

Perhaps the FCC should create a rule that any radio station that has shown a continuing inability to serve the "public interest, convenience, and necessity" for a significant period of time should be sold to new owners.

The "significant period of time" is open to debate, but I'm thinking that 3-5 years is about right.

Demonstrating that you're serving the "public interest, convenience, and necessity" could be measured in various forms, but average ratings of less than a 1-share of the audience 12+ ought to be convincing. Perhaps we'd need a sliding scale, depending on coverage areas, and I'd include an exemption for daytime-only operators. Another measure might be exclusive advertising revenue. If the exclusive revenue of a station (i.e. spots sold for broadcast on THAT station, not a part of a multi-station package) don't equal the operating costs during that period, then the current owner would have to divest the station.

This proposal would prevent corporate owners from sitting on frequencies to prevent competition with their preferred stations. It would increase the number of voices in the community, and foster competition, which is healthy for everybody involved.

Now, if we could only force broadcasters to serve the communities that radio stations are LICENSED for, instead of rim-shotting bigger markets...