The Curmudgeony Librarian writes “The Federal Communications Commission turned aside, this week, a request to begin applying public airwave broadcast standards to subscription satellite radio stations. Saul Levine, a radio station owner in California, brought the request. Levine argued among other things that this lack of standards would create an unleveled playing field for airwave broadcasters.
The FCC declined the request on the grounds that “subscription-based services do not call into play the issue of indecency.” Levine responded that this ruling would leave the public exposed to indecent broadcast via other means, such as in rental cars that come with free satellite service. It is unclear what effect this decision may have on online content–another form of media which has been under fire for “indecency issues.”“
Yes!
Wow! A common sense decision from the FCC? Who’d a’thunk it?
Seriously though, there actually is an unlevel playing field between sat-radio and standard AM/FM broadcast. It has something to do with the fact that AM/FM sucks in all the ways that satellite doesn’t. Just sticking to FM, which is what a majority of people listen to, you’ve got obnoxious DJs who think they’re every bit as funny as Robin Williams, commercials after almost every other song, and speaking of songs they only play about 40 different songs over and over again, you can’t even hear music in the morning because you’ve got at least two dipshit DJs who think they’re the next Abbott and Costello, and I could go on and on.
You get none of that with satellite. That’s not to say it’s not there at all. If you want to listen to talk radio, they have that. But they also have one feature that I love above all others, the feature that most people really like.
How many times have you listened to the radio and heard a song you really enjoyed, but you don’t recognize the singer or you can’t quite figure out what the title of the song is? So you wait, and hope beyond the hope the DJ bothers to tell you what the hell the song was? And then, after the song is over, they go to their 15th commercial that hour and never say who or what the tune was? Doesn’t that piss you off? It doesn’t happen with satellite. Almost all sat-radio receivers have a display that tells you the title, the artist, and sometimes even the album. Is it not nifty?
Satellite radio really scares big radio conglomerates like Clear Channel. As more and more people grow tired of lame DJs and even lamer commercials, they’re leaving. Don Imus said that, once you listen to satellite radio, you’d never go back to AM/FM. Keep in mind folks, this is a conventional radio star. I don’t want to see anyone lose their jobs, especially since my good friend rocks the airwaves in Idaho Falls, but this is yet another example of a technology that destroys all long-standing business models. Naturally, those who cling to those models are a little antsy right now.
Hmm…
In the letter by Media Bureau Chief W. Kenneth Ferree, it is merely noted that the petition that was filed did not raise sufficient grounds to revisit prior determinations of issues. The original petition (I am not quite sure the link into the Electronic Comment Filing System of the FCC will work totally) by Levine is interesting to read too. It is only seven pages long
I am surprised that this was acted upon so quickly. Of course, then again, I usually deal with the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau instead of the Media Bureau. The WTB has way more on its plate most of the time.