2004-10-3
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VOICE ONE:
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Faith
Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. Today we present the second part of our
report about the American media.
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VOICE ONE:
The media in the United States have changed in recent years. For
example, in nineteen eighty-four, about fifty companies owned or
operated thousands of North American media. They included daily
newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations and book
publishers. In two thousand-two, only six companies owned about the
same number of these media.
Companies with large media holdings include the Walt Disney
Company, Viacom, Time Warner, General Electric and News Corporation.
The chance to choose among more media pleases many Americans.
They enjoy the Internet and cable and satellite. But others protest
that some material presented by the media can seem too similar.
VOICE TWO:
Last year, the Federal Communications Commission voted to loosen
restrictions on media owners. This agency, the F.C.C., supervises
the use of the public airwaves. It is responsible to Congress. The
F.C.C.'s measures increased the number of media businesses that a
company can own or operate in the same area.
But in June, a court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, mainly
rejected the changes. The Third District Circuit Court of Appeals
largely stopped the F.C.C. from easing ownership restrictions.
VOICE ONE:
F.C.C. Chairman Michael Powell
called the court's action "deeply troubling." Mister Powell is the
son of Secretary of State Colin Powell. Michael Powell spoke for the
majority of the five commission members. The commission said it was
considering an appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.
The F.C.C. rule changes would have ended some restrictions on
owners. Those limitations were placed in nineteen seventy-five. They
said a single company could own local television stations that reach
thirty-five percent of the public. The new limit would have been
forty-five percent.
A company called Nielsen Media Research divides the nation into
two hundred ten market areas. The new rules would have eased
limitations on how many media organizations a company could control
in the same market area.
VOICE TWO:
Chairman Powell said new conditions in the American media mean
that the nation needs new rules. He pointed to the competition that
the broadcast industry faces from newer media. He said this
competition means that traditional television broadcasting needs
help. Mister Powell said the changed rules would have provided this
protection.
A number of different kinds of activist organizations opposed the
rule changes. The National Council of Churches protested to
Congress. So did the National Rifle Association, which supports gun
ownership rights. More than two million people wrote their
objections to the F.C.C. rule changes.
Some activists said the F.C.C. overstated the importance of the
Internet as a local news provider. They said this influenced the
F.C.C. decision to change the rules. They pointed to a study by the
Consumers Union and the Consumer Federation of America. The study
asked where people get local news. It showed that sixty-one percent
of those asked still read newspapers for community news. This was
said to be true although newspapers in general have lost readers in
recent years.
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VOICE ONE:
Some restrictions on media operations had been loosened much
earlier. That happened when Congress passed the Telecommunications
Act of nineteen ninety-six. Among other changes, the
Telecommunications Act affected radio station owners. It also
affected those who hold a major financial interest in a station.
They received permission to operate up to eight signals in the
country's largest market areas.
VOICE TWO:
Some media companies bought or joined with small local community
stations. For example, Clear Channel Communications owned fewer than
fifty radio stations before the Telecommunications Act passed.
Afterwards, Clear Channel grew to more than one thousand two hundred
stations. The company clearly leads American radio. Infinity
Broadcasting owns and operates America's second largest number of
radio stations. It owns about one hundred eighty stations.
About one thousand radio stations disappeared after the
Telecommunications Act. People in some areas say they miss hearing
local sports events. They say they need local weather reports for
their safety. But the F.C.C. says stations owned or operated by
networks do better with local news and production.
VOICE ONE:
Some critics of the Telecommunications Act also say the measure
harmed free speech. For example, Natalie Maines sings with the group
Dixie Chicks. She criticized President Bush while performing in
London last year. After that, a number of radio stations stopped
playing Dixie Chicks music.
Critics say this was censorship, the removal of content that some
people or groups dislike. The American Civil Liberties Union is
among organizations that say censorship threatens democracy. The
First Amendment to the United States Constitution promises free
speech. It lets people express themselves without government
interference.
Some activists for children are angry about a Supreme Court
decision involving freedom of speech on the Internet. Late in June,
the court announced that a law called the Child Online Protection
Act may be illegal. A court majority said the measure may violate
the First Amendment.
Yet American legal tradition does permit limits on free speech.
Oliver Wendell Holmes was one of America's greatest Supreme Court
justices. Many years ago, he said that no one has the right, for
example, to falsely cry "Fire!" in a crowded theater.
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VOICE TWO:
When citizens protest what they believe is unacceptable material
on public airwaves, the F.C.C. can decide to punish media companies.
The problem is to judge what is unacceptable. Laws governing the
media judge some situations and images to be indecent and offensive
to community morals. They also say some words are unacceptable.
The F.C.C. bans obscenity – those bad words -- over public
airwaves at all times. But some programs that contain material meant
for adults are permitted in the late evening, when children are
supposed to be asleep.
A private group, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, recently
did a national opinion study of parents. More than half said they
are very concerned about the amount of sex and violence their
children see on television. Sixty-three percent of parents said they
would support stronger limits on what can be shown during early
evening hours.
VOICE ONE:
Early this year, hundreds of
thousands protested an incident during a half-time show at the Super
Bowl football game. Television cameras showed the uncovered breast
of singer and dancer Janet Jackson.
Late last month the F.C.C. told the CBS television division of
Viacom Incorporated that it owes five hundred fifty thousand dollars
in fines for the incident. CBS was given thirty days to appeal the
proposed fine.
VOICE TWO:
A network statement expressed regret over the incident. But it
also said CBS does not believe it violated indecency laws. The
program was produced by MTV, also a property of Viacom. CBS says it
did not know that the incident was to take place.
The F.C.C. also has punished Clear Channel Communications for
indecency violations on its radio stations. That happened after
listeners complained about comments by Howard Stern and other
broadcasters. The company says it will pay record fines of
one-point-seven-five million dollars for airing the comments.
Clear Channel dropped Mister Stern's program from six of its
stations. But now he is heard in a number of new markets.
VOICE ONE:
Deciding what is acceptable for the public in the media is a
difficult issue. Should total freedom be permitted? Or are some
language and images unacceptable?
No one believes these questions will be answered anytime soon.
Nor will the issue of how many media a single company may operate in
the same area. It seems that there is only one thing sure about use
and control of the American media. Debate will continue.
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VOICE TWO:
Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty
Weaver. This is Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Faith Lapidus. To send us e-mail, write to
special@voanews. And join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in
VOA Special English.